Backyard Astronomy And Other

There are two equinoxes (the first day of spring, and the first day of fall) the sun will cast no shadow, as the sun will be shining directly down the steel rod. See the expalanation as following.

I found out about the following sun measurement by Tom English, who was formerly an astronomy and physics professor at a local university. The following information was made during the year 2023.

Place a straight pole into the ground, facing due south, and at an angle of 55 degrees:

So, on June 21st, 2023 (Summer Solstice) the shadow will cast its greatest extent southward, and on the winter solstice (December 22nd 2023) the shadow will cast its greatest extent northward on the stick.

My latitude is 35º 15 mins.

So a simple calculation to determine the angle of the rod.

(90º – 35º) = 55º

Note the shadow: It will be increasing, each day, and getting shorter, until September 23rd 2023, when there will be no shadow, as the sun will be “pointing directly down” the rod.

At 12:00 Noon EST (use standard time) on the first day of fall showing no shadow as the sun was shining directly down the steel rod. This photo as following on September 22nd or 23rd, 2023.

The following photo:

The yellow mark indicated the sun shadow on August 24th (2023) and the position of the sun shadows on different days following.

The red mark was made on October 4th 2023.

The black mark was made on October 13th (2023). Note the rapid movement of the sun heading south in less than two weeks!

Cocoon Nebula in Cygnus: Very faint and difficult, but with patience and a “reasonably” dark-sky it’s possible. Look for the tiny star chain, just to the NE and you know, you’re close to the Cocoon.

Comet Hale-Bopp With All Three Tails Being Sketched: The Gas Tail, The Dust Tail and The Anti-Tail. Charcoal sketch on black card stock. (March 1997)

10-inch EQ f/4.5 Newtonian Telescope: Nine Galaxies in a 1/2º Field-of-View, when centered on M86

Veil Nebula West

Veil Nebula East