Search:

Hi everyone,

Below are links to both the Zoom meeting and the YouTube live stream for each session of the Alt Az Workshop starting tomorrow evening.

Also, please note there are several changes...

Hi everyone,

Below are the Zoom links for the Portland XVII Alt Az Workshop starting this Friday evening, 13 September. All times are for the Pacific Time zone (western North America).

There is...

Barred spiral galaxy
Fornax
RA: 03 33 36
Dec: -36 08 25
Magnitude 10.3
Size: 11.2’ x 6.2’

5526
(By Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image processing: Travis Rector...

Hi everyone,

It's almost that time again - the 17th annual Alt Az Workshop is coming up September 13, 14 and 15 at Dan Gray's TMS location in Portland Oregon. Please see the attached announcement...

Dark Nebula
Aquila
RA: 19 40 42
Dec: +10 57

5469
Barnard’s E – note that B143 is the northern, more distinctive part, with B142 below. Photo credit: Hunter Wilson


I'm excited to post...

Another vote for coil-binding!

Yeah, that was a bit of blooper on my part - I often mix up the designations between M81 and M82! Bode discovered both galaxies, and I've always wondered why they aren't referred to as "Bodes...

Ursa Major
RA: 09 55 52
Dec: +69 40 47
Magnitude 8.4
11.4’ x 4.3’

This remarkable galaxy is better known as Messier 82, and because of that it’s easy to forget it’s also part of the Arp...

I saw this galaxy once, over 30 years ago with my old 20-inch:

"Another elongated, nearly edge on galaxy. Quite bright with one edgemore sharply defined. Very nice, 152x."

I missed all the good...

I have one observation of each object:

NGC 4147
"This small globular is difficult to resolve, but I did so with the 11mm (and averted vision). 20-inch f/5, 231x, no SQM."

UGC 7170
"This is a...

Orion
RA: 5h 46 m 47s
Dec: +0d 0m 50s
Brightest reflection nebula

(Because of the busy holidays, I haven’t had the time to write an OOTW. Below is an abridged version of my January 2024 article...

Excellent observation Robin! How were the observing conditions - I imagine that transparency was quite good, yes?

This is one my favorite things to simply enjoy looking at - on a dark, transparent night it's hard to beat for for its beauty. The note on my attached sketch says it all.

5308 5309

I've put together a YouTube playlist for each of the four years the Alt Az Workshop has used Zoom and YouTube. We started using Zoom and YouTube in 2020 so this was our fourth year of videos.. The...

Important update to the YouTube link - below is the correct link to the 2023 Alt Az Workshop videos:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiZnykkxPITT7UnbMXhWgpCkpT1NCAcA0&si=0DyIT-kaZKDPo6GB

The...

The YouTube videos of the 2023 Alt Az Workshop are now posted, and I've added the start times for each presentation in the description of each video. That will make it easier to find the individual...

Hi everyone,

The 2023 Alt-Az Workshop will begin Saturday morning, October 28th, and I hope many of you will be able to tune in. The Zoom meeting links, along with the topics to be presented in...

Pegasus
Compact galaxy group
RA: 22 38 29
Dec: +35 19 49

5246

Two months ago (August 2023) I was observing under a wonderfully dark sky with my 30-inch scope in eastern Oregon, and after a...

Portland XVI Alt-Az Workshop


October 27 – October 29, 2023 Portland, Oregon


The 16th annual Portland Alt-Az Workshop will be held Saturday October 28 and Sunday October 29 at Dan Gray's...

These are wonderful sketches Mathias, and I especially like M65. I've always found that seeing internal detail in this galaxy is difficult. If only we all had such perfect nights more often!

(forgive the early post, I'm leaving for the Oregon Star Party in a few minutes!)

5186

NGC 6453 is one of those objects that’s easy to locate, isn’t terribly difficult to see, but is...

I have a couple of observations of M100 as well - first with the 28-inch and second with Jimi's 48-inch - and on the same night as Steve's observation:

28-inch f/4 (February 20, 2009):
"a...

I have one observation from late August, 1993 (with my old 20-inch Obsession) when the globular was low on the western horizon:

"Neat globular - rather large and showed a hint of resolution at...

Wow, what a great observation Akarsh - I sure wish I could have joined you guys at Jimi's! I had a go at 4438 a couple weeks ago but my skies were pretty awful, but that just made me more determined...

I agree, an excellent sketch - I’ll bet that looked fabulous in the eyepiece!