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Articles by Kevin Ritschel
Large deep-sky objects to catch each season
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Large deep-sky objects to catch each season
Here is a list with three objects per season appear really large in the nighttime sky. Please note they aren’t all the brightest, but parts of the objects will be visible through binoculars. And, of course, a small scope will add to your enjoyment. Despite being some 10° long, Barnard’s Loop is one of my list’s most challenging objects because of its low surface brightness. A few observers have seen it without optics, usually by holding an H-beta filter in front of their eye.
Explore these three great nebulae
Many good things come in threes: the Three Musketeers, the Three Tenors, movie and book trilogies, and more. There seems to be something symmetrical, beautiful, and satisfying when using the power of three.
Using small telescopes for wide-angle stargazing
A light pollution filter — which, as its name suggests, weeds out unwanted light sources — can be an asset in not only spotting your target but in making its colors shine. For gaseous nebulae, you’ll want a Hydrogen-beta (Hβ) filter. Most emission and planetary nebulae are best paired with an Oxygen-III (OIII) filter.
Backyard astronomy with a small scope
DON’T FORGET YOUR FILTER. Narrow-band filters are essential for observing faint-emission nebulae, even from a particularly dark-sky site. You’ll be surprised by how well some objects respond to an Oxygen-III (OIII) filter, like the Owl Nebula (M97 or NGC 3587) in Ursa Major or Thor’s Helmet (NGC 2359) in Canis Major. Some objects, such as the California Nebula and Barnard’s Loop, require an Hβ filter to identify them. GRAB A WIDE-FIELD EYEPIECE.
Oil and gas industry assesses damage at refineries, plants
The energy industry is assessing damage caused by storm surges and high winds as Hurricane Laura cut a dangerous path across the coastlines of Texas and Louisiana, making landfall early Thursday. Oil and gas producers evacuated platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and companies shut down refineries in the storm’s path. More than 700,000 customers were without power in Louisiana and Texas, according to the website PowerOutage.Us, which tracks utility reports.
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