Date: Tue, Mar 27, 2012
From: Tom Hoffelder
Subject: 2012 CT MM - SN observation during MM

It was cloudy here on the weekend, and last week also around new moon, but 
I was able to complete a marathon this past night, two of them actually, 
in a manner of speaking.  I saw 106 (my previous record for New England) 
in our C14 and 107 (obviously my new record here in the northeast) in our 
8" f/6 Newt.  M74, 77 and 30 were not doable, thus the 107 in the 8.  
I also missed M110 in the C14, because from where I had it set up, there 
was a tree in the way of the M31 group in the evening.  (The 8 inch is 
easy to move, not so the 14; it stays where it is for the night!)  I was 
able to get M31 and 32 in the morning with the C14, but they were very low 
and in a light dome, which was brighter than the surface brightness of 
M110.  As usual, it was just me, the scope (scopes this time) and the 
right angle sweep.  
 
Speaking of sweeps and NGC 3877, one of the more interesting sweeps (in 
the C14) was the one I use for M106: 0.5 deg S and 5.6 deg E of chi UMa.  
After the 0.5 S, there was a nice edge on in the field.  After going 
3 deg east, there was an even nicer one in the field.  Since while 
marathoning all I have open is my list of M object in order of search, 
I didn't know what they were.  After going on to M106, I checked 
Uranometria to find that the two were NGC 3877 and 4096.  Both being on 
my list of 101 best edge-on galaxies, I had seen them before, more than 
once, but I have spread sheets because I have no memory!  
 
I had no trouble seeing the supernova in M95, with the C14.  It was iffy 
in the 8 inch, but only because I was using low power; I had seen it on 
previous dates with the 8 when it was dimmer than it is now, using higher 
power.  Of course looked at the four brightest planets and Comet Garradd.  
I also saw this: 
http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Jack-Fusco-jackfuscoatrexFacebook_1332845787.jpg  
I had heard about the tests, but lost track of the schedule when the 
original date was scrubbed, so after being up all night, for a few moments 
I was wondering what the heck is that, until the brain kicked in.
 
So, anyway, I'm not sure doing two complete marathons with two scopes on 
the same night qualifies as two marathons, but I feel like I did two of 
them!  The moon was annoying for the first three and a half hours, but 
other than that not a problem.  It was on the chilly side, some of the 
coldest weather we have had all winter (which we really never had this year 
in New England).  Amazingly there was no dew (which would have turned to 
ice if there had been).  My observing sight is near a river, the only place 
close with decent horizons, and it is very rare to observe a couple hours 
there, never mind all night, with out everything being covered with dew or 
ice.
 
tom hoffelder