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Jim and Linda at Bouchaine Winery in Napa.  This was a Chinese New Year celebration for the Wine Club Members.  Clouds were overhead so we brought the telescopes inside and did a short presentaton.  Dinner was wonderful, and we met countless new friends.

The third and fourth stars in our logo stand for "Memorable Friends".  In total the 4 stars stand for "Spectacular Beauty, Memorable Friends.

Thank you Brian Allard of Bouchaine for treating us like a Queen and King.

We managed to get this photo of Mercury as it transitted (crossed in front of) the sun on Monday November 11.

We are impressed with how small the planet is relative to the sun.

This photo was taken with Linda's Orion 10" astrograph on my Celestron mount.

We just returned from the 2019 Advanced Imaging Conference held at the San Jose Convention Center.

This 3 day event, held every other year, is proclaimed as "the greatest collection of astrophotographers under one roof" and is a way to "accellerate your astrophotography".

This was our 3rd AIC.  This year, in addition to the workshops and general session presentations, we enjoyed the experience of checking in with old friends and being reinspired.  Many of us have limited time to take photos of the heavens, and we are both excited to get our equipment outside more often.

See www.advancedimagingconference.com for more information.

Please join us Friday Nov 22 for an evening of stargazing with Landpaths and Wine Country Star Party.  Please plan to bring a potluck item for dinner before the stars come out.

We will caravan from a location to be announced when you sign up.  We will be leaving the event together at the conclusion of the evening.  This will not be an overnight campout.

This video was taken of the moon at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.  We captured the footage in our 12 inch dobsonian telescope and used "powermate" accessories that magnified the view.

The Advanced Imagining Conference (AIC) is coming up next month.

If you want to learn as much as you can about astrophotography in a single weekend, don't miss it!

We hope to see you there.

AIC Website Link

We stargazed with 2 telescopes at the Napa Valley Reserve Harvest Party last night.  There were hundreds of people in attendance for wine tasting, dinner, stargazing, and music.  As usual we met the nicest people - a lot from out of town.  I recall, "New York", "Boston", "Atlanta", and "Chicago" for some. 

Many viewers told us about their own telescopes and experiences.  We love that.  We were especially interested in the couples who had recently travelled to Chile for the solar eclipse, and to other dark places without light pollution.

Thank you Napa Valley Reserve for hiring us to stargaze with your guests.
 

We travelled to Lakeport to a beautiful home overlooking Clear Lake last night.

We viewed with a team from Calpine who bid on the stargazing and VRBO home rental.

What a nice group of people.  Thank you to all who said, "oh my gosh" when viewing Jupiter, the Moon, Saturn and other deep sky objects.

This was a donation to the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.  We are happy to donate stargazing to our favorite fundraisers.

We're driving home after midnight from a Star Party and pass Grape Pickers near our driveway.

My only thought is this.  Who else wold be working at midnight?  Pickers pick in the night when it is cool to prevent uncontrolled fermentation.  Astronomers gaze in the night - well - because that is the stars are out.

Always assume the viewing is going to be great.  And this night it was!

After a week of heat with 100F degree days, clouds and fog returned.

As we headed to the Star Party at Bull Frog Pond with the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, we were a little concerned.

At the parking lot overlook we were greeted with lots of eager guests and this beautiful sunset.

The viewing was spectactular as it almost always is at that location.

We viewed Jupiter and Saturn.  In years past, we used to keep the planets "in reserve" as a finale, but they are easy to view early in the evening so we look at them first now.  There were a lot of questions about the constellations.  Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pegasus, Cygnus, Lyra, Cepheus, Casseopiea, Andromeda, Hercules, Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Sagitta, and Delphinus were all overhead.

We viewed the Harvest Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn in St Helena last night.  This was a birthday celebration for 2 guests with over 100 people in attendance.  It was wonderfully warm throughout the evening.  Lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" when viewing the Moon and Planets.

We offered a star party to private guests, north of Calistoga in this beautiful location.  A big part of the drama is the grandeur of the location.  We often tritely say, "a great star gazing site is harder to find than an astronomical sight".

We enjoyed delicious food, met wonderful new friends, and experienced beautiful star gazing with the Alexander Valley Film Festival in Cloverdale.

The 4 stars in the Wine Country Star Party logo stand for "spectacular beauty, memorable friends".

I don't think we could have been more spot on than that!

We are constantly looking for dark sky locations.  This helps us get the best astrophotography results.  We look at the dark site finder, and try to match those locations with remote campsites.  The ideal "find" wouild be the darkest conditions without a neighbor in sight.  The worst situation is someone with a bright lantern next to us.

This usually conjurs up the idea of the middle of the night, not day break.  The image here is from just before morning at Eagle Lake near Susanville, CA. 

I thought it was a pretty photo and even though the sun was not up yet, the stars were long gone.

Sometimes things get a little playful at our Star Parties.

We asked these guests to point up into the sky as if they were seeing a UFO.

Pictured with the constellation artwork from Stellarium in the background this screenshot shows the opportunity to see Jupiter, Venus and Mecury at sunrise just before 7:00am Friday December 14.

Join us for this event if you'd like to experience it with Wine Country Star Party.

Dan Burns explains his space-time warping demo at a workshop at Los Gatos High School, on March 10, 2012.

We were hired to perform a Star Party for Este Lauder / Clinique at the "Barn in Green Valley".  Lots of energy, fun people, and a beautiful location.

The attendees were mostly Este Lauder / Clinique staff who support the company's online sales.

We met people from Taiwan, Brazil, and New York.

The double doors in the photograph were "flung" open to share the drama of the telescopes with the team.

We attended the Sep 29 2018 Bouchaine Wine Maker Dinner.  Bouchaine is located in Carneros.  The event included great music, fine food and wine, and the telescopes.  It also included clouds, so we did not get to view.

Our hats are off to Bouchaine host Brian Allard who really puts on a great evening.

Walking this morning before sunrise was beautiful.  Luckily I dragged myself out of bed early enough so that the stars were still very bright.  A slight glow was peeking up in the east, but I still had time to get to my favorite open spot to see the night sky.  This being so early in the moon cycle, just after the new moon, there was no moon to be seen at 5:30am.

The summer landmarks are long gone by now in the pre-dawn.  Even the fall constellations are westward.  However, high in the sky is Orion magnificently dazzling us.  His shoulders and feet outline his shape, and to the northwest, I could see his large shield.  I always try to see if the Orion Nebula is visible as a hazy patch, but I think that is only in my mind.

Around the winter hexagon I toured, just to refresh my memory of all the star names.  Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Castor, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel, oh my!

To my greatest surprise, though, was Ursa Major's cup rising the in the east.  Since Ursa Major is visible after sunset, and again before sunrise I am happy to be able to see almost all of the night sky in one 24 hour period.

I hope to walk early tomorrow morning and see my friends again.  The fourth star in the the Wine Country Star Party logo stands for "friends".  From left to right, they represent, "spectacular beauty, memorable friends".

We toured the planets Sunday night with our guests. 5 planets! 

Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars.  Wait?!  That makes only 4.  Well, yes, we also saw the Earth.

That joke is getting really old.

What a perfect way to celebrate an anniversary.  Cindy and Jeff joined us last night to view at the Lone Rock parking lot above Lake Sonoma.

We viewed 5 planets.  Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Earth (hahahah).

We have never seen such clear views of Jupiter, including the great red spot.  And, as always, it is a treat to see Saturn's Cassini Division.

We had a good group at Bouchaine Winery Saturday night.  About 20 of us observed Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus as well as the quarter Moon.

Visit the GSSP website here.

If you are interested in going to GSSP, let's consider camping as a group.  Leave a comment to this message if you are interested and I will get in touch.

The rain clouds have cleared and the skies are beautiful.

During my early morning walk today in the Freestone foothills, I saw Jupiter rising in the East.  So nice to see Jupiter back in view.

In the early morning, the Winter constellations are closing in on the Western horizon, with Orion leading the way.  I saw treated to a long streaking meteor right through Orion's body.  It was so nice and dark and clear this morning that I could see Orion's shield outstretched to the West.

Leo and Usra Major are up.  My one audible exclamation was to take in the enourmous size or Ursa Major. So much more to it than just the Big Dipper.  One can get a "pre-season" look at the stars by lookin upward while it is still dark just before sunrise.

We saw Jupiter, Saturn, and several nebula.

Love you guys, Jim and Linda

I love this animated GIF

This past weekend, Wine Country Star Party held its second Star Party on behalf of Windows to My Soul.

The event was at Skinner Winery in Fairplay, CA.

The weather looked a little intimidating as there were clouds all day, but the clear sky charts indicated clearing after sunset.

The view to the right is the observing area showing the dramatic clouds, with our telescopes in the foreground.

Approximately 20 people viewed.  These were donors to Windows to My Soul's Gala last fall.

We will be back to Skinner in July for another event as the Star Party was a popular enough auction item to command a "double down".  Bidding was aggressive enough to call for 2 Star Parties.

We are happy and proud to support Windows to My Soul.

From Nasa's Youtube channel, enjoy it.

We have 3 nice bookings in a row starting tonight.  Tonight we will be at Calistoga Ranch in the Napa Valley with a small family.  Very beautiful location off the Silverado Trail.  Calistoga Ranch is a very high end and upscale property. 

Update: 2 families arrived - both with children.  They enjoyed Smores until sunset.  We viewed Mizar to see the multiple stars, Jupiter and its Moons, the Globular Cluster M3, the Leo Triplet, and Bode's Nebula.

Tomorrow night we will be at the Wild Oak Saddle Club in Oakmont with a large group.  This will be a first for us. 

Update: The event was highlighted by a very long meteor visible to the East.  By long, we mean perhaps 15 seconds duration. 

Saturday night we will be in Freestone with a family from Santa Rosa.  Thank you Julia for purchasing a Star Party from WCSP.

All 3 locations are unique, and all are dark for astronomy viewing. 

Telescopes and sunsets are 2 of our favorite things to photograph.

We had a Star Party at Skyline Park in Napa with Mark from Austrailia and Dorothy from England.  This was a very nice night. 

We've had so much rain and cloudiness here that this one clear night was a real treat. 

There were a few showers and clouds just before sunset, but the skies were completely clear, as forecast, after dark.

We had good views of the Orion Nebula, the Double Cluster, Bode's Nebula, and Jupiter.

Mark and Dorothy are pictured to the right wearing their new Wine Country Star Party hats.

As Astronomers, we look at the weather forecast EVERY day.  Finally we see a stretch of days coming with sunshine predicted during the day and cloudless nights.  Plus there is the added bonus that this weather pattern is happening during a New Moon.  We're hoping to host some customers this Saturday night and perhaps dust off the cameras for some Astrophotography.

Please read the wonderful article about Wine Country Star Party in Sonoma Discoveries Magazine.

LINK

The Milky Way - our home galaxy. 

At night one sees an "arm" of the milky way. 

A 30 second exposure such as this with equipment that tracks the movement of the sky makes for a stunning exposure with bright star light.

This photo taken at Ferguson Vineyards in Freestone California.

The Moon and Venus this morning at about 7:00am.  "In Conjunction", or visual alignment.

Venus appears high in the sky when its orbit is at the extreme from alignment with the sun. 

In the morning, it is the morning star.

As it swings all the way 180 degrees around the sun in its orbit, it becomes the evening star.

On occasion, Venus and Mercury are in sync and at their orbital extremes and one can see both in the morning or night depending on the time of year.

Look for Mercury much closer to the horizon, just as the sun comes up, and much less bright than Venus.

This "open cluster" of stars is called the Double Cluster.  It is Perseus' head, located just below Casseopeia.

The image was taken near Freestone, in Sonoma County.

A Starlight Express CCD camera was used to capture 12 photos - each "stacked" using a program called Deep Sky Stacker.

Background noise from the camera was reduced by using "dark frames".

We were able to take this photo last night during the Lunar Eclipse.

It was a Super Moon - meaning the Moon was very close to the Earth giving it a larger than normal appearance.

During the eclipse, the light cast on the Moon appears reddish as the Earth's light bends, thus making it a so-called "Blood Moon".

Wine Country Star Party offered a Live Auction item to the September 12 Windows to My Soul (WTMS) Fundraiser.

We were happy to hear the auctioneer "doubled down" and got both high bidders to commit to $3000 bids each.

The event includes a catered dinner at a local winery.

Very gratifying!

Here is some more information about the WTMS program.

We were included in the Frog's Leap Winery Harvest Moon Party this last Saturday night.

Approximately 90 people attended.

Views of the Moon and Saturn were excellent.

Frog's Leap really knows how to celebrate.  There were musicians, wine, food, and fun annoucemnets and toasts.

Thank you Frog's Leap for including us.

The first photo is early in the event as the guests arrived.

The second photo is Linda's telescope with the tasting room building in the background.

The third photo is Jim's telescope with the beautiful grounds as a backdrop.

The Moon was a little full for star gazing at the Bull Frog Pond vista point, but the views were stunning nonetheless.

We had campers and families and visitors from San Francisco.

High powered views of the moon in our scopes from 40X to 350X are very pretty.

We have our binoculars set up during the twilight to view the distant ridges toward Cazadero.

Quite often people like to walk out to the knoll beyond the vista point parking lot to see the sunset.

Here is my best sunset photo.

Beautiful!

We held a Star Party in support of Jordan Winerie's "Starlight Supper".  The location was stunning and the food delicious. 

The guests and staff were very fun. 

Approximately 80 people dined outisde and then enjoyed views of Saturn, the great globular cluster in Hercules, the binary star Albiero, and other nebula.

Thank you Jordan Winery for hiring us!

No reason to celebrate, but the smoke from the local Sonoma County fires made for a pretty sunset

The menu was spectacular

Thank you Jordan for inviting us to dine.

Two of our scopes awaiting the Jordan Starlight Supper guests.

The Blue Moon was looking pretty orange/red last night due to local fires and smoke.  A blue moon is a second Full Moon within the same month.

Called "Blue" from the word "belewe" or betray originating from the concept that there should only be one Full Moon per month.

This photo was taken at the Martin Ray Vineyards star party on the Winery grounds near Forestville, Sonoma County, CA.

Thank you Greg and Loren for helping out last night.  We could not do it without you!

There is a certain style displayed by each Astronomer as they assist our guests at the telescope.

Loren is very knowledgable about the sky and stars.  He confidently points the telescope and explains the view with great passion.

Greg is very attentive to the view and the telescope pointing accuracy.  He patiently reminds each person about the location of the eyepiece and best practices to enjoy the moment.

Thanks Greg and Loren!

Check out those WCSP logo shirts!  You guys are stylish!

We held a Star Party and Astronomy slide show at St. Dorothy's Rest last night - a fun and exciting event.  The evening commenced with a slideshow.  This was a good warmup for the 50 campers attending this week's sessions at SDR.  Then the campers moved by cabin to the exquisite viewing location just past Lydia House.  This is a part of the SDR property facing North.  We had good views of the moon, saturn, and albiero.

This was our second event with SDR.  The team there is really hospitable to us, loving to the kids, and all around great to be with.

St Dorothy's is located in Camp Meeker.  The property and views are beautiful.

The moon and venus in conjunction over the Cazadero coast.

Jupiter is to the right of the Moon and Venus - somewhat hard to see.

I had the pleasure of participating in a "star party" put on by Linda Harmening Sinkay and Jim Goodenough.

The sky cleared in time to see Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and many stars and galaxies.

A great time and highly recommended.

And, now I can find the Little Dipper!

Thanks to Linda, Jim, and the Sebastopol Area Senior Center!

Joe G.

We were invited to bring our telescopes to Patz and Hall Winery in Sonoma.  Thank you Tiffany for hiring us.  This was part of a live auction item / fundraiser.  6 women from New Mexico bid to Glamour Camp (Glamp) and toured the area.  Their first night included Wine Country Star Party.  Lots of fun viewing Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. There was even time for 'smores'.

Those really fancy tents were provided by Shelter Co.  They were complete with a bed, chairs, lamps - the works!  Plus couches and lanterns were placed around the area to give the outdoors a homey feeling. 

Have you heard of St. Dorothy's Rest in Camp Meeker, CA? It is a 550 acre paradise where summer camps and retreats happen. Wine Country Star Party is delighted to be part of their team for two very special camps this summer! The first one is this week, a 'no cost' summer camp for children who have had cancer or a blood disorder, and also for their siblings! < How cool is that? The siblings get to come too!

We can't wait to thrill the kids with the wonders of the universe.

Be sure to think of St. Dorothy's Rest for your next retreat. It is truly an incredible place, right in our own back yard, Sonoma County!

http://stdorothysrest.org/camp/camp-st-dorothys/

Thank You Heather Knoll for hostessing us at Rancho Mark West last night for a Star Party with 20 Landpaths guests.

We are grateful for the excitement and fellowship with the guests.  Thank you Jim and Betty Doerksen for allowing us access to the property.

We had a fun event at the Martin Ray Winery near Forestville last night.

Martin Ray's Wine Club enjoyed wine and hordouvres while the sun set and then came outside to view Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

For the Astronomy enthusiast, we were able to see Saturn's Cassini Division.

The participants really enjoyed the viewing, and we hope to work with Greg Ray of Martin Ray again in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you as well to FORK Catering for taking such good care of us.

The Martin Ray Pinot was exceptionally good.

The Ring Nebula - M57 - one light year in diameter,

The Ring is very interesting,  In larger photos, one can see a central star that provides all the thermal energy to heat up and excite the circular cloud of gases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lagoon Nebula - M8 - a star nursery.

The bright white central area is filled with stars so energetic that they light up and excite the surrounding cloud of Hydrogen gas.

The more distinc cluster of stars slightly below and left of center are young stars that were born in the Nebula.

 

 

 

 

The Dumbbell Nebula - M27 - the remnant of a star.

So named because is looks like a dumb bell weight.  We think it looks like an apple core.

We had a Star Party benefitting Windows to My Soul. This photo was taken near Mount Aukum, east of Sacramento at the Il Gioiello Winery.  Note the cool telescope on the wine label. Estate owner Robert Morse attended the event and explained the origins of the name he chose for his vineyards and winery.  See the Wikipedia page for Il Gioiello (The Jewel), Galileo's home from 1631 until his death in 1642.

The Windows to my Soul program is run by my Sister in Law, Cindy Hodge.   We were happy to donate stargazing to a bidder at Cindy's fundraiser last fall.  The star party was preceeded by a wonderful 3 course dinner near the vineyard.

The skies were nice and dark.  We are so used to light pollution in Sonoma and Napa Counties to our East, but in the Sierra Foothills, the East is the darkest.  The Bode's Nebula image was troublesome.  Despite the fact that we recorded over an hour of images, only 20 minutes were usable.  However, the dark conditions made the limited exposures very good, and telescope viewing via the eyepiece was good also.

 

Conjunction of the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Photo taken in Rio Nido, California. We had gone to the coast, but the fog chased us inland to Rio Nido. There was a small parking lot near downtown where we photographed but the Moon quickly set behind the foothills.
As we headed inland further, we stopped near Korbel Vineyards.  Here the stars shinining over the nearby trees.  As cars passed nearby, the trees were lit up from headlights.
Long exposures of the cars on River Road gave us these streaks of brake lights.

                          




- The eclipse will begin 1:51 pm PDT (Thursday afternoon). Mid-eclipse, where 43% of the Sun will be covered, will be at 3:15 pm. The eclipse will end at 4:32 pm.

The Rosette Nebula.  Located between Orion and Canus Minor.  5200 light years from Earth and approximately 130 light years in diameter.

This photo taken in Blucher Valley near Sebastopol California 10 miles west of Santa Rosa.

This image is a 20 minute exposure taken with a Canon T2i DSLR.

This is not what one would see through a telescope with the naked eye.  The camera's long exposure allows for the color and shape to resolve for viewing in this photo.

Some beautiful views from the International Space Station

http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/10/iss-envy-breathtaking-views-of-earth/

"Sunny Williams" gives a 25 minute tour of the International Space Station

Many of you are asking us about the Asteroid that is going to pass the earth this week, and if there's a chance for a collision. Here's a video that explains all about Asteroid 2012 DA 14.

At 5:30am this morning, we can see Cygnus, Hercules, Bootes, Corvus, Scorpius, Draco, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Lyra, Corona Borealis, Opiuchus, Virgo, and Leo.

Our first exposure to the details of the named Constellations was in the summer, so these springtime and summertime Constellations always bring back good memories.

We view these sights from Sebastopol, CA, but of course any location in the northern hemisphere this time of year will give you the same view.

Clear Skies!

This time of year, lots of Astronomers are taking photos of Orion - here's another.

It is big and bright and colorful.  One thing though, it is hard not to overexpose the center.

At the center is a cluster of stars called the Trapezium.  These are stars that were born in the nebula.  They are the reason the nebula glows.  They are much brighter than our sun.

Wine Country Star Party is playing Cupid~! 

Let us help you treat your sweatheart to a romantic and remarkable star gazing experience!  

Impress your loved one with  an unforgettable night viewing the Winter and Spring constellations, many beautiful galaxies, nebula, star clusters and Jupiter and its moons.

Wine Country Star Party will provide hot beverages, sweet treats, blankets, and zero-gravity chairs. 

Purchase your special Wine Country Star Party gift certificate today and together we will determine a mutually agreeable location and time.  ( http://winecountrystarparty.com/valentines_event.shtml )

Our basic Valentine's romance package starts at $130 per couple or we can create a custom event.

Call us at (707) 823-3631 to create a custom  experience just for you!

The Constellation Orion

A time lapse video taken for 40 minutes. 80 exposures of 30 seconds each played back at 15 frames per second with a Canon T2i DSLR

A first try. Look for longer and less light polluted editions in the near future.

We've made some adjustments to the equitorial mount we use when we take astro photos.  Look for more beautiful photos here Saturday after our photo session Friday night.

We plan to be in a nice spot near Freestone in Sonoma County.  It is a nice private parking lot at a residence.  No cars driving by.  No distractions.  Lots of good dark sky overhead.

Right now the Moon has just passed being full and is on its way to the "Last Quarter" and then the "New Moon".  Since the Moon goes through its entire lunar cycle slightly faster than once a month it rises in the east a little less than an hour later each night. 

The Moon has to go through its cycle in about 29.5 days,  And during those days it revolves around the Earth once only to reappear in the same spot in the sky.  Think of that revolution as the face of a 24 hour clock.  Since it revolves around the Earth in about 29.5 days and cycles through a 24 hour clock, it progresses to the East about 24/29.5 hours per night or an average of 48 minutes.

Clear Skies!

From http://www.faustweb.net/solaris/

Here it comes again - the full moon.  Lots of astronomers stay inside because of two reasons.  The moon is so bright, it washes out the sky so all the other objects are nearly impossible to see and when it is full, even though it is fully illuminated, the moon has no terminator - the line between dark and light.  When the moon is a crescent, the terminator is the best viewing.  The deep shadows along the terminator reveal great contrast between dark and light and one can see lots of detail.

Clear Skies!

We were just watching a show on the Discovery Channel that claimed 100 tons of meteor materials land on the Earth every day.

Look toward the southeast during Winter - a little low toward the horizon - and you will see the brightest star in the sky - Sirius.  If you are familiar with Orion's belt and the Constellation Orion in general, you will see Sirius below Orion.

Sirius is bright because of its closeness to the Earth and its size.  It is the "Dog Star" in Canus Major.  While it rises in the summer during daylight, it was thought to add to the heat of the day, thus - the "Dog Days of Summer"

We took this photo last night near Forestville.  The "Orion Nebula" or M42. 

To continue the previous posts on early morning observations, we want to mention that Scorpius was visible early this morning.  At about 5:00am, we could see Scorpius to the South.  Normally it is thought of as a Summer Constellation, but lately we've been making observations during the time just before sunrise.  Scorpius is marked by its bright yellow star Antares, and the three claw stars that evenly fan out to the West.

Astronomers love to tell people about the Constellations they see.  The names are important.  The locations are what make up the canvas of the night sky.  There is a lot of detail and information about the seasons, the star names, and the objects located above.  We have to watch ourselves and not overwhelm our guests with too much information.

At 5:30am this morning, we can already see the Summer Constellations rising.  It is very exciting.  Vega and the rest of the Summer Triangle are visible to the east.  The Spring features including the Big Dipper and its curved handle "arcing" to Arcturus and "spiking" to Spica are straight up.  We've even added the additional pnuemonic - "curving" to the asterism Corvus.

Clear skies!

Thanks Bob C for taking this photo. 

It is of a sign in Windsor California.

I like it that Pluto is still "recognized". 

The UFO is my favorite - it does a little loop-de-loo in its flightpath.

We went to the public star party at the Robert Ferguson Observatory (RFO) last night.  Beautiful night!  Despite the clear weather forecast, the skies were initially cloudy, but by about 7:00pm, the clouds cleared.  What a treat.  The Winter Hexagon was high in the sky and as the evening progressed, the Spring Constellations rose in the east. 

RFO is located in the Sugar Loaf Star Park near Kenwood, California.  Despite the many State Park closures, "Team Sugarloaf" has formed and is keeping the Park open.

Lots of good fellowship amongst the RFO Docents and guests as usual.  Lots of good viewing.  I always tell visitors to enjoy the viewing and tour of the Observatory, and as they return to their cars, they can always stop in the upper parking lot to get one last view of their favorite objects in the personally owned scopes owned by the Docents.

Last night Dickson Yeager, Rob Davis and Nancy Cummings were set up with 3 Dobsonian Scopes.

Did you see the Crescent Moon and Venus  Thursday morning?  This is just what it looked like, whether you were here in Sonoma County, or in Currituck, North Carolina, like photographer Greg Diesel.Walck.  Enjoy Venus while you can, these January mornings.  Soon it will be rising with the sun, & because it is the second closest planet to the Sun, (Mercury is the closest), it will be too bright to see by February first.  Fear not though...Venus will 'return' to us in late April once again visible to us in the evening sky.  By September 8th, it will be near the moon once more.

In about a week, (Jan 21, 2013), the planet Jupiter will put on a show of its own with the moon.  We like to think of these planets as lifelong friends, coming around to see us at different times in the night....and at different times in the year.  In fact, it is this very thing that inspired Wine Country Star Party's logo of four stars.  They stand for Spectacular Beauty, Memorable Friends.  When a Planet or a Constellation has been gone from view for a time or a season, it is a wonderful reunion when they reappear, like an old friend we haven't seen in a while.  When they put on a show, like Venus and the Moon, a new memory is made.  Capturing the celestial beauty with photography is a wonderful way to remember the moment.  With many of our pictures, even pictures of galaxies and nebula, we remember where we were and who we were with when the picture was taken.

What Celestial wonder is most memorable to you?

This time of year. there is a real stargazers's treat.  Once you find and enjoy Ursa Major and the Three Leaps of the Gazelle, turn around 180 degrees and enjoy Orion.  Last night, at about 10:30pm, I was able to see Ursa Major to the northwest and after turning completey around to face the southweat, there was Orion.  One thing that is very exciting to me about these Constellations is their size.  Both Constellations occupy huge sections of the sky and both are so well known.  Usra Major for her Dipper and Orion for his belt. 

Today at 1:00pm on PBS there is a NOVA presentation of "Hunting the Edge of Space". 

Don't miss it. 

A wonderful show about early Astronomers developing bigger and bigger telescopes. 

Part 2 is next week - same day and time.

                                    Betelgeuse, 430 light years away from earth,

 is one of the easiest stars to recognize in the night sky.

It is a red Supergiant, and is one of the

brightest stars we can see.   When comparing

Betelgeuse to our own sun, the star has

                                                                          15 times more mass, is 600 times wider,

                                                                                    and has more than 200 million times its volume.

                                                                                   It outshines our sun by about 50,000 times.

You can tell it is a different color than most of the stars we see,                       

appearing more orange-red than the stars around it.

When a star transforms into a red supergiant,

it signifies that it is nearing the end of its lifetime,

and is destined to transform once more in style,

 with a supernova explosion.  This happens when

a star runs out of fuel, collapses under its own weight,

and a supernova explosion occurs.  When this happens

to Betelgeuse, the star will brighten tremendously,

and could even be visible in daylight.   It is possible

that we could see the explosion of Betelgeuse in our lifetime.

 In fact, given that it is so far away, the explosion could have already

happened, when you consider that it is 430 light years away.

Get to know Betelgeuse now, in its supergiant form, before it explodes and becomes a supernova~!

The name sounds impressive, huh?  SCAS is the acronym.  A great group of people who meet monthly at Proctor Terrace School in Santa Rosa,  See the SCAS website at http://www.sonomaskies.org.

One of the reasons we joined SCAS was to find good observing sites.  We're frequently quoting the following: "a good site is harder to find than a sight".

A dark location, on public property, with parking, but away from headlights and streetlights, with hopefully even a public restroom is hard to find.  So after we joined SCAS we started asking if the club had access to good observing sites.  And do you know what happened?  We got put in charge of setting up star parties.  To date, we've set up only one and it was at Lake Sonoma.  Lake Sonoma seems to be a desirable location for Central California Astronomers from the Bay Area and beyond because it meets most of the criteria spelled out above.

We were at Lake Sonoma in October and met a fellow at the Lone Rock parking lot who had a 24" Dob in his van.  We did not see the fully assembled telescope, but he had driven there from the East Bay - over an hour from there.

Clear Skies!

While walking outside last night, we could see the Great Square of Pegasus to the west.  The Winter Hexagon was directly overhead.  And the Spring Constellations of Ursa Major and Leo were rising in the east.  So beautiful!

The only thing missing was the Summer Triangle, but of course, at this time of year it is up high in the sky during the day and under our feet at night.

At Wine Country Star Party, the stars in our logo stand for "spectacular beauty, memorable friends".  The seasonal Constellations are partly what we are referring to when we mention "spectacular beauty, memorable friends".

If you notice the Clear Sky Chart in the previous BLOG entry - it is "live".  It is updated every day and uses the same web address so you can always see the current conditions at Lake Sonoma in this BLOG.

You should consider learning about Clear Sky Charts.  They are used by Astronomers frequently.  A Clear Sky Chart helps predict viewing conditions with far more detail and accuracy than most weather maps. 

Cloud Cover, Transparency, Seeing, Darkness, Wine, Humidity, and Temperature are all predicted hour by hour.

The predictions vary, but usually include the present time through the next 18 hours.  This is definitely NOT a long term forecast, but it can yield a very detailed and accurate short term forecast.

At one Star Party, we were able to reassure our clients that the Clear Sky Charts predicted an opening in the clouds at about 9:00pm and almost to the dot, that is when the cloud cover cleared.  It was a little spooky that we forecast good conditions so well.  Our guests loved it.

A Star Party is an event where a group of people gather to stargaze. Naked eye and telescope aided observing are included. It is a peaceful time to view the beauty of the heavens. Stars, Galaxies, Open and Closed Star Clusters, and Nebula are all visible. In addition, the participants in a Star Party view Constellations and Asterisms associated with the season. Typically, fact sharing, stories, and mythological tales promote a heightened sense of camaraderie.

A Star Party is not to be confused with a party for Movie Stars or Hollywood Actors.  The phrase "Star Party" is used among astronomers as the common name for a gathering of people intent on viewing the Heavens.

As the evening progresses, and darkness falls, there is a growing excitement.  Objects rise in the east just like the sunrise and the experienced Astronomers point them out.  As each person's eyes adapt to darkness, the ability to see dark objects improves.  Gradually novices become more familiar with the map of the sky.  Even a shooting star or two adds to the excitement.

   What is perihelion, you might ask?  ;-)

   It is the point in time when the earth is closest to the sun while

   orbiting around it.  Today is that day.  The sun is at perihelion, and

   will be a mere 91,402,560 miles away.

   (On average, the earth is typically about 93,000,000 miles away.)

There are lots of good sales going on right now on telescopes and accessories.  Just like other retailers, the telescope stores are promoting their products with discounts now that the holidays are over.  Research carefully.  We do not recommend you buy a telescope product at the Mall or Discount stores.  Watch out for ads mentioning "high power" and "low price" as these are almost never good combinations in the telescope marketplace.

Before you buy, consider contacting us for assistance or plan a visit to your local astronomy club for a little guidance.

Clear Skies!

Happy New Year's Eve!  Be safe tonight. We hope lots of you are assembling your new telescopes that were received over the Holidays. Contact us here if you need any help getting started.

Clear Skies!

Tonight, before total darkness, at about 5:30pm, there was Jupiter.  Nice and bright toward the east about 30 degrees up from the horizon.  There were no stars visible yet but we could clearly make out Jupiter.  Even only two days after the Full Moon while there is still too much moon light to enjoy a deep sky object, Jupiter gives a pleasing view and reminds us that the good dark skies are coming.

Just after the Full Moon, the promise of darker skies begins.  Not the kind of dark skies that people dread.  You know, the analogy that darkness brings bad spirits and gloom.  Rather, great astronomy viewing. 

In as few as three to four days after the Full Moon, the Moon starts rising late enough in the evening to offer good dark viewing just after sunset.  By the end of a week after the Full Moon, we reach the "Last Quarter" and the Moon rises after midnight.  Then for the following seven to ten days we have excellent dark nights for viewing including the night of the New Moon.

You can use this page to calculate the rise and set times for the moon and sun.

One of Wine Country Star Party's Moon photos from earlier this year.

Taken with our 10" Newtonian Telescope.

The last full moon of the year 2012 will shine on us tomorrow morning.   The moon is one of the most interesting and easiest subjects for astrophotography. 

Send us your photographs of the full moon and we'll share them here on the blog!

The moon is full again this Friday, December 28.  Most Astronomers head inside to wait for darker conditions.  There is a funny thing about that.  The moon is such a great astronomy target - big and bright and lots of details.  But we tend to avoid it since the deep sky objects are hard to enjoy while the moon's light washes out the sky.  Also a view of the moon through a telescope of even only modest aperture can be uncomfortably bright for the viewing eye.  This leaves you somewhat "blinded" in the one eye as you step away from the telescope eyepiece.

Some find views of a crescent moon more intriguing than the full moon since the line between dark and light - called the terminator - is full of details.  The details are from cast shadows over the edge of crators along the terminator.

Merry Christmas Eve!  We hope you have a safe and joyous Christmas Eve.  Please travel safely and enjoy the spirit of giving.  Take time to appreciate your family and friends.  Wine Country Star Party wishes you a Merry Christmas.

Clear Skies!

Within the Winter Hexagon is Auriga - the Charioteer.  One of Auriga's stars - Alnath - is also shared by Taurus.  Auriga holds a goat - the star Capella - and 2 goat kids in one hand.  One thing that is exciting about Auriga are the presence of 3 Messier objects, M36, M37 and M38 - all visible with binoculars.  All 3 of these objects are open clusters.

Charles Messier was a French Astronomer whose "list" is used by most Astronomers today.  Messier lived in the 1700s and early 1800s and he and his Assistants identified 110 objects for the Messier List.  The Andromeda Galaxy is an example of a Messier Object - it is called M31. 

Many Astronomers participate in "Messier Marathons" during which they try to identify as many Messier Objects as possible in one evening.  During a Wine Country Star Party event, you are likely to see 10-20 Messier objects.  It is fun to "check them off your list" so you can say, "I've seen that".

The seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall bring unique patterns of stars to the night sky. Astronomers use these patterns as landmarks. The Winter night sky landmark is called the "Winter Hexagon".  Stars inside individual Constellations are referred to as "asterisms".

The six stars of the Winter Hexagon are some of the brightest stars in the sky. Actually, there are 7, but in terms of defining a hexagon, the Gemini Twins count only as one. Sometimes on a foggy night, you can see them shine through the fog, making it simple to see the shape of the hexagon.

At the time of this writing, Jupiter and its 4 Galilean Moons are located inside the Winter Hexagon, and is clearly visible in our telescopes. One can see so-called bands and zones on Jupiter at the boundaries of storms on the planet surface. The great red spot on Jupiter is a storm that has been going on for over 300 years. Wine Country Star Party has multiple eyepieces to allow for either wide angle views that are very clear to high magnification views that reveal inspiring detail.

One of the services Wine Country Star Party provides is assistance setting up your new telescope. Perhaps you'll get a nice gift for the Holidays.

Let us help you take it out of the box and assemble it. We can take the guesswork out of the process and help you get outside to view your first astronomical objects.

Welcome to the Wine Country Star Party BLOG. We will post information here about our Star Parties. We will also post details about the seasonal skies. As the seasons change, there are noticeable changes in the "landmark" constellations. These are the constellations Astronomers use to "get their bearings".

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