The time just before and after full moon is perfect for tweaking one's observing plans. Spring constellations are available to us for such a short period of time compared to summer, autumn and winter ones that careful preparation is even more important than usual. I have been trying to make a decent start on Leo, and beginning two nights after full moon I hope to resume my work. Immediate observing projects are to observe and sketch M 66 and eg 3628. As the moonrise is gradually set back far enough in the evening, I will leave my back deck and set up my scope farther afield in dark sky locations. I don't know yet whether I'll be able to observe in the 'preceding' area of Leo, where I have a whole collection of faint objects remaining to see, or if I will have to immediately move my observing session more towards the middle and 'following' sections of Leo. Leo begins at about 9h 22m r.a., and continues until 11h 58m r.a. No doubt I will still get lots done in Leo if it's clear, but not necessarily from the first pages of my object list, which generally follows r.a. of the constellation I am observing.
One thing is for certain; Leo will set relatively early during the night. Though I have notes prepared for Lyra, I decided I needed something to bridge the gap between Leo and Lyra. Bootes seems to fit the bill nicely, though I have already observed it in some detail with the 8" scope. Bootes begins at 13h 16m r.a., continuing to 15h 12m r.a. Bootes is a galaxy-filled constellation of difficult NGC objects, and it contains not a single Messier object or galaxy of real brightness. Besides galaxies, there is a lone, very faint globular cluster. Having already viewed and sketched the brightest galaxies and the cluster, there may be little remaining for me to see except the dozens of much fainter galaxies. While I don't mind reviewing previous brighter galaxies in the newer 12", I also want to add new NGC objects to my life list. The good news is that right about now where I live, the trees usually begin to leaf. When this happens, a lot of ground light pollution is blocked and the sky grows a bit darker. Any slight advantage might make the difference between seeing a faint galaxy or not seeing it. This year in southern Canada, however, we seem considerably behind in seasonal changes, and I may have to wait one more full moon before the trees are of much help.
Leo also offers two close-up charts in Uranometria. Charts A10 and A11 are galaxy-filled playgrounds, and I hope to make a good start on Abell 1367 (Chart A11). I haven't yet decided on an observing strategy for this remarkable area. I will first determine which objects and how many are actually available to me by having a quick look there. If many or most of them are visible, then I will likely enjoy a galaxy-filled observing orgy over several nights. As I enjoy star hopping so much, I'm certain to love galaxy hopping, too! If my skies do a poor job of allowing me decent access, then I will likely plan a road trip with my telescope for next spring to somewhere very dark in order to experience this feast properly. In fact, an upcoming post will likely be about dark site road trips. Where to go, when to go, why to go and which way to go. So stay tuned.
Full moon is also a perfect time to tune up the scope and accessories. Cleaning eyepieces and the finder-scope is a great idea, and perhaps doing some collimating on the secondary and primary mirrors isn't such a bad idea, either. And of course it is a perfect time to scour the web and catch up on some blog reading! Until next time enjoy the full moon, and join me in anticipating the dark-sky nights that will come soon afterwards.
Mapman Mike
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