Weather is looking like rain and cold this weekend but that doesn’t stop the Pocatello Astronomical Society from doing some observations. A few members decided to head to Crystal Summit tonight for some sky photos and binocular observations. Some very impressive shots of the core of the Milky Way were taken with astronomy applications from a cell phone. Binocular viewing was mainly focused on dark nebula and open clusters.
Brocchi’s Cluster also known as Collinder 399 was first on the list, a very interesting star cluster in Velpecula that takes on the appearance of a coat hanger. The sky at Crystal Summit had very good contrast and the North American Nebula, Pelican Nebula and Barnard’s “E” where particularly striking tonight.
Though the outing was only about 2 hours it was excellent and anytime we can get out of the city and see the majesty of the night sky is in my opinion an outstanding time.
Clear skies and keep looking up!