Updated to WordPress 3.0 tonight.

I’ve finally fixed the damn Moon phase error being displayed on the right column here.  Originally I modified MoonPhase Plugin for WordPress to show  percent illumination and days until new moon.  For the past year its been reporting the wrong phase.  Turns out there was a problem in the original code ( incorrect TZ format  leading to strtotime error ) .

Roadtrip to Northwest Missouri Tuesday night hoping for clear skies and to get a look at Comet C/2009 R1 McNaught in the morning, perhaps even a picture? Things almost came together.

The night is short this time of year,  before  long  the comet was above the horizon.  After rising higher I found the comet was not bright or distinct in the sky.  Much better viewed with binoculars. Intermittent clouds near the end of darkness, very heavy dew and operator error nearly ruined any chance of a picture.  Despite all that I captured a few exposures. Click image on the right to see.

You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need

It’s been five years since I was up by Gilman City, MO  and I find the dark sky is still pretty good. It was a real pleasure seeing the milky way blazing overhead, a good night under the stars.

New image: From my April 9th trip to the Flint Hills, click image for bigger version.

My favorite picture from the night. The wind at the time was strong and this part of the grass fire is raging. Its hard to get a sense of how much area is on fire in this picture. Miles and miles. Look in the lower right corner where you make out a couple of  horses, these are about a quarter of a mile away from me.

There is always a risk they’ll be burning the Flint Hills this time of year, its usually just a smoky annoyance.  I never intended to end up surrounded by fire but it was a  cool sight.

Wow, really nice night tonight with the moon just past first quarter. Casts a good light. After two days of clouds and rain the clear sky and dry air is refreshing!

Two weeks ago this night I stood in the Flint Hills watching both the stars and fire. Pictures to follow shortly….

Today is the Vernal Equinox and I have four fresh inches of snow on the ground. One week ago today I setup at Monument Rocks under clear skies. Wild weather.

New image: Markarian’s Chain. Click thumbnail on the right for larger version.

Last trip was not only a new location but the first using different pieces, parts and techniques in the field:  ST80 guidescope w/SSAG and a new perl script to control PHD dithering and camera exposures.  In addition, this week I used DeepSkyStacker (DSS) to stack the exposures. Highly recommended.

Monument Rocks Kansas: an interesting trip this last Saturday.  I’ve been considering this dark sky location for months and the weather appeared good for the 13th.  Things worked out pretty well, weather was acceptable and I managed to image a few things. I’ll post something soon.

Update 03.17.2010: Picture of the Zodiacal light taken about an hour after sunset Saturday evening. Click for larger version.

The Zodiacal light was a big reason I wanted to go somewhere dark.  Somewhere free from light pollution in the west. This time of year, from about February to April, the evening Zodiacal light is at its best.  The view last Saturday was nice, very nice.  An even better view will be the week of April 5th:  the planets Mercury and Venus will be highest in the cone of light.

Daylight savings time kicked in while I was out under the stars,  2am became 3am right before my eyes.