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Somewhere off Indonesia. So put up your hard hats and sleep easy.

Heard about this? The first amazing and beautiful public images from the incredible new Rubin Observatory are coming soon, and First Look viewing parties are being organized for the initial release. Exact date is to be determined, but their estimate now is June or July. Also TBD is how they will manage display of the 3200 megapixel images. More info and sign up a local party here: https://rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/rubin-party Roy

More info here: https://noirlab.edu/public/announcements/ann25007/

I have not been as active as I used to be here lately and I'm getting on in age too. Anyways, I still have my observatory at home. So if I might...please see my ad# 408458 under "Observatories" on https://www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/ "a 6'x12'x7' tall trailer optimized for astrophotography" Stu Beaber

This is fun link Hunter Outen did at this year's NEAF in NY. Huter was 15 or 16 when he and C.J. Wood used to come to ECSP. Thanks, Ray M for sending the link. I was fortunate to have Camera Concepts come to ECSP several years. Owner Jeff Norwood said it wasn't his biggest star party for sales, but it certainly was the most fun! Everyone has grown up now. Well, except for yours truly. Kent Blackwell https://youtu.be/iPuwqizwXA8?si=IwsbXRRXXx3tzHOL

Here is the link for those who wish to attend tonight's BBAA meeting (5-1-25) remotely. Richard Roberts is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: BBAA Meeting Time: May 1, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Every month on the First Thu, until Apr 2, 2026, 12 occurrence(s) Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. Monthly: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYrcuCsrzIqGtbq0KWBV25JEbU6csIcs3G6/ics?icsToken=DFk-HLauKyGcr-Q0gQAALAAAAJ1npNNO89wj_ae69w2DioE4b0bTDTwA_vxRgLIzctc93Y-YTe_WWOrdWidam3sgQCTSGYLbafJnwH9TIzAwMDAwMQ Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82659419002?pwd=TJ96jGZPb3q2rk4rBhncVaCeAam0g5.1 Meeting ID: 826 5941 9002 Passcode: 471443 ---

I was exhausted yesterday after cutting down a tree and pulling weeds, so I rolled out the 5" refractor for a quick observing session. I have a challenge. The star 35 Coma Berenices is a pretty double star, with a widely separated gold primary and a blue secondary. But wait, the 4th magnitude primary has a 7th magnitude companion only 1.2" apart, making it a triple star. See my notes below. Can you see the close pair, and if so, what telescope? I've seen it before at very high power with my TMB 100/800 (4"). I wonder if it can be done with as small as an 80mm refractor? List: 25/04/30 Takahashi TSA-120 Jupiter (Planet in Taurus) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 8:38:56 PM Comment: Using the 5mm Pentax at 180x and an 80A blue filter I was barely able to see the GRS as is heading towards the western limb. Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 HD 100070 (Double Star in Crater) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 8:55:12 PM Comment: Struve 9072 9.8" I could only see the 10th magnitude secondary with averted vision Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 HD 100245 (Double Star in Leo) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 8:58:14 PM Comment: Struve 1548 11" An easily split pair of 8.6 and 9.8 magnitude stars Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 HR 4484 (Double Star in Virgo) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:03:41 PM Comment: Struve 1560 4.8" Very challenging to see the secondary. The primary is 6.2 magnitude and the secondary is 9.4. Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 HD 103047 (Double Star in Virgo) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:07:01 PM Comment: Struve 1575 30" A wide pair of blue stars Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 88 Leonis (Double Star in Leo) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:15:09 PM Comment: Struve 1547 15" Blue-white 6th magnitude primary and a 9th magnitude blue secondary Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 90 Leonis (Double Star in Leo) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:16:47 PM Comment: Struve 1552 3.4" & 20" Very nice triple star. A & B, 3.4" separation. The primary is blue-white, and the secondary is deep blue Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 8 Transparency: 8 93 Leonis (Variable Double Star in Leo) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:22:10 PM Comment: No Struve number 77" Widely separated pair. The 4.5 magnitude primary is yellow and the 9th magnitude secondary is blue. Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 9 Transparency: 8 2 Comae Berenices (Double Star in Coma Berenices) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:25:15 PM Comment: Struve 1596 3.4" Close pair of stars. The primary is pale yellow and the secondary is light blue Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 9 Transparency: 8 35 Comae Berenices (Double Star in Coma Berenices) Observed: Apr 30, 2025 at 9:30:04 PM Comment: A beautiful gold primary and a blue secondary. SkySafari shows a 1.2" companion, but I could not see it. I saw it with this same telescope in 2021 using a Vixen HR 2.0mm at 450x. Taking my own advice, I tried the 2.0mm and sure enough I saw the tiny blue companion. Checking my notes again I've split this tight pair a dozen or so times before. The smallest telescope was my TMB 100/800 amd a Takahashi TSA-102, so I know a 4" refractor is capable. Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 17.4 75° H 72% Equipment: 120mm F/7.5 Takahashi, 7mm Pentax Seeing: 9 Transparency: 8

Good evening, folks! May is (literally) just around the corner, so I wanted to share the month's news and heads-up! This week, we will have our monthly club meeting at TCC Virginia Beach's Science Building. We will be joined (by Zoom) by Dr. Charles Law, a NASA Hubble Fellowship Sagan Fellow at the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Virginia. Dr. Law will be sharing some of his work on astrochemistry, specifically in stellar and planetary formation. I hope you all share my enthusiasm in what promises to be a great topic! Upcoming Club and Outreach Events: - 1 May (7:30pm): Club Meeting at TCC Virginia Beach Science Building - 3 May (11:00am): Astronomy Day at the Churchland Library - 6 May (6:00pm): Boardwalk Astronomy #1 at near the 24th St Stage - 8 May (8:30pm): Garden Stars at Norfolk Botanical Gardens - 10 May (10am): Saturday SUNday at Elizabeth River Park - 16 May (8:00pm): Cornwatch at Cornland Park - 17 May (10:00am): Astronomy Day at Portsmouth Public Library - 17 May (8:00pm): Skywatch at Northwest River Park - 23 May (8:00pm): Cornwatch at Cornland Park - 24 May (8:00pm): Nightwatch at Chippokes State Park Upcoming Astronomical Events: - 6 May: Eta Aquariids peak, Saturn achieves equinox (with edge-on rings) - 15 May: Double Shadow Transit of Jupiter Between Saturday SUNday and the two Library Astronomy day events, it's a convenient time to have had so much solar activity. Let's hope it continues! Eyes up and clear skies! Jeremy

Our next scheduled YRSP date is Saturday Night, May 31st. That date does not work due to Ranger Staffing. I need feedback: we could move it to Friday Night, 30 May. Is Friday Night 30 May acceptable or should I completely cancel May? The previous [Memorial Day] weekend doesn't work and moving it a week later puts us a few days before Full Moon/SkyGlow. Post a reply here or message me directly, either is fine.

Today in history In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope went into orbit. Its observations have resulted in more than 22,000 scientific papers, and it continues to “shape our fundamental understanding of the universe,” NASA said. For its 35th anniversary, the agency released beautiful new photos and a video breakdown. Take a look. [CNET] Hubble Space Telescope Is 35: Don't Miss These 4 Dazzling Anniversary Im... The world's most famous telescope is celebrating in style with new views of Mars, nebulas and a galaxy that remi... George Reynolds "Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) http://www.backbayastro.org

Comet SWAN has officially moved into the low western sky at sunset. Tonight it’ll be 3.5° up at 8:30 pm, with an estimated magnitude of 7.5. It won’t’ be easy at dusk, but worth a try if you have clear western horizon. Position tonight: 1hr 43m + 35° 22’

Today is the 55th Earth Day, (1970-2025), and here is a link to some of the predictions that were made in earlier Earth Days in the 1970s or so: https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/18-spectacularly-wrong-predictions-were-made-around-the-time-of-the-first-earth-day-in-1970-expect-more-this-year/ George Reynolds "Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) http://www.backbayastro.org

If your TV has been messing up or your Roku has been pixillating, it may be due to a current solar storm. Here is the news from spaceweather.com GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G2): Moderate (G2) geomagnetic storms are possible on April 22-23 when a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. CIRs are transition zones between fast- and slow-moving streams of solar wind; they contain enhanced magnetic fields akin to those of CMEs. Sky watchers across Canada and northern-tier US states from New York to Washington should be alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text. A LARGE HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: A large hole in the sun's atmosphere is facing Earth and spewing a stream of fast-moving solar wind directly toward our planet. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the opening, which stretches almost a million kilometers across the sun's southern hemisphere: This is a "coronal hole"--a vast region in the sun's atmosphere where magnetic fields have opened up, allowing solar wind to escape. The hole looks dark because hot gas normally contained there is missing. It's on its way to Earth. At the top of the page, we predicted a CIR (co-rotating interaction region) would hit Earth on on April 22nd. This giant hole is the driving force behind it. Fast solar wind flowing from the hole is compressing slower-moving solar wind in front of it, creating CME-like shock waves and magnetic fields that comprise the CIR. G2-class geomagnetic storms are likely when the CIR reaches Earth. Sign up for Space Weather Alerts to receive an instant text message when the storm begins. George Reynolds "Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA) http://www.backbayastro.org