8-9 July. 2026
Went out and set up at about 23:05. Did the Skyalign using Deneb, Altair. and Antares. While setting up I could see distant clouds to the SE with lightning flashes in them. Temperature is about 66F. I have been making short observing lists for each night, mostly based on the targets in "Turn Left At Orion" (TLAO). I am adding an occasional target from other sources that seem interesting. Another factor is that many of the targets are low enough in the southern sky that there is a limited window from my latitude (46 deg north). For example, the "Teapot" in Sagittarius barely gets over 20 degrees above the southern horizon. My primary targets for the night were double stars and globular clusters because of the short night and how bright the sky is. It washes out most nebula and even a lot of galaxies. My first targets tonight were Rasalgethi (Alpha Herculis) and Rasalhague (Alpha Ophiucus) , two double stars. ...