Jim Goodall

Author's posts

Aug 09

August Newsletter

By Jim Goodall in News, Newsletters
August 9, 2018

I am going to attempt to revive the monthly newsletter, if I can find time to create it. The August newsletter is attached here: AUG2018 GMAC Newsletter If you would like to write an article for a future newsletter, please send it to me.

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Permanent link to this article: https://gmastronomy.com/august-newsletter/

Aug 02

McMath-Hulbert Observatory Debriefing

By Jim Goodall in Information
August 2, 2018

Brief History of the Solar Observatory The McMath-Hulbert Observatory (MHO), was founded in 1930 by three amateur astronomers, Francis McMath, his son Robert McMath, and Henry Hulbert, with the goal of enhancing their clever development of time lapse astrophotography, for outreach purposes. It soon garnered the interests of the University of Michigan and evolved into …

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Jun 29

Rent a Telescope!

By Jim Goodall in Homepage, Information
June 29, 2018

Our club now has a telescope for rent as well as binoculars. Visit our Online Store to check availability today.

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Permanent link to this article: https://gmastronomy.com/rent-a-telescope/

Jun 12

Peregrine Falcon Viewing & Star Party

By Jim Goodall in Events
June 12, 2018

The General Motors Astronomy Club will be joining the Warren Peregrine Falcon Group next Thursday, June 14th, for some birdwatching and stargazing. Feel free to bring a chair, binoculars, and a telescope, if you have one. We will be sharing our telescopes to view the birds and then enjoying the night sky afterward, if the …

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Jun 12

New Club Logo !

By Jim Goodall in News
June 12, 2018

The club would like to extend a special thanks to our Senior Astronomer, Tony Licata, for his artwork, which was chosen as the official logo of the General motors Astronomy Club. Tony has been a dedicated member of the club since it was founded last year we sincerely appreciate his contributions.

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Jun 07

M51 – The Whirlpool Galaxy

By Jim Goodall in Messier Objects
June 7, 2018

A spiral galaxy, visible to telescopes under dark skies, can be seen in close interaction with it’s smaller neighbor, NGC5195. The distance to this galaxy pair is estimated at 23 million light years.

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Jun 05

M27 – Dumbell Nebula

By Jim Goodall in Information
June 5, 2018

A planetary nebula, the remains of an exploded star, in the constellation Vulpecula.

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AccuWeather Forecast

Clear Dark Sky Forecast

Boon Hill Amateur Astronomy

Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) - July 23, 2020 August 1, 2020
While at the Boon Hill Observatory I setup to take images of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)Data taken on 7/23, 2020Location: Boon Hill ObservatoryProcessed 7/26, 2020. First stack of 9 x 90 second frames (cropped)Stacked on the core only so there are trailing stars.No darks, so there is a lot of noise.Canon T3i, 75mm @ f/4.5, […]
Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) May 2020 May 12, 2020
Comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) is coming north right now in May 2020. Here is a video of it's path from May 12 - 30, 2020 in the morning sky.It will also be visible in the Evening sky after the 25th of May as it moves north. This is f rom Michigan skies, i.e. 42+ degrees […]
Comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas) in March 2020 April 9, 2020
https://www.flickr.com/photos/141833769@N05/49709635436/in/datetaken/
C/2017 T2 on January 1, 2020 January 2, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/NorthernCrossObservatory/photos/a.391372320961654/2648244518607745/?type=3&theater

AstroBackyard

Mars Opposition 2020: Best Time to See the Red Planet September 21, 2020
You may have started to notice a bright "star" in the night sky in the east. Today, my sister asked me "what is that bright red star I see every night? Is it a planet? It sure is, it's the red planet Mars. The reason it is so bright is that is nearing its closest […]
Trevor
I Captured My Most Detailed Portrait of the Wizard Nebula Yet September 16, 2020
Last week, I photographed the Wizard Nebula with my camera and telescope in the backyard. The final image includes 24 individual exposures of 4-minutes each, for a grand total of 1.5 hours. Despite a bright moon interfering, it is by far my best image of the Wizard Nebula to date. In this post, I'll explain […]
Trevor
Optolong L-eXtreme Filter Review August 13, 2020
The Optolong L-eXtreme filter is now being used in backyards across the globe, which is great news for those that take astrophotography images in heavy light pollution. This astrophotography filter features even narrower bandpasses than last year's L-eNhance, making it perfect for nebula photography from the city. The Optolong L-eXtreme filter isolates the H-alpha (Ha), […]
Trevor

NASA Solar System & Beyond

NASA Invites Students to Join the Artemis Generation at SciFest Virtual Event September 23, 2020
Venture with NASA to discover the future of flight, understand the portrait of planet Earth, and take the next steps in exploration at SciFest, the virtual STEM expo from the USA Science and Engineering Festival
NASA Missions Spy First Possible ‘Survivor’ Planet Hugging White Dwarf Star September 16, 2020
An international team of astronomers using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and retired Spitzer Space Telescope has reported what may be the first intact planet found closely orbiting a white dwarf, the dense leftover of a Sun-like star, only 40% larger than Earth.
Solar Cycle 25 Is Here. NASA, NOAA Scientists Explain What That Means September 15, 2020
Solar Cycle 25 has begun. During a media event on Tuesday, experts from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discussed their analysis and predictions about the new solar cycle – and how the coming upswing in space weather will impact our lives and technology on Earth, as well as astronauts in space.

Sky & Telescope

International Observe the Moon Night Is Here September 25, 2020
International Observe the Moon Night is here. Step outside Saturday evening and admire our closest celestial neighbor with your family. The post International Observe the Moon Night Is Here appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Diana Hannikainen
See Beyond the Celestial Sphere: Follow These Lines into Space September 24, 2020
For a little perspective, observe along a line that takes you to the Moon, past Jupiter and Saturn, the Kuiper Belt, and onward into our galaxy. The post See Beyond the Celestial Sphere: Follow These Lines into Space appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Scott Levine
Explore Caroline Herschel's Celestial Showpieces September 23, 2020
More than 200 years ago Caroline Herschel pointed her telescope at the heavens and discovered some of the finest deep-sky objects. Follow in her footsteps and see them for yourself. The post Explore Caroline Herschel's Celestial Showpieces appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Bob King

Phil’s Astronomy Blog

Markarian's Chain in Virgo April 13, 2018
My own Hubble View! These galaxies lie between 10 to 50 million light years away. How many galaxies do you see?A pretty tricky part of the sky to image, really. You're utilizing almost your entire field of view with an 80mm scope, so dealing with all that comes with wide-field. This is the best iteration […]
Phil
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy April 9, 2018
A nice clear night last night until around 12:30 when clouds rolled in. Managed to get this image of the lovely M51 Whirlpool galaxy. It lies around 23 million light years away and it is interacting with a smaller galaxy (yellow~ish bulge to the left). Three supernova (star explosions) have been detected in this galaxy […]
Phil
M81 and M82 March 15, 2018
The spring brings out some great galaxies. This is the first iteration of a long-term project I'll be working on with respect to these two galaxies.M81 is on the right, lies around 11.7 million light years away and harbors around 250 billion stars. M82, on the left, is also called the "Cigar Galaxy" lies at […]
Phil