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We were on our way to Moab, Utah for Jerry to attend Ron Risman's 4-day time-lapse workshop. En route, we decided to camp at Mesa Verde National Park in New Mexico. It was an interesting to go to the cave city and visit the site where people lived halfway up from the Valley and half way down from the top of the mesa. They had to climb up or down with food, water and all other things needed for their village to thrive and to build. Interesting history told by a Ranger who just loved this park and who declined offers to move to other national parks. |
Constellation: Aquila, Boötes, Leo, Lyra, Scorpius
Asterism: Teapot
Planets: Jupiter
Messier Object: M22, M24
Location: Mesa Verde National Park, New Mexico
Date: 2017-05-25
Time: 10 PM + 12:00 AM
Instrument: Visual
Transparency: Excellent!
Seeing: Excellent!
Elevation: 8,427 ft / 2,569 m
10:00 PM
I was able to find all the stars within Leo. Denebola was the star that initially caught my eyes on the way back from the Ranger talk
12:00 AM
Looked at the sky from the campsite itself. Clear skies until clouds moved in later in the AM.
Noted Altair, Alshain, Tanazed and Delta; didn't look further along the constellation to find the remaining stars. Arcturus was very bright against the dark skies. Able to visually locate all the stars in Lyra. Located Scorpius (original notes taken were not detailed).
Jupiter also located in Virgo near Porrima.
I found the Teapot. I looked up from its lid star (Kaus Borealis) at a 45º angle. I found the little "Y" star formation using the binoculars and just past it was the little fuzzy known as M22. I then started at Kaus Australis and extended an imaginary line to Kaus Media. I used the binoculars to find M224 twice that distance above Kaus Media.