Just so you don't think I've bailed on this site...
I've been out of town on a couple trips lately and then there's been the clouds. And the drizzle. And the snow. And trust me, with the longstanding drought, I'm not complaining. In general. But it is a little discouraging for astro observing. When the clouds do clear, seeing (atmospheric turbulence) has been horrible.
A whole new section of sky is starting to present itself. Orion is getting ready to take center stage, and I'm trying to psyche myself up to get a nice detailed observation of M42 and do a couple sketches--a wide view, and then a tight view of the trapezium. It's going to be a booger to do it the way I want to, what with all the detail it has to offer.
I was up at 3 this morning, and decided to have a look outside. The sky was spectacular. Orion was high in the south, and to the southeast was a brilliant constellation I had never paid attention to before, Canis Major. It looks like a walking stick figure, and features a very bright star at the head, Sirius. All the bright stars were flickering like morse-code strobes, which, as a naked-eye view can actually be pleasant with the life it adds to the scene.
I've got a few more old observations to get uploaded, an overview of my tools, and some observing form links.
As the late Porkins once said: "I've got it under control....no wait I...aaaaaauuuughhhhh"
or words to that effect
