Waiting for First Light

Leonid Meteor Shower
Late on Monday night, around 4:00 am EST, the Leonid meteor shower will be in full force. Expected to be better than average this year with about 500 meteors per hour, we should be in for a real treat. The Earth is passing through the debris left by Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle as it passed through our solar system in 1466. The image on the left shows Leo at the center, which is where the name originates. The meteors don't actually come "through" Leo, but it gives the viewer the impression that they do. Plus, if you're looking towards Leo, you w

Bertha's in the House (Dome, actually)
Taking a gamble that UPS was more reliable than Meade's estimate, I reported yesterday that Bertha was due to arrive today. Fortunately the gamble paid off and Bertha was delivered! After carrying the box inside and unpacking her, I carried up to her spot in the dome and set her back up. This time when I turned on the power, the handset actually lit up properly and the buttons worked. Of course, Bertha came home on a rainy night. The only good news is that I was able to get her inside before the rain started. I also tested the declination drive by slewing the scope a bit manually, and it sounded much better than when I shipped her away, so hopefully they adjusted that too.

Bertha Returns
It seems like forever ago since I was able to gaze at the stars with Bertha. In fact, I reported on July 1st that Bertha has Brain Damage and the AutoStar II controller wasn't responding. Even after receiving a new one from Meade, I was getting the same results. The hand controller was completely dead and the scope wouldn't respond. The only option was to ship it back to Meade in California. Fortunately, I purchased the Shy Assurance package, which as of this repair has paid for itself. The program includes shipping in both directions, including sending the shipping materials to you, so I avoided t