It's been a clear night tonight, a fairly good (and rare) summer night for observing in Tucson. During this rainy monsoon season it's usually cloudy so amateur astronomers like myself tend to grab every stargazing opportunity when they can.
The past two weekends have been a bonus, I've been able to observe on both of them. Last weekend I drove out to Vekol Road; this weekend I set up in the backyard, where I now sit.
It's been a humid night but I was able to set up the refractor for some imaging, and for the past 7 hours or so I've been working on collecting image data for M31, the Great Andromeda Galaxy.
A while ago, I glanced over to the East to see mighty Orion rising up over the Xanadu dome. Orion the warrior is in a never-ending chase to catch up with his nemesis Scorpio. Orion is an awesome constellation, full of some amazing objects for any size telescope or even no scope at all.
His arrival also heralds the coming of the cold season as he chases Scorpio and the desert heat away from the night. I always associate Orion with the cold because on ealry winter evenings you will find him shining brightly in the sky.
It may be a little bit early to be thinking about winter - after all it was about 100 degrees during the day yesterday - but with Orion's presence I can't help being reminded of the cold nights to come. Actually I'm looking forward to lots of cool nights in the dome this fall and winter.
So here is a picture of Orion rising over the dome, taken about 3:45 a.m. during this imaging session.
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