On Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 2:13:27 PM UTC-5, SlurpieMcDoublegulp wrote:
Hi all,
Happy Springtime!
I took this picture last year, of the sun setting due west, about 15 minutes after the Vernal Equinox (7:08pm Central time). Roads here in the Midwest run very close to E-W for the most part. This part of north-west Illinois is composed of low rolling hills that the glaciers did not mow down. In the flatter parts of southern Illinois, the roads run for miles in a very straight line.

The settlers who first laid out these roads most probably used a magnetic compass to determine north. Fortunately here the magnetic north and true north are almost exactly the same.
http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...7.jpg&caption=

This next photo shows the sun almost on the horizon, but because of atmospheric refraction, it is already set and just below the horizon. It is therefore slightly north of true west because of the angle of the setting sun at our 42 degree latitude.

http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...8.jpg&caption=

Uncaslurpie


Just a quick image of M65-M66 in Leo taken last 2 nights before the Moon got too bright and full. 10x10 minute exposures, STL11K camera, 12" F8 Astrograph, here at my light polluted Illinois observatory.

http://www.astromart.com/common/imag...9.jpg&caption=

Leo rising after 9pm proves that spring is coming and songbirds are close behind.