Buttercup Observations Prior to Moonrise

Getting out under the starry sky is a good way to put aside this year's election concerns. The evening went along precisely according to my plans. I started out by observing and sketching three double stars using Buttercup's 60mm aperture while 'waiting' for the sun to move down to 18 degrees below my horizon - signaling the end of astronomical twilight. Then I sketched M51 and its companion followed by M57 and M13. By the time I had completed the M13 sketch the glow from a rising moon had become obvious in the east..

Buttercup's finder works fine for pointing the scope at naked-eye stars and planets, but it's pretty worthless when it comes to deepsky objects. Fortunately a low-powered eyepiece combined with sighting along the scope's f/12 tube usually works good enough.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well Buttercup's 60mm 'department store' objective showed this evening's chosen objects, though the dark, rural Montana sky helped.

Lately I've been collecting observations and sketches for a project to show what a 60mm 'department store' telescope (with a few modifications) can do.. I'll probably target an open cluster as my final object - perhaps on my next clear night.

For those who prefer reading about current political concerns, you might find some interesting reading material by conducting a "Kasparov and Trump" search.

Sketcher,
To sketch is to see.