Starstruck

I have just spent a very frustrating day trying to complete my tax forms, with success only after much gnashing of teeth.

Here in Canada we have until the end of April to complete our tax returns, unlike our american cousins, who must file by the 15th. If you don’t owe any tax, in principle you [...]

“Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” Well, perhaps not so bad, but still too much rain to be able to observe on any night this weekend. Friday might have been OK, but coming off a work-week I frequently crash at my desk, and this weekend was no exception. I could have sworn I [...]

The cold from Hell continues, though it seems to be winding down through a nasty cough phase, where my lungs are congested and I cough a good deal (but it’s not, er, productive). As it winds down I can begin to contemplate observing again. Unfortunately it appears from the local ClearSky clock that the [...]

I’m stuck inside, though the weather is fairly good – a bit hazy with upper deck clouds, but otherwise clear. The problem is the cold I had on Wednesday escalated over Thursday and Friday, and I’m not going to risk a further chill. In any case, I can’t breathe through my nose, my sinuses are [...]

I opened up the observatory early tonight. I wasn’t feeling well, but I figured I’d grab an hour if at all possible. I was working entirely visually, and I wasn’t expecting much since there had been a set of high cirrus clouds moving in shortly before sunset. The Moon was tack sharp though, so I [...]

After the white slop melted away we were blessed with clear skies as a high pressure system stalled overhead. I’ve only done a little puttering around the observatory, however, since work-related problems have been chewing up a lot of time, leaving me exhausted by the end of the day. I’d take some vacation time to [...]

A late and major winter storm is blowing through (literally) and is expected to dump 10 to 15 cm of snow, followed by 5 mm of rain. More problematic are the winds, which are strong and gusty. The observatory is closed up, but I had removed the winterization mods I installed over the last couple [...]