Information and listed events associated with the East Valley Astronomy Club
Picketpost Trailhead
Current Status/Plans
12/31 05:43 am - Currently have no immediate plans for a Star Party. Check back in a couple of weeks for any new plans.
Picketpost Trailhead is just outside of Superior (the turn before the Boyce Thompson Arboretum) on US 60. Just past mile marker 221 There is a sign indicating the picketpost trailhead where you turn off onto a dirt road heading south (Uno Trail). After about a mile the road comes to a "T" where it intercepts E. Saddleridge Trail road. Turn East (Left) onto Saddleridge road and follow this road to the Trailhead parking lot. Generally, the Observers will park in the West side of the parking lot while the images will park in the North side of the parking lot; This is so the observers don't upset the imagers with their lasers, or when they leave the parking lot. There are bathrooms there, but no running water.
Make sure to check road conditions/closures before you leave HERE. your destination should be “Picketpost Trailhead, Superior, AZ, USA”.
Anyone worried about finding Picketpost trailhead are welcome to meet at Lowes in Mesa where we will depart promptly at 5:10pm as a caravan. We will gather in the southern area of the parking lot. Please make sure you arrive in time!
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Observing Etiquette
- No White light – Make sure you have a red-beam flashlight. This will preserve you night vision.
- Back-up Your Vehicle – Park your vehicle so you don’t have to backup when leaving, this will help cut down on the time it takes to leave and minimize lights from your vehicle.
- Minimize Laser use – It’s okay to use lasers, but use them only briefly, remember there are imagers close by and we don’t want to ruin their exposures.
- Music/Alcohol – Alcohol is not allowed on the premises; Music is generally frowned upon.
- Be Kind – This is a great time to meet others; Introduce yourself to your neighbors, but please keep conversations away from politics, religion or other controversial topics.
Weather forecast for Picket Post Trailhead
Highlights of the evening: Listed below are some objects currently visible in the evening sky that you may want to check out. Difficulty rating is based on a person with very limited experience.
| Object | Difficulty | Constellation | Best Time | Type | Other Identifier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albireo | Challenging | Cygnus | 7:00pm | Double Star System | SAO 87301 | A showpiece double star system with gold and blue components. The tail of Cygnus |
| Venus | Easy | Sagittarius | 7:00pm | Planet | No details to see, but Venus does exhibit a phase much like the moon. | |
| Saturn Nebula | Hard | Challenging | 6:45pm | Planetary Nebula | NGC 7009 | This Planetary Nebula may appear as a bloated or fuzzy star |
| Messier 15 | Medium | Pegasus | 7:00pm | Globular Cluster | M 15 NGC 7078 | A small (2.0′) dense globular cluster with a magnitude of 6.2 |
| Messier 2 | Hard | Aquarius | 7:00pm | Globular Cluster | M 2 NGC 7089 | Small (1.9′) dense globular with a 6.5 magnitude |
| Garnet Star | Challenging | Cepheus | 7:00pm | Carbon/Double Star | Mu Cep | One of the most deeply colored stars in the sky, Also a Double |
| Saturn | Easy | Aquarius | 7:00pm | Planet | Rings are almost edge on. See how many of saturn’s moons you can identify | |
| Neptune | Hard | Pisces | 7:30pm | Planet | May appear as a very small blue/green disk | |
| WZ Cas | Hard | Cassiopeia | 7:45pm | Double star system | SAO 21002 | Tricky to locate if you don’t have a GoTo Scope. A nice wide double star system with blue and red components in a star field. |
| M-31 | Challenging | Andromeda | 8:30pm | Galaxy | Andromeda Galaxy | One of the brightest galaxies in the northern hemisphere. Best viewed in low magnification. |
| Owl Cluster | Easy | Cassiopeia | 9:30pm | Open Cluster | NGC 457 | A nice open cluster best viewed in low magnification. can you see the owl? |
| Triangulum Galaxy | Hard | Triangulum | 8:30pm | Galaxy | M 33 NGC 598 | A face-on galaxy. Surprisingly dim considering it has a magnitude of 5.7, but the surface brightness is low due to it’s large size. |
| Almach | Challenging | Andromeda | 9:45pm | Double star system | SAO 37734 | Great gold and blue multiple star system. |
| Double Cluster | Medium | Perseus | 10:30pm | Open Cluster Pair | NGC 884 | Binoculars or a very low power eyepiece is best for viewing the pair of open clusters. |
| Uranus | Hard | Taurus | 11:15pm | Planet | May appear as a very small blue/green disk | |
| Pleiades | Easy | Taurus | 12:00am | Open Cluster | M 45 | The Seven Sisters. Large telescopes may see some signs of nebulosity. |
| Jupiter | Easy | Taurus | 1:00am | Planet | Jupiter does not rise until 8:30pm so it isn’t well placed for viewing for a while. | |
| Starfish Cluster | Hard | Auriga | 01:15am | Open Cluster | M 38 NGC 1912 | |
| Orion Nebula | Easy | Orion | 01:15am | Nebula/ Open Cluster | M 42 | The best nebula in the northern sky. located in the sword of Orion. This object is visible in even the smallest telescopes. |
| Pinwheel Cluster | Challenging | Auriga | 01:15am | Open Cluster | M 36 | |
| 48 Ori | Easy | Orion | 01:30am | Multiple Star System | SAO 132406 | Quintuple Star System |
| Horsehead Nebula | Hard | Orion | 01:30am | Dark Nebula | Barnard 33 | Famous Horse-head nebula. Very dim, try a nebula filter on this object |
| Mars | Easy | Cancer | 04:15am | Planet | Rises at 21:19. Mars is currently quite distant from earth, so will appear very small. Check to see if ice cap is visible (probably to distant to see right now) |
Provided below is an observation Lists over 45 objects to download one of the list below right-click on the link and select “Save Link As..” option in the pop-up menu:
- Portable Document Format (.pdf)
- Astro Planner (.apd)
- Excel Spreadsheet (.xlsx)
- Sky Safari Pro (.skylist) – Instructions on loading the list can be located here.