WELCOME TO THE ASTRONOMICAL WEBHUB OF THE
PLEASE GET OUT AND OBSERVE THE HEAVENS
OUR BEGINNINGS
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Hello Fellow Stargazers, and Welcome to the Astronomical WebHub of the Vega Sky Center. We are Amateur Astronomers with small private observatories residing in Slidell, LA (formerly in New Orleans, LA), and Riverview, FL. My name is Melvin Dawson, and I begun my association with Astronomy back in July 1970 when I experienced my first telescopic view of the moon through a Selsi 60mm variable powered refractor, owned by Gary Barabino - a new comer to the neighborhood. Needless to say, that first look pulled me in like the gravitational effect of a black hole. I became an understudy to Gary, and we continued to observe many celestial objects. On August 16th of that year, it was a Partial Lunar Eclipse that inspired us to start recording observations of celestial objects, and started the rise of the Vega Astronomical Observatory, later transcending into the Vega Sky Center in 1975. Gary Barabino runs the Vega Astronomical Observatory, as well as being the founder of the VSC. My location is called the Sirius Astronomical Observatory, here in Riverview FL. Our humble beginnings inspired us to help other budding as well as seasoned amateurs. With assistance from Gary, and our honorary members, we plan to cover many aspects of our astronomical experiences with the goal in mind to be a premiere resource to the astronomical community. We truly hope the information contained within these web pages will be of help to all all of our visitors. Via the resources within, you will find photos and design diagrams of our telescope projects completed and under construction!... Links to some of the most sought-after items and information from a myriad of suppliers, as well as various FREE Astronomy Software downloads!... Real-time astronomical data, and video links!... Links to Star Atlas's and Monthly Sky Charts... and much, much more... with new additions to come!... We even created and made available a downloadable Observation Data Sheet! Also, check out the latest news about Astronomical and Space headlines, courtesy of ASTROWIRE™. As the VSC's WebHub grows, additional sections and pages will be created to share projects, ideas, and knowledge to help amateurs in many aspects of ATM, observational, and photographic astronomy. We truly hope everyone enjoys this fascinating adventure as we embark on a new era of the VSC... So, please let us know you were here, or send your comments and/ or suggestions by emailing us at the email address below. Your input is always welcome and valuable to us. |
vsc-astronomers@vega-sky-center.com
TRANSLATE THE VEGA
SKY CENTER WEBHUB
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As always... if you have questions, concerns, or have suggestions, please email us at:
vsc-astronomers@vega-sky-center.com
Items to soon be up for bids on
and/ or 
as
submitted by VSC Members
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No items posted! |
THE VEGA SKY CENTER'S ASTRONOMICAL RESOURCE LINKS
SEARCH THE VSC WEBHUB, OR THE WEB !!!
To help in locating specific information on our WebHub, we have added the search box above for your convenience.
One for Us! One for You!
| To document those awesome celestial wonders observed through our telescopic instruments, the Vega Sky Center has created two well thought out observation recording forms we call the "Observer's Data Sheet". One with the VSC logo for our use, and one without for your personal use. In developing these forms, we carefully considered all the tidbits of information the average amateur would record during an average observing session. Each of the forms above is comprised of two pages, which can be printed to two separate sheets, or on a single sheet if you use the 2-sided option for your given printer. The front page contains all of the pertinent data - time, date, telescope information, object information, etc. The second page is used for sketching your object of choice, or for a photograph. We hope that you will find the form helpful in recording those splendid telescopic observations. Both Observer's Data Sheets are PDF documents and can be downloaded by clicking on the images above. All you need is Adobe AcroReader, or other PDF application to open it. |
"Download a copy today, so you can start a wealth of observing memories!!!"
NOTEWORTHY
OBSERVATIONS RECORDED BY THE VSC
| The VSC observes the recent Total Lunar Eclipse of 02/20-21/2008. The above image was taken on 02-20-2008 at 21:44 EST by M. Dawson along with Kenneth Ewin through a Konus "Hybridized" 90mm f/11 Refractor using an Olympus c-4000Z [f/2.8 - Automatic Setting] digital camera in conjunction with a TeleVue 40mm Plossl attached to a homemade Universal Digital Camera Adapter. |
| By clicking on the "Observations by the VSC" button below, you will be whisked to the page containing noteworthy observations recorded by members of the VSC. Many of these observations will provide detailed synopses which visitors will find interesting and helpful. This section will assuredly grow, as we take part in upcoming significant celestial events. |
CURRENT US TIME ZONES, SOLAR IMAGES, AND LUNAR PHASE
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CURRENT SOLAR IMAGES FROM SOHO
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Click on any of the solar images above for an enlarged view! |
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CURRENT
MOON |
CLEAR SKY CLOCK FOR VSC LOCALES AND THE FARROUT OBSERVING SITE
Brandon, FL Withlacoochee River Park, FL Slidell, LA
CURRENT ASTRONOMICAL AND SPACE EVENTS VIA ASTROWIRE
LATEST UPDATES TO THE VSC WEBHUB
Last Updated on June 25, 2009
© All Rights Reserved.
To contact the VSC, or the webmaster directly with questions, comments, or inquiries, please email us at:
vsc-astronomers@vega-sky-center.com
| On those days when weather conditions don't work in your favor for astronomical studies, why not curl up with a good book, "Jamie Beckett's" new novel, "Burritos and Gasoline". Makes for awesome reading during those times you can't break out the scope! |
"Get it now at Amazon, or Barnes & Noble!"
"God Bless, and Clear Skies, Forever ..."
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