The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • The (late) January Astrophoto Post

    These are my photographs of objects that are part of the Hubble Night Sky Challenge for January. The challenge is coordinated by The Astronomical League in cooperation with NASA. More information about this project cam be found on the Night Sky page.

    First, we have two objects that were not official targets for January but that I think made for better pictures. The Rosette Nebula contains an open cluster known as the Satellite Nebula (NGC 224 or C50), This cluster contains some super bright stars and has been estimated to be less than 5 million years old. The nebula and the star clusters are in the constellation Monoceros.

    NGC 2244

    NGC 2264 gives you two objects for one – the Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula. My photo did not pick up any significant nebulosity. I do see a “Christmas” tree with a star on top. Do you? The Christmas Tree star formation consists of young stars obscured by heavy layers of dust clouds. These dust clouds, along with hydrogen and helium are producing luminous new stars. This object is also in Monoceros.

    NGC 2264

    Due to short integration times, lost frames and incoming cloudy weather, the photos below are not all they could be. Hopefully this project will be a learning process for me to improve my astrophotography and visual observing. If you would like to see some beautiful photos of the objects taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, please visit the NASA page here. Do you see the objects in these photos below?

    A popular target for astrophotographers is Orion Nebula, also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976. It is a diffuse nebula south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion, and it is known as the middle “star” in the “sword” of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky with an apparent magnitude of 4.0. I usually need binoculars to see this faint fuzzy patch in Orion. It is 1,344 ± 20 light-years away and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth.

    M42

    Messier 43 or M43, also known as De Mairan’s Nebula and NGC 1982, is a star-forming nebula also in Orion. It was discovered by the French scientist Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan some time before 1731, then catalogued by Charles Messier in 1769. It is physically part of the Orion Nebula , separate from the main nebula by a dense lane of dust known as the northeast dark lane. I found this difficult to pick out in my telescope and tried to zoom in on the area designated as M43, but I the small pink blob at the top of this photo is what I’m looking for,

    M43

    NGC 2261 (aka Hubble’s Variable Nebula or Caldwell 46) is a variable nebula located in the constellation Monoceros. The nebula is illuminated by the star R Monocerotis (R Mon), which is not directly visible itself. The first recorded observation of the nebula was by William Herschel on December 26, 1783, being described as considerably bright and ‘fan-shaped’. It has also been described as looking like a small comet and can be variable in appearance due to changes in its apparent brightness. I definitely see the comet-like appearance in this phots. It also looks like a shuttlecock to me.

    C46

    Below is a very faint reddish blob which is a photo of the Crab Nebula (M1, NGC 1952, Taurus A), a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus. The common name comes from a drawing that somewhat resembled a crab with arms produced by William Parsons in 1842 or 1843. The nebula was discovered by English astronomer John Bevis in 1731. It corresponds with a bright supernova observed in 1054 AD by Native American, Japanese, and Arabic stargazers. The supernova was also recorded by Chinese astronomers as a guest star. The nebula was the first astronomical object identified that corresponds with a historically-observed supernova explosion. This is one I will definitely image again with longer exposure integration times.

    M1

    Messier 78 or M78, also known as NGC 2068, is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects that same year.

    M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula of a group of nebulae which belong to the Orion B molecular cloud complex and is about 1,350 light-years distant from Earth. M78 is easily found in small telescopes as a hazy patch and involves two stars of 10th and 11th magnitude. These two B-type stars are responsible for making the cloud of dust in M78 visible by reflecting their light. The nebula came out quite faint and small in my photo and only the main area of nebulosity is visible.

    M78

  • The Historic Boal Mansion

    Boal Mansion is a historic home located at Boalsburg, Centre County. The original pioneer cabin was built in 1809 as a simple one and a half story stone house. It was incorporated as the kitchen and kitchen hall when the house was expanded. The expansion is a two-story stone house in the Georgian style which measures 30 by 50 feet (9.1 by 15.2 m) and has a side hall plan. The house was expanded again between 1898 and 1905 by Theodore Davis Boal and introduced some Beaux-Arts style design. The main façade was expanded from three to five bays.

    Also on the property is the 16th century Columbus Chapel, which was imported from Spain in 1909, an 1898 hipped-roof carriage house, a silo and Boal Barn (previously a summer theater), a stone smoke house, and two outdoor fireplaces. The house, open as a historic house museum, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

  • Bellefonte and Boalsburg

    Bellefonte is the county seat of Centre County. It is approximately 12 miles northeast of State College, and the borough population was 6,187 at the 2010 census. It houses the Centre County Courthouse, located downtown on the diamond. Bellefonte has also been home to five of Pennsylvania’s governors, as well as two other governors. All seven are commemorated in a monument located at Talleyrand Park.

    The town features many examples of Victorian architecture. It is also home to the natural spring, “la belle fonte,” bestowed by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord during a land-speculation visit to central Pennsylvania in 1790, from which the town derives its name. The Bellefonte Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are: the Bellefonte Armory, Bellefonte Forge House, Brockerhoff Hotel, Centre County Courthouse, Gamble Mill, McAllister-Beaver House, Miles-Humes House, Pennsylvania Match Company, South Ward School, and the William Thomas House.

    Talleyrand Park

    Boalsburg is an unincorporated community also in Centre County. It is also near State College, and rhe population was 3,722 at the 2010 census. The Pennsylvania Military Museum is located in the town, and it has a lot of intact Victorian architecture.

    The name “Boalsburg” comes from the Boal family who settled the region after emigrating from County Londonderry, Ireland. The Boalsburg Historic District and Hill House were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Boal Mansion was added the following year. The village claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, that claim was brought into question by Bellware and Gardiner in their book, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, in 2014. In their book, Bellware and Gardiner point out that the Boalsburg story was first published in 1904, forty years after the fact with no indication that General Logan drew inspiration from any activities in Boalsburg and no evidence that it started the holiday.

  • Around Bald Eagle Lake

    The towns of Howard and Blanchard sit on or near the shores of Bald Eagle Lake in Centre County. I was able to capture some shots of the towns after a recent snowfall. First up on my trip was Howard.

    I made my way north towards the dam and the Blanchard area.

    PFC Foster Joseph Sayers Statue and War Memorial

  • A Well Preserved Historic Site

    Curtin Village and Eagle Ironworks is a historic district composed of buildings and structures related to an ironworks dating back to 1810. The village was founded by Roland Curtin, Sr., father of Pennsylvania’s Civil War-era governor Andrew Gregg Curtin, and Miles Boggs. It includes an iron master’s mansion (1830), a late-19th century Victorian style dwelling, the Eagle Furnace stack (1847), the remains of a grist mill, a number of worker’s houses, and an overgrown canal basin. The Eagle Ironworks closed in 1921.

    Owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, it is operated as the Curtin Village at Eagle Ironworks Historical Site by the Roland Curtin Foundation. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

    The iron works is quite a large facility, at least compared to other iron furnaces that I have seen in the state. It’s amazing that this operated until 1921.

  • A Pre-Birthday Trip to Bald Eagle State Park

    I decided to celebrate a milestone birthday by taking a bucket list trip to stay at the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park.

    The 5,900-acre Bald Eagle State Park is in the broad Bald Eagle Valley in Centre County. The 1,730-acre lake laps the flanks of Bald Eagle Mountain, surrounded by forests, fields, and wetlands. With two campgrounds, boating, fishing, swimming, the Nature Inn, and diverse habitats that are excellent for wildlife watching, Bald Eagle State Park offers many diverse recreational opportunities.

    I encountered some unusual early December snow on my trip. However, since I don’t get to photograph in these conditions very much, it made for some interesting pictures. The roads in the park were well-plowed, and I was able to reach even some of the more remote areas of the park.

  • Twelfth Night

    The Twelve Days of Christmas refer to the period between Christmas and Epiphany. Since it is still ’tis the season, I thought I’d share some photos of Christmas at the Brandywine Museum of Art.

    They are known for ornaments made from natural materials.
    Some works from the Brandywine River School.
    A special display of miniatures, including this train set.
    One of the dollhouses.
    The star attraction – a beloved, and large, model train display.

  • Centre County Celebrates Christmas

    Homes and business in Bellefonte, Howard, Milesburg, and Boalsburg are decked out for the holidays.

  • A Little Birdie Told Me

    A recent autumn drive towards Berks County led me into Birdsboro Preserve, a beautiful area just south of the town of the same name. It turned out to be a nice spot for fall color. The Birdsboro Preserve and Birdsboro Waters offer miles of hiking and biking trails and connect to the Schuylkill River Trail system.

    I like the lawn decor here.

    I decided to swing through French Creek State Park on my way home.

    The boats were stilled line up at Scotts Run Lake.
    A little late season fishing.
    The boats created a similar scene at Hopewell Lake.

  • The Daniel Boone Homestead

    Here is a look around the property of the Daniel Boone Homestead. I visited this property as a child, and it has changed a lot. I will be back in warmer weather for another view of the main buildings. In the meantime, autumn was on full display when I visited the extensive grounds.

    In 1730, Squire Boone, Daniel Boone’s father, built a log cabin in the Oley Valley in what is now Berks County. Daniel Boone was born in the one and a half story log house. One wall was built of native stone. The basement of the house served as a spring house.

    Squire Boone expanded his property in 1741 when he purchased 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land for use as a pasture for his dairy cattle. Squire Boone was a blacksmith and weaver. The responsibility for tending the cattle was given to Daniel. During the summer months he stayed in a rustic cabin at the edge of the pasture. From there he was able to protect the cattle from predators such as the black bear, bobcat, and mountain lions.

    The Wayside Lodge is also part of this property.

error: Content is protected !!