Jim Hendrickson

Jim Hendrickson

Jim has been a member of Skyscrapers, Inc.,  since 1995, and has been the responsible for the newsletter and the web site since 1998.  He is an avid observer and astrophotographer, and at present is serving as Skyscrapers 1st vice president.  He also enjoys traveling to places of astronomical interest, including the latest transit of Venus and total solar eclipse expeditions, and is looking forward to viewing the eclipses in 2023 and 2024.

Last updated: September 12, 2018

Finding Pluto

A guide to locating Pluto during summer 2016
The Quest for Pluto

The Quest for Pluto

New Horizons is only a year away from it's fleeting visit with our favorite dwarf planet. Seeing it through the eyepiece of a telescope may be challenging, but capturing it on camera may be easier than you think.
Observing Uranus in 2013

Observing Uranus in 2013

Our solar system's seventh planet is an easy binocular object among the stars of Pisces in the evening sky.
Observing Neptune in 2013

Observing Neptune in 2013

Our solar system's eighth and outermost planet Neptune reaches opposition on August 27, meaning that it is at its nearest position to us and therefore this is the best time of the year to observe it.
Asteroids, Meteors, & the Dog Days

Asteroids, Meteors, & the Dog Days

Mars, Saturn, & Spica gather in the evening sky, Jupiter and Venus dominate the morning sky, and the Moon and planets guide you to spotting three of the four largest asteroids in the asteroid belt. Also, how early can we see the Dog Star?
The Ships of Sheliak

The Ships of Sheliak

Hidden in the rich starfields near the Ring Nebula is an asterism that resembles a pair of ships from Star Wars.
Getting to Know the Big Dipper

Getting to Know the Big Dipper

With the arrival of spring in the northern hemisphere comes the culmination of the northern sky’s most recognized asterism, the Big Dipper. This familiar group of seven stars is notable for having a clear resemblance to its namesake (it is easy to imagine it forming the shape of a large spoon), but how much do you really know about the Big Dipper?
The “Little Big Dipper”

The “Little Big Dipper”

An asterism in Cepheus that is easy to find in small telescopes or binoculars is comprised of 10 stars between magnitude 6.0 and 9.5 and very closely approximates the shape of the northern sky’s most famous asterism-the Big Dipper
Iway Bridge Light Pillar Should Be Shut Down

Iway Bridge Light Pillar Should Be Shut Down

The new Iway Bridge in Providence features many dozens of high intensity lights pointing vertically, straight up into the sky, drastically increasing light pollution over a large swath of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Narragansett Bay.

Our Solar System of Eight Planets

The International Astronomical Union has voted to refine the definition of what constitutes a planet, and the end result is the fact that our solar system now consists of eight classical planets.
  • Transit of Venus 2012
  • Transit of Venus 2012 with contrail
  • Transit of Venus 2012
  • Last view of a Transit of Venus until 2117
  • Flying away from the Transit of Venus
  • Tom Thibault and the Transit of Venus
  • Transit of Venus 2012 broadcast live from Mount Wilson
  • Supernova 2011dh in M51
  • Ken Launie AstroAssembly 2009
  • The planetarium on the ceiling at the North Scituate Community Center
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • Al Hall's and Dick Parker's twin telescope mounts at AstroAssembly 2009
  • John Briggs at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Observing with the Alvan Clark telescope at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Dinner Banquet at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Ronald Florence at AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • Observing the Moon with the Alvan Clark telescope, AstroAssembly 2009
  • Dave and Tina Huestis at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Chet and Steve Siok at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Al Hall at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Dave and Craig Cortis at AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • Mike Mattei at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Scott Tracy at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Alvan Clark drive at AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • Alval Clark telescope at AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • Al Hall observes the Moon through the Clark at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Ronald Florence at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Alvan Clark telescope, AstroAssembly 2009
  • Observing with the Alvan Clark telescope at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Ronald Florence at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Thomas Levenson
  • The Moon and the Clark at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Dick Parker & Steve Hubbard
  • Jim Crawford at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Refreshments in the anteroom at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Janet Bessette and Craig Cortis at AstroAssembly 2009
  • Al Hall at the Alvan Clark telescope at AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • AstroAssembly 2009
  • Pat Landers, Bob Horton, & US Naval Observatory Quilt
  • Jim Brenek's home-built equatorial mount.
  • AstroAssembly 2009
moon

Observatory night

A total of 25 guests enjoyed clear skies on March 30 and viewed Jupiter, the Orion Nebula and one of the open clusters in Auriga during our two hour observing session. In the field, Bob Horton brought his homemade 4.25" reflector and Conrad had first light with his new Astro-Tech 106mm refractor.

Dave Huestis and Jim Hendrickson provided this report.