7/9/2002
During the first week in July, I scanned the sky and found the magnificent Ring Nebula.  The nebula is quite dark in my telescope.  Maybe a six inch Newtonian would bring out the vivid colours.  Venus continues to creep lower in the horizon as time goes on.  1/2 of its surface is illuminated from earth's view point.  I can make out some cloud patterns on our sister planet, but it is basically just a yellow-white globe in my telescope.  Unfortunately, a ring on my telescope has broken.  I've had the telescope less than a month and its already got a mechanical problem.  I'm trying to get it fixed.  In the meantime, all observing will cease.  

7/15/2002
The telescope has been repaired.  Alignment seems to be fairly good.  This past weekend I saw the deep craters of the Moon.  I watched as the sunlight crept over the mountains.  This telescope really brings out the details of the lunar surface.  Venus was its usual half-moon shaped self.  It is sinking lower in the west.  I finally viewed the Whirlpool Galaxy.  In the telescope it appeared as a faint fuzzy large disc pulling in a smaller disc.  That was my first galaxy seen with this telescope.  Look for it high in the western sky after the last light of dusk fades.  Stars: Alberio, Alkaid, Vega, Arcturus and others were viewed.  The air was so crisp Friday night that stars that I could not see due to high humidity were visible.