Issue 618: The Parade’s Gone by Redux

Here we are, muchachos, we have walked through that door into summer. What does that mean for your aged correspondent at Chaos Manor South? Rain, rain, and more rain. Thunderstorms. The possibility of hurricanes in the Gulf (though with an El Niño coming, that may not be as likely this year). In other words, just about no observing. Astronomy weather apps like Scope Nights are predicting “not so hot” or “downright terrible” night after night. So, we’ll hit a rest stop on the Messier Road this month. I felt like it was time for a break, anyway. Much as I love those deep sky objects, the same thing every month, even though I try not to make the Messier Project articles rote recitations, gets old. I’m not going to be able to make any new observations or images for a while, anyhow, it appears. The genesis of this article came when I was hunting for something (who knows what?) in the copious files here at Chaos Manor South. I came across an old issue of Sky and Telescope, one of the first…