He used 6 inch Newtonian in the early days of his hunting. The mirror was figured by Kibe the best mirror of the time. He also used 6 inch binoculars in a dome atop his house. Most of his observing and discoveries are made in Tsuyama, his home town. The sky at home had been fairly good for serious observations except occasional local mist caused by the nearby river.
Tsuyama could not be any exception from the growing light pollution. Few years ago he had to finally give up his home observatory and to find a new site.
He had examined every possible locations in northern Okayama and finally chose Yanahara , a town twenty minutes drive from Tsuyama to its south west direction.
Mr. Tago gave a brief talk about the skies in this home page. Let us hear what he has to say from his long experiences, and from endless observations almost every possible clear night.
When we compare the skies now and thirty years ago, we cannot blame only the light pollution for poorer visibility of stars. The contaminated air is another reason why we have lost much of star lights. I have good skies in several directions without sky glow at my home observatory. Although these directions are without light pollution, I lost more than one full magnitude. Lower skies up to about 15 degrees from the horizon, two to three magnitudes may have been affected, not mentioning the directions toward the city sky glow.
I found 10.5 magnitude comet Tago - Sato - Kosaka (1969g) in the very low elevation. It is impossible to see this faint comet in the low skies now. Mr. Hyakutake visually found 1996b2 at its eleventh magnitude. He must be observing in the very good skies.
The eruption of volcano Pinatsubo also made observations difficult for more than three years. So did the Fugen-Dake eruption in Unzen Kyushuu.
For the light pollution, new industrial complex developed in the suburb of Tsuyama had brighten the night sky, and there were few amateur astronomers who had to leave Tsuyama.
I had visited many many places to find new location, and I know every possible places in northern Okayama. I found few places without any trace of light pollution. Visiting the town Yanahara was incidental, I just wanted to see the town I never had been.
Even in daytime it was surprising I could tell the difference of skies in Yanahara. I felt it was very good. Maybe the long time observations made me to appreciate the skies even during daytime. I revisited the town at night and decided to relocate my observatory here.
It should be noted, however, even here in Yanahara, the limiting magnitude has fallen at least one full magnitude from what I knew the darkest sky. I used to see twelfth magnitude star with Kibe mirror.
The skies in Yanahara was ranked number nine as dark skies in Star Watching Network conducted in August 1994.
Mr. Tago discovered nova Ophiuchus 1994 in the new observatory.
The nova discovery and the result of Star Watching Network program were good news and welcome in the town. Yanahara town then constructed its own observatory called "Satsuki Observatory" named after the town flower azalea. Mr. Tago holds occasional star party in the observatory.
When you have a chance to join the star party in Satsuki Observatory, you will be listening to the astronomer who has wealth of talks from his discoveries as well as from the dedicated study of his hobby. About his meeting with Minoru Honda another comet hunter in Okayama, life in Universe, UFO, telescope, and many other exciting stories are presented with slide sets and video materials. He is really a good educator and you will enjoy it, though this is just one angle of his life.
Every time when you see him, his eyes are almost always bit red from the night observations. He speaks with enthusiasms about what he has found last night; and this is his real life. A hunter.
He concluded his brief talk , though, saying that the sky in Japan is jeopardized and so is the activity of visual comet hunting. The most important part of visual comet hunting is in the low elevation which we can hardly use now.
Let us preserve dark skies by promoting and educating the public about the quality lighting system. Let us inherit the achievement of great astronomer and relay it to our next generations.