Observing Session 15 July 2012

[webboid]

So after two weeks of clouds & disappointment I was looking forward to the night drawing in so I could continue my exploration of the magnificent universe. After checking numerous weather forecast web sites I have concluded that they all are unreliable & looking out the window seems to be the best solution. So around 12 midnight last night the sky was somewhat clear & my adventure began.

I have only been observing for a few months now & slowly learning the constellations. As I looked up I was amazed & confused. All the familiar constellations I had learnt were now in quite a different part of the sky. I was also surprised at how it all seemed a little darker. So after a bit of hunting around to familiarise my self with the aid of my planisphere it was on with my plan.

It was now apparent that Andromeda was high enough for me to take a peek. Now as there is some light pollution my expectation was not too high. So with a bit of star spotting from my Sky Atlas I moved my finder scope in the right direction. Amazing, I could see it in the finder scope. So I put in my 18mm eyepiece (56x) & was able to view the core of our nearest neighbour. The experience of viewing another galaxy from my back garden can not be put into words. With a little averted vision I thought I could see a bit more.

So to my next mission. Cassiopeia was quite high now so time to explore. There seems to be a lot of thing to look at around this constellation & with the aid of the book "Objects in the Heavens" I tried to find a few open clusters. Starting from the star Ruchbah in Cas I star hopped eastwardsish eventually locating the double cluster (NGC 884 & 869). I checked & double checked my position on the atlas & was convinced I was there. Having not viewed open clusters before I was a little reserved in my observations but they looked like two open clusters. I tried using higher magnification but they looked best in my 18mm. I later confirmed my observations using "The Night Sky Observer's Guide", which is excellent. I can't believe how many stars I can see through the eye piece. So as my bones are beginning to chill I move on to star Caph in Cas & star hop to M52. This was a very interesting hop as the star patterns I was following all seemed as fairly straight lines. Another successful navigation so I dwelt awhile on this open cluster. I'm surprised that the low magnification seems preferable. The final object I tried for was the Bubble Nebula NGC 7635 which was just nearby to M52. Alas I could see nothing I think a nebula filter is required.

After a two week wait for me this was a very satisfying session & off to bed by 2.30am

Paul

[andrew63]

Glad you got some time observing at again - at last. M31 and the 'Double Cluster' were well worth your efforts. Most open clusters look better with the lowest mag. you have and the widest field - they look stunning framed in a rich field.

andrew

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Nice report. Glad to see you have been able to see the stars again.

[Double Kick Drum]

It has been a bit quite in the Observing Report section recently.

Nice to see that some haven't completely given up. Fairer weather is on its way, so hopefully we'll all be able to get out there soon.

Congrats on M31 and the double cluster. Have another peek at M31, you should be able to see at least one elliptical companion (probably M32). It is smaller but quite tolerant of light pollution.

Happy hunting!

[swamp thing]

Great that you managed to get out with your scope.

Seeing another Galaxy from your own back yard is a pretty intense experience ain't it?

Thanks for sharing.

[Matthew]

Well done Paul,when you take a minute to think about it seeing another galaxy from your own back yard is a massive achievement and i always get a buzz from it too , thanks for sharing your experience with us