Don't let LP get you down!

[RikM]

Since moving to a house with more direct LP, I have been finding it much harder to get motivated to 'do' any astronomy. I keep putting it off with justifications like: 'the estate guys are going to shield the lights, it will be better then so I will wait'; 'I'm building an obsy next spring, it'll be easier then so I will wait'; 'the grass seed isn't established yet so I can't put the dob on the garden yet' or 'everything's in the way in the garage so I can't get the kit out easily'

Well I shouldn't make excuses, I should just get on with it and make the best of what I have at the moment.

Last night was the first night since the Perseids that I have had good clear skies and a day off the following day, so:

2200: drag the Dob out of the garage, down a couple of steps and set up on the patio.

There are streetlights either side, my three storey house to the north and a neighbour with a 2MW insecurity light to the south There is nothing I can do about the house (my wife likes it!) but by keeping below about 5ft I can keep out of direct light and try to get some dark adaptation.

2215: Check the collimation, primary needs a slight tweak. Secondary has moved a tiny bit as well but I'll not bother with it for now, no high power stuff tonight.

First up, the Nova in Delphinus. A friend has sent me a widefield shot for next months Astro society newsletter (which I edit), so using that and a well worn copy of S&T Pocket Sky Atlas, I tracked it down. I have seen three supernovae but this is my first nova. Quite exciting to witness something so powerful even if it does just look like a pale yellow dot!

Next, time to find out how dark the sky was. With a 20mm XW and UHC filter, I could quite easily make out both the Western and Eastern parts of the Veil complex and I confirmed my sighting Pickering's wisp I thought I had it last time out but last night I was sure. A subtle brightening of the background found between and below (in my Newtonian) the two brighter parts.

Moving up from there to the 'wall' segment of the North America nebula. I spotted this with an ST80 during the Perseids but I find it much harder with the dob due to longer focal length. There is a tendency to look straight through it. With the scope still and steady, it was difficult to be sure what was nebula and what simply stray light at ground level. I had a hoody-top on and have been using an eye-patch over the non-observing eye and this seems to help a bit. However, by keeping the scope moving slowly, it was much easier to pick out the contrast changes between background sky and nebula as the eye is more sensitive to movement at these light levels. Although I saw it, this is an object to be appreciated with a short focal length and dark skies I think!

Staying in the same part of the sky, a short shuffle right brought me to the Crescent nebula, one of my favourite breakfasts...excuse me...photographic objects! it is also a challenge for me visually. Starting from Sadir in the finder, a short distance away in the direction of Albireo is a small rhomboid asterism, like a mini Delphinus. Curving round one of the stars on the shorter diagonal, is a faint glowing curve of nebulosity. I can only ever see this short section, though the full object is much larger than the diamond shape of stars.

Continuing across to the ring neb and then down to the Dumbbell just to confirm that they are were still there, I dropped down into Aquila for a quick look at NGC6781, a nice planetary that was a new object for me last time out. I saw it as a disc but reading several observing reports and sketches it should be annular so I wanted a closer look at that. With magnifications from 60x to 120x, with and without UHC and O-iii filters, I just can't make out any changes in contrast. It still looks essentially round, perhaps very slightly brighter on one side than the other but I couldn't see any darkening in the centre. Needs a darker sky perhaps?

Back up and away from the streetlights to the challenge of the evening, the Cocoon nebula. Taking M39 as the starting point, it was reasonably easy to get in the right area. This is where the combination of a Rigel QuikFinder and 9x50 RACI optical finder comes into it's own. I knew there were two pairs of stars, first set closer together and then a second more widely spaced pair. The Cocoon should be before and level with one of the first pair. Again using the technique of sweeping the scope slowly in small smooth circles, I could just make out a faintly perceptible patch of nebulosity. I moved away and came back to it again a couple of times to make sure I wasn't imagining it, and tried to follow the dark lane leading up to it, visible in images of the area, but this certainly wasn't obvious in the eyepiece. the UHC was more use here than the O-iii I felt, probably because of the additional Hb passband. I will look again on another evening but I am confident that I found it

Last nebula of the evening was NGC281, the Pacman in Cassiopeia. This is another that was very difficult the first time because it is so large and diffuse and there are no really clear contrast changes, but the middle part round his 'eye' is bright enough with the UHC filter in place.

I had wanted to make a couple of sketches, but the brighter ground conditions compared to my old place means that my sketch light is now too dim to work by. I need to get back onto the estate people to get the lights sorted and also put up the screen across the back fence to block the neighbours search light but it is not really as bad as all that.

I had a quick look at a few other favourites, M15, M31 and the Double cluster, but by then it had crawled round to 1am.

Zebedee O'Clock.

[Moonshane]

given what you did see Rik I am having great difficulty in raising any sympathy! your skies must be pretty dark ignoring the direct local LP and this bodes well for the future I'd wager. whatever your circumstances, a great write up! might try for the cocoon myself. I have a Hb filter.

[scarp15]

Good read and a good descriptive account for locating each of these objects. Quite an achievement, in certainly making the most out of your local circumstances. Also a reminder, that in light pollution, certain objects, particularly if situated high enough, are worth spending time and effort to locate and observe.

[ronl]

Excellent report the descriptions are spot on, when you know

the technique and have the know how who needs GOTO, you

sound as If your night was enjoyable, even with the LP, it's the

same where I live, we just have to put up with it, and get on with

it too, once again a great report.

[NGC 1502]

Hi Rik, enjoyed your observing report a lot. Like most of us I live under very light polluted skies ( I'm 0.5 miles north of central Southend on Sea). It's indeed surprising what can be done in poor conditions. I was out last night with my 10" Dob, got the Eastern Veil with little problem using a UHC and then OIII filters (OIII best). I can recall the Veil being almost the holy grail of observational astronomy, now I can bag it from home with a filter.

If you can shield yourself from direct lights ( I have bushes and my shed, plus tarpaulins to do that ) a great night can be had.

Not as good as a dark site of course but "is your glass half full or half empty" springs to mind

Regards, Ed.

[KevUU]

Thanks Rik, and you've convinced me to have a look for some of these myself next time

[bish]

Sounds to me like you are observing from a dark site. Nice report, sounds like a great night under the stars.

[RikM]

Thanks for the comments all. Dark sky it is not. Perseverance (stubbornness) and a vague idea what you are looking for count for a lot with these faint things. Here are a couple of pics I took to send to our local council about the streetlights

It's a new Bovis homes estate and the site manager has already said they will shield the lights, I just don't know when. We've put up a panel fence in front of where the trampoline is, and I have plans for 3ft fold-up extensions all round. That will at least allow me to stand upright without getting a face full of sodium glare.

[PeterW]

I spent some of last night lying on the lawn near a fence to get away from a partially shielded street light or two. I bagged some of the same objects as you, didn't notice the cocoon.... I really need to work on my "todo" list so I don't run out of things to find. I enjoyed contrasting the messier globulars that are visible this time of year.

281 was nice and maybe a hint of the heart (or soul)... Not able to tell which.

I kept putting off observing, but am always pleasantly surprised by how many stars I can see and how many unidentified little asterisms and clusters there are.... Sometimes just aimlessly dragging the scope about across the Milky Way is enough.

Keep gently working of getting people to adjust or shield lights so they only illuminate the area they are designed to.... Put more light where they see the need... Win win!

Good luck

PEterW

[PeterW]

I spent some of last night lying on the lawn near a fence to get away from a partially shielded street light or two. I bagged some of the same objects as you, didn't notice the cocoon.... I really need to work on my "todo" list so I don't run out of things to find. I enjoyed contrasting the messier globulars that are visible this time of year.

281 was nice and maybe a hint of the heart (or soul)... Not able to tell which.

I kept putting off observing, but am always pleasantly surprised by how many stars I can see and how many unidentified little asterisms and clusters there are.... Sometimes just aimlessly dragging the scope about across the Milky Way is enough.

Keep gently working of getting people to adjust or shield lights so they only illuminate the area they are designed to.... Put more light where they see the need... Win win!

Good luck

PEterW

[Naemeth]

Nice report Rik .

I agree with the topic title too, there is still a lot to see from a site with lots of LP as I found out last night .

[wxsatuser]

Thanks for the comments all. Dark sky it is not. Perseverance (stubbornness) and a vague idea what you are looking for count for a lot with these faint things. Here are a couple of pics I took to send to our local council about the streetlights

It's a new Bovis homes estate and the site manager has already said they will shield the lights, I just don't know when. We've put up a panel fence in front of where the trampoline is, and I have plans for 3ft fold-up extensions all round. That will at least allow me to stand upright without getting a face full of sodium glare.

Yep!

Got two that light up the front garden.

Managed to build obsy as far down the garden as possible, away from lights.

I know it's never going to be real dark but I can certainly see lots.