Sunday 18th December

It seems like an age since I last managed to get the scope out...and looking at my observing Diary has it down as nearly a month ago...was my telescope the worst investment ever LOL!

After observing from my fairly cruddy back garden last time I've bitten the bullet, loaded the car and traveled somewhere darker - not far just a pull in by the road in some local woods...found that the scope lies easily across the back seat and the seat belts make perfect tie downs, leaving the boot free for all my gubbins...result! Anyway picnic blanket on the ground scope set up and i'm in business...darker here (but still plenty of orange sky glow near the horizon...how far from civilisation do I actually have to get!) views to the East, South and West are good...though looking North its totally obscured by loads of pine trees looming over me!

I manage to discipline myself to have a good naked eye look round the constellations...can I see Cetus before it disappears off below the horizon for the winter? I can make out the uneven pentagram of its head easily enough...but the rest of the constellation remains a mystery to me!

Giving my eyes time to get properly dark adapted I take a quick tourists tour of the heavens with my binoculars...nothing too exciting - M31 obvious as an oval haze in Andromeda while turning to Auriga I can spy M36, M37 and M38 as vague unresolved spots of nebulosity. Much more excitingly though careful scanning between Triangulum and Andromeda and I was able to glimpse M33 as a large but incredibly faint ghostly shimmer slipping in and out of view...if I try and concentrate on it it disappears - only to flicker back into existence as I look away...great result!

One thing I discover about using the Dobsonian...something that having it on my lawn last session disguised...its tough on your knees! Even with a picnic blanket between me and the ground its decidedly uncomfortable...something that no-one mentions when extolling their ease-of-use credentials LOL! Anyway, ignoring knee-knack I can't help but look first at Jupiter...by far the brightest object in the sky and a doddle to find, I still can't get over the view in my scope...okay its not the Hubble, but its brilliant to see a definite buttermilk coloured disk. Detail seemed to flicker in and out of focus as i watched it (possibly because of seeing) but all four moons were obvious (Ganymede Europa and Io to one side, Callisto far away on the opposite side of the planet like some kind of outcast!) and a faint star huddling nearby as a "fifth imposter". The two dark equatorial bands were obvious and there were hints of two more fainter/thinner bands outside of those.

Time to leave the planets behind and look for some Deep Sky Objects! First up and a gentle one to start with M31 in Andromeda, with the darker skies at this more rural site it appeared much larger than on my first session - more shapely and elongated, less of a shapeless and featureless blob. Both of the satellite galaxies visible this time..and under these conditions M110 actually appeared the more impressive, larger and shaped like a thin lozenge, set distinctly away from M31 itself, whereas M32 still apeared as a bright slightly out of focus star super imposed on the core of M31.

Frustration with my next target though...there was no sign of M33 in my 200P even with the 25mm EP (I realise low magnification is important for these extended low surface brightness targets) - viewing again with the binoculars I can just glimpse it...and I can identify where it is so I KNOW I'm looking in the right place with my scope...I guess light pollution and low surface brightness don't make good bedfellows!

I've never seen a globular cluster before so waste ages looking unsuccessfully for M15 in southern Pegasus - I find star hopping to it incredibly difficult, but it is getting close to the horizon and getting swallowed up in the skyglow of nearby Newark...I'll have to wait for Autumn 2012 to have another crack at this!

I suppose its a sign that the sky I'm observing under is of pretty poor quality because I find double stars much easier to find and observe - though I am only looking at the most obvious showcases so far LOL! Almach is easily found in Northern Andromeda - a famous double star system that splits easily and attractively in my 10mm eyepiece, a beautiful pair of uneven brightness and contrasting yellow and blue colours - a real gem!

Next up Gamma Aries - again no real problems getting the finderscope on this one - one of three bright naked eye stars in Aries. Mesarthim was just split in my 10mm EP - a dazzling pair of identical twins, 2 bright blue white companions, almost touching - gorgeous!

Straight on to Eta Cassiopeia - a faint naked eye star inside the "W" of Cassiopeia, another really attractive double star! Brilliant contrast between a bright yellow primary and a closer faint but strikingly red companion, easily split in my 10mm EP. I must confess that when I got my telescope I didn't think I'd find any interest in double stars (two stars close togther...whats so great about THAT?) but actually they're fascinating and beautiful!

Iota Cassiopeia - found by extending the left arm of the "W" northwards towards a slightly fainter naked eye star presents a beautiful triple system - a Bright White Primary with a tiny secondary just touching/elongating its disk and a faint third star alongside. Feel very smug to be able to split such a close double!

The view through my finderscope is becoming fainter and fainter at this stage - one of the reasons I've cast my eye towards Cassiopeia - as its easy to find my way around! As star hopping seems to be slipping off the agenda due to the mysterious failure of my finderscope I console myself with another look at M42 which even a duffer like me can find in the eyepiece! Its as beautiful as ever and the four stars that make up the trapezium are all clearly visible.

One mystery solved...the reason my finderscope isn't working is DEW! That's why its misted up and I can barely see even the brightest stars through it...something to tackle next time! It means an early bath though and an end to a thoroughly enjoyable observing session!