jordanclarke

Good luck Gaza, tea is a great idea for next time! Cheers Pat, can't wait to get another view of Jupiter... unfortunately it's clouds for the next few days! Thanks Isabelle, really looking forward to spotting a few more planets.... I'll be sure to keep a pack of tissues with me incase I manage to spot Saturn :) I'm suprised any tears didn't instantly freeze, given the weather in your location!!

First Ever Telescope Viewing, and First Ever Blog!! Hi to anyone who's interested, hope you're well!! I ordered a Skywatcher Skyline 8" Dob about a month ago, it arrived a few days ago but until now it's been cloudy over light polluted London (esp. with the recyling plant running all night near me). Wow! What a first few hours!! First off I aimed my scope at the moon, almost half full, when I got worried... it seemed so bright I couldn't see any detail. I started fretting about not buying a polarising filter, but then I decided to stop being stupid, and FOCUSSED the EYEPIECE!! Awesome view, the craters were brilliant, but I think what impressed me the most was that I could see the DARK SIDE of the moon! So I could see a full black/white egg, but anyone with just the naked eye could only see a Cheshire Cat's smile :) Next, just a little hop away was (I'm almost totally sure) Jupiter. The main reason I bought my scope was to have a look at Jupiter. Loved it! It seemed pretty bright white, but I could definately see two bands across it (not sure of the colour), and pretty sure - 4 moons around it. After this I tried to recognise a few constellations which was HARDER than I thought it would be. But pretty sure I NAILED: The Plough; Auriga; Gemini (partial); Perseus (partial) and Orion. At this time I thought I should finish up with a casual look at my first ever nebula in Orion [M?? (I'll look it up later)] While I could make out the cloud shape, I could only see about 4 (maybe 6) stars in it.... for a 'Star Factory' I think it needs to start pumping out a few more babies!!! Extra notes: Time~ 6:30-8:30 Location~ My Back Garden, Chingford, London. Clear skies. Stuggled to make out more than 2 stars in Ursa Minor. As it was my first time I will class the seeing as a 5/10 (average). Handwriting is terrible, while cold, balancing a notepad on my knee, and holding a torch. MUST wear thick socks, and long johns next time!!! FREEZING!!! Thanks for reading about my first time!