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harryt

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    Ashtead, Surrey
  1. Drove home with the hope of a clear sunset to see PANSTARRS but a blizzard soon put paid to that..... However, a beautiful clear evening developed and I got set for an hour and a half from 9pm. I had struggled to star hop last time out but had read an excellent article by EntropyStar showing how to use Stellarium to its full capacity. Started with Orion and could actually make out a very faint nebulosity with averted vision which was fantastic to see. Next up was a hop to M31 which I had failed to find last time but did so easily with my new method - just a pity some cloud came in just at that point!! Next was Jupiter and 3 moons clearly visible - Ganymede at 10.30; Europa and Callista at 4.30. Will I ever get to see all four at once with my bins I wonder? I had previously struggled with the double cluster (NGC 869 & 884) but again easily tracked them down but could not resolve many individual stars. Auriga was next up and the 3 Messier open clusters (M36, M37 & M38). First M36 which was just visible direct but better averted, then M38 which was very faint with averted but definitely there and finally M37 which was faint with averted but I definitely found all three - amazing!! After that a quick wander passed Pleiades - ever beautiful - and thought I would have a look at Polaris. It seemed to be a double but not sure if that was just me at the end of an exciting session seeing more than I think? Have to say at this point that the temptation of a scope is almost becoming painful. The thought of tracking down these clusters with something more powerful is, well, rather powerful...!!
  2. With that excellent app, Scope Nights, showing that last night would be the only clear-ish night of the week another session beckoned, but it was patchy at best with light cloud rolling in for much of the time but in between the sky seemed pretty clear. Ronl had previously mentioned Hyades so this was my first target and what a target it is for bins. There was a crystal clear view of the Theta Tauri 1 & 2 pair at the centre with surrounding, similar magnitude stars and many more smaller ones resolved over a 5 minute observation. Interestingly, at 7.00pm there was a fast moving low magnitude object travelling approximately north which I can only imagine to be a satellite - another first (and another followed later too). I had hoped to aim for the star clusters NGC 869 & 884 in Perseus close to Cassiopeia but sadly the clouds had other ideas. Last on my list was M35 in Gemini and here I really struggled for the first time (and there are sure to be many more I know). Firstly I mistook Alhena as my pointer but with some help from the ipad managed to rectify this to Mebsuta and I'm pretty certain I managed Tejat and Probus thereafter but I simply could not find M35. I think one problem may be that I am dealing with a fair amount of LP and can only just see Mebsuta unaided, so when I look through the bins there is a huge amount of detail which can be difficult to identify for a beginner like me. Anyway, try as I might over about 40 mins it was not where I was looking. I did see a small cluster below and to the right of Probus with averted vision in which I could resolve a central star surrounded by a fuzzy cloud but that is not where I think M35 should be - felt good to pick it out nonetheless! Anyway, frustrating not to be able to identify but a good experience overall. I was going to pop out after supper but the weather had other ideas...
  3. Came back from sporting exertions in London last night to find clear skies and a suggestion, by ronl on my first light post, that 2 of Jupiter's moons should be visible with my bins. I had previously found Jupiter very hard to focus on so popped out (10.15) and really concentrated on microscopic focusing movements and was thrilled to see 2 small specks on either side - 1 at 10.30 and the other opposite at 4.30. Now just a case of finding out which they were... Actually, having checked Stellarium it looks like they were Europa at 10.30 and Ganymede at 4.30. By the look of Stellarium I might also have been able to see Callisto too - must remember the 7 Ps and check what is out there first.
  4. My Praktica 10 x 50 bins arrived on Wednesday and, after seemingly weeks of cloud, I found a 20 minute window in the cloud from my back garden. I live in a relatively dense suburban area near the M25 so I have a fair amount of light pollution to contend with but I had not realised how bright a street light in an adjoining road is - it kept catching my eye and ruining my night vision. :angry: I started with Orion and was totally unprepared for what I saw. In naked-eye vision Beetlejuice and the belt were visible but not the sword, but through the bins the sky opened up before my eyes and there was the Great Orion Nebula and the double star above - just amazing :shocked: !! (By the way, does the double star have a name? In Stellarium I can only see them referred to as c Ori and 45 Ori - sorry, much to learn evidently.) After marveling there I only had a brief look at Pleiades before the cloud rolled in but was again staggered by what these very affordable, entry level bins were producing; what a telescope might bring is seriously exciting, hopefully I can get to Ranmore soon. On Saturday night, with friends round for supper, I only managed 20 mins again but this time had my 9 year old daughter with me who is my reason for re-igniting my childhood interest in the night-sky. Oh, I should say at this stage that I succumbed to temptation and popped down to Astronomia in Dorking on Saturday and bought a tripod, bracket and Turn left at Orion (but resolutely ignored the lovely gleaming telescopes!). Anyway, I lined up on Orion and Pleiades again for her and she had a very similar reaction to me on Thursday - her face just lit up, so a budding astronomer in the making perhaps?? Am I allowed to go on to last night as well? Well, I've started so I'll finish if you can bear it. Now properly armed with Turn left, Stellarium, tripod and bins I felt a slightly greater challenge might be in order and, guided by various threads about the best objects for binoculars, set my sights on The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and The Beehive Cluster (M44). Again daughter No.4 was with me and we started at 7.30 for a 30 mins session before bedtime. Following the directions from Mirach I became aware of a small smudge when I was panning across, so stopped and tried to find it again, but to no avail. Then, remembering averted vision, aimed slightly to the right and, hey presto, MY FIRST GALAXY!!! Having read the notes in Turn left I have to say I felt pretty humbled thinking that small smudge contains about 300 billion stars and is so far away. Sadly No.4 could not quite pick it out so she found her way to Orion and Pleiades again before going to bed. After a brief interlude (ahem, Top Gear, I'm afraid :embarrassed: ) I returned to the garden at 10.15 and set to work on The Beehive. Now, it says this is a naked-eye object, but that is certainly not the case where I am, so finding it took a little longer that anticipated but it was worth the wait - all those beautiful jewels grouped together. Thinking about it I should have noted how many stars I could resolve, but just observed it for 20 mins before the cloud came in. All in all an amazing few sessions and looking forward to more, and Panstarrs next week
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