Epick Crom

I had a nice session last night observing in Canis Major with my 10 inch dob. Tried splitting Sirius but was unsuccessful this night. Nice views were had of M41, NGC 2362 and the lovely double star HR 2764. The highlight of the night was catching the supernova SN2024ggi in galaxy NGC 3621 in Hydra. I couldn't see the galaxy itself but spotted the supernova as a clear dot! I estimate it to be around mag 11.5. Just my second ever observation of a supernova so pretty chuffed!

I had a nice 1 hour session observing the waxing crescent moon last night using my 10 inch dob. Firstly I used my 10x50mm binoculars to enjoy the sight of Elnath 2° away from the moon. A nice sight! Using my 10 inch, I saw for the first time the crater Cauchy sandwiched in between Rupes Cauchy and Rima Cauchy. How I've never seen this feature before is beyond me as it looked very prominent last night. Very interesting seeing a crater between two linear features! Clear Skies Joe

Hi @lunator and congratulations on moving to darker skies! Darker skies bring the biggest improvements to visual observing. Enjoy! Clear Skies Joe

It was a partly cloudy and misty night here in Perth. Just enough gaps in the clouds for me to observe with my 10x50mm binoculars. The highlight was watching the waning gibbous moon slowly rise above the horizon with red Antares 1° away! Absolutely fantastic sight in the bino's . I was surprised that I could make out Antares that low down.

This is a heartbreaking report @DPF😭

Yeah John, the cloud gods don't miss a thing unfortunately 😞

Hi @MalcolmM, yes I have seen the planetary NGC 2438 that's embedded in M46. It's a lovely sight. Cheers Joe

Nice report @MalcolmM! Canis Major and Puppis are favourite hunting grounds for me being in the southern hemisphere. 145 Canis Majoris is the "summer Albireo" for us ☺️. Next to that beautiful double is NGC 2362, the stunning Tau Canis Majoris cluster. Did you get a chance to see it? Funny you mentioned the "mottling" in Canis Major, this was the area I first noticed this phenomenon back in 2020 with my first scope. Puppis contains a lot of beautiful open clusters, I hope you continue to enjoy observing this rich region. Clear Skies Joe

Nice one Stu. Drinking up the Double Cluster with a 31mm Nagler sure sounds like fun. I hope to see this sight one day..

Welcome to the observing addiction @Moonlightbaker😀

Nice one John! This globular has been a constant menace for me as I've tried several times in "good" conditions to spot it in my 10 inch dob but have always come up empty. My backyard light pollution as well as it's low elevation from Down Under have conspired against me I reckon. It's great that you saw it with 4 inches.

After a long day at work I just had enough energy left to haul out the 10 inch dob and have a quick 1hr session targeting Orion and Cancer. I was pleased to find open cluster NGC 2175 in Orion for the first time. It's a rather broad and scattered cluster. It's meant to have some nebulosity associated with it but I couldn't see it. A quick check up on Cancer revealed M44, M67, NGC 2775 and Tegmine. I also tried for one of my nemesis objects, NGC 2419 the Intergalactic Wanderer/ Tramp 😂 in Lynx but no luck yet again.

Nice report @SwiMatt! I've always had a soft spot for NGC 752, it's a lovely and underated open cluster.

G'day Darren and welcome to Stargazers Lounge! I assume you are a fellow Aussie because you're named Saxon and Bintel. I think you won't go wrong with either three. I own a Saxon 10 inch dob which I believe is identical to Sky Watcher and possibly Bintel as well. It is my first and so far only telescope. I can highly vouch for the quality of Saxon, my 10 inch has surpassed my expectations. Sky Watcher has a very good reputation. I've bought several items from Bintel and have always been happy with them. Like I said I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, which is a good thing! Good luck with your choices. Clear Skies Joe

A nice clear night here in Perth last night. On my hitlist: Jupiter with Io's shadow sitting right on the South Equatorial Belt! NGC 2301 open cluster in Monoceros. Fantastic shape Uranus with asteroid 21 Lutetia sitting near by Open cluster NGC 2244 and the Rosette Nebula. This was the clearest view of the Rosette I've seen so far in my observing career. The nebulosity was obvious I also observed two new to me objects, NGC 1966, an emission nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud and Collinder 110, an open cluster in Monoceros. A fun, relaxing and soul enriching session! Clear Skies Joe

Hi Nicola, you are very blessed indeed to be living under bortle 4 skies with a 12"! Enjoy Clear Skies Joe

Yep, Comet Kushida tell me about it John.. Ive tried to spot it for the past week with my 10 inch dob but no luck! No doubt my bortle 6 backyard it too bright for it.

Ok, I know most of the astronomers on here can't see this but let me describe my observing session in Carina last night. This is an incredibly rich southern constellation which contains some real heavy hitters! Last night I observed: 1. NGC 2516 "The Diamond Cluster" Rich and bright open cluster, visible naked eye even from my bortle 6 backyard. Also know as the running man. Beautiful. 2. NGC 3114 Another bright and audacious open cluster, many 6th magnitude stars arranged in a whirlpool shape. 3. NGC 3372 " Eta Carina Nebula" A wonderful bright nebula. A massive dark lane cuts right across it. It is studded with several bright open clusters and the star Eta Carinae lies almost at its centre. Eta Carinae itself is surrounded by an outburst of vivid orange gas known as the Homunculus Nebula. The whole region is stunning visually. 4. NGC 3293 " Gem Cluster" A beautiful, small and compact open cluster, bright. Red and yellow stars at its centre surrounded by a swarm of blue white stars. 5. NGC 3532 " The Football Cluster" Also known as the Wishing Well cluster. Think M7 on steroids! This is a very bright, naked eye open cluster, very rich. The finest open cluster in the entire night sky in my opinion. I hope my brief descriptions help you visualise these objects in your minds eye, same as I do when you guys describe the northern showpiece objects that can't be seen from here ( such as the Double Cluster) Clear Skies Joe

Hi @Sunshine. I agree with you! On nights of good seeing, one of my favourite things it to ply on the magnification on a tight double star and enjoy seeing the airy disks with the two stars close together. I love observing tight double stars of equal brightness as well as those that have a fainter companion nestled in close by. As you say, it's a treat to observe at high magnifications. Clear Skies Joe

Astronomical observing is the best therapy in my opinion. I'm glad that it is helping you out 👍

A clear night last night, but temperatures were hovering around 33° most of the night, so hot and sweaty conditions, with hoards of mosquitoes! I observed Jupiter and Uranus with my 10 inch dob, seeing not the best due to the shimmering hot air. Uranus close by a faint field star. Shortly after I put the dob back in the house, succumbing to the sweltering conditions. I whipped out my 5x25 VisionKing binos to observe the Head of Hydra then retreated back to the airconditioning inside. I hate "wasting" a clear night, but it's hard to observe when you have sweat constantly dripping on your eyepieces 😄 Clear Skies Joe

Fantastic shoot out between two great scopes SuburbanTak, umm I mean SuburbanMak😁 Sounds like you had a fun night 👍

Got up at 4:30am this morning observe the close conjunction between Mercury and Mars, seperated by 16'. Got some great views through my 10x50mm binoculars as they were only 4° above the horizon so too low for my dob. Looked beautiful naked eye as well. A great start to the day 👍

I toured Auriga last night, a January tradition as it's gone by February over here. Took in M36, M37 and M38, a wonderful trio of Messier open clusters. I discovered a new combination there last night, the double star HD 38583 close to the interestingly named carbon star FU Aurigae. Who says astronomical objects don't have attitude 😂

Nice images of the moon @Kimboman I am yet to see Jupiter with just one moon, lucky you to witness such a rare sight 👍