Superb Night

[mike.brightmore]

First really clear night for ages following a heavy rain shower. Dew was a problem but the hairdryer kept it at bay. Saw all my old summer favourites (Globulars, open clusters, Ring and Dumbbell Nebulae etc. Could even make out a 'swirl' around Andromeda with the binos. Half a dozen early Perseids added to the show. Jupiter was magnificent and Uranus a clear green disc. To finish the night on a high note (just before the clouds rolled in) at 3.03 a.m. I watched a very bright ISS glide within a few degrees of Jupiter - they were like a pair of twins.

[mike.brightmore]

went out to pack away and the sky had cleared a bit so waited for for my first look at Mars this year. It was low down in the murky twilight and tiny. No detail visible at all. I think this will have to wait till 2012.

[malc-c]

I too was amazed at how clear and transparent the sky was last night. Unfortunately for me the clouds rolled in by 11:30pm but then the hour or so of ideal conditions gave me the opportunity to strip down the mount and re-align the polar scope in a bid to get better tracking. Just need another clear spell tonight to check how well it performs

[vegaandarctures]

We've been blessed with a few clear skies here in Wiltshire for the past few days. Got superb views of M13, M27, M31 and M57. Jupiter was an amazing sight as-well. Uranus however just looked like a green dot. Still good to look at though. Got some good views of the moon too.