Attempt at a list of objects seen at Peak Star Party 2011.

[Moonshane]

After a great weekend of meeting people, listening to talks, looking at meteorites, looking at bits of Mars, scratching my head as to how all this gear will go in one car (it didn't - and I still got there thanks to my very kind wife), setting up camp and drinking etc, it's a surprise we found time to get some observing in!

I did not make any notes from the event but here's a list recalled from the two nights of observing I managed. I left on Sunday as the wind was likely to become worse (no not that kind of wind) and my dob was already being buffeted badly and I was very tired after two late nights and not much sleep (yes, I'm a lightweight!!).

Luna

Jupiter

Mars

Quite a few Orionid meteors

ISS pass high and bright

Some kind of Iridium type satellite flare

Comet Garradd

Cassiopeia

NGC 281 Pacman Nebula

NGC 457 ET cluster

Messier 52 open cluster

Iota Cass triple star system

Hercules

NGC 869/844 Double Cluster

Messier 76 Little Dumbbell

Messier 34 open cluster

Auriga

Messier 37 open cluster

Triangulum

Messier 33 galaxy

Andromeda

Messier 31 galaxy

Messier 32 galaxy

Messier 110 galaxy

Gamma And (Almach) double star

(doh! forgot to look for NGC 891 galaxy).

Ursa Minor

Alpha Ursa Min (Polaris) double star

Taurus

Messier 45 (Pleiades) open cluster

Messier 1 Crab Nebula

Hyades Cluster open cluster

Orion

Sigma Ori quadruple star system

Theta Ori (Trapezium) six stars seen in this group of 11 stars

Beta Ori (Rigel) double star

Messier 78 reflection nebula

Messier 42/43 Great Orion Nebula

NGC 1981 open cluster

NGC 1977 Running Man Nebula

Gemini

Alpha Gem (Castor) double star

Messier 35 open cluster

NGC 2158 open cluster

NGC 2392 Eskimo Planetary Nebula

Ursa Major

Theta Uma (Alcor and Mizar) triple star system

Messier 108 galaxy

Messier 97 Owl nebula

Messier 81 galaxy

Messier 82 galaxy

Messier 51 galaxy

Hercules

Messier 13 globular cluster

Messier 92 globular cluster

Cygnus

Messier 39 open cluster

Veil nebula complex including NGC 6979 Pickering's Triangular Wisp, NGC 6995/6992 the Eastern loop and NGC 6960 the Witches Broom.

NGC 6888 Crescent Nebula

NGC 6826 Blinking Planetary Nebula

Lyra

Epsilon Lyr (Double Double) qudruple system

Messier 57 the Ring Nebula

Vulpecula

Messier 27 the Dumbbell Nebula

Sagitta

Messier 71 globular cluster

Pegasus

Messier 15 globular cluster

NGC 7331 galaxy

Obviously there would have been a lot more to chase if the skies had given more time but we did well given that we arrived under total cloud cover!!

Hope everyone else had a good time too.

[Astro Imp]

Well done Shane, looks like you had a great time.

[MjrTom]

That's one impressive list Shane

You ticked off far more than I managed, and this is whilst giving demonstrations to an ever growing queue of people also wanting a look (me included!)

[Moonshane]

ha ha cheers guys. Great to meet you Mark and if you or anyone else recalls seeing anything else through my scope do remind me!

[MjrTom]

ha ha cheers guys. Great to meet you Mark and if you or anyone else recalls seeing anything else through my scope do remind me!

Yes you too, was great to finally meet you.

I must say you have a far better memory than I at remembering what you looked at!

[Revs]

Hi Shane, cheers for my first 16" Dob experience I got a peek as you were pointed at the double cluster. The extra aperture clearly showed a whole new layer of stars that my 10" Dob can barely pick out, plus it was crystal clear at the time so it was quite a view!

Nice to meet you buddy

[Moonshane]

Yes you too, was great to finally meet you.

I must say you have a far better memory than I at remembering what you looked at!

my secret is going through the pages of sky atlas one by one and trying to recall where we looked. seemed to work out quite well!

[Moonshane]

Hi Shane, cheers for my first 16" Dob experience I got a peek as you were pointed at the double cluster. The extra aperture clearly showed a whole new layer of stars that my 10" Dob can barely pick out, plus it was crystal clear at the time so it was quite a view!

Nice to meet you buddy

great to meet you too Revs.

I have to say that I possibly will not recognise a lot of folk I met as it was pretty dark when I did!

[spaceboy]

ha ha cheers guys. Great to meet you Mark and if you or anyone else recalls seeing anything else through my scope do remind me!

Present (not sure if this is correct spelling) nebula in Cygnus

[KerryAnn23]

I have to say that I possibly will not recognise a lot of folk I met as it was pretty dark when I did!

Haha i'm finally glad someone said that!!! i no a few knew who i was due to my pic but i only put a name to about 2 faces lol, i think we forgot to ask names ans stuff lol

p.s your scope really is something, i had a quick nosey at io transit on Saturday night but never managed to actually talk to you

i wrote most of what i saw down so when i finally unpack il list the few things i managed to see or even find lol

[Moonshane]

Crescent matey!

[spaceboy]

Doh!!!!

[spaceboy]

Dam! That reminds me I didn't look for the bubble.

[Moonshane]

I had a look but it was on the second night and it was a bit skanky by the time I remembered.

[spaceboy]

I can't believe I've been to dark skies and still cannot confirm for definite that I have seen the SN in M101

[Moonshane]

same here mate - nor even M101!

[nightfisher]

A very comprehensive list shane, and yet again many thanks for the time spent at your wonder dob, and thanks for putting me onto my first double, i think i will start tracking them down

[Moonshane]

I have to say that I possibly will not recognise a lot of folk I met as it was pretty dark when I did!

Haha i'm finally glad someone said that!!! i no a few knew who i was due to my pic but i only put a name to about 2 faces lol, i think we forgot to ask names ans stuff lol

p.s your scope really is something, i had a quick nosey at io transit on Saturday night but never managed to actually talk to you

i wrote most of what i saw down so when i finally unpack il list the few things i managed to see or even find lol

hi Kerry Ann

sorry I missed your post. cheers for the comments re the scope. I am happy it worked so well in the field and that everyone seemed to enjoy the views as much as I did. you bought a great starter scope and you'll really enjoy it once you get the hang f it.

[Moonshane]

A very comprehensive list shane, and yet again many thanks for the time spent at your wonder dob, and thanks for putting me onto my first double, i think i will start tracking them down

cheers matey - enjoyed your company.

there's a great Cambridge book (Cambridge Double Star Atlas) which would be great in combo with your Mak for tracking down those tighter doubles. have a good look at Epsilon Lyrae and also Delta Cygni, both quite a good test of optics and seeing.

[KerryAnn23]

thanks moonshane, my other half has kind of figured it out but hasnt had the time to completely run through it with me yet. i had a nosey online as soon as i got home and im glad the reviews wer good. i just need some decent eyepieces and a few other things mentioned but i cant remember the names of lol, all in good time i guess, and a good look in the sales section may help me out. hope to see u and the beast at another party and try steal some of your knowledge for a dope like me ;-)

[Moonshane]

hey, everyone starts somewhere and compared with many there, I have very little knowledge. even though I might appear to know quite a bit, I was mainly finding targets I have seen before and hence know where they are!

a red dot finder of some kind would be a great addition as would a good star map like the Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas - about £8 from Amazon. That's what I used all night where necessary.

[KerryAnn23]

I was totally overwhelmed really as everyone was telling me something new or trying to point me in the direction of something to see through my binos so now i'm home i'm trying to go through my head and pick out things even though i no most is lost this time :-( ....... oh and i do have a red dot finder on the scope but the sky atlas may be a good idea. i need a list of everything i need so i think i better make a thread lol

[Starstrike]

Hi Moonshane I presume you had the tent next to me (the amazing 16" Dob), I had the meteorites and was imaging Garradd,etc, with the refractor.

I was blown away by the quality of the views I could see in the Dob, first the Orion Nebula, then M13 and Garradd(with colour!!!).

I really enjoyed the party, lectures and great company my first venture to such an event.

[Moonshane]

Hi there and yes, that was me! I enjoyed seeing your kit in action and in particular your explanation of how meteorites form and can be detected amongst iron slag etc. thanks so much also for the opportunity to hold a really iconic item, the slice of Mars. I am feeling emotional as I type this as having seen the planet the night before it was incredible to hold a piece of it so thanks! I can see why you made (presumably) such a good physics teacher. one reason I returned home a day early was (as I bet you found when we spoke) that I had started to form incoherent sentences and to find forming intelligible sentences difficult having had no sleep to speak of for two days

but it was mainly the forecast for the wind which was bad on the Sunday night - from the comments of others I made the right choice I think.

It was a great event and as you say really superb to meet such a great group of people with a complete spectrum of experience and equipment. Next time I might have a 'bring your own eyepiece and feel free to use the scope' sign on my scope and then I'll get a chance to wander about a bit!

[MjrTom]

Next time I might have a 'bring your own eyepiece and feel free to use the scope' sign on my scope and then I'll get a chance to wander about a bit!

What you mean you're not going to leave your big box of green eyepieces for people to use lol

I slept cuddling my EP box hehe