Good Year?

[Nexus 6]

Been a patchy year observing wise, the current conditions being all to familiar, the clouds have won the honours in the battle of clear nights v cloud cover.

Still there's always the highlight to think back on, for me....it has been one I have mentioned on several threads during the year.

Saturn....a few views gave an almost photographic reflection of it for me. CPC 925/Televue 13mm Nagler. a recent look at M42 was also superb. CPC 925/Televue 13mm Ethos.

personal low....try as I might I was unable to observe the Veil Nebula.

that makes it my number one target next year, from as dark an observing site as possible.

what were yours?

[swamp thing]

Not to rub salt in your wounds Alan but one of my favourite observations was the Veil nebula from a superb site in mid Wales through my 16" with a 31mm Nagler and O-III filter.

Awesome. I also managed the NA nebula with my naked eye from the same site.

The other real memorable one was M101 on another dark sky foray to Salisbury plain. Again through my 16" with a 12mm Nagler. I must have observed those swirling spiral arms for about 2 hours.

Low points have been the weather it's just been awful this year.

That and one wasted 3hr round trip to a dark sky site.

Regards Steve

[Nexus 6]

the Veil, is a tease it appears, with the 24 Pan and OIII, I tried a few times but had no luck! just a very faint difference in the fov but nothing of significance

skies here from home are fair, around 4.6 LM so not too bad. I am well aware a true dark location is required to observe it as well as a decent aperture, so I am halfway there I suppose with the 925, may have to take the risk and try my nearby decent dark sky location with it.

[Charon]

Saturn for me too, first time I viewed her was with my ETX80, cannot wait to use the CPC800.

Is the Veil best viewed with the OIII? Will I be able to view it with my CPC800? Sorry to jump onto your thread Alan.

[Ags]

Saturn was good night after night. The storm belt was easily apparent as was some detail in the rings. Jupiter has been phenomenal, again showing plenty of detail, but unfortunately it has been clouded out for the past month and a half. I have only got in three quick sessions on Jupiter since opposition. Seeing Mars was a highlight, even if it was only 7 arcseconds.

[swamp thing]

Both of your scopes coupled with an O-III filter at reasonable sites should show the veil without to much trouble.

It is an enormous object that covers several fields of view in large scopes.

Regards Steve

[Astro Imp]

Saturn was a great sight earlier in the year, but the hi-light for me was the first time I saw a shadow transit of Europa.

[Beulah]

This year has been pretty pants observing wise as there seemed to be a lot of cloud cover.

There was a glorious long patch of clear skies that spanned over June and July. And around here it doesn't get properly dark until midnight late June!

No Noctilucent clouds this year either!

However, I did get some wonderful observation sessions in:

Seeing incredible detail in M42

Seeing Stephan's Quartet for the first time.

Jupiter: Managed to get some amazing views of this planet, detail in cloud belts and spotting barges.

Seeing subtle detail in the dark lanes of M104 (Sombrero Galaxy)

Overall observing experience across the year: 4/10, due to weather.

[bish]

Jupiter has been good this year but I always look back at DSO's as highlights. As mentioned several times above, the veil nebula from a dark site. Seeing IC434 and the hint of B33 as a dark gap (couldn't make out the actual shape of a head) using a H beta filter. The flame nebula and Various galaxies. m42 with a filter from a dark site - possibly the best view I've seen through a scope.

[Double Kick Drum]

I have had many more highlights this year due to being more organised, particularly after joining this forum nearly three months ago.

Top of the list must be Christmas Eve morning when I found 14 new galaxies, some of which made me pass the half-way post in completing the Messier list.

Seeing the hole in the Ring nebula for the first time is also up there. Seeing smudges is one thing but when you start to tease out a bit more detail, it is a whole lot more satisfying.

I have also bagged my first Asteroid (Eunomia) only recently.

Looking forward to Saturn being a bit more favourable in the spring, together with bagging my 100th DSO which can't be far off (hopefully).

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have had an amazing year observation-wise. I have bagged hundreds of DSOs, including three supernovae, completed the Messier list, got to 80 in the Caldwell list and 166 in the Herschel 400. The North America Nebula with the Pelican through my 80mm F/6 with UHC filter from a dark site in France was one of the highlights. I got the Veil in the same way. Using Olly's 20" Dob another highlight. The trip to Australia bagged me so many goodies my jaws ached from grinning too much.

In a year like this, I should not complain about low points.

[Psychobilly]

I had my worst year to date and the Christmas break has done nothing to change it...

The observatory is still empty and looks like it will stay that way

[Sam]

Not a bad year for observing - but like always I didn't make the most of the opportunities when the weather and conditions were good. Hopefully an observatory will make it a bit easier with less to setup each session.

[AndyH]

Honking Autumn/Winter so far. Hopefully it'll improve when 2012 comes round.........

[George]

I had my worst year to date and the Christmas break has done nothing to change it...

The observatory is still empty and looks like it will stay that way

Me too......it all started going downhill in 2007 when I re-kindled my interest in Astronomy

[Luke]

This year seems to have been a bit windy!

The highlight for me was back in April, when I took my first look at the Virgo cluster of galaxies. Simply breathtaking! I'll never forgot panning slowly across and seeing so many galaxies.

We had some decent views of Jupiter this year too and loved seeing the Gread Red Spot for the first time.

And we stayed on for a week after the Kelling Star Party when we got lucky and had a lot of clear sky, it was really good to get a decent observing session in after fiddling around trying to fix imaging problems for the last year at home!

[Nexus 6]

I had my worst year to date and the Christmas break has done nothing to change it...

The observatory is still empty and looks like it will stay that way

sorry to read its been such a poor one Peter, you guys in the south west have had it bad this year.

I have had an amazing year observation-wise. I have bagged hundreds of DSOs, including three supernovae, completed the Messier list, got to 80 in the Caldwell list and 166 in the Herschel 400. The North America Nebula with the Pelican through my 80mm F/6 with UHC filter from a dark site in France was one of the highlights. I got the Veil in the same way. Using Olly's 20" Dob another highlight. The trip to Australia bagged me so many goodies my jaws ached from grinning too much.

glad it was a successful one for you Micheal, has been a pleasure reading your reports this year.

[foundaplanet]

The best moment had to be when I showed a friend of mine Saturn through the scope, it was such a fantastic moment.

It has been almost thirty years since I've seen the planets through a scope and I have had some stunning views of Jupiter and Saturn.

Disappointed that for all my early morning dog walking I have not had it clear enough to catch Mercury yet but still hopeful for the morning (even though it will not happen).

Generally on the few good evenings I have had I am thrilled to have a scope again I have had many WOW moments on some dso's. I just hope that we do start to get some more clear skies soon.

[Moonshane]

2011 has been a very mixed year for me too.

The low is easy - being made redundant and taking a pay cut of 66%. This is mixed with a high though as I have ended up in a job I love. Ironically, I work hard enough to earn my previous salary and much harder and longer than I ever did for it!

I have not really had many observing lows in 2011 but agree with the general consensus that the weather has generally been against us.

The main high was putting together my 16" dob and then starting to use it. Views of almost everything were enhanced, M13, M15, M2 amongst the globs and the Double Cluster of course. I have great memories of M42 (26mm Nagler plus UHC filter), the Veil (all three elements), the Crescent and the Pacman Nebulae all with 26mm Nagler and Oiii filter when using this scope at the Peak Star Party on the first night.

Looking forward to more of M42 if the skies ever clear.

All the best for 2012 to SGLers!!

[Moonshane]

personal low....try as I might I was unable to observe the Veil Nebula.

that makes it my number one target next year, from as dark an observing site as possible.

/QUOTE]

hi Alan

I live in a quite light polluted area and can certainly see the Veil with the Oiii filter with any instrument. It was clearly seen in my 90mm refractor and is quite obvious in my 16" dob too as would be expected.

I think this must be another case of learning how to see it and once you do then you will wonder how you never did - good luck with it.

For me the easiest way is to find 52 Cygni which is naked eye. If you find this then you are in the centre of the witches broom element so you have found the Veil and 'just' need to see it. The Bridal Veil section is brighter still and forms the other curve of the 'circle'. You'll get it if you persevere.

[Pete Presland]

the high for me was deciding to build an obsy,been in 9 months.while the weather has been poor it was worth all the effort.

observing wise planets/moon through the mak180

imaging with the newt and discovering the delights of drift alignment!

[Nexus 6]

I think this must be another case of learning how to see it and once you do then you will wonder how you never did - good luck with it.

more like a case of can't see the wood for the trees.

I have had the scope bang on 51 Cygni, I shouldn't have any trouble with that of course.... so can only think the subtle difference is not so obvious to me Shane, even using a Baader OIII

[Dunkster]

The high for me was getting back into astronomy this year... It's always been there in my mind, but what with work swallowing the last decade or more, I hadn't been practising.

Anyhow, I decided to take back my life before its too late

All the things I've seen since getting my grab-and-go have only fuelled the passion, and although deadlines often dictate I go to bed like a good boy, I'm always watching the forecast!

So work and weather mean I've only got out a couple of time a month, but it's a start

Not a bad year, but expectations are high for '12!

Oh and does ap fever ever go away?

[Nexus 6]

Just edit my glaring typo. 52 Cygni

[DarkerSky]

Interesting reading this. Great thread

My highlights were more focused at the beginning of the year. I'd like to pull out 4...

1 - The partial solar eclipse on 4 January. First time I've rattled off some decent digital images of a partial solar eclipse. The way the early morning fog and cloud helped mask light from the event was very memorable.

2 - M101 and teasing out the spiral arms for the first time in my 16". A spine-tingling experience. Sketching it added to the experience.

3 - M97 planetary nebula in my 16" with a neodymium filter. The detail was crazy-good with the 'eyes' and brightness differences across the nebula. So big in my 8mm ep too Again - sketching what I saw added to the experience.

4 - SN 2011dh in M51. Simply awesome viewing!