wakefield area

[mapstar]

Crash,

I'll be setting off about the same time, so I'll give you a ring when I'm up that way see where you are.

[crashtestdummy]

Realised its not dark until 9 so may aswell set off a bit later

[mapstar]

I'll just take a steady ride up there and check it out in a bit of day light.

I'll probably get up there 8-8:30 and have a look around so I'll give you a ring when I get there.

[Soupy]

Looks like an awesome night. Good luck up there in north yorks!

[mapstar]

A great night for me at Sutton Bank with crash.

Took me just over an hour and 65mile's a simple run.We'd both made it up there for just gone 8

So after a quick chat, crash led us to the previous observation site he'd used with hopefully a good southern horizon so he could bag M83 finally.

Whilst laughing at me waiting and praying to the god of Polaris, he'd already bagged half a dozen targets and reaffirmed that he has a great knowledge of the skies.

Crash threw the towel in at around 1 as he had work the elusive M83 had beat us both.

In the right area with the star chart confirming that but the light pollution (think from kilburn,coxwold and easingwold) washing the sky out to the south.

It is darker than winscarr as crash pointed out the dust lane through the milkyway under lyra and Cassiopeia.

Meanwhile I was set for the night so managed to bag another 17 messiers before the dawn glow on the horizon at half 3 meant it was time for home tired but very happy with a good night's viewing.

Cheers Rich

P.s. hope you weren't too tired for work.

[crashtestdummy]

I can always get through work even if im asleep.2 more hours on m83 and still not got it,blumming southern horizon light pollution.think i need to set myself observing plans as im not making good use of time when im out

[mapstar]

Ha ha yeah me too!

Think i'm going to have to do the same to get the rest of the messiers.

[Nephalem]

Sounds like a good site, would you recommend it Damian ? Glad the weather held off for you.

Is anyone out tonight ?

[Russty]

Sounds like a good site, would you recommend it Damian ? Glad the weather held off for you.

Is anyone out tonight ?

I,m thinking about it I just fitted new DS focuser and had a mare re collimating the blumming thing so might go out to try it out.

[mapstar]

I would for somewhere quite close as an hour away for me isn't bad.

The site we used was an access track.It was good, although a little dusty so the ground sheet came in handy.

There is the main car park which is surrounded by trees which crash said was good they also block the light pollution but we had gone for the southern horizon so it would've been no good.

There is a few other areas to check out.

Unbelievably there is still light pollution from the south and to the north with middlesborough which did seem to dim down later on when the cloud above it moved off.

No where near as bad as Manchester though.

I'm on night's tonight worst luck so unfortunately not Paul, although i would've been if not but I hope you manage to get out and do some viewing.

[crashtestdummy]

Ive given up on m83 for this year,its taking the fun out of things.just treated myself to Uranometria all sky edition so will compare it with the sky atlas and tri atlas

[mapstar]

If it compares to the triatlas then should be really good crash.

Looking o.k. for later so i'll keep my fingers crossed for those that give it a try. Shame i'm on nights but theres always the roof of the building at work just to get some practice on the constellations

[Soupy]

glad you both had a great night. I am busy babysitting while wife is away and have lots of reports to write tonight so will have to write tonight off even though it looks fantastic at the min! good luck Paul and Russ if you get out, it should be decent.

[mapstar]

Shame you'll not manage to get out soupy as It's been great the last couple of night's.

I've a couple of empty bottles for you ;-) so I'll bring them to the next meet?

Maybe early next week as I'm on holiday in Cyprus for a week from Wednesday onward.

[Soupy]

Fingers crossed for a clear start to the week then Damian.

[nicks90]

Maybe early next week as I'm on holiday in Cyprus for a week from Wednesday onward.

cyprus?

Nice, saturn will be much higher in the sky in cyprus, shame you cant take a scope with you.

[crashtestdummy]

I think uranometria doesnt have constellation lines so harder for a novice but hoping ive gained enough knowledge of the sky to make it work.i really would like to be able to find my way around the sky without a guide at all

[crashtestdummy]

Take some bino's mapster,M83 is a bino object if you can get some dark skies plus it will be about 10 degrees higher in the sky in cyprus

[Russty]

went to Winscar last night and after a lot of curfuffle and cussing finally got first light on 200 Yay. I made sure I took everything along with me except my blumming reading glasses so couldn't see to read my phone app my books or my planisphere hey ho. The dual axis motor drive was great I must have polar aligned well as it tracked very well, but the dec motor drive was a pain it kept getting in the way of the mounts rotation so I took it off I didn't need it anyway. In hindsight I should have just bought the single axis drive. So got some good views of Saturn and managed to find M13 on my own ( I know I know lol but with out being able to use ref books and being a newb I was quite pleased) it looked very nice. So all in all a good night. I hope setting the thing up becomes a little faster with practice as it took an age and was a right pain to be honest. I'm thinking maybe I should have gone down the Dob route as Crashes scope the other night looked nice and simple to set up.

[mapstar]

Great stuff Russ sounds like you had a good night and got to grips with your scope and had a few nice views.

I find it difficult with the eq mount to star hop and find things manually although it is satisfying when you have.Always good to have a check that what your looking at is actually what the scope is pointing at.

Oh and it get's quicker to set up.

Saturn is great to look at and M13 is spectacular so you picked up some good objects to look at.

Did Paul (Nephalem) go up there too with you?

[Russty]

No Damian I was Billy no mates last night, didn't mind too much as I looked like a floundering whale setting gear up lol so there being no one there to witness it was good. I thought I did hear the security guard laughing tho.

[mapstar]

It's all a learning curve and a big one at that.

Apart from the security guard I've never seen another soul up there in the several occasions I've been on my own.

All that matters is you had a good night's viewing and know a good out of the way place to do it.

Saturday night is supposed to be promising unfortunately for the star gazing I've my girls but everything could change.

Takes me about 20min's to set up now just waiting for Polaris is the pain at present as the days draw out.

[Astronomer69]

Hi guys its Kieran i came up Monday night with Soupy. Just sorted my account out now so i can post.

Had a great night on monday its was good fun and you all great people, was just reading through your comments and al be out saturday night coz its a good forecast was thinking of going up to the dales or somewhere really dark but if there a few going to Winscarr al settle for coming up there coz its a great location.

[Russty]

Hi Kieran.

[Astronomer69]

Hi Russty u have a good night last night then.