Salisbury Plain 21 April

[gliderpilot]

Tilshead Saturday 21 April 2012

Saturday brought a hat trick of clear SPOG observing sessions with wonderfully transparent skies. It didn’t start that way as, to our surprise, it was raining when we met at the pub. Thankfully it was only a passing shower and it soon left a crystal clear sky. Venus was shining like a beacon in the western sky while fiery Mars hung high overhead. It was one of those brilliantly clear skies that allow a myriad of fainter stars to shine through making the constellations almost hard to recognise.

We had a fantastic time exploring the spring sky. Particular highlights include:

The interacting Siamese galaxies NGC5426 and NGC5427 clearly visible as two elongated features touching at one end

Getting lost around the Virgo galaxy cluster while having multiple galaxies in the field of view (I counted 9 around the M84, 86, 87 “core” through Dave’s 10” scope)

M104 Sombrero Galaxy

Saturn with the dark Cassini division and several moons

Surface features on Mars

Numerous bright Lyrid meteors

A low level ISS pass

All in all a fun night enjoyed by new and old members alike. It seems a different world with the current driving rain and howling rain.

All welcome at the next observing run.

Mark

[cotterless45]

Lovely, managed to confirm that we still have a Moon through a small break in the clouds, driven along by hurricane winds, grrrrrrr!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sounds great! Glad you got a good session under your belt while the moon was still absent.