Epic Success! The power of getting away from LP

[goolosh]

So we have had very very nice weather here in California, for a long time now. I know that's what most people think about California, just sunny days all the time. But the truth is that there are plenty of days with clouds. Just not that much rain. And being that i live near the coast, most years theres a heavy dose of overcast at night.

However, i have enjoyed cloudless nights at least 95% of the time in the past 2 months. No joke! In honor of the fact that a good number of people on this site cannot enjoy such weather as often, i make it a point to make the most of it by taking my scope out back as often as possible. I would hate to squander this gift!

However, despite this weather, the fact remains that i live in a very dense urban area. There are easily 2.5 million people living here, in an area of only 150 square miles. It's very bright around here. Now California does use the amber street lights, but there is zero effort to block sky pollution via shades or proper directional light placement. So there is this ugly haze that extends for a while out of the city.

In my back yard i can see planets and some clusters. Nothing looks that great but you can see them. So i bought a few nebula filters and lo-and behold, suddenly i could make out the Lagoon Nebula! The Ring Nebula looked better and even the Dumbbell. But the Eagle Nebula was ever elusive! And Andromeda was just a hazy core with no real Galaxy shape to it. I could sometimes make out Bodes Nebula (Galaxy) but it also wasn't great.

I made a trip about 50 miles south to a peak know as Fremonts Peak. It's not a dark site, not by a long shot. But it was far away from the dense areas and high enough in elevation that i removed a significant amount of haze. I waited until the moon set and was blown away by a clearly visible Milky Way. It was impressive to see it with the naked eye. I knew it was going to be an amazing night!!!

So my list of amazing sights that night:

M8 - I am normally able to see this one from my back yard as a faint blue cloud, but this night the Lagoon Nebula was fantastic! I was able to make out at least 50% more nebulosity than i've ever seen before! I took my time with this one! Absolutely fantastic sight! It nearly took up the whole FOV with a 21mm EP.

M13 - This was an awesome sight. I dragged some of my friends up there that night and they all felt this was the best looking thing they had seen through a telescope. I myself preferred M31's sights over M13, but that came later. The night was so clear that M13 was clearly visible with the naked eye if you knew where to look (i did) and i taught everyone in my group how to spot it. They aren't astronomy geeks, not like i am, so seeing it with the naked eye wasn't half as impressive to them as it was to me. They all looked at me like i was insane as i exclaimed my amazement and could hardly sit still. Oh well, i wasn't going to hold back, not this night! As people were looking at it i explained to them that this cluster contained about a million stars, which they all found impressive.

M16 - This was the first time i was able to see the Eagle Nebula. There is absolutely nothing of it when i look from home. But this night i was able to make out a nice large area of cloudiness, and could only see it with the use of the UHC and OIII filters. There was only a cluster of stars without them. No one understood why i was so excited over this. They all felt it was nothing special to look at. I just felt they didn't understand. To spend weeks trying to spot it from various sights around the state, and it always eluded me. Before when i was at dark sites, i lacked the filters, then i had the filters but was stuck in a sky polluted urban zone! Now i had the right combination!

M57 - I spend a lot of time on the Ring Nebula at home, it's very visible even without the filters from my backyard, maybe because it's usually directly above? Either way, this one wasn't any more impressive sad to say. So i didn't spend too much time with it. I did enjoy explaining to my non astro friends what a planetary nebula was, which they all seemed to enjoy.

NGC 6960 - This was also the first time i was able to spot anything of the Veil Nebula. However it was too big to fit in any of my eye pieces! I'll need a very wide FOV for this one going forward. Was still nice to finally see something of it!

NGC 7331 - I was able to make out something in the Deer Lick Galaxy Cluster and i assume this was it. It wasn't a great image, but it was an enjoyable sight for me knowing what it was and how far away it is!

M31, M31, and M110 - This was easily the highlight of my night. From home i can make out the core of M31 and sometimes i can see M32 nearby. I have looked for M110 before but had not been able to see it. This night however, it was there! The only way i could describe it, M110 appeared much like M31 does when i'm in light polluted skies. M31 though was beyond words. The core was there but so was a haze like glow of its stars around it. This was the first time i could make out the overall galaxy like shape to Andromeda!! On top of that, it was clearly visible with the naked eye. This is also a first for me. I spent a significant amount of time relishing the sights of these objects. Later in the night, when i packed up the scope, i laid down on the ground and just looked at it with my naked eye and some binoculars. It was so clear and big.

I have traveled far away from the city lights before but those few times there was a combination of lacking the nebula filters, being too close to a local forest fire (worse than sky pollution), being too close to a camp fire ect.

It really drives the point home to me, LP is the worst thing for astronomers. All of these sights were achieved with only a 6inch telescope! I do wonder what a 10" or 12" would have been like!

[Beulah]

That's a fantastic write-up, thanks.

It's the inspiration we Brits need to get our scopes in the car and take them out. It really is worth it.

I have no excuse - truly dark skies lie nearly 20 miles Westwards...away from my neighbours' lights and everything.

[Rakanishu]

Wonderful write up, great read that will make plenty of cloud dwellers jealous

[MikeWilson]

Wow. And amazing that you were able to see the Eagle Nebula - not something I've ever seen visually (or some of the others you list for that matter!).

[MikeWilson]

I completely concur that getting out to darker skies is so much better than buying better equipment for use in less than ideal conditions. I drive an hour to get to really dark skies from where I currently live (although there are some dark skies about 30 minutes away - the groups I observe with are all >50 minutes travel) and it's well worth it. Especially for imaging.

[faulksy]

what a nice writ up, cant wait to get to a proper dark site this year

[Astro Imp]

That's a great write up, thanks for sharing, your enthusiasm shines through.

At the moment us in my part of the UK are suffering from cloud and rain that seems to go on for ever. Reading your report reminds me what it's like to be out under the stars.

Thanks again.

[KevUU]

Thanks for that write up. It's miserable here!

[goolosh]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys!

Keep your heads high, as far as i know, these DSO's aren't going anywhere! Just gonna have to take advantage the first clear day you get, drive someplace dark and maximize the clear skies!

Perhaps plan something like "Mavericks" surf competition but for a star party! They give those who wish to partake a 24 hour warning, and that's how long they have from wherever they are in the world.

Pick a location for a Mavericks Like Star Party in the UK, and when the weather looks like it'll clear up, it's a 24 hour window to lift off come one come all

[Phil-lost!]

Nice write up. I hear what your saying, i spent weeks in my garden not really finding much, then on holiday in southern spain i saw more with 10x40 bins than i do with an 8inch at home! Just a shame I'm new to this so i didnt know the names of what I was looking at, still stunning though.

[swamp thing]

Great to read a report from another amateur that has realised the benefits of making the effort to get to dark skies. It does indeed make a huge difference to your observing pleasure, and it is so worth the effort.

I like you live in a terribly LP area (Greater London ) and simply cannot observe from it. Yeah I could, but I choose not too. I choose to get away from it before I set up, the difference is staggering..

[JohnC]

Great report, who needs better telescopes.......just go to darker sites.

Thanks for sharing, look forward to the next one.

John

[andrew63]

Great read - and an inspiration to seek dark skies to us all.

andrew