Awesome night.

[cotterless45]

Set up at 8.30, it's getting darker out there. Past midnight, the sky just went black, as black as black can be, even blacker. The Milky Way was right across the sky and by eye it's ripped and tortuous path through Cygnus and it's meandering to Cassiopeia was easy on the eye. M31, M33 and the double clusters were all by eye.

in the Vixen 102, M11 was well detailed at x100 in the south. I had another look at the Blue Snowball NGC7662 and the Blinking Planetary NGC6826. Both blinked and reappeared with direct and averted vision. It's good to see them in arefractor with pin like surrounding stars. Same for M27 and M76.

M31 and companions looked amazing at x100, then x200, dust lanes, granulation and signs of filaments to arms at lower magnification.Sorry, but I always get the heebie jeebies looking at this, feel someone is looking back.

M15 and M2 looked tight and clear in the refractor, it is interesting to compare this to the Newt views.

Working my way down Kemble's Cascade I found the obvious Jolly Roger cluster NGC1502 near the end and the nearby ring of the Oyster Nebula (planetary) NGC1501, both from x50-x150.

Then onto a mass of clusters in Cassiopeia, just scan up and down and all around.

Then onto Almaak, never taken much note , but this is one of the most gorgeous doubles in the sky.

Simple atrgets , but good to see on a clear night.

Then disaster......

ran out of mint humbugs. Had to resort to a box of Tic Tacs, fruit flavour.

Jupiter cleared the rooftops of Mordor at 11.45, that was the view for the rest of the night.

Clear skies, you won't miss sleep,

Nick.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Sounds great. You found some really nice objects!

[Mike73]

Nick I remember you saying you get you only get around 30 clear nights a year in Middle Earth, the run youve been having recently you'll be up to that quota in no time!

Sounds like you had a good night though and glad the Tic Tacs saved the day.

[Double Kick Drum]

Fruit flavour Tic Tacs..... all wrong.

Sounds like a fantastic night however. Thanks for sharing.

[cotterless45]

Worse still ,just read the label: "cerise & fruit de la passion"....Les gouts Fruites.... French Tic Tacs ! Better check what I'm eating in the dark next time!

Quite handy, 1.25" filters fit in the empties.

Nick.

[Lorne]

Good report. Was out last night too at one of our local dark sites, had my first view of the blinking planetary, a filled in M57 I'd describe my view of it. Unfortunately for us here, just as your sky got blacker after 12, ours filled with rain clouds, was a rush to pack up.

[Beulah]

Cheers Nick, you've inspired me to pop out tonight...

[LeeB]

For the little time i managed to get out last night Nicks report is spot on. at 3.30am (i only live a mile away from cotterless) it was so black, like ink. I have to cope with one sodium light to the east but it seemed to not have enough power to cut the darkness strange!!! Milky way was amazing, but my bad back limited my observation time. Spent most of the limited time on jupiter and androm. and a little into left side of pegasus. Still it was one of those nights when just lying on a blanket looking up is enough.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have had this effect, when the sky is devoid of moisture and dust, so the sodium light does not reflect off anything in the sky, and even from my suburban garden I could see M101 in binoculars easily, and I spotted such faint objects as the California Nebula and the Crescent with the C8. Those are moments to treasure, however short-lived they are.

[Astro_king]

Set up at 8.30, it's getting darker out there. Past midnight, the sky just went black, as black as black can be, even blacker. The Milky Way was right across the sky and by eye it's ripped and tortuous path through Cygnus and it's meandering to Cassiopeia was easy on the eye. M31, M33 and the double clusters were all by eye.

in the Vixen 102, M11 was well detailed at x100 in the south. I had another look at the Blue Snowball NGC7662 and the Blinking Planetary NGC6826. Both blinked and reappeared with direct and averted vision. It's good to see them in arefractor with pin like surrounding stars. Same for M27 and M76.

M31 and companions looked amazing at x100, then x200, dust lanes, granulation and signs of filaments to arms at lower magnification.Sorry, but I always get the heebie jeebies looking at this, feel someone is looking back.

M15 and M2 looked tight and clear in the refractor, it is interesting to compare this to the Newt views.

Working my way down Kemble's Cascade I found the obvious Jolly Roger cluster NGC1502 near the end and the nearby ring of the Oyster Nebula (planetary) NGC1501, both from x50-x150.

Then onto a mass of clusters in Cassiopeia, just scan up and down and all around.

Then onto Almaak, never taken much note , but this is one of the most gorgeous doubles in the sky.

Simple atrgets , but good to see on a clear night.

Then disaster......

ran out of mint humbugs. Had to resort to a box of Tic Tacs, fruit flavour.

Jupiter cleared the rooftops of Mordor at 11.45, that was the view for the rest of the night.

Clear skies, you won't miss sleep,

Nick.

Nice report mate even though its been a while since you posted.. would have been nice and warm back then too