report 5/4/13 Galloway

[crashtestdummy]

First off,im not great at writing reports so forgive the lack of efficient paragraphing and comprehension and maybe boredom.

I had decided i wanted a trip out to Galloway a while back due to it being one of the darkest uk locations.I initially planned on going to cawfields near haltwistle but the forcast was clouds after 2am and i wanted a full night and the forcast for Galloway showed this so i convinced myself the 4 hour drive would be worth it.

I set off straight from work in west yorks(after working 8:30am-5pm) and arrived at the site on raiders road near clatterinshaws loch at just after 8:45 pm.first impressions-hadnt seen any artificial light for about 20 miles,no houses to mention,hardly a car on the roads so sure it was going to be dark.on the bad side-i knew it was a forrest track but the google map showed lower trees so no horizon viewing although the best of the clearing was to the south so could still get fairly low but would have to wait for the constellations to cross behind the trees.the quoted sqm for this site is 22.7,i cant confirm this but it was much darker than the 21.25 site that was my previous darkest.The bad part of the session was from dew,every 5 minutes i was having to undew the secondary,finder and the eyepiece which lost me alot of time.this is my fault as i should have sorted some dew protection but i didnt want a dew heater strip and i have a shroud but have now purchased a hairdryer so hopefully no repeat in the future.also ordering an illuminaterd reticule finder.

I started as i usually do,in leo looking for galaxies.i bagged a fair few before the dew started and i realised i wasnt going to get as much done as i had planned so i moved on the coma/virgo to get the last 4 messiers i needed to tick the area.managed these (49/61/85/100) quite quickly and a few others at the same time but i didnt linger too long as i had a few other things to get.I had wanted m68 or m83 but they didnt come low enough when i was viewing so they will have to wait for my guernsey trip.A quick look at M5 followed then i stopped for a cup of tea and a sandwich and a bit of a rest as my eyes were getting tired and i was getting a little frustrated with the dew.At this point i was ready to pack up with tail between my legs but i saw hercules come up and decided to bag the galaxy near the cluster.The cluster itself showed up with the naked eye,something ive never had before.After that Ophiuchus came up so i bagged the clusters there and the lower ones around antares and finally the wild duck cluster just as it turned 4am.the last 2 hours i had just spent waiting on and off for objects to rise and tbh this was way more fun that looking at galaxy after galaxy in leo/coma/virgo and my eyes appreciated it more too.

All in all an epic trip ticking off another 15 messiers,14 from the herschel 400 and 45+ galaxies to take me over the 100 mark.A few important lessons learned especially about dew management and general dark sky viewing.Thankfully the bad bit didnt detract from the experience.I will definately be going back to the site.Its dark beyond delief and there is a good carpark(not tarmac but hard packed) to park in and set up with picnic benches and 4 boards showing moon phases,a few nebula and other stargazing stuff which is a great touch.

below is the seeing list:

ngc3655 ngc3872 ngc4312 M85 M19

ngc4459 ngc3599 ngc4470 M100 M23

ngc4666 ngc3607 ngc3846 M49 M11

ngc5746 ngc3608 ngc4293 M61

ngc3773 ngc3626 ngc4434 M5

ngc3605 ngc3686 ngc4469 M10

ngc3300 ngc3681 ngc4270 M12

ngc4344 ngc5831 ngc4273 M107

ngc4488 ngc4450 ngc4281 M14

ngc4653 ngc4561 ngc5440 M9

ngc3684 ngc4340 ngc6207 M4

ngc4539 ngc4379 ngc4701 M80

ngc4416 ngc4405

ngc4292 ngc4651

Faintest object of the night was mag 12.4 with another dozen over 12 which is something ive not managed from other sites..I have probably glanced fainter but if im not 100% sure then i dont tick them

cheers for reading

[Stargazer_00]

really good trip it looks like I'd love to be able to have somewhere that dark close to me!

I seem to do well from my back garden though, I cant imagine how much better it would be at a proper dark site like that!

[crashtestdummy]

To add-a few binocular firsts too m51 and m101.still faint but detectable.think i saw another 20 old messiers the same night too,mostly with the binos but not included in the list.i need to work on maxising my time when observing.

[Stargazer_00]

M101 in bins is a huge achievement. I struggle to get it with a 10" reflector from my garden. It's Only a hint at absolute zenith!

[crashtestdummy]

M101 is easier than m51 in binos or scopes in my experience.still not seeing great structure in m109 inthe scope which means it probably is my sandbag object

[ronl]

As you said in your report, "an epic trip" sounds like you had a great time,

the enjoyment you must have had is mind boggling, taking in all that, and having

the dew to contend with, it must have been epic, I have not observed at a really

dark site yet, you are lucky to get to such a place, a very good report and thank you

for sharing it with us,

Well done and Clear Sky's

[crashtestdummy]

Its a different world when you get out somewhere really dark and frustration always spurs me on.i wont get caught out again with the same problems.dew hairdryer purchased and im going to purchase an illuminated finder tonight.i sometimes forget im still a relative newcomer as ive only had a scope for just over a year.

[KevUU]

Sounds like really good going, I bet you're glad you took the time for the drive up there now Bet you were knackered on the drive home though!

Thanks for sharing

[crashtestdummy]

i stopped twice on the way home for a 15 minute nap

i hardnly bother with anything but dark sky sites these days and have even done a 4 hour round trip and a few hours observing inbetween work days,its totally worth it for good skies.

[WaveSoarer]

That's a great report and thanks for sharing. It sounds like a great place to visit and I hope to get the chance to go there.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice catch! Excellent work. Dark skies make such a difference!

[scarp15]

Good stuff, very successful session in spite of the dew issues. Looks like a good location I shall note this if I ever get across that far West. You referred to Cawfields on Hadrians Wall. This to is an excellent site, although there is a trace of skyglow West from Carlisle and East from Tyneside. It benefits from being on higher ground up from Haltwhistle and is fairly open site so dew is a little easier to manage.