Cornwall holiday report W/C 26/8/13

[mountainmadman]

Evening everyone!

I can't compete with the raft of excellent reports from Tuscany I'm afraid, but this is my 2p worth from a couple of nights whilst camping in Cornwall on the Roseland peninsula. It's been a little while since I have had the chance to add to my observing list save from a little time on the Moore Moon Marathon, but after booking into a campsite with some friends, I thought the opportunity to put the scope in the car was too good to miss - especially as the weather was due to be dry. I've learnt that if the weather is due to be dry, then there is always a chance of clear skies to go with it. And boy was I right this time!

The campsite was very well appointed and given that most lights were switched off by around 11pm, it meant that I had plenty of time to work around the sky until the moon came up. Also, the site gave easy access to a field where there were absolutely no lights which gave a good backup should observing from our tent pitch become tedious. I'm happy to say though that the backup field wasn't needed and I was able to observe from the comfort of my own pitch, and the polypin of holiday beer which could not be moved. We went with some family members, one of which also has a passing interest in stargazing so it was really nice to share the experience with him too.

Since I last had a big night out, I've invested in a second hand set of the Telrad finder charts. Boy do they make pinning down objects easier! The first big thing I noticed was how clear the Milky way was from our site, and as soon as I saw that, I knew we were in for a good couple of nights. Also, on a pitch opposite was another chap who was into his astro imaging and good to talk to.

So, the observation list whilst we were there goes as follows... M29, M57, M92, M13 and M27 along with some double stars in Cygnus and Lyra. It might not seem much, but we did spend a reasonable amount of time locating and then observing each one. I think my favourite had to be the Dumbbell, and although we could not resolve the features in full - probably due to my scope having 150mm aperture, it really does set the imagination going with plenty of 'what if?' type questions. Oh yes, aperture fever was well and truly with us! Anything to try and make the target a bit brighter and easier to resolve. My trusty BST explorers did me proud during my holiday.

Not that I have anything remotely similar to a imaging setup - not even a mount that requires electric for tracking - I did arm myself with an un-modded DSLR camera which gave me some satisfying though limited results. But, as with the scope, every time I take the camera out at night I learn a bit more. The girlfriend bought me 'Making Every Photon Count' for my birthday which has helped, especially with the processing phase of my stacked image.

So there you go, a short report, but some excellent memories and a happy bunny. What more can I ask for?

[estwing]

great read and glad you had clear skies...can we have the name of this campsite please,sounds a good place.

[mountainmadman]

Thanks estwing,

Yep, of course. Its called Trethem Mill. www.trethem.com Its primarily a touring park campsite. You do see a little bit of LP on the one horizon from Flamouth but not much.

bearing in mind i didnt go there with observing in mind, i was pleasently suprised :-)

[estwing]

thanks for the info....clear skies!

[cotterless45]

Can't beat a good dark sky,

Nick.