Both Scopes are out and waiting

[Pig]

Ready for Battle, there is just a little bit of patchy cloud at the mo but it is supposed to be clear again any time now.

• I have the CPC ready in the garage armed with the 10, 8 & 6mm Deloi all ready for Mars, Saturn & Venus

• I am sat in the back garden star hopping with the Pronto using the 17.3 & 14mm Deloi. The 3-6 Nagler zoom in my pocket just in case I need it

This really is heaven I am so relaxed and chilled out, a pint of room temperature tasty red wine ..... total harmony aaaaaahhhhhhh this is the life.

Now I need the toilet, typical   :grin:    

[Bart]

Just going in myself. Nice hot coffee. Great night with the galaxies in Leo, Virgo, and UM

Back is killing me. Couple of solpadol and of to bed for this satisfied customer!!!

Barry

Ps. Know what you mean about the bodily functions - always happens when I don the thermals ?!?!?!?!

[cantab]

I think it might have been clear tonight, but I opted to stay in and do some writing instead. I bagged the Leo Triplet Thursday night, so not like I've been doing too badly lately.

[Pig]

Time for bed. Great nights observing

[brantuk]

To make your experience complete you can always get the latest in telescope observing seat and not have to move away from the eyepiece at all:

Hth

[Bart]

Known as the Commode Nebula,

Barry

[Mike73]

To make your experience complete you can always get the latest in telescope observing seat and not have to move away from the eyepiece at all:

Hth

Toilet humour!   

[Paul73]

This really is heaven I am so relaxed and chilled out, a pint of room temperature tasty red wine ..... total harmony aaaaaahhhhhhh this is the life.

Now I need the toilet, typical   :grin: 

 

Sounds great. The problem is that room temperature wine doesn't stay room temperature for long, especially when you get distracted by a particularly ravishing DSO. I've moved onto Guinness for the winter sessions - sustaining, packed with vitamins and tastes good cold! I'll be reverting to Claret and a Cuban when the weather warms up.

To make your experience complete you can always get the latest in telescope observing seat and not have to move away from the eyepiece at all:

Hth

In these temperatures??? Are you some sort of extreme sports nutter???

Mind you, with a tactfully placed dew strap or two......

Paul

[Bart]

Mind you, with a tactfully placed dew strap or two......

Paul

Indeed, lol

Otherwise you might find the universe contracting rather than expanding

Barry

[Pig]

To make your experience complete you can always get the latest in telescope observing seat and not have to move away from the eyepiece at all:

Hth

Brant,

Do they come in with pan size options, I fear that may be a little shallow

[Pig]

Sounds great. The problem is that room temperature wine doesn't stay room temperature for long, especially when you get distracted by a particularly ravishing DSO. I've moved onto Guinness for the winter sessions - sustaining, packed with vitamins and tastes good cold! I'll be reverting to Claret and a Cuban when the weather warms up.

Paul

The wine didn't last long enough to cool down, but it does help make the clouds look appealing.

[brantuk]

"Do they come in with pan size options"

Yes - the bigger the apperture the longer you can stay outside with the scope. :grin:

lol@dewstrap :grin:

[Pig]

I think it might have been clear tonight, but I opted to stay in and do some writing instead. I bagged the Leo Triplet Thursday night, so not like I've been doing too badly lately.

Our Moon looked stunning this morning with a great termination. Some severe crater damage has been done in the bottom right hand side

[Pig]

Not only did I get a good session in on our Moon looking along the termination but I got to see quite a few others during my time out.

It was quite a good night for Moon watching I noticed Jupiter had one Moon passing behind another I watched that happen, I am not sure if that has a technical term other than very fortunate

I also got to see a couple of Saturn's Moons this morning even though Saturn was very close to our Moon.

Does Venus have a Moon ?

[brantuk]

"I noticed Jupiter had one Moon passing behind another I watched that happen, I am not sure if that has a technical term"

I think it's an occultation when one goes behind another - and a transit when one passes in front - but I've only ever heard those terms in relation to planets, so I'm not sure if they're general terms applying to moons as well, or specific to planets only.

[Pig]

Thank you Brant, I will do a quick search to see if I can find anything

[cantab]

Wikipedia:

Technically speaking, when the foreground planet is smaller in apparent size than the background planet, the event should be called a "mutual planetary transit". When the foreground planet is larger in apparent size than the background planet, the event should be called a "mutual planetary occultation".

...

Twice during the orbital cycles of Jupiter and Saturn, the equatorial (and satellite) planes of those planets are aligned with earth's orbital plane, resulting in a series of mutual occultations and eclipses between the moons of these giant planets.

Stellarium doesn't actually show a mutual lunar occultation/transit for last night, but a near miss between Europa and Io, separated by about 10 arc seconds at 3:10 am.

[Pig]

 I will have to give the writers of Stellarium a call and tell them to get their act together  or I will pay a visit to Specsavers

[Bart]

I will have to give the writers of Stellarium a call and tell them to get their act together or I will pay a visit to Specsavers

Make sure you dial the right number!

Barry

[Pig]

LOL  - 10 arc seconds   from my back garden which is 4.52 AU's away  10 ~sec's is pretty close by my reckoning, from here they overlapped

Maybe the Pronto isn't that accurate at 160 mag

[L8-Nite]

To make your experience complete you can always get the latest in telescope observing seat and not have to move away from the eyepiece at all:

Hth

Wow, an observing chair with an Ice bucket for cans,  what will they think of next.  

[Pig]

I thought I was on for a hat-trick of 3 clear nights on the trot earlier   I shouldn't be so greedy

[DaveS]

Just when I thought I'd be able to test the new guiding set-up after dinner (What passes for dinner here) the clouds have come rolling in, even though Auntie Beeb says it should be clear. I've got all my kit set up and connected, now it's a matter of waiting to see if it'll clear again.

[Pig]

Fingers crossed for you Dave, I hoe it clears

[DaveS]

It's come over pretty solid, so I've given up for the mo.

Just come in and got de-layered for a normal evening in rather than freezing at the 'scope. Brought all the kit in as the forecast says rain is a possibility.

Even if we did have clear nights here I couldn't take advantage as we have our Am-Dram group's production week, so I'll be coming home late and rolling in to bed.

Bother. Or very naughty words to that effect.