First light with Saturn and M3 (first ever observing report)

[andyb505]

Please excuse my ramble but this is my first real observing report and last night was a bit special;

So, last night was the first clear night for a few weeks so out with the scope with a hope of seeing Saturn for the first time. Got the scope set up and tested on the moon as it was not yet dark enough for good viewing. The seeing was OK but not great. Back inside for a glass of wine to wait for Saturn to appear. Back out a bit later and Saturn was still hidden behind the trees. Got a good look at Mars (not much colour or detail as the seeing was still a bit poor) and practiced finding my way around the sky a bit. Moved the scope to get a better view of Saturn through the trees and found it in the ES 24mm! Bit difficult to make out the rings but it definitely looked like Saturn. Tried with the 2x Barlow and the rings were now visible. Switched to the 10mm and suddenly it looks like one of those mini glow in the dark stickers that you had on your ceiling as a child (well I did anyway ). Rings now clearly visible and what looked like a couple of moons. Tried Barlowing the 10mm but the seeing was not really good enough so went back to the 10mm and just spent some time nudging the dob to follow it. Could clearly make out the rings and I think a couple of moons by now. That was my first glimpse of Saturn through a scope and like my first glimpse of Jupiter I am not likely to forget it.

What next I thought, well how about trying to find my first DSO? Had a quick look at Stellarium and worked out that M3 should be visible, if I could find it! I used Stellarium and the red dot finder to point between Arcturus and Alcaid and nudged the Dob around a bit (technical term there!) until I found what looked like M3. Checked again on Stellarium and yes it looks like it could be M3. I have quite a lot of light pollution where I am and so it showed as a bit of a grey smudge, but after looking for some minutes I began to be able to see that it was a collection of many stars. Given the position of a couple of other brighter stars nearby I am pretty certain that it was M3. Really chuffed that I had managed to find my first DSO!

Spent some more time then wandering around the sky. Saw an ISS pass (I think) and tried to follow it, but that thing moves quickly across the sky! Saw what I think was another satellite and actually managed to follow it for a time. (Really pleased with the ES MaxVision 24mm 68^o whichI only bought recently, so much so that I have just ordered a second hand 16mm from the classifieds.)

Back for another look at Saturn but by this time it was getting late and it had begun to cloud over so I called it a night. Suddenly realised that I had been out for almost three hours!

Each time I use this little scope I am astounded at what I am able to see, given it cost so little money, and I cannot wait for the next clear night. Might even make a plan of what to look at/for next time.

An exciting night of star gazing. This astronomy lark is a bit addictive isn’t it!

Thanks for reading this far.

Andrew

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Congrats on spotting Saturn and M3, two great objects. Very nice report too.

[Pondus]

Nice report.

Especially interesting to read since youre using the same scope as me (my grab and go scope).

Rune

[Astro Imp]

Cracking report Andrew, a really good read. Saturn and Jupiter never fail to excite. It really is surprising how quickly time passes when you are engrossed in observing. 

[Charlie_starz]

Saturn was a real wow moment for me too last night. I had excellent seeing and got up to 400x on it. It was amazing but flew through the fov in about 5-10 seconds. Well worth it to keep realigning the scope and watch the magic.

I am yet to find a messier object but I will give M3 and M13 a crack next time it's not cloudy. 

[dick_dangerous]

M3 as a first DSO? That's an ambitious one - I always find it hard to star-hop to it, although it's a lovely cluster. Perfect for the light nights, the light pollution and the half moon! M13 is another great globular cluster, and very easy to locate.

I too saw the ISS as I was packing up last night, about 23:45. Haven't tried to train my Dob on it though... I took in Saturn, Mars and the Moon (The seeing was awful here in London too) then went looking for some tricky globulars down in Ophiucus and Scorpius. If you want a challenge, have a go at M4 if we get any clear nights after the moon has gone about the middle of June. It's easy to find next to Antares, but so low in the south it appears as a faint round speckling of stars.

DD