Christmas night

[jason.p]

Managed to slip out having set up early evening. Clouds around, but beautiful clear patch to the North West, which included the rising Orion. I always like to start off checking out a few doubles, but unfortunately the double double and Albireo were obscured so over to Rigel which I had always found a challenge. This time perhaps the best I've seen it! Then the belt. Mintaka easy but nice. Alnilam maybe only with "averted imagination" , Alnitak I've never done (is it possible?).

Sky cleared a bit to the North, so I swung round to Mizar, then Castor, both nice splits. To finish off, I went back to Orion and spent about 20mins on Betelgeuse thinking how amazing it would be if it blew while I was watching. It didn't. Temperature now down to minus 2c, and my Port and Stilton was calling.

Happy new year and clear skies to all

Jason

[Special K]

I have to admit wanting the Big B to explode while watching it too, but in a way that would spoil one of the best M Class stars out there!

Castor is a great split. Clear skies!

[alan potts]

It's funny you said that about Betelgeuse   I did the exact same thing the night before last as I watched it rise through the tops of the trees on a nearby hillside.

I was a bit clouded out last night myself but all mine were to the north but I was able to see the pole star long enough to get set-up. Looked in on Castor as well, Rigel is always easy for me but the star is a good deal higher in my sky than in England.

Nice report !!

[John]

Seasons greetings to you too Jason

I didn't get out with a scope last night due to social commitments but I did manage to slip out a couple of times and raise a glass to the Universe

There were some lovely clear patches between the light clouds.

I've managed to split Alnitak with my ED120 refractor a couple of weeks back. I've managed it before as well but I'd rather forgotten about it as a double star as my attention seems to get drawn to Sigma Orionis when in that part of the sky. It's a nice bright, if uneven, pair with around 3 arc seconds between them.

[mjpfc]

With all the money they are wasting on getting people to an asteroid and/or Mars, they could be getting a drive developed

to enable us to send something out to give Betelgeuse a push. Yes we would lose a bright star, but we would replace it with

a bright expanding bubble of Joy at most EM wavelengths (sighs and brushed hand through hair).

I also had a Cracking Cristmas night out, With Europa and Ganymede getting it on (Occultation), Comet Q2 Arriving in our skies

(Bins from the beach, then Newt).  both well worth a couple of hour of anyone's time.

And a relaxed tour around Binocular Favourites Like M42, Pliedes, Praesipae. and the Double Cluster.

Unfortunately, my position Right by the kitchen door has seen the Mince-pie mountain reduced to a medium sized Barrow,

but hey, Iv'e got countless rainy nights on which to get my paunch reduced,  (Throwing paper balls for the cats).

Merry,  err,,,,,,,,,,,,Boxing

Mick