Typical!

[Alkaid]

So I fitted some nice new motor drives to my mount ready for the coming season of darker nights, ready for lunar and planetary obs....only to visit some astro software which kindly informed me that there will be no planets conveniently visible until about February.....how irritating!

So then I checked Lunar positions, as I'm also a fan of that....and it's still rather low in the sky until about Nov...which means poor, turbulent viewing for another few months...arrgggh!

Looks like I'm going to be driving out of Leeds an awful lot to continue with the Messiers for a while. 

[JamesF]

It's certainly not the greatest time for solar system observing from the northern hemisphere at the moment, though there is the possibility of "all the planets in one night" soon.  I'd like to give that a go myself, but me and mornings never have seen quite eye to eye.

James

[MarsG76]

What about Neptune, Uranus, it's just past last quarter moon (one of the best views of the moon at this phase IMHO), Saturn still visible in the west after sunset....

On the other hand there's nothing wrong with Messiers... Look at it as a excuse to go to a dark site... Niiiiiice...

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Try some solar work, otherwise. White light is cheap. Fairly quiet on the sun at the moment, but you could give it a shot whilst waiting for other targets

[Alkaid]

Yep, nothing wrong with the Messiers...I had much fun at a dark site in Scotland recently.  For me though, its just the extra bit of hassle having to drive.....a very long way out of the city glare...moan moan moan...

[Owmuchonomy]

So I fitted some nice new motor drives to my mount ready for the coming season of darker nights, ready for lunar and planetary obs....only to visit some astro software which kindly informed me that there will be no planets conveniently visible until about February.....how irritating!

So then I checked Lunar positions, as I'm also a fan of that....and it's still rather low in the sky until about Nov...which means poor, turbulent viewing for another few months...arrgggh!

Looks like I'm going to be driving out of Leeds an awful lot to continue with the Messiers for a while.

Neptune is nicely placed and visible South East through the Harrogate glare.

[KenG]

Messiers? Planets? I'd settle for no clouds. Haven't seen stars for weeks.

[Alkaid]

Neptune is nicely placed and visible South East through the Harrogate glare.

Ooh, didn't realise that.  Thanks I'll have a gander...

[jonathan]

Driving away from Leeds is always a good idea, day or night.

I did just that and now I have the Milky Way visible from outside my back door.