Clear skies at last!!

[BeerMe]

Driving home from work at 11:15 and noticed lots of stars visible even through the LP.  Couldn't wait to get home and have a look!

Grabbed the bins and went out and had a look.  Immediately in the NE, the Plough stands out like a sore thumb  All 7 stars are clearly visible and stand out from the surrounding specks of light.  Excited, I exclaim to the missus who has came and joined me.  She sees it immediately too and is pretty impressed!  I explain to her about the 2 galaxies close to the bottom of the handle and how, if we had a scope now, she would be able to see it clearly  Then I tell her how a line from Merak through Dubhe and carrying on in a straight line takes you to Polaris.  We walk down the steps a little to see if we can bring it in to view and lo and behold, the stars of the Little Dipper are standing out clear as day in the sky!  By this point, I'm getting super excited so the missus decides to leave me to it lol.

Spent a good bit scanning the sky and then decided to try and see if I could spot M101 in the bins.  Using Alkaid and Mizar, I branch out a little to the left and there is a definite haze with a point of light in the area where M101 should be!!  Could it be possible?!  I didn't think I could see it at 10x, but there was definitely something different to the other stars.  It'd be amazing to think that i've seen and identified my first Messier object, but i'll wait til I either have a 'scope or a tripod for the bins that might let me see it a bit more clearly before I claim it lol.

All in all, a very enjoyable 45 minutes gazing and trying to identify things in the sky.  Not a bad start at all for someone who has never identified a constellation or asterism in their life

More of the same tomorrow please, when i'm not working!

[Stu]

Nice one [emoji106][emoji106]

Have a look for M81/82 in Ursa Major, you should spot them in binoculars.

M101 is definitely possible under a dark sky, but try M31, much easier and brighter. A sort of fuzzy oval in binos.

[MARS1960]

Yep, nice one.

Been out with my ED80 fo about 3hrs, was hoping to finally image orion nebula after a month of clouds and sods law my focuser started playing silly beggars, just my luck. Still it was great to finally sit out under a starry sky, may we have many more.

[BeerMe]

Thanks gents.

Tonight was the night when the skies finally acknowledged me.  I haven't quite met their acquaintance yet, but for tonight at least he knows I'm here

[BeerMe]

Met Jupiter tonight and a few other "familiar" (through Stellarium no less) points in the sky.  Jupiter was amazingly bright to the naked eye and the bins.  Sirius was very visible.  Pelaides was somewhere in the loft of the houses just SW of us and Casseipoia I couldn't discern despite my efforts.  I tried using the handle of the Plough through Polaris to get there but I think by that point my naked eyes were just too dark adjusted as the sky was swimming with stars (about 2an by now).

I was shocked by how easy I found myself around the points I had memorised in the past few weeks.  They are all pretty clustered in an area that interests me but I spose that's as good a way as any of getting myself comfortable in their company.

Might just be the start of a long and fruitful friendship

[MARS1960]

Saw it out my front door at 6.20 this morning, one moon also, had to look twice as it was so bright didnt realise it was jupiter at first.

[laudropb]

Didn't clear here until the early hours of the morning, but it was worth staying up. 4 planets and comet Catalina I'm my first session since November.