Exceptional Observing Memories

[A McEwan]

Hi all,

I wonder if we could share some memories of extraordinary observations made over our collective years? I find it fascinating reading about particular observations that were made remarkable by some unique quality or quirk of fate. 

To give an example, I'll start off by recalling the night I had my Equinox 120 set up in my back garden to observe Plato crater and see how many craterlets I could find. It was a cold winter night, and unfortunately I cannot remember exactly the "number" of craterlets I saw, though I think it was four or five, with a huge amount of other detail within the area, but what struck me was the quality of the night. 

The 'scope was set up on my Vixen GP on paving stones, with the Berlebach tripod legs resting atop vibration suppression pads. The mount was driven in both axes, and the tracking is very smooth. Sometimes I have to listen really closely to tell if the drive is switched on!

Anyway, the night was so still and the seeing so sharp, and the star images so tight that I was using fairly high powers, around 250x or so. And yet despite the "quality" of the views, there was something distracting me - a curious regular vibration to the views. I checked all the bolts and fixings were done up well and that the scope was balanced, that the eyepiece was secure, etc, etc...

Until suddenly it stopped, and the view became super-SUPER smooth - but the tracking also stopped! Yes, I'd accidentally pulled the battery pack onnector out, and the tracking was now disabled. The vibration I'd been seeing (and the ONLY aberation in the view that night) was the tiny minute vibration being produced by the steady tick tick tick of the motor drive!

I had never noticed it before, and honestly have barely ever noticed it again since. What a stable night that was!

 

Ant

 

[Paz]

This last new year's eve was a night to remember. I was out with family doing fireworks in the garden and looking up now and again I increasingly realised it was a good night for observing.

After our visitors had gone and the rest of my household were in bed I went back out with my ST120 and EQ5 and ended up spending many hours out there - mostly checking out things in Auriga . The neighbours were all out at new year parties so their lights were off and it was as clear a sky as I've ever seen where I live.

I also knew I had the rare opportunity to have a lie in the next morning!

[Planet X]

I had a funny experience the other day whilst doing an outreach session at my local village school for the Mercury Transit. It happened whilst i excitedly waited for first contact.  I was straining my eyes for the faintest indication of Mercury's presence when an airliner happened to cross right over the sun's disk.  It completely startled me and I jumped out of my skin and lurched away from the eyepiece away from the black apparition streaking by!  It must have been funny to watch!  I only wish i had been imaging at the time!

[Paul73]

Too many to list. But, here are three highlights:

Last New Years Eve was a very memorable one. Sitting peacefully in the haven of my garden observing with a beer while fireworks were going off all around.

Observing during the last lunar eclipse with a tiny red full moon but being able to see a naked eye Milky Way at the same time.

Lastly, seeing all of the planets in one night.

Paul

[cotterless45]

Lots of super sights. The one that I love was the view of M33 from north Skye.The structure and knots in the 10" Dob just kept me sitting there for ages. Try and get to a dark sky,

Nick.

[Stu]

Great idea for a thread Ant.

I too have many good memories, most often associated with holidays or trips to dark skies. I'll pick two.

SGL10. This was just a spectacular four nights. I had my now sold 16" Sumerian under dark skies for the first time, M101, M51 and the Needle Galaxy stand out as being just amazing in this scope, along with too many targets to mention. The beautiful clear blue skies for the solar eclipse with my Quark and Herschel wedge side by side on a Giro mount just topped it all off. Amazing.

The other one I'll pick is a fortuitous night on the Dorset. Briefly, I was camping with my daughter but she became ill towards the end of the holiday so I dropped her back home, then headed back to pack the tent up. I had a clear night on my own with a wonderful Southern horizon in summer with a Telvue Genesis and a case full of Ethos eyepieces. I had a ball, and still miss the Genesis.

 

[John]

Too many to list over the 35+ years I've been in the hobby

Last years "super moon" eclipse was a pretty special night though. I stayed up right until the early hours for that one and I've never seen an effect as dramatic as when the moon was fully eclipsed and suddenly the sky was turned from moonlit to pitch black and full of stars with DSO's becoming naked eye objects for a while.

The 1999 total solar eclipse was rather magical as well. We took our youngish children to Marazion in Cornwall and were on the beach as totality swept across Mounts Bay. Even though we had cloud cover, the onset of that strange dark twilight was lovely to witness as were all the twinkling lights that appeared around the bay and on St Michaels Mount. The large crowd on the beach let out a mass "Ohhhh...." as it all happened. Very special and I'm sorely tempted to go to the USA next year in August to catch another 

[YKSE]

First sight on the Moon through 130p is always the WOW moment for me.

3 years ago, I had 80ED with 40mm Aero in dark site, got exceptional good transparent sky when have both M81 and M82 in the FOV, the Cigarr shown very good structure and brownish colour tint too! I've never seen that in any other time.

Looking for the pup over a year ago with 120ED, trying without diagonal, I got one day with exceptional seeing, the pup stood out just like this picture:

and just like Steve Smith described here

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/450005-da-pup-is-busted/?p=7177786

 

[Beulah]

1) First sighting of Saturn with the 8" Dob. Danced around the garden with joy.

2) Exploring the Scutum/ Saggitarius region with a lovely low horizon in my then front garden, M22, M17 (It's a swan!) and the rest.

3) M42 through the 16" Dob. Pretty mind blowing.

4) Seeing my first Supernova SN2011fe in M101.

5) The milky way on top of a mountain near my home.

[Pondus]

1. First week With my Heritage 130p. Lunar and Jupiter views. Seeing was absolutely superb, something I didnt realize at all, I expected it always would be like that...

2. Mars 2014. After many hours of observing the red planet, I finally got several minutes with excellent seeing. Observed clouds around/over Elysium Mons.

                    Living this far up North I have to wait  another 4  years to hopefully get the sameish views of Mars...

3. ISS           Tracked it for maybe 30 Seconds. Amazing details of this Man made Object.

4. Jupiter at oppsoition this March.  Moon transits combined With superb seeing. Unforgettable.

5. First view of Saturn. Cant prepare for that moment; first views of this planet from Your own backyard.

6. Naked eye views of the night sky from the dark Mountains of Norway. Had real problems finding Cassiopeia up there among the stars.

7. Aurora Borealis from my army time in the Northern part of Norway. The dancing lights.

    Probably the most extraordinary amazing views I`ll ever experience in the night sky.

 

 

 

Rune

[t0nedude]

With hindsight, seeing the Pup in the late '90s when it must have been only about 4" in separation was one. Lots of patience, very steady air and one of the best 4" refractors ever made, made it possible.  I would've though that in comparison relatively speaking it'll be a cinch now with the same scope, they are 10-11" in angular sep now, so a good chance now for anyone yet to do it..

Also detecting the position of Phobos one night in a 60mm refractor when I least expected it, without any prior knowledge..

Tony.

[PeterW]

Shoemaker Levy 9 marks on Jupiter. 2016 Mercury transit and 1999 eclipse (under a cloud, but still memorable).

Seeing barnards loop and the Meissa nebula together at a starparty.

 

Nice thread.

 

PEterW

[LukeSkywatcher]

1/ Seeing Saturn for the 1st time and thinking: "ok who stuck a picture of it on the end of my scope".

2/ Seeing the Rosette for the 1st time after buying an OIII filter for the sole purpose of being able to see it.

3/ The last Solar eclipse.

4/ The last Lunar eclipse (the best one ive ever seen).

5/ Having a staring competition with a hedgehog in my back garden about who had the right of way on the concrete pavement. I won and the hog did a d-tour around me.

6/ Being outside 2 hrs before sunrise on a mild autumn morning and seeing a lovely bright white cheshire cat moon staring down at me. The air was so calm and still. As close to a religious moment as ive ever had. It was just (grits teeth and shakes clenched fists) PERFECT!!!!

[N3ptune]

I saw a reptilian humanoid face pattern on moon and that was exciting like if the moon was owned by these, my imagination was out of control.

I had no pencil to make a sketch because I forgot the darn pencil at home.

[Roy Challen]

In reverse order....

5. Last year's Lunar eclipse

4. Seeing Saturn for the first time

3. Seeing the result of my (not very good) first attempt at imaging M81/82. (Since given up with the imaging)

2. Spending 3 hours with Jupiter through my Tal RS, when I first bought it. Saw my first transit (Io, I think), four cloud belts, GRS etc, all for the first time.

1. One exceptionally dark night in remote, rural Kazakhstan a couple of months ago. Armed only with my 12x50 pentax bins on a tripod, I saw the dust lane in M82. I saw the Milky Way as is just not possible in the UK. Utterly stunning.

It's great that in this hobby, the experiences get better as you get more experienced 

[Roy Challen]

On 5/29/2016 at 17:18, LukeSkywatcher said:

 

 As close to a religious moment as ive ever had. It was just (grits teeth and shakes clenched fists) PERFECT!!!!

I know what you mean!! See post above, No 1

[LukeSkywatcher]

4 hours ago, Roy Challen said:

I know what you mean!! See post above, No 1

I like it. I can see how it would be a similar, if not even more of an emotional/at one with the universe, experience. 

[DHEB]

On 6/23/2016 at 18:10, LukeSkywatcher said:

I like it. I can see how it would be a similar, if not even more of an emotional/at one with the universe, experience. 

Agree, I believe there is always more than just brain in observing the sky. It is also establishing a relationship with Nature and the larger whole, finding our place and reflect on how we treat this one our home planet. Not completely unimportant 

[TheMightyKong]

First time in Kielder at the starcamp.  Seeing the Milky Way and M31.  On my m31 - the sheer apparent size of the thing!  It was just astonishing!! Didn't bother with scope or binoculars for what seemed like ages.  Again a religious experience.  Been to Kielder several times since but it's never matched that one night - either its misty or just not as transparent or more often raining!