Hoping to escape the glare in Menorca!

[Special K]

Well, we're off on holiday soon and I'm hoping the skies in Menorca will be kind. Compared to home (just north of London), the dark sky map looks more promising from our vantage point on the SE coast. 

(...hoping we are going escape the majority of that red and yellow)   

The complex is right by a series of bluffs on the edge of the resort with what look like trails along the coastline.  I know in advance there is a lighthouse just offshore so will have to beware of that. Beyond that there is just open sea. At sea level I'll probably be contending with all forms of water vapor but beats jumping in a car as I had to do in Tenerife last year.

The line up is the same:

ED80, nice and portable, and renders star color much more faithfully than my achro.

Nag31mm is a must have.  I can get some great widefield views over 4 degrees. 

Nag7mm plus a new toy:. The 8.8mm Explore Scientific I bought for viewing globulars in the big scope. So far I have been really pleased with this EP on all objects including Saturn. 

And of course, the scribble notes and atlas photocopies from last year!

Throw in the UHC & O-III for all important nebulae, and the AZ4 to cope with the balancing act. All this seemed OK last year in the hold at around 20kg, with pool towels and anything else to pad it all out. The scope case is a nice inner shell to protect the doublet from direct hits and I'm not too worried about the ali AZ4.  I kept the original packing for the head which works very nice. 

I've got quite a list of ambitions going already, but expect that could all change once out in the field. But the Helix is high on the list, plus all those wonderful globular clusters around the galactic core. Mars and Saturn come close to Antares during our stay which should be an interesting view and the moon will be waning after the 18th. All that's needed now are some clear Spanish skies!!

[Roy Challen]

Good luck with your trip! I see the suitcase has been sensibly packed!

[Paz]

Depending on how soon you are going, note the moon is currently near full. It'll be a few days before it clears Sagittarius by enough to see deep sky stuff. I've been caught out by this on occasion!

[Stu]

You are well equipped for your trip Paul, who needs clothes anyway

If you can find a dark spot looking over the sea then you should have some great views. I often find it can be pretty murky right down low over the med, but above this hopefully you should be fine. Plenty of lovely stuff to see .  Enjoy!