Good start to the year

[rockystar]

My observation report from yesterday starts with a walk around the lake; it was about 3:30 and I'd spotted a thin crescent moon high(ish) above us, so I gave the kids a game of who can spot it first. This then kicked off a discussion about being able to see the moon in the daytime, because it only comes out at night. And another, from an adult, asking which planet was in the way, blocking the light from the rest of the moon....

Our walk finished at about 4:30 and Venus was also now very prominent, and Mars was on its way out, so another game of "first to Mars" ensued. The drive home prompted the question: "Daddy, please can we look through your telescope when we get home?" I obliged, as it wasn't quite bed time, and set up whilst they were eating their tea. We had a quick session starting with the moon - before it dropped behind the houses and fence. Then moved up to Venus, followed by Mars & Neptune in the same FOV. I finished off with the kids with a look at the Pleiades, before shipping them off to bed.

The skies stayed clear all the time I was having my dinner and spending some time with the wife (who has zero interest, especially when it's sub-zero temperatures outside). About 10:ish, she went to bed, I went to say goodnight and put on some warm clothes, found a set of targets for the evening, and then stepped outside to a blanket of cloud - oh! It started to clear, so I was hopefully, but it was damp in the air and I could hear rain on the conservatory roof. I thought I'd give it half an hour and see how it went, and fortunately it cleared up.

My targets were some open clusters in Cassiopeia. So armed with TLAO I  started with M103  at x86 , seemed like a little triangle of bright stars, with a fair few dimmer stars intermingled. Down to NGC 663 (or Caldwell 10) at x50, this was a large, pretty cluster, fairly disperse, plenty of bright stars, framed with 3 bright stars in a line, the left most of which hosts NGC 654, a really faint, close cluster, could just about start to make out half a dozen stars with AV. Also near by is NGC 659, also very faint with a hand full of stars in AV.

Next up was NGC 457, The Dragonfly Cluster (or Caldwell 13) at x50, starts with a nice bright star (Phi Cas), with a scattering of bright stars heading out to the left - really lovely cluster. Also 436 in the far left of the FOV, small and faint, upped the mag on this to x86 and it started to resolve a sprinkling of stars. Over to NGC 637, a small open cluster with 6 stars present and a few on the edge of visibility. And nearby, NGC 559 (Caldwell 8), a line of faint stars swooshing around in a tight arc.

I was going to head to M52, but this was behind the house at this time (I should have started there!), it was getting cold and late, so I finished off with sigma Ori - love this this star system and 4 stars now easily visible, along with the triple underneath. And whilst in the area, it would be rude not to check out M42, just 4 stars of the trap, this evening.

If you're still here, thanks for sticking with me - and here is to evening 2 of 2017, looking good out there at the moment.

[alan potts]

Nice report. A while back I actually made a point of finding a thin cresent Moon in daylight here, it was less than 20 % but I had to use the binos to find it and of course care not to look at the Sun. I could just make it out without optical aid once I knew it was there but there was no way I would have ever seen it firsthand. BTW my son believes bedtime can be changed by moving the clock backwards.

Alan