A mixed bag but so good to get out observing.

[Alfian]

Set my little 80mm/f7.3 scope up early evening just after sunset with a beautiful crescent moon and Venus so bright.. Even in the twilight the moon looked good sharp if somewhat hazy views.  Looking forward to a good evening  Later came out to a beautiful clear, to the naked eye, cold night.  Moon reasonable but seeing acceptable but not brilliant, Venus very bright,  but phase clearly visible.  Mars higher in the sky, nice round orb, obvious colour , quite pleasing at just 66x. M31 at 30x, obvious shape and centre brightness, but real lack of  any pleasing resolution.  M45, pretty as usual but not that jewel in the sky look that is usually so striking.  A mosey around the  Hyades, very nice, now thats more like it, seeing conditions obviously shifting and changeable. The Double Cluster, always a favourite that I never tire of just absorbing the view, beautiful. Back to M31, improving but losing feeling in finger tips so call it an evening. Despite the "clarity" of the sky conditions more turbulent than at first obvious and it was no great surprise that I woke to windy grey skies. Still a good start to the year and just good to get out for a while.

[F15Rules]

Nice report Alfian, the "old friends" objects can always be relied upon to make us smile?..

I am almost scopeless at the moment as we prepare to (hopefully) move house soon..So I "only" have my 1980s 80mm F15 Japanese glass achromat for now.

I'd almost forgotten what a great scope it is though! In a literally 20minute quick peek, I looked only at M42. The sky was clearing all the time and was pretty transparent, although (as ever lately!) the seeing wasn't the best.

But I got lovely views of the Trap from 22mm (Vixen LVW) through14mm (Morpheus) and 10.5mm and 7mm Pentax XLs. Best view was with the 10.5 XL, delivering c115x. The contrast was superb, just black sky background offsetting the sparkling Trapezium, and with the E star intermittently but definitely visible with averted vision. Also the two faint stars to the "lower right" of the Trap (as viewed with a diagonal so reversed east-west but right way up image) were both visible- the lower directly, and the upper one with averted vision at high power).

These short sessions are keeping me sane at the moment?.

Dave