What's your most impressive viewing

[JeremyS]

On 24/02/2017 at 21:53, mikeDnight said:

Mars 2003 through a Tak FS128. WOW!!!

Transit of Venus 2004 through a Tak FS128. Chance of a lifetime!!

I'd go with those two too, Mike. Although I observed with a Tak FS102. However, at the time of the 2003 perihelic opposition of Mars I was living in Singapore, so pretty much on the equator. That meant that Mars was virtually overhead - awesome! Observing in Singapore can be challenging because of its light pollution, but for planets it's wonderful as the atmosphere can be incredible steady.

It was able to use my Pentax XP3.8 eyepiece (which I later sold and have been kicking myself ever since!) to great effect.

And binoviewers also gave terrific views.

All the best

Jeremy

[DirkSteele]

With an observing history running more than 30 years, it is tough to pick out just a few but I will try.

The obvious one is that first view of Saturn through a scope when I was quite young.  One of my favourite things to do now is give people their first view of the ringed world.

 

The 1999 solar eclipse was memorable.  Fortunately I travelled the France with one of my fellow astrophysics undergrads not trusting the UK weather. The clouds cleared for us just a few minutes before totality.

 

The Venus transit in 2004 was amazing.  Not only to see solar system as a dynamic structure in real time but also due the rarity of the event.  It was crystal clear blue skies for the entire transit as well.  The icing on top was how for me it turned into an impromptu outreach event.  I viewed the transit from my parents’ house which has a south facing garden. When I went to set up the Sun had not moved enough to the East to see over the house so I was forced to set up in the front garden.  My parents live next to a primary school and all the parents (and some children) got to have a look as they were doing the school run.  Probably more than 50 people used my scope that day.

 

Of all my travels to distant dark lands, one night in the desert of Oman really stands out.  I had my APM 105 triplet with me and the skies were so dark and transparent that the scope was matching what my C11 shows from a suburban sky in the UK, possibly more so considering some of the DSOs I viewed.  The power of real dark.  This was end of observing just as dawn was arriving.

Proposing under the gold rated dark skies of Namibia last year with a telescope pointed at Saturn is also a high light for obvious reasons! This was the sky as I proposed

 

And so many more besides.  I bet I could fill this thread for pages with all the experiences I have had.  That is one of the reasons why astronomy is such a great hobby!

[Peter Drew]

Like others with a long history of observing (60+ years) there are too many "wow" moments to list let alone remember. Some are due to their beauty, some to their rarity and some to being unexpected. A stand out one has to be the total solar eclipse from Turkey and others 3 world class aurora displays from the UK! Recent "wows" have been the incredible lunar, planetary and solar views with my C8 based in Tenerife,  by far exceeding any expectations and most recently the at long last sighting of the Alpine Valley Rille.   l    

[Les Ewan]

It's very difficult isn't it,from my first telescopic view of Saturn in 1972,the great early morning Solar eclipse of May 30th 2003 low over the sea from Durness  when the clouds suddenly cleared minutes after annularity,the brief cloud ridden glimpse I got of Venus in transit in 2004.Of course Hale Bopp,but my most impressive view was the late afternoon of the 10th January 2007 at Sunset low in the SW was of Comet McNaught .It was brighter than  magnitude -4 at the time with its tail streaming away from the blazing nucleus  at a steep angle from the horizon,even my non astro naighbour was impressed.

Les