Observing report, Confolens France--Part 1

[laudropb]

As many will already know, frustrated by the lack of observing opertunities, I travelled to Astrofarm in France in search of clear dark skies. Things did not start well. As we approached Limoges airport for landing the plane suddenly rose again and started to circle the area. We could not land because of torrential rain at Limoges. Had my jinx struck again ? After going round in circles for more than 30 minutes, we finally did manage to land. After clearing customs I was picked up by Andrew from Astrofarm and driven to my destination. The skies were grey and there was a light drizzle. Reminded me very much of home .

I was assured by Andrew that the sky would clear by nightfall and that the rain would help with transparency. Was he correct ? He certainly was. As the Sun dipped below the horizon the stars began to appear. Firstly Sirius then the constellation of Orion. A hour or so later the inky dark sky was ablaze with stars. Mercury was showing well and I just sat back in a comfy chair and enjoyed the spectacle with my trusty 10x42 Leica bins. There were so many stars visible by 10 pm that Andrew had to point out some of the constellations to me with the help of a laser pointer. It was a joy to be able to see clearly some of the less bright constellations with the naked eye, such as Leo Minor and Cancer. Old favourites like the Beehive and double cluster were breath taking sights through the bins.

Later in the evening I used a 6 inch Dob to observe the Moon and Jupiter. The detail shown was very nice but I had to resist the urge to do some sketching. Tiredness was setting in. I had left home at 4:30 am the previous morning and my warm bed was calling. Reluctantly I called it a night. This was the first of 6 nights observing under clear dark skies. I am still sorting out the details in the notes I compiled. I will post specific details of some of these observations and of the equipment I used soon. Thanks for reading this long report.

[FenlandPaul]

A very relaxing way to start a holiday! Mercury must have been well placed for you. Looking forward to reading the rest! P

[Cjg]

Great to hear that you had a fab time, the skies at Confolens are so much better than here. It's rained both times I've landed too. Looking forward to reading your reports. 

Chris

[Paz]

Really looking forward to reading your reports, and really jealous!