Holy Schamoly! Can it really be?

[Tim]

Just seen this;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/24hr.shtml?id=1587

and this;

http://www.sat24.com/frame.php?html=view&country=gb

Can it REALLY be??????????????????

And with me having a day off tomorrow too :shock:

Here's hoping.

Knowing my luck I'll grab an image worthy of a NASA APOD, and then have it wiped off my CF card by an electromagnetic shock wave when they boot up the LHC.

TJ

[SteveL]

I`m about to go outside and set up.... i think hell has frozen over!

[Kai]

Its flippin well just started to rain down here in Canterbury !!!!!!!!

I hope the LHC creates some Black Holes tomorrow so i wont have to see another cloudy night

[Ant]

I am in the garden as we speak.

First light with the 127, first image with the 300D and 127 :hello1:

About to fire up the DMK sod the LHC

[SteveL]

just checked the 9pm satellite update, and I reckon that once I get the kit set up (30-35 mins) and aligned (5-8 mins), I`ll have less than 60 minutes before the clouds roll in. Oh well, time to go out with the binos instead.

[algol]

lol, somethin tels me the LHC is the least of our worries, with so many people about to "fire-up" various peices of astro equipment i predict some kind of catastrophic power grid crash

[Reggie]

Kai, don't worry fella, that rain will stop soon enough, it was here about 90mins ago in Eastbourne, sussex. I had to wait for it to clear so I could put the scope out. I'm now waiting for the elusive dark sky to appear.

[MikeP]

Rubbish here as well Steve. Few stars visible between the clouds but not even remotely tempting.

Mike

[SteveL]

Just been out with the binos, and the sky is incredibly hazy... yes, I know the moon is 7%+ but even so, the sky is far worse than I was expecting (or is that hoping?)

[timetraveller]

totaly overcast and cloudy here low level stuff too so swindons wiped out already

[Ant]

I'm back in

100% cloud.

Ant

[narrowbandpaul]

ant did u get your first light shots...

[Tim]

well im bleedin imaging ANYWAY!!! even if I am taking photos of clouds......just about forgot how to use this stuff.

[Ant]

ant did u get your first light shots...

Oh yeah BABY!

Got visual first light - I have to say that the moon was very nice and even with the low power EP, there were clearly the two bands easily visible on Jupiter.

But they are so low down.

I connected up the 300D and took a couple of shots at prime focus with the diagonal (so should have ample in focus with the FR).

Also got a couple of AVI's having some fun with them, but I'll post everything up in a first light report later!

Ant

[Tim]

glad you got something Ant.

Guess, what, the wind is really picking up here.........you just cant win. I'm taking a few "close ups" of M31, but I dont expect much from them.

Oh well.

[Azelfafage]

Clouds have arrived here too :crybaby:

Earlier on, managed a few minutes sweeping around Cygnus with the Celestron binocs, with a look at M13 & M92 thrown in.

Rgds

A

(grateful for small mercies)

[narrowbandpaul]

good ant, im plesaed for you

was it the 127 skywatcher mak cass. I have had a look through the 150, excellent contrast, and a great scope...should be killer on the moon

[Ant]

Yes mate, the Skymax 127 Maksutov This one.

I've been told it's really good on the moon, the 150 is supposed to be great as is the 180.

I'm just pleased to have got out!

Ant

[GazOC]

I've owned the 127mm and currently have the 180mm, they are both great scopes IMHO. Due to the focal length the 180mm is little specialized for lunar/ planetary/ double stars but it still does OK on smaller objects like globs and planetary nebs.

I got out tonight for a grand total of 10 minutes, I'm just glad I'd only put my 4" refractor and AZ3....

[Tim]

i'm not gonna say anything, dont wanna spoil it.........but...... :)

[Reggie]

Shhh TJ, otherwise they'll all want whatever it is you can't tell them about (I think I have some too ).

[Tim]

Are we allowed to giggle like girls?

:occasion5:

Glad I waited up anyway. I have just been able to see the Milky Way high overhead, which with my skies, is always an achievement. It's getting a tad breezy though, hope it doesnt start to wiggle everything.

TJ

[Reggie]

I think we should just a little so everyone knows we didn't waste our time, we are enjoying ourselves. Are you getting any... dare I say it, imaging done too? Ju st about to have another pop at m31 see if I can add some to the stack I got a couple or was it three? weeks ago... Then the seven sisters are going to get some canon action.

[Tim]

It's just getting better and better!

Just seen two meteors, one of them hugely bright, mag - 4 maybe, long and slow, and it left a long glowing green tail in the sky for 3 or 4 seconds, really impressive.

So far I have around 20 x 400secs on M31 core region. I have tried this region before with unsatisfactory results, but if it works out this time, then I would like to add the egdes in at the same FL and build up a mosaic.

If it's still clear when the mount flips, then I may try and get something on M33, but that too has been evading me. The sisters are also presenting a very tempting target atm too!!

Lets hope we get another couple of hours!

TJ

[Reggie]

I had a go at m33 with the 6SE a few weeks back, I Definitely got it, just need more subs I think. I got 32x30secs of m31 over a couple of sessions too (cloud dodging is fun) again about 3 weeks ago, much more impressive results, I'm still finding my feet with imaging, only had the 450d a couple of months and the WO zs66 a couple of weeks, (which I'm thoroughly enjoying imaging with this evening), with a small handful of imaging sessions, I've managed to image the owl cluster ngc0457, m27, m57, M31 and M33, I might get brave and post something soon. BTW. what weren't you happy with on your m31 shots? Was it the blown out core?