Unobstructed again 8/3/18

[domstar]

With the first snowdrops, the first non-balcony observing session. Just a short walk, well wrapped up- slightly darker but so much more space to look at. I was spoilt for choice so I whizzed round looking at everything I could hold in my brain from my planning. The open clusters to the left of Orion were all out of bounds due to the gathering mist as were most things lower than Pleiades, but up high it was reasonable. Stars were sharp (I got the 4th star of sigma Orionis) but the air was moist.

So inspired by @Ed I went looking for M81 and M82 (after a quick double cluster). I couldn't find the triangle or the line but I blundered right onto the two galaxies. I moved down looking for M109 but the background sky was whitish so I quickly gave up and turned to a darker south. 

My new object of the night was the Spiral Cluster M34. It's nice to chalk off another Messier like an enthusiastic trainspotter, and this one is another beauty which I want to revisit already. I also nabbed the 37 cluster and the three Messiers in Auriga. I love them all but hadn't seen them since last spring. Is M37 better than the wild duck? Probably. The open clusters were bright enough through the mist but I think there's more to come from them in better conditions. M78 and M1, however, were as good and satisfying as ever as I'm never going to get great detail out of them.

Even though I've spent all my winter sessions with Orion passing by, I still had to go back there. The extra darkness compared to home made the nebula look spectacular. 

I went home with the finder fogged up and the tube thinly frosted but my feet still miraculously warm. By the time I was back home on the balcony with a whisky for a bit of naked eye, the fog seemed to have cleared. I'm looking forward to the next time.

Thanks for reading.

[Littleguy80]

What a great report! Really enjoyed it. M37 better than M11?!? Tough call! My initial reaction on reading that was that I like M11 better but they’re both awesome. I’m a big fan of the 37 cluster, partly because it’s my age! I wonder if I’ll like it as much after my next birthday  

[Stu]

Excellent stuff, dark sky does make those clusters stand out better. 37 is one of my favourites too, and I'm, ahem, not 37 any more!  

[scarp15]

Nice session, a slightly darker sky is advantageous for as you mention M1, M78.