A bit of back yard viewing

[Ibbo!]

I decided the local seeing was not good enough for planetary imaging so I removed the cam from the back of the C11 and stuck an eyepiece in the back.

I spent a couple of hours visiting some old friends.

Jupiter was the starting point as it was just trying to image, shoe decent fleeting details came though but the localroofs where throwing back the heat so a lower power was inseted and off I went.

 

Globs M5,M31 and 92 I did mean to visit 11 & 14 but was beaten by daylight and the call of the DSO imaging rig.

I did have a bit of trouble as I'm basking in the glow of my unfriendly streetlamp so went and grabed my sun shade and that made alll the difference I must remember that next time out.

back to Jove as he appeared over the garage and the seeing seemed a bit better and then realised it was getting quite a bit lighter.

I finished off with the double double and with the C11 and a 5mm eyepeice you could have driven a bus between them.

Not a vast number of targets but I do like to have a "look" rather than a quick squint and on to the next one.

Mrs Tiggywinkle will be pleased to know that she still has the ability to make me look round as she snuffles and eats the leftover birdfood even after spending 3 hours or so together this evening.

The first bird of the dawn chorus was of course a blackbird.

[alan potts]

Not seen Jupiter so far this year other than with naked eye, shouldn't be long now though. M5 is a nice target, I am pleased I don't have neighbours to bother me or much in the way of street lights.

Alan

[Stu]

Nice session there Steve. Always worth spending time observing the targets notbjust ploughing through them. Seeing not amazing here last night but some half decent views of Jupiter still.

Hedgehogs can sound like some approaching ravinous beast can’t they??  

[chiltonstar]

Hedgehogs "punch well above their weight" in noise terms, don't they? Considering the small size, the volume is amazing. The only competitor round here last night was Mrs Fox, who is clearly auditioning for Tosca.

I am a "long time on a few objects" man as well - clearly we split into distinct groups, depending whether we want to clock up the most objects with GoTo or observe more details in a small number of objects. Different categories of compulsive list makers I suppose. Last night, I only managed three objects in two hours....

Chris

 

[Stu]

1 hour ago, chiltonstar said:

Hedgehogs "punch well above their weight" in noise terms, don't they? Considering the small size, the volume is amazing. The only competitor round here last night was Mrs Fox, who is clearly auditioning for Tosca.

I am a "long time on a few objects" man as well - clearly we split into distinct groups, depending whether we want to clock up the most objects with GoTo or observe more details in a small number of objects. Different categories of compulsive list makers I suppose. Last night, I only managed three objects in two hours....

Chris

 

I tend to spend a long time on planets, the moon, doubles or special events such as following an asteroid or spotting a SN, but less time on DSOs. It depends how much detail there is to pull out by observing for longer I guess. Darker skies help me to spend longer as there is more reward.

oh, and yes, hedgehogs can be terrifying! Not as scary as being in my shed office the other day and hearing a scrabbling and bumping sound underneath it.... foxes!