Dark Wales Bonanza !

[cotterless45]

Llangrannog,Coastal mid Wales, the heat of July and 15x70 binoculars. Dark just after midnight, it just clicks in from a long twilight. All of a sudden it's hard to find constellations .

The Milky Way runs through Cassiopeia to end behind Deneb , then bright with the star cloud of Cygnus. Great rifts and cloudy nebulae crowd this area. The Milky Way splits and stands on two cooked legs at Sagittarius. Still by eye, M31, a light shape of M33,M13, the double cluster. 

There's rustling and scratching , I have visitors ! Mum and young badger ! They take little notice, screen shots off my compact.

Using binoculars.M51 and a lovely glow out from Alkaid. "Bode's", pencil like M82 and a round glow of M81. M101 , an opaque cloud. M3 a bright glow between Arcturus and Cor carioli. M13 , very bright,M15 off Enif. Half way between Albireo and Altair , "the coat hanger" of Brochii's (Cr399) .

Followed the line from M57 , through Albireo, through and tipping up Sagitta. There unfiltered in a busy star field   The glow of the dumbbell M27. Up past Deneb and the triangle of a bright M39. 

The hours spent Dob nudging paid off.

Lyra is just a mass of binary stars. I use Saturn as a marker and spot at the bottom of Aquila, M26 and M11 in Scutum. A quick scan of Sagittarius and I'm way out of my depth with bright nebulae and huge clusters,

The best I can do is start with the huge expanse of stars in M24. After consulting with Patbloke , who spotted these views in Oz, we agreed that M25, M18,M23 ,M6 and thé glorious M22 were there. Ophiuchus gave M14, M10 and M12. Headed to Cassiopeia and found the little cloudy puff of "Caroline's Rose", NGC 7789 and a mass of clusters along the lines of the constellation.

really wonderful skies over three nights . Daytime presented walking the coastal path, here to the delights of New Quay.Some cloud last night , but peanuts and peanut butter will be out for our visitors, enjoy summer skies ! Old Nick.

[Patbloke]

Great report Nick...

Observations!

Be careful as it looks like a previous midnight visitor to that mystical Welsh garden - 'The Hedgehog' has been turned to stone!! 

The skies look so red and it's amazing you can see all those labels in the night sky there! I saw the old teapot and the wonder that is M24 from my balcony on the island of Kos (not Oz) when I spent an extra two weeks there after collapsing minutes before my flight back from a two weeker... Labyrinthitis! Horrific... When I collapsed with dizziness vomiting wildly, all I could hear was one of the hotel staff shouting 'Ebola' Ebola' Flipping heck 5 days in hospital, a ride in a Transit van/ ambulance journey that was something else... anyway enough about that Nick. It's certainly a beautiful place you are staying at... Enjoy the moment and those peanut eating Badgers ?

Don't get to near the edge of those cliffs bloke... 

[wookie1965]

Half of that stuff I have not even seen in a scope especially M51 I must get to a dark site. Great report Nick you describing the milkyway has me jealous.

[estwing]

Oi clear off, Wales is Dob mob territory!..cracking read and report old boy, not long now for those Autumn jewels...clear skies!

[alan potts]

Always a joy reading your reports Nick, the bottom photo would be a test to see any stars, lovely day by the looks, we have been under water here for seems ages, sun out now though.

[Special K]

Very interesting critters come out at night,,,,it's nice to have some company observing!  ....when they're not rattlesnakes!!

That was a lovely read from what looks like a fantastic location. I've fancied going to that coast at some point. Good on ya for doing it while the weather is perfect!

[Eastman]

Great report, you take us on a trip along the Milky Way.

[Stub Mandrel]

Wish I'd has a scope when I lived under the dark skies of Mid Wales ?

[celestron8g8]

Great report , enjoyed the pictures . That last one has a fantastic view ! Honestly I did not know you had Badgers in Wales ?!  That is some mean extreme critter over here in the USA . Only thing meaner is the Wolverine ! 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, celestron8g8 said:

Great report , enjoyed the pictures . That last one has a fantastic view ! Honestly I did not know you had Badgers in Wales ?!  That is some mean extreme critter over here in the USA . Only thing meaner is the Wolverine ! 

Be afraid! Our badgers hang around in big family groups, not like your solitary ones.

They are probably the toughest land mammal in the UK, but I've never heard of them attacking humans, it's more defensive armament ?