One of those nights!

[leo82]

Have you ever had one of those nights where nothing goes to plan and you vow to give up the hobby in some kind of fit of rage.

saturday night I went outside with my notes and tablet (Stellarium) as well as telescope. 

First off was Jupiter, it was just going behind the trees.

Next was the double double in Lyra but it was directly above me , to uncomfortable to view.

I then decided to look for a few wonders elsewhere but the battery died on my tablet which left me lost in a sea of stars, I usually observe in winter so the summer sky looked totally different.

I didn’t see anything I wanted that night and felt a bit deflated, I guess this happens to everybody at some point, right?

[Stu]

1 hour ago, leo82 said:

I didn’t see anything I wanted that night and felt a bit deflated, I guess this happens to everybody at some point, right?

Yep, right! We all have bad nights aswell as good, probably just don’t post about them, which we should! No point pretending it goes right all the time.

Overhead can be very difficult, in a frac or SCT/Mak because the eyepiece is so low, in a dob because of the ‘dob hole’ where manouuvring the scope gets very difficult.

Keep at it, charge the tablet (  )and you will have better luck next time out.

[Craney]

Yep.......    last night was 'trying'......

Started with catching the tripod leg when polar aligning....  then the 'cable stretching incident' ...... then the laptop deciding that the fancy EFW2 is not recognised....yeah, but it was perfectly ok last night.... not anymore apparently.

So there I am sat on an upturned plant pot trying to download drivers at 1am, with the beatifully clear skies rotating above my head.

I decided not to get angry , or throw the rig into the hedge...although it crossed my mind.  

Another day has now dawned..... lets move on and sort the problem.

[Rob]

Don't worry or feel deflated!. We all have these nights. I've had many, however you will then also get those nights where everything seamless & just perfect!. Those nights are well worth the odd troublesome one.

Step back, take stock and reorganize for your next session.

Rob 

[domstar]

I drove to a new site with a potentially dark south that I'd only seen on google maps last night. It was strange, lonely, and very cloudy. I drank tea for about an hour and came home. (and there were trees blocking the southern horizon)

[Bodkin]

I had one of those experiences last night, but I've been observing for thirty five years so I know that I'll get past it.  I almost fell off the scope ladder twice, clattered around the house and woke my wife and somehow managed to misalign the finderscope resulting in failed attempts to find anything for at least an hour.  I finally managed a success with Caldwell 17 and packed up before I risked my life any further.  What made the night a success ultimately was not C17, but spending ten minutes just sitting in a chair and taking in the sky with the naked eye before going to bed.  Spending some quiet time with the universe is a marvelous hobby.

[Knighty2112]

We’ve all been there matey! On the plus side you do get nights when things all slot in perfectly, which pretty much sums up last night for me. Managed to bag 16 objects. Would have been more but I was taking images at the same time, which slowed things down. I’ve learned to make sure I have at least 70% power level on my iPad Pro before I hook it up to my mount via Skysafari, that way no disappointments part way through any sessions when using it. 

[leo82]

Ahh I don’t feel so bad now, Iknowing I’m not the only one, i did end up just sitting back watching satellites flying across the night sky whilst trying to stay calm.

[Stu]

 

Ahh I don’t feel so bad now, Iknowing I’m not the only one, i did end up just sitting back watching satellites flying across the night sky whilst trying to stay calm.

Sometimes that's the best thing to do, and can be more enjoyable that faffing around with a scope that doesn't want to be helpful!

[scarp15]

Had a bit of a funny session on Sat night. Currently I am just snatching time occasionally and set off for an impromptu session at my allotment obs (which is great for a 360). Fairly understated approach in terms of what can be accomplished at present as I to look forward to autumn, winter and dark sky observing. Worth it for a nice steady view of Saturn, a look at Mars, large, fiery and wobbly and a few doubles. Then a green and red light began to circle at some altitude. "A drone I groaned", someone's got a new novelty toy. What became annoying though is that it must have sighted me as it began to hover overhead, a bit like one of those police helicopters. Well I was on an allotment, which unfortunately can be noted sometimes for beak-ins and felt as though I was being snooped on. To avoid - the operator must have been bored as it returned twice more, I had to step inside my shed the final time I did a little bit of gesturing to finally see it off.

It wasn't a bad session, just a little bemusing, night time pursuits such as this can conjure up all manner of encounters, there are no bad ones - just good stories. 

[Nyctimene]

10 hours ago, Rob said:

Don't worry or feel deflated!. We all have these nights. I've had many, however you will then also get those nights where everything seamless & just perfect!. Those nights are well worth the odd troublesome one.

+1 for that. Your Heritage 130 P avoids hassle with electronics, that's important - keep it simple. A compact star map (PSA) as a backup is always useful. A friend of mine keeps a simple 15 mm eyepiece fixed in a corner of his Dobsonians mirror box - just in case he forgets his eyepiece case.  Cheap binoculars, (perhaps kept in the car, when you have to travel to a dark site) serve as a last resort. Don't worry - the good nights will compensate for your troubles. Hope and Patience win!

Stephan

[cloudsweeper]

Yes, yes - you're not alone!

Sometimes it goes to plan.  Other times, you get nice surprises and enjoy things spontaneously.  And then - there are occasions when you feel like packing it all in.

I'm currently on a high since I got a Dobhouse to operate out of.  And having it powered means Stellarium never fails on me.  But even so, I can get brassed off when objects defy location!  (Nebulae - I'm talking about you.)

Doug.

[Paz]

These things happen to us all. I've had times where I've set up only for cloud to roll in just as I am ready, or I don't see any of my planned targets due to having to go for whatever isn't blocked by a cloud. I've been confounded by very high altitude targets and targets disappearing behind trees and buildings, and in my early days targeting things impossible to see with the light pollution I have. I recall I once went for a session looking at galaxies around Ursa Major - I found and confirmed each exact spot but did not see a single one of them and packed up having completely failed. Now I know better than to try such things!

[LukeSkywatcher]

I dont plan sessions. When the mood takes me, i'll take one of my scopes (or bins) outside and just wander around.

[Charic]

It's one of those nights tonight?
I was hoping to try my 'new' hide tonight whilst looking out for some Perseids. 

Its pretty robust,  just four sides connected by loose fit hinges( bottom hinges still require fitting ) locking everything together. Some furniture, should the need arise,  and like it or not, its totally overcast overhead?  In-fact, looking at the IR images, looks  pretty much overcast for most of the UK tonight.

 

 

 

There's always another night!