Fail to prepare=prepare to fail 15/8/18

[domstar]

Looking back, it was a strange decision to observe at the allotment instead of a darker site ten minutes away. Silent and dark but with trees blocking some areas and light pollution from the town in unhelpful places. Conditions were good, though with Izar and Alcalurops just about split at 90x.

I had a few specific targets in mind having noticed that I only had five Messier objects to see before I finished the list. The further along the list I get, the more I realise there is more to what I do than just ticking off stuff, but everyone likes a completed checklist, don't they. The view was clear for M5 in Serpens and I used the alpha star as a starting point. I started too early and couldn't find it so I came back later and couldn't find it so I waited and still couldn't find it. In between I had an unsuccessful attempt at the comet, a doomed quest for an impossible M55 and a real good go at the spindle galaxy - M102. It was my second attempt at the spindle. I found three little stars in a line above it, but nothing I could make out as a galaxy. Stellarium has it as very star-like and the bottom star of the three little pointers is not listed as a double, but I had a small split at 30x. Any help and pointers on the spindle would be greatly appreciated. On the other hand I had a unusually nice view of the pinwheel and the globs M10 and M12 in Ophiuchus. M15 was also satisfying but these targets were a small part of the evening compared to all the time taken up on unsuccessful star-hopping. 

Just at the end, though I panned right from the double cluster and M76 the little dumbbell nebular fell into my lap and was confirmed with a UHC filter. I lingered over it a while pleased to be down to the final four. 

Maybe I'll be able to have one last try at M5 before the moon and the seasons makes it impossible this year but tonight's moon might already spoil it. The moral of this night is all those times my teachers told me to write stuff down and I thought- yeah yeah I'll remember it. I'm 47 years old and I've learnt my lesson- WRITE IT DOWN. (I was looking in the wrong place of course)

When I got home there was a text waiting for me from a non stargazing mate 'Check out the stars'. It made me smile.

Thanks for reading

[Stu]

You learn from it every time something doesn’t quite go to plan though Dom. I can tend to be a bit haphazard in my observing, often just revisiting old favourites unless I’m in for a decent long session with a good sky.

Now the dark skies are back, hopefully I can get some decent sessions in during August and for September’s new moon before we lose all these lovely summer targets.

[domstar]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

You learn from it every time something doesn’t quite go to plan though Dom

Yes, that's how it works for me, especially with star-hopping. With M102, for example, I found the lead-off star, then the area where it should be, and now I know exactly where in the eyepiece it should be. Now I need to just stare at that space until maybe it shows itself.

[Nyctimene]

3 hours ago, Stu said:

before we lose all these lovely summer targets.

Strangely, the "window" for observing the summer Milky Way objects extends further than expected. November 12th. e.g., and given my latitude of 49°36', astronomical darkness starts at 18h36min. At this moment, the summer Milky Way is still visible, extending to the SW; the "lid" of the Sagittarius "teapot" just begins to disappear; and M 22 is still almost 7° above the (ideal) horizon, M 24 8°30', M17 11°; Aquila's treasures even higher. Not high enough for extended observations, but well worth a look with decent binos or a Rich Field scope to bid the summer objects farewell - before pointing the scope deliberately to the NE and say hello to the winter harbingers Pleiades, Hyades (and, of course, Davis's Dog between them both!):

Stephan