Going loopy

[PeterW]

On the IoW for the annual cloud watching event. Thursday was not too bad but sopping wet with dew. Friday was a nonstarter with cloud. Saturday promised good things from the wee small hours, so time for a good relaxed pub visit. Some people decided to get some sleep beforehand. It started to clear around 1, but it was really gusty, so a good test of the extra layers and new boots I brought. 

As Orion started to gain height Barnards Loop was reasonably clear along with the Meissa/angelfish nicely on his shoulders using the NV at 1x. Stacking a 7nm and 12nm hydrogen alpha filters seemed to smooth the view a bit. The rosette with the 80mm was the best I’ve seen it as was the whole North America and gamma Cygnus region with nearby sh119 probably larger than the North America. I then decided to try afocal using my handheld 80mm… with tube extensions, 55mm eyepiece, pushfit NV adapter… darn thing must have been almost a meter long “straw” when I’d finished and to add another insult the view was now inverted and backwards! The view was probably at least as good as normally, so I tried to search around below the hyades for the eridanus loop which has evaded me on many an occasion. With the long tube, inverted view and not having brought my laser finder out I was sweeping about quite a bit. However I am pretty certain I detected a wide faint streak in the right direction, only the vertical bit. Always nice to tick off another hard object.

Another highlight was seeing the Pleiades nebulosity with a friends refractor, amazing amounts, if it had been Thursday I’d have put it down to dew on the lens! If tonight is clear that will be a bonus, so a successful trip for once.

PEter

 

[Stu]

Great stuff Peter, really glad you got lucky for once!

I think we need some pictures of this pirate scope of yours!!