Ed in UK Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Managed to get out last night for a session and was hoping to spend some time in Auriga looking for clusters that I have listed brighter than magnitude 8 on SS6. Sky was pretty poor with high level cloud being luminated by the moon making only the brightest of stars visbile. With the naked eye I could just make out Polaris and Orions belt. I started by aiming my scope at Altinak and dropped down to Sigma Orionis. Through the scope I could see A/B, D & E with Struve 761 just visible. I increased magnification from 25mm ( x36 ) through to 18mm (X50 ) then upto 12mm ( x75 ). At 12mm everything became quite washed out and blurry making it quite difficult to get a decent focus. I decided not to try for the clusters but to wait for better conditions. I moved onto Sirius, Castor and Pollux, but all appeared as milky stars at 25mm ( x36 ) so decided to call it at night. Hopefully next time I'll be able to go cluster spotting in Auriga!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teoria_del_big_bang Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Yes same for me last night, crystal clear when setting up and aligning but soon that high level stuff rolled in, and as you say with the moon the whole sky lit up. Also blooming cold so packed in about 10 ish. Where are those really cold but clear nights? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Imp Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 The sky wasn't the best last night and really cold. I spent some time lunar observing, did't even bother going for anything else, I could hardly make out Orion's belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domstar Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 Yes, it's a quick Luna or nothing at this phase for me. By this time next week they'll be more opportunities weather permitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed in UK Posted January 19, 2019 Author Share Posted January 19, 2019 Fingers crossed @domstar ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domstar Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Yes, the next couple of weeks after the moon starts waning are going to be the best of the winter. A clear icy cold snap in late January gives spectacularly transparent skies (here at least). It's truly Orion time. I'm starting to get excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.