Clear skies finally!

[Stu]

After what seems like forever, we have some clear sky tonight. My Intes 7” Mak is out on the GP-DX and is finding targets nicely. My recently acquired cable means that SkyFi is connecting to the Skysensor 2000PC reliably and SkySafari is working well.

I’ve already had a quick spin around quite a few nice objects, hopefully the skies will darken and stay clear. The seeing appears a bit wobbly at the moment, but let’s see how the evening goes. It won’t be a late one, but hopefully I’ll get a reasonable session in. Planning for some doubles in Orion and whatever else I can find.

[PhotoGav]

Good stuff Stu, enjoy the clear. Just wrap up well! I was all set here, but cloud has rolled in just at the crucial moment. Hopefully it is just a passing band and it will clear again soon.

[Pig]

Yes, it’s very nice here. It’s cold but not freezing ? time to go .... woohoo

[Craney]

This is Yorkshire calling , Harrogate Branch ........   all clear here......    Imaging the double Cluster as a warm up..... and then hunting down the jelly fish.

 

Sean.

[iPeace]

Well, that's me told...checked out through the window, looked promising. Once I'd pulled my socks up and stepped outside, it was raining! ?️

Back inside watching old episodes of S@N with SPM.

Enjoy all.

[F15Rules]

Great stuff Stu?..Thanks for sharing.

Just a beautiful night here in Lincolnshire, so many stars on view, by far the best night here for literally months!

I have an early work start tomorrow but managed just over an hour from just after 7pm. I spent the whole time on Orion. I just love this part of the sky?.

Got the binoviewer out with the FS128 and the Zeiss Telementor with T2 Baader Prism.

M42 was stunning in both scopes. I got the E star in the Trap - first time I've managed it with binoviewers, a testament to the excellent conditions tonight, using a pair of Fujiyama 12.5mm Orthos at 83x. The nebula itself was just a mass of swirls and whorls of gas, and black spaces, all dotted with small stars, stunning. 

With the Morpheus 17.5mm pair, the wider field and 60x magnification was a mass of batwings extending across the whole field, sprinkled with sparkling stars bright and faint.

The Telementor continues to impress. I keep thinking that it's at least an 80mm aperture, not 60mm. Of course the Trap was much brighter in the FS128, but the contrast in the little Zeiss was excellent, with a lot of detail in the Morpheus 9mm at 87x.

The more I use the Morpheus eps, the more impressed I am with them.. and at last we've had conditions in which these fine scopes and eyepieces could really show what they can do☺?.

I hope many of you have been as lucky as I have this evening.

Dave

 

 

[John]

Clearish here as well but I'm having a night in. Have a nice one if you are out

[Stu]

Posted elsewhere too, but here is a little smartphone shot of M42

[Helen]

Managed to set up, prove 46P is just still visible, and then it clouded out ?   Glad other people are having a lovely night though!  There are clear skies forecast for us later in the week, but after the snow - will I be able to get out????

Helen

[Saganite]

2 hours ago, iPeace said:

Well, that's me told...checked out through the window, looked promising. Once I'd pulled my socks up and stepped outside, it was raining! ?️

Back inside watching old episodes of S@N with SPM.

Enjoy all.

That is bad luck Mike. Hopefully a long session tonight, the sky is pretty good so far. An easy E&F in the Trapezium for starters.

[djpaul]

Clear skies here in northampton.  Testing out my new az-gti mount. And william optics 73mm zenithstar.  Tracked perfectly . ?.

Bought that setup in and 120ed and eq5 out now. Staying up to make the most of it till the early hours. 

[Saganite]

Almost clouded out now at 11.30pm, but a very good couple of hours, 8 targets including 2 Galaxies and 1 Nebula,  very happy. 

[Stu]

Sounds good Paul. I’ve just packed in, skies still nice out there but I had a nice session. Good to be out there again after so long!

[Highburymark]

Interesting night for different reasons - M42 stunning through night vision monocular and 55mm Plossl, but then it always is. Other ha targets less so. Heart and soul nebulae faint but nice. Rosette also. Then at end of evening put the NV kit away and had a brief scout around with 15x70 binos - best binocular view of M31 I've ever had from central London! 

[chiltonstar]

You were lucky with the weather Stu - hazy as hell here! How did the Mak perform??

Chris

[Stu]

3 hours ago, chiltonstar said:

You were lucky with the weather Stu - hazy as hell here! How did the Mak perform??

Chris

Glad quite a few of us managed to get out, shame for those who didn't get the clear skies.

The Mak performed pretty well Chris! I still think it would benefit from an insulating wrap, something I will do as soon as I get some time. Views were a little wobbly but very nice none the less. I do generally have to observe over my house or the neighbours, with a few cebtral heating flumes to contend with so its not ideal. Need to get tge scope somewhere a bit better to stretch its legs!

I will post up some images I took with my smartphone which came out quite well I think. The star shapes are a bit odd in the images, that's not how they appear in the scope! The 56mm Meade is good too, a fair amount of vignetting but the views are nice, good to have a larger exit pupil available.

[Stu]

Meant to say, I did split Eta Orionis which is 1.8", slightly uneven double so was doing ok despite the wobbly seeing.