Au Revoir, Orion..

[F15Rules]

After a clear, sunny day today, I managed an hour outside tonight, keen to take the opportunity to view Orion for maybe the last time this season.

The light nights are really stretching out now, and with the clocks due to go forward next weekend it was good to get out for an hour or so.

I recently acquired a 5mm Astro Hutech ortho to go with my existing 12.5mm pair, (optically the same as BGO, Fujiyama, UO HD etc),  and also an older Meade 2x triplet apo Barlow (model #140 Japan). 

The FS128 usually takes around 20 minutes or so to thermally equalise, and so it proved tonight..anything over x60 to begin with was a bit wobbly, but M42 looked as always, wonderful, with the Trapeziums' 4 main components very steady: seeing was good this evening, Sirius wasn't shimmering too much at all, although getting lower, right over our house, in the south west.

I couldn't get the E or F Trap stars tonight, transparency wasn't great, and no Milky Way was visible either, so I decided to go higher up in the sky and check out Castor, one of my favourite doubles.

Using a 12.5mm ortho firstly, the split was lovely and very bright, almost too much so..so next I popped the 12.5mm in the (excellent) Meade Barlow to give a 6.25mm focal length (x166 in the Tak), and a lovely pair of bullseye's. Next came the 5mm ortho at x 208x, still very sharp, so for laughs I tried the 5mm in the Meade Barlow and at x416 was rewarded with loads of dark sky and still two perfect bullseye stellar images!

Most of the short session tonight was on M42/and Castor, and both the Pentax XL 10.5mm and Morpheus 9mm also gave great views of both objects..

I packed up, somewhat chilly, at 9.15pm but happy to know that once again I have high enough power combinations to go over x400 on doubles on a steady night like tonight☺.

And I will look forward to Orion appearing again, like an old friend, in October.

Dave

 

[Highburymark]

Lovely report Dave, and like you I bade farewell to Orion tonight, more because of unfortunately located buildings at the end of my garden than anything else. But it's always a marker in the astronomy year.

[jock1958]

Nice report Dave, after an hour or so I'm pretty sure I managed the E star with my 3 - 6 nagler zoom but no chance of the F star or the Pup through the wobbly atmosphere!

[Geoff Barnes]

Time running out here for me too to observe Orion before he hides behind the trees for another year.

Had a great session this evening, the first for a couple of weeks. Conditions were calm and clear and the seeing was excellent.

 A quick star test on Sirius to get everything aligned and away we went, the Pup was clearly there at 187x with the Baader zoom on 8mm, so over to Orion and into the Trap, E & F both nice and steady again at 187x, happy to say goodbye until next year in case I don't get another chance.

Decided to do a tour of some doubles as the seeing was so good. Started with one of the best 145 Canis Majoris (h 3945) beautiful colours on show tonight, clear orange and blue. Similar double Iota Cancri likewise gorgeous orange and blue was a joy.

Our old friend Castor nearby was next, getting a bit low in the northern sky now but still an easy split.

About turn 180 degrees to our southern view to have a look at Alpha Centauri rising above the tree tops at last. An impressive double, both stars very bright so easily visible. 

Over to Crux, the Southern Cross also coming back into view above the trees. Acrux is a nice double, well a triple really I suppose with a third component close by. I couldn't resist another look at the Jewell Box beside the cross, such a glorious sight, the "traffic lights" in the centre always make me smile.

A few clouds encroaching now so a quick look at some old favourites in the vicinity. The Carina Nebula never fails to impress, so much to take in, just astonishing. As is the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, quite a spooky sight indeed.

The Pearl Cluster - beautiful, the Wishing Well Cluster - fills the eyepiece with hundreds of bright stars, the Southern Pleiades - a worthy alternative to its northern example, a 40mm EP needed really to take it all in.

Just a few clear gaps left now so I was thrilled to see Omega Centauri appear in a gap in the trees. I haven't seen it since last winter and have missed zooming into the heart of the cluster and losing myself in a million stars, breathtaking!

Clouded out now, but completely satisfied after a long stint of cloudy nights recently. 

Orion and friends are rapidly disappearing from view, but lots to look forward to as the winter visitors return to our southern skies. ?

[kirkster501]

Yeah, weird how everyone perceives Orion's departure as the end of the winter "season" - if you can call it that nowadays since it is a largely useless cloud-out.

Still, with the clocks going forward on Sunday, it's kinda sad to see him go for another five months.

See you soon, Orion.

 

[Skywatcher130]

I will miss it too. In my south-facing garden it's been looming large for as long as I've had my telescope - I have used it to star-hop, get my bearings around the night sky,  and of course,  wonder at the obligatory newbie target M42 ?