Considering heading out observing this weekend ...

[kev100]

Hi all,

Just thinking about heading up to Creech carpark on Friday night (5th of July), and was wondering if any others are up for coming along?

Kev

[AdeKing]

I'm up for that Kev, I've been meaning to organise another meet but time has been in short supply this year. 

Look forward to seeing you again. 

Ade

[prusling]

Hi, I'm keen as well but the forecast for Friday is not great. Fingers crossed it will improve. Cheers, Peter

[kev100]

Hiya. Forecast seems to be changing, depending on which service you check it on. Currently the Met office forecast looks good ...

 

[Panda Alvin]

Probably not going to make this as I have an early Saturday morning
Just in case I do - where is this Creech Car Park ?

[AdeKing]

I think it's where a few of us met up way back in November. 

The car park on top of the ridge at Grange Hill, Steeple (https://goo.gl/maps/3fyeaeuj3TWTJjgo6)

@kev100 please correct me if you were thinking of somewhere different.

[kev100]

Yep, same place as before. 😀

[kev100]

Hiya. I've been checking the forecast on a variety of sites this week, and it's been all over the place! Currently not bad at all, so I'm going for it. Hope others can make it.

Kev

 

[AdeKing]

@prusling and myself are willing to chance it. Be there about 21:30.

See you then. 

[prusling]

Despite the cloud some great views last evening - a stunning sunset, gas giants and their moons, M57, and a lovely low-down orange crescent moon.

A pesky cloud bank did its best to mark the ecliptic which made imaging difficult, but it was worth trying.  Not sure what caused the blueness below though...

Thanks AdeKing and kev100 for your company.  Look forward to the next time.

[AdeKing]

That's a great result, I love it. 

Here are a couple images of the spectacular sunset that we saw before it got dark. 

Thanks to Peter and Kev for the company, the views of Jupiter and Saturn were amazing when the seeing cleared and it was a very enjoyable evening despite my technical issues with the EQ5. 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by AdeKing
Spelling

[kev100]

Wow! @prusling that's an amazing photo. And @AdeKing too, the sunset was fantastic. I too had a great time last night. Although we had no luck with the Veil neb, I got Jupiter (amazing sight in the brief moments of stillness), Saturn (still too low to see the Cassini division, but spectacular nonetheless), M57, M13, and then, by about 1.30pm, the southern sky cleared completely, to reveal Ms 4, 6, 7 & 8, 22, 69, 70 and NGC 6652 (those are just some of the clusters and objects I saw that I could easily identify!).

M8, the Lagoon nebula was fantastic! Bright structures, with dark lanes running through, nearly filling the fov of my 20mm ep at x60. The last 20 minutes of the evening I spent scanning through Sagittarius and Scorpius with my 10x50s will stay with me.  When a large, bright patch appeared to the right of Sagittarius, I at first thought it was the return of the clouds, but in the binos it appeared full of stars, with dark dust lanes running through. I'd never seen this starfield so clearly defined and bright!

Will definitely be heading back there again soon.

Cheers Ade, Peter!

Kev