Very quick binocular session: SW Ireland

[Captain Scarlet]

I've decamped to SW Ireland to work from home for at least a couple of months. No neighbours for 250m and no anticipated social contact for 2 weeks. 3 cats and one wife for human contact.

Night one after arriving, suitably shattered after a 12 hour car-ferry-car journey and I'm greeted by a lovely clearish night.

SQM-L 21.65 at 9:30, not too bad with a bit of wispy cloud around. I had my beloved Nikon 12x50 SE bins, but mostly having been in SW London for the last few months it's the naked eye that overwhelms me.

@Ships and Stars's Auriga's Ladder an easy naked eye feature. Beehive Cluster easy naked eye with no dark-adaptation. The whole of Ursa Minor. Venus' phase obvious through the bins, resting against a wall. Funnily enough Ally's Braid, which I call B-2 bomber, not so stand-out through the bins as I've seen it before, perhaps it had a bit of cloud in front of it.

Anyway, enough to whet my appetite to keep me interested for weeks of isolation and pretending a dining room chair is an office chair...

M

PS at least my view from the office is an improvement

 

 

Edited March 19, 2020 by Captain Magenta

[Ciaran Meier]

Is that Carrauntoohil to the west of you ?  

[Captain Scarlet]

🙂 No, lower slopes of Mt Gabriel to the right (East) and Mizen Head just off the left hand side. We’re almost as far as it’s possible to get into the Atlantic!

Edited March 19, 2020 by Captain Magenta

[Ciaran Meier]

Was down there maybe 15 years ago touring Kerry and Cork.  Lovely part of the world.  County Down is not to bad either though 😄. 

[Ships and Stars]

I just caught this post! That looks absolutely amazing there. 21.65 is getting properly dark too. What a change from London!!

Smart move if you ask me, hope you have a memorable time there, a silver lining these days to have some space.

I rode a bicycle around Cork and Kerry, ended up in a small campground near Allihies (I think), five euro a night and wonderful stars. Slept with my head out of the tent one night, the milky way was so bright.