Finally!

[markse68]

After trying so many times without success, tonight I can finally say that it actually isn’t some grand truman-showesque hoax- the veil really does exist!

Took my scope with me when i visited my mum down in Surrey again- bortle 4/5 and lucked out with perfectly clear skies at last.  Big difference to my home bortle 8/9 skies!   So much so that despite a nearby very bright moon I actually saw it! I first went to 52cyg and there it was- the Western veil (well some of it i guess). Then moving up and left I found the Eastern veil which seemed larger. My scope isn’t ideal being an f8ish 1600fl but i could fit each of these parts mostly in my 40mm ep using my oiii (the astronomik 12nm ccd version) Couldn’t see anything when i tried with baader uhc though. The detail wasnt great what with the moon right there, but i’m dead chuffed i’ve finally seen it  Now i cant wait to repeat this once the moon is out of the way to get to see it properly.

Another highlight was Mars through my new (thanks @Robindonne) Eudiascopic 3.8mm. Fantastic! Sharp at 420x and a decent size with polar cap much diminished but still just there and lovely detail in the the subtle dark markings. Very little flare with this ep- not the best at the edge of field but lovely in the middle. I like it a lot so far 

Had some cracking views of various clusters with my new 7x35 bins- Pleiades and Hyades were beautiful through them. Then to round off the evening/morning I noticed what looked like and sure enough it was the twins Castor and Pollux rising over the horizon which must mean.. yes there was Betelgeuse! My secondary had fogged by now so i didn’t wait for Orion but it was fully risen by the time I got home. Had a quick look through the bins and there was the scabbard and M42!

Good times

Mark

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by markse68

[John]

Well done Mark !

 

[markse68]

Thanks John  

[markse68]

small update to this- last night i spent a good few hours on Mars etc (okish view) from my home bortle 8/9 skies and thought i’d have a quick look for the veil knowing full well it was impossible from here... This is quite interesting I think because it wasn’t there before- I tried so many times but i guess I didn’t look hard enough! Having now finally seen it (washed out by moon) from better skies and knowing what to look for, there it was! Very very faint and too easy to miss but with proper looking i could indeed just make out the eastern and western veil! 

Mark

[Barry-W-Fenner]

2 hours ago, markse68 said:

small update to this- last night i spent a good few hours on Mars etc (okish view) from my home bortle 8/9 skies and thought i’d have a quick look for the veil knowing full well it was impossible from here... This is quite interesting I think because it wasn’t there before- I tried so many times but i guess I didn’t look hard enough! Having now finally seen it (washed out by moon) from better skies and knowing what to look for, there it was! Very very faint and too easy to miss but with proper looking i could indeed just make out the eastern and western veil! 

Mark

Great news Mark, Glad you managed to find it from home. I am yet to see this wonderful target. Hopefully this winter.

Was you using your OIII filter when you located it from home?

Baz

[markse68]

49 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Great news Mark, Glad you managed to find it from home. I am yet to see this wonderful target. Hopefully this winter.

Was you using your OIII filter when you located it from home?

Baz

Hi Baz, yes I could only see it with the oii- uhc didn’t show it. And I don’t think i’d have seen it had i not already seen it under less polluted skies- weird but i think like faces your brain remembers the image and makes it easier to pick out from the background- it was ever so faint and i couldn’t see any detail- just a faint greyness that was very slightly different to the grey (low mag) background. Good luck with the hunt and yes good to know it’s at least detectable from poor polluted skies with an 8” dob.

Mark

[des anderson]

A great report, and to see the Veil which is always challenge is a win win situation. I`m blessed with fairly dark sky`s [mag 5] but I`ve never seen the Veil without an O-111 filter. Des