Wow

[tea_subtle]

Well it was clear from midnight above us in York last night and it was the first chance to have a proper look around with the 8inch dob. 
Went outside, copy of turn left in hand with all intent and purpose to find somethings for us as beginners to view. 
I never picked the book up again last night. Started at Orion Nebula and after viewing that just spent the next two hours just looking around in amazement at the night sky through the scope. 
with 26mm eyepiece in all night I just kept staring  at the night sky. 
I know and slightly regret I didn’t focus my energy in finding objects to view but I was just blown away by the amount of stars. 
I found a cluster very near the horizon in a NNW direction  havent a clue what it was but I was just mesmerised by it all. 
some would say wasted opportunity maybe but to be honest we loved every minute. 
Next time will follow the book more and be even more amazed  

 

[Neil H]

Hi it's never a waste of time i some times do the same just look at stars , I have goto so I do a tour there is so much to see , I use my zoom eyepiece so don't have to change eyepiece and can zoom in if I want 

[Mark at Beaufort]

32 minutes ago, tea_subtle said:

Well it was clear from midnight above us in York last night and it was the first chance to have a proper look around with the 8inch dob. 
Went outside, copy of turn left in hand with all intent and purpose to find somethings for us as beginners to view. 
I never picked the book up again last night. Started at Orion Nebula and after viewing that just spent the next two hours just looking around in amazement at the night sky through the scope. 
with 26mm eyepiece in all night I just kept staring  at the night sky. 
I know and slightly regret I didn’t focus my energy in finding objects to view but I was just blown away by the amount of stars. 
I found a cluster very near the horizon in a NNW direction  havent a clue what it was but I was just mesmerised by it all. 
some would say wasted opportunity maybe but to be honest we loved every minute. 
Next time will follow the book more and be even more amazed  

 

Welcome to SGL and I am glad that you had a great first outing. Turn Left at Orion is a great book with so many objects to view. You may find this software useful especially tracking down objects - http://stellarium.org/

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

I imagine most people do exactly the same the first couple of nights. I did. You enjoyed the night, now welcome to the frustration of looking for objects and not finding them etc 😉

[EntropyTango]

Sounds like you had a great time and a good reference work is a good investment

I also find the solitude very refreshing and the heavens reminds you of how small your problems are in the scheme of things

Clear Skies

[tea_subtle]

It is mainly for the grandson who’s interest I’m encouraging. It’s a learning curve for us both. I’m getting on and my eyesight is not the best. I think it is the fact I can focus and see. It reminds me of my childhood. I still have memories of looking up at skies full of stars. 
I have Stellarium installed. Though I’m struggling a little with it. 
I set the software up with my dob as default and inputted the specs for the eyepieces but Stellarium shows an awful lot more in ocular view than I see on the scope. Not sure where I’m going wrong on that score. 

Edited March 14, 2021 by tea_subtle

[banjaxed]

Glad you enjoyed your first real observing night. Remember there are no fixed rules in astronomy, just do what pleases you. 

PS  Welcome to SGL.

[wulfrun]

Great experience for you, I bet we've all done it. I certainly have! Go out with the intention of finding something specific, get sidetracked and end up mesmerised by the distraction that you didn't plan on. It'll all still be there next time though. I'm also quite new so most things are still "firsts for me.

[Jiggy 67]

I think “wow” is a great description of a great night, it ain’t all about ticking off the targets, just looking can be amazing as well 

[Tiny Clanger]

35 minutes ago, tea_subtle said:

It is mainly for the grandson who’s interest I’m encouraging. It’s a learning curve for us both. I’m getting on and my eyesight is not the best. I think it is the fact I can focus and see. It reminds me of my childhood. I still have memories of looking up at skies full of stars. 
I have Stellarium installed. Though I’m struggling a little with it. 
I set the software up with my dob as default and inputted the specs for the eyepieces but Stellarium shows an awful lot more in ocular view than I see on the scope. Not sure where I’m going wrong on that score. 

If I recall correctly, stellarium ocular view might default to 68 degrees field of view ? If your EPs are plossls, set it to 50 degrees which should be closer to the truth !

Just looking with no aim or plan is great, do it for as long as it suits you and enthralls you . When the novelty wears off is when you start being a bit more targeted and scientific, but with a bit of luck the awe and wonder will stay with you.

Heather

[Peter_D]

3 hours ago, tea_subtle said:

I found a cluster very near the horizon in a NNW direction  havent a clue what it was but I was just mesmerised by it all. 
some would say wasted opportunity maybe but to be honest we loved every minute. 
Next time will follow the book more and be even more amazed  

 

I inputted your location and approximate time into Stellarium and the constellation Perseus was located just above the NNW horizon - it could have been M34 you observed.

[Spile]

I think your less is more strategy is spot on. I find that I get more enjoyment from the simple pleasure of looking at just one or two objects for the whole evening. In terms of Stellarium, I find the ocular view invaluable in locating  difficult objects. 

[Waddensky]

6 hours ago, tea_subtle said:

some would say wasted opportunity

Nothing is wasted, this is exactly what stargazing is about: enjoying the beautiful things in the night sky. Any way you do it.

Oh, and wait until you see the summer Milky Way 🤗. (blown away by the amount of stars) x 10.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Waddensky

[tea_subtle]

2 hours ago, Peter_D said:

I inputted your location and approximate time into Stellarium and the constellation Perseus was located just above the NNW horizon - it could have been M34 you observed.

Yes that was it. Thank you for finding that. I googled m34 after reading your post and recognised the stars immediately. I took a mental note of the three arcing round at the top. 
im not sure how much is normally visible with an 8 inch dob on a clear night. We are Bortle 5 here. 
I could just see faint wispy cloud like in the very centre. 
Thank you for the effort. I’ve just text the grandson to let him know what it was. 

[tea_subtle]

56 minutes ago, Spile said:

I think your less is more strategy is spot on. I find that I get more enjoyment from the simple pleasure of looking at just one or two objects for the whole evening. In terms of Stellarium, I find the ocular view invaluable in locating  difficult objects. 

Thanks for the link. This will handy. 👍

[reezeh]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with just looking. I've done it often enough. Spending time with Nature gives a better connection than anything like 5g or wifi ever can. It's what's missing in a lot of people's lives these days.

[Marki]

Lovely to read this. Just looking for the sheer joy of it is such a fantastic feeling. Its so easy to get caught up in the details and minutiae of scope specifications, glass types, strehl ratios and pixel peeping and camera specs (especially when its cloudy ) and forget to actually look .

I went out wth binoculars around 1am for a while and was delighted by just how many stars I could see, now that Cygnus is rising. Just a wonder even in binoculars!

 

[Robindonne]

You will never forget that “first” moment.  Wait till you see 🪐, that moment will also get burned in your memory😍

[dave34]

Sounds like you and your grandson had a great first night,  First of many i hope, welcome to SGL.

[Kon]

Your 8" Dob will give you many nights of amazement. Like others said try use a phone app as well to get going on things at the spot without much planning. My first night with my 8" Dob (back in December 2020) was like yours, truly mesmerising. Try have a look at open clusters and the Leo and Virgo constellations with their several galaxies (it was pointed to me by other members in this forum) this time of the year. Moonless nights are good for faint smudgy nebulas as well.

[faulksy]

that is a brilliant  report. made up for you both

[Spile]

On 14/03/2021 at 21:02, reezeh said:

It's what's missing in a lot of people's lives these days.

We should be prescribed by the NHS.

[callisto]

On 14/03/2021 at 23:41, Robindonne said:

You will never forget that “first” moment.  Wait till you see 🪐, that moment will also get burned in your memory😍

Was just about to say that 👍

[Nicola Hannah Butterfield]

On 14/03/2021 at 13:58, Jiggy 67 said:

I think “wow” is a great description of a great night, it ain’t all about ticking off the targets, just looking can be amazing as well 

I see you ain;t ticked Mercury off yet shame on you. 😉

@Vacuum Just enjoy what you see now, I know it is totally amazing when you get that wow factor, nothing short of our children being born is as close to what we see in the night sky.