Ursa Minor Has Appeared!

[Captain Scarlet]

I mostly live in SW London, not far from Hampton Court. I got interested in astronomy around 5 years ago, and since then I’ve been obsessed with trying to be able to see, naked eye, all 7 stars in the “Little Bear” asterism In Ursa Minor. Try as I might, I have only ever been able to see 3: Polaris, Kochab and Pherkad. Not a sausage of the others and I’ve tried really hard and often.

Exactly one year ago when lockdown was imminent, we scooted off to my wife’s place in SW Ireland, to WFH from there, where we could be in closer proximity to her elderly mother. We only ever intended to be there a small number of weeks, into months, but postponed and postponed our return until we really had to come back. Not least to get our leaking roof fixed.

We got back this weekend. Last night was clear. Sitting in my back garden, I tried once again to see the Ursa Minor main 7 naked eye, AND I COULD!!! I couldn’t believe it. I also got my SQM-L out, and recorded 19.20 even without @PeterW’s proprietary stray-light shield. This is “darker” than I’ve ever measured here before. Plus, next door has installed an extra security light in the intervening year.

I’m not sure how or why, but this last 1 year has seen a literally-measured reduction in light pollution both from NELM and SQM-L.

Pleased and surprised,

Magnus

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Captain Magenta
Typos

[Stu]

Excellent news Magnus!

Welcome back 👍

[Froeng]

That is indeed brilliant! It is possibly the effect of the much maligned LED lights. Although they are a lot brighter on the ground, they are generally shielded much more efficiently. Only problem is - they are more or less full spectrum, hence impossible to filter out visually.

Don’t forget you also have two major airports in close proximity, both of which are operating only at 10-20% capacity atm. Thinking about it - this might be the main reason...

[JeremyS]

Great to hear this Magnus 👍🏻

[mikeDnight]

It's amazing how the amount we see varies such a lot across the UK. I've never observed from SW Ireland,  but as I like Guinness and have never met an Irishman I didn't like, I wouldn't mind giving it a go.  I never gave much thought to Ursa Minor being a challenging constellation. Even though I live under less than perfect skies, I can see it on any clear night. And so I really do feel for any astronomy enthusiast who has a battle to see the night sky.

 Back in 2007 I spent a weekend at Prestonmontford as a guest speaker for the SPA. It was purported to be a dark sky site!  There was a lot of cloud that weekend, but on the saturday night i managed to catch site of comet Bradfield (i think?), while using an FS102 and a 31mm Nagler. I remember sitting alone as everybody else crowded around a big and imposing Newtonian. Even though I called to say the comet was on view in my scope,  only two out of around thirty people bothered to come and look. Those around the Newtonian couldn't even find the comet, and even if they had, it wouldn't have looked nearly as spectacular.  Anyhow, on returning home and while driving east along the M65, I suddenly realised just how black my local skies are. Ever since, I've always tried to look positively at my site, as even though it has deteriorated over the last 40 years, it could always be a heck of a lot worse. I think that if i lived in or around a large city, I'd build myself a domed observatory, so that i could at least attain some measure of dark adaption, and make the most of a bad job.

[PeterW]

When I lived near Kingston I remember in seeing 5 or 6, nearly all UMi. Haven’t had a try, my skies are darker if you can escape the direct glare of the LED.

Peter

[7170]

On 20/03/2021 at 19:31, Captain Magenta said:

I mostly live in SW London, not far from Hampton Court. I got interested in astronomy around 5 years ago, and since then I’ve been obsessed with trying to be able to see, naked eye, all 7 stars in the “Little Bear” asterism In Ursa Minor. Try as I might, I have only ever been able to see 3: Polaris, Kochab and Pherkad. Not a sausage of the others and I’ve tried really hard and often.

It maybe all the new LED streetlights too, a lot seem to have been changed in the last year and I think it has made a difference here in Surbiton. Also a night with a SW wind helps by bringing in stiller air from the Surrey direction. I've seen Ursa Minor many times from here so it just goes to show how things can vary in a relatively short distance.