What did you see tonight?

[John]

32 minutes ago, Pixies said:

Ooer! Snap - I was typing out my comments on the same thing as you typed yours!

Well done for finding that image to illustrate the effect. I tried to snap one with my mobile phone but failed to capture those shadows .......

[SuburbanMak]

7 hours ago, cajen2 said:

After my usual low mag tour of the Pleiades and M42, I was pleased to find all four Trap stars again (only three last night), so I was encouraged to try a couple of double splits. I'm a complete newbie at these, so don't sneer! 😄 I'd done Alnitak before so I checked that first to make sure it wasn't a fluke / my imagination first time and sure enough, there it was, nice and clear at 150x. I'd never tried Rigel before so gave that a go. I thought I'd failed at first before I noticed a faint but clear spot right next to the primary. Checked several times to make sure it wasn't my imagination and there it was.

So that's two whole splits I've done! 😁

Nice work on both!  Orion is packed with great doubles. You’ve not started with the easiest either  

Rigel is a really good example of what a big magnitude difference looks like  - worth a look at Polaris too, similar secondary & some nice colour contrast.. Back in Orion, Eta Orionis (just W of the main constellation outline on a level with the middle belt star) is a rewarding closer pair at 1.7”. 

 Next time you’re on Alnitak it’s worth dropping a degree and half SW (about 1/5 the way toward Orion’s sword) to look at Sigma Orion’s, a fantastic multiple system - an easy triple and more subtle quad with another faint triple thrown in for free (Struve 761). 
 

 Clear (& stable) skies! 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by SuburbanMak
Missed words.

[cajen2]

Thanks for that, SM, that's very helpful, as I'm addicted to Orion. I'll check out Eta and Sigma in TLAO, as I'm never really sure if I've got the right star! 🤔

Edited January 21, 2022 by cajen2

[SuburbanMak]

2 hours ago, cajen2 said:

Thanks for that, SM, that's very helpful, as I'm addicted to Orion. I'll check out Eta and Sigma in TLAO, as I'm never really sure if I've got the right star! 🤔

You are most welcome - if you haven't looked at it before you might find this site useful:  https://stellarium-web.org/

This is a web version of the Stellarium software, like a virtual night sky where you can control the clock. I use it a lot for working out what to see when and planning star hops. 

[Saganite]

Not being sure of the seeing tonight I put the Vixen out again on my tripod and checked out the doubles in Orion.  It looks about as good as it was on 17th/18th so I am changing to the 5",   Andromeda. Moving the AZ100 from tripod to pier took all of 60 seconds which is one of the many things I love about this mount, so I will let the scope cool for a while and see.

[Pixies]

36 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Not being sure of the seeing tonight I put the Vixen out again on my tripod and checked out the doubles in Orion.  It looks about as good as it was on 17th/18th so I am changing to the 5",   Andromeda. Moving the AZ100 from tripod to pier took all of 60 seconds which is one of the many things I love about this mount, so I will let the scope cool for a while and see.

Sounds good, but I'm just so tired after last night plus an early start this morning... 😴

[Saganite]

I have missed a session recently for that very reason, but it is a hobby, so no big deal. 

The seeing BTW is pretty good but not good enough to crack Orionis 52  & 32, the reason I am out tonight.

Ah well maybe a bit later, maybe not.....

[John]

It's a cloudy evening here currently. Forecast to clear from around 1:00 am but I don't think I'll wait around for that.

Enjoy the clear skies, if you have them

[IB20]

Clear but some dirty seeing here, high mags were swimming so have just cruised around Orion with the 17.5mm Morpheus in the 76DC. Highlights were two brilliantly red carbon stars of W Orionis and BL Orionis which are new targets to me. Open cluster NGC 2169 situated near BL Orionis too which is another wonderful target. Lost count of the number of double stars I stumbled on.

Nice little session, sometimes we have to make the best of the conditions.

[SuburbanMak]

10 hours ago, IB20 said:

Clear but some dirty seeing here, high mags were swimming so have just cruised around Orion with the 17.5mm Morpheus in the 76DC. Highlights were two brilliantly red carbon stars of W Orionis and BL Orionis which are new targets to me. Open cluster NGC 2169 situated near BL Orionis too which is another wonderful target. Lost count of the number of double stars I stumbled on.

Nice little session, sometimes we have to make the best of the conditions.

W Orionis is I think the reddest thing I’ve looked at in the sky. Most stars referred to as red look a shade of oange to me, maybe brick red at a push. This one however I see as a full ruby-red.  
 Beautiful and fascinating.

[Epick Crom]

Last night while observing Uranus I saw its moon Ariel for the first time. Jumping for joy! At a magnitude of 14.2 it is the faintest object I've seen so far 😃

[Epick Crom]

18 hours ago, SuburbanMak said:

W Orionis is I think the reddest thing I’ve looked at in the sky. Most stars referred to as red look a shade of oange to me, maybe brick red at a push. This one however I see as a full ruby-red.  
 Beautiful and fascinating.

I agree, W Orionis is a fantastic red star!

[Voyager 3]

On 23/01/2022 at 08:58, Epick Crom said:

Last night while observing Uranus I saw its moon Ariel for the first time. Jumping for joy! At a magnitude of 14.2 it is the faintest object I've seen so far 😃

Hi Epick , what magnifications you used to see it? Excellent observation!!

[Epick Crom]

4 hours ago, Voyager 3 said:

Hi Epick , what magnifications you used to see it? Excellent observation!!

Hi Voyager, I used my 3.5mm eyepiece for a magnification of 343x to see it. It was invisible at lower magnifications. It flickered faintly in and out of direct sight, more clear with averted vision.

[Voyager 3]

Uhm do you think it will be visible in a 8"? I guess if it is visible in 10" ... I may juuuust able to spot it with perfect seeing and enough magnification. I will try once I get clear skies with excellent seeing. But don't hold your breath because I'm not sure which decade that would happen from now.

[John]

On 23/01/2022 at 03:28, Epick Crom said:

Last night while observing Uranus I saw its moon Ariel for the first time. Jumping for joy! At a magnitude of 14.2 it is the faintest object I've seen so far 😃

That's a great spot !

They are tough to see but I really enjoy trying to spot these outer planetary moons

[Epick Crom]

9 hours ago, Voyager 3 said:

Uhm do you think it will be visible in a 8"? I guess if it is visible in 10" ... I may juuuust able to spot it with perfect seeing and enough magnification. I will try once I get clear skies with excellent seeing. But don't hold your breath because I'm not sure which decade that would happen from now.

I believe it is possible to see Ariel in a 8" scope, needs very good conditions as well. Hope you have some clear skies with good seeing soon!

[Epick Crom]

9 hours ago, John said:

That's a great spot !

They are tough to see but I really enjoy trying to spot these outer planetary moons

Thanks John, yes those distant moons are a real challenge to see. It is fun trying to spot them!

[JDF]

Hasn't been good here the last few nights but got a half hour tonight with bins during a clear spell. Had a quick look at  M31 before cloud took it out of view, sweeping across towards M45 and Hyades I spotted 3 stars in a dead straight line that I don't think I have ever noticed before, checking just now it seems the may be Persei 56A, 55 and V590 Persei, it's odd i've never noticed these before.

On down into Hyades and I managed to see the yellow and blue of the Theta Tauris  before spending a few minutes in Orion before cloud covered all. Nothing spectacular but nice to get  a look up!

[Captain Scarlet]

I spent the early part of the evening with my Kowa 88mm spotting scope on M2 mount looking at a huge long-out-of-control gorse fire about 7-8 miles away. Lots of fire engines and at least 5 different sub fires. That’ll be in our news tomorrow. I hope nobody lost a home or was hurt.

I decided to put my Intes M603 on instead for a 6” and higher mag (but uncooled at first) view and discovered the little mount was quite happy with it. DeLite 18.2 for just over 100x.

Then the clouds parted and I had a pristine sky for an hour or so, so I quickly took on M51, M81/2, trapezium A-E, and, most pleasingly of all, sigma Orionis and the fourth star quite plain in view. Also Struve 761 just nearby. I spent most of the time on this system, it was fascinating to see the scope get better and better as it cooled. To start with I couldn't even split the closer double of Struve 761, then later it was refractor-like.

Clouds back in again so a very quick but nice session.

Magnus

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Captain Scarlet

[Stardaze]

Glad to see some managing to find a clear spot. It’s been solid here for two weeks now, Thursday did look promising but that’s changed over night now. It’s not been the best year here. Going a little stir-crazy.

[davhei]

Had an hour or so yesterday evening with the TS 80mm f6 from my back yard and went through some open clusters in the Andromeda-/Perseus area. Started with NGC 752 and on to M34, then to NGC 1528 and 1545. Quite a difference viewing 1528 and 1545 in a larger dob a few nights back. Still nice though.

Moved on up to Trumpler 2 near the double cluster where I looked specifically at ARY 72, a multiple star system or comoving group with five components visible within the natal cluster. Was elated when I identified all the members that was quite easy to do actually. Also picked up doubles Sigma 268 and 307 close by.

On to the always wonderful double cluster and Muscleman and finished with a visit to the small nearby NGC 663 cluster.

Certainly a nice area to drift through!

[Kon]

Not sure it counts as 'tonight' but today I was working from home and I had a nice 30min session looking at the new sun spots that have developed. It was nice seeing all of them scattered around rather than clustered on one side. Tonight is looking promising and the moon is out of the way, so it should be a treat for some DSOs.

[Davesellars]

Contrary to the forecast. it's really quite clear at the moment.  Just been out with the family to catch a view of the ISS pass over very favourably in view (61 degrees max) and very bright.  With binoculars it was quite easy to make its shape.  Some nice binocular targets - Pleiades and Orion and back in as with the wind it was absolutely freezing out there!

[Mr Spock]

Saw ISS earlier. It'll be back round in a couple.

Scope is out cooling at the mo.