What did you see tonight?

[badhex]

25 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

I used to share this view in the last year of my working life..travelling by train and tube to London Moorgate HQ from Lincolnshire, to have a meeting with a 26 year old post graduate who spoke to me as though I was 6 (I was actually 62 then and a Sales Director in my previous role), convinced me that it was time to get off the work rollercoaster and put my metaphorical feet up..👍

Dave

I am 39 in a few weeks and already genuinely looking forward to switching to 4 days as soon as humanly possible. Work to live not live to work! 

[Kon]

Finally got the Dob out after these consecutive storms. It is dead calm.  An early start tonight before Orion disappears behind trees. Seeing is pretty good with the nebula showing some greens and reds. Pleiades showing nebulosity as well. Andromeda galaxy magestic. I hope to hunt some galaxies when Ursa major and Leo come towards my southern horizon.

 

[Davesellars]

Glad to see it's a bit better elsewhere..  It's clear here but terrible transparency so will wait a while to get a scope out..  Hopefully it will improve!!!

Edited February 21, 2022 by Davesellars

[HollyHound]

A very quick 30min session, between clouds, testing out the new (to me) Lunt Magnesium 16x70 binoculars, that arrived today.

They mount very well on my Neweer Camera Crane and I was able to get some lovely views around Orion (including M42 of course, which looked so much better than my 8x56), Pleiades, Taurus and some general cruising around 😁

These are going to be very useful either on their own, or setup alongside a scope or two 👍 

[Ags]

Visiting UK to see my family in the Brecon Beacons and got a chance with the ZS 66 and AZGTI tonight. These days I don't  align the mount, I  just point at what I want and click point and track. No arguments from the electronics that way! 

Orion Nebula was a bit disappointing probably due to thin cloud and streetlights, then we took in a few doubles. We finished off with M81 and M82. Hard to see these from Amsterdam but nice and clear here. Lovely sight to see both in the same field of view!

[Mr Spock]

Had a brief first light with the 12" Dob. Some decent views for a first light. M37 was spectacular. M42 quite extended and with colour  Not bad for light polluted (mag 4.5 in that direction) skies.

[cajen2]

Just come in from my two-part first light, too. Like our friendly neighbourhood Science Officer, I've bought a StellaLyra dob but the smaller 8" one. Smaller? It seems huge after a 150p!

Part one was all problems with the focus extension and finder alignments but after a warm-up, part two was much more successful as I got used to the scope. I had stunning views of M42 and Trapezium with loads of nebulosity, along with Sigma Orionis, a couple of Struves, Rigel and Alnitak, all split easily.

The base on mine was fine once I'd adjusted the stiction to my liking - probably because my scope's lighter.

Think I'm going to like my scope......❤️

Edited February 21, 2022 by cajen2

[Ags]

1 hour ago, Ags said:

Visiting UK to see my family in the Brecon Beacons and got a chance with the ZS 66 and AZGTI tonight. These days I don't  align the mount, I  just point at what I want and click point and track. No arguments from the electronics that way! 

Orion Nebula was a bit disappointing probably due to thin cloud and streetlights, then we took in a few doubles. We finished off with M81 and M82. Hard to see these from Amsterdam but nice and clear here. Lovely sight to see both in the same field of view!

Found a better spot away from the lights ... but it is next to graveyard. Also, three cop cars turned up and arrested some rowdy yoofs at the bottom of the hill 🤨

[Davesellars]

It cleared quite well so had an hour with the 120ST until 9:30 but frustrating as hell with neighbours' lights on  in various directions which is why I do most of my DSO observing after 10 or 11...  Well venture out again in bit.

[Kon]

Well my plan for galaxy hunting is gone up in the clouds...😪....back in since the transparency has dropped a lot. Despite that, I managed my first few galaxies for this season in Leo; Leo triplet (M65, M66, and NGC 3628) looked great in the same FOV in my ES68 24mm EP. M95/M96 and M105 were next. I realised that with this horrible transparency nothing more than mag 10.5 was visible; M65 in the triplet was just about visible. I failed to see NGC3377/3384/3412 (I have seen them in better skies before). Happy for tonight's session and hopefully the rest of the week is looking promising.

[Davesellars]

Yep, just clouded here as well... so packed up.  🥴   At least, as mentioned there are a few promising looking nights this week.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Davesellars

[rojay]

Just in from a pretty decent session. Started with the Pleiades, then M35, but couldn't spot NGC2158. Nice look at the Orion nebula, then up to Auriga to see M36, 37 & 38. Tried the Crab nebula, but no luck, I think the light pollution is too much for it here. Double cluster was very good. I then looked at the carbon star WZ Cas, a first for me. Very distinctive colour compared to the nearby stars. Swung back to look at Sigma Ori, and then called it a night.

 

[Sky-J]

I had a surprise session last night - I didn't expect it to be clear at all, so I'm very happy to have managed to squeeze in an hour and a half's observing. Started with Colliander 69 and a couple of easy doubles then on to M46 via NGC 2360 (needed time & averted vision to spot this) & M47.  After this I spent some time with the Eskimo, which is my current fave, before moving on to the Auriga triplet - M37, M36 & M38 (these tested the neck). Unexpectedly at the end of the session, the Plough had wondered around the side of the neighbours roof so I managed to end my session with a look at M81 and the merest glimpse of M82.

Set-up: Tak100dc - Vixen APZ - Baader Mk IV zoom & Morpheus 4.5
Location: SE London - South facing garden.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Sky-J

[Swoop1]

Lots of cables and a laptop screen as I did the first set up run of my kit with a guide scope and camera. 

Successful set up of GSS and partial success on PHD2. Just got to make sure the right camera is linked to PHD2 and get the focus done.

Oh, I saw some stars as well!

[MercianDabbler]

Popped out for an hour or so with the ST80. Sky clear but seemed less than perfect to me in terms of background glow.

Somehow I managed to point straight at M42 when getting my initial focus so that was nice.

Poking around with Stellarium beforehand I noted that Orion was very high and decided to have a look below it to see if there was anything interesting. The globular cluster M79 seemed worth a punt but at mag 8.56 and 11 degrees altitude it was going to be quite a stretch. I had to set the tripod taller than usual to see over the nearby fence and vegetation but I managed to find the spot and nearby stars somewhere near to a TV aerial. I tried several eyepieces, AV and so on but no joy.

After another visit to M42 I thought I'd revisit Meissa because I had not been there this winter. Finding it was no problem and as usual it is a nice group of stars with a large and small line of three in view but I could not split Meissa - artefacts just seemed to be winning as I increased the magnification.

Next on my not very original plan was the Beehive cluster. I did a fairly length star hop from Procyon and lost my way slightly towards the end but a bit of random sweeping around brought the cluster into view. A nice view was had with the 26mm Meade S4000. I considered upping the magnification but decided that it was framed about as well as possible so didn't bother.

The final target was M81/2. I usually struggle with these from my garden because of the glow from the city centre to the North but they were pretty high tonight so I rearranged the tripod to point that way and aim at high up things and did a star hop with the Meade EP from Dubhe. On arriving at the right location it took me a little while to spot M81 and then I could just about make out M82 with some AV. I switched to the 9mm DeLite and these framed the two galaxies nicely and I could see M82 without and jiggling the scope or AV. Still not a stunning view but probably the best I've had from the back garden.

I packed up around 9:45 and headed indoors for the news and a beer.

[mdstuart]

Just had a lovely 2hrs with my 8 inch Orion dob. Started with a few galaxies that I have not looked at for a while.

Started just under the plough and looked at the pair ngc 4490/ngc 4485. Pleased to see ngc 4490 which is just about mag 12. 

Had a look at M106 and a few others in the area including the fine ngc 3675. 

A very transparent sky with stars down to mag 13.7 seen.

Finished with a double in the melliote cluster stf1639. Equal pair about 1.9" apart. Just split in my 4.7mm eyepiece and even easier in a 3mm eyepiece but then the star whizzes out of view pretty quickly!

Very relaxing session. 

Mark

[Mr Spock]

Didn't see nuffink. With a biting breeze and intermittent cloud, I decided to give it a miss.

[Ags]

Was out tonight with my granddaughter doing a bit of EEA on M42, a bit of AP on M81/82 and then while the photons rained down on the sensor we switched to a naked-eye tour of the sky, taking in the zodiac, Orion, Auriga, Ursa Major/Minor. 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Tonight is actually clear but still approx 20mph winds and the sky seemed very bright until later in the evening, so the scopes stayed inside. However around 11pm the wind had dropped a little and the sky darkened a bit, so I couldn't resist a quick peek with the 15x70s. Hand held for twenty minutes they do shake less than the 10x50s but the forearm strain kicks in. A mini tour of the usual but never boring (to me) brighter Messiers plus a scan around the constellations Cassiopeia & Orion.

This winter has undoubtedly been the worst for observing. With very few clear nights and switching to a 9-5 job last spring, the binoculars are a godsend. Although the bad weather has a silver lining - I've read four astro books this winter. Since taking up astronomy three years ago, I've read 10x more books than the preceding ten years!

Edited February 23, 2022 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[SuburbanMak]

After so much ugliness in the news today I was glad to get out and enjoy some stellar beauty and perspective. 

Worked my way through some Messier open clusters, taking a good look at a few I merely “ticked off” in my first flurry of enthusiasm last winter. 

Seeing was quite stable, transparency moderate but managed to pick out M41 low down although not the brightest view. 
 

M47 looked brighter than I remember and had fun trying to work out if I was imagining the planetary in M46 or not (came to the conclusion I couldn’t be sure). 
 

Looked at M50 - nice bright Cluster & then after some hunting found M67, a favourite object of mine although transparency not allowing it to show its best tonight. 
 

M35 superb however and, as always M44 & M45 spellbinding. 
 

Finished, as I often do, gawping at M42 & environs. 
 

All with the Mak 127 tonight & mostly the 31mm Baader - getting to like this combination although eye placement is a knack. 
 

[Whistlin Bob]

Quite a session tonight- sky here was very clear and seeing was pretty good, so I got the big dob out. Inevitably got stuck into Orion- lovely views of the nebula, and a very faint view of the Horsehead.

Highlight of the night was a second viewing of ngc2419- the Intergalactic Wanderer. It's very faint. How the heck did Herschel find this in 1788? Really find it amazing what astronomers were able to achieve centuries ago with limited equipment.

[Zermelo]

A very decent evening here. Normally I'd take the Newt out if there's no moon, but I thought there might be a bit of a breeze still after the storms, and the Mak is more stable.

Transparency was good, seeing ranged between 5 and 8 out of 10 I think. Some old and new doubles; the tightest I managed tonight was HR 1669 in Auriga at 1.6", which showed a subtle colour contrast. Also nearby, 14 and 26 Aurigae, which looked very similar, both having a fainter blue-grey companion. The standout was 12 Lyncis, a lovely triple comprising a close AB pair equal and white, and C a bit further off, looking a buff colour. Well worth a visit. I put in a wide eyepiece to have a first look at M44 this year, which never disappoints.

I finished off with some galaxies in and around UMa, M51, M81, M82, M63, M94 and M106. Though they were very faint in 5" aperture, I just about saw a little structure in M51, which surprised me.  

[Orange Smartie]

Tuesday Night

I had my sister staying for a couple of days and, since she was a very kind contributor towards the purchase of my Stella Lyra 10" dob, we'd been keen to get a viewing session in for some time.

Conditions were quite good in Oxfordshire, with 0% cloud over us and the storms had abated, so we weren't fighting a shaking telescope. The sis is very susceptible to the cold, so we started quite early and finished early, but this is what we looked at:

We started with M42 in Orion, first with a 25mm eyepiece (50x), moving up to the 12mm (104x) with an OIII filter. We tried the Crab Nebula M1 with the same filter - visible, but not that distinct - I need to check the suitability of the OIII for this DSO. Without a filter at all, we could make out the nebulosity, but it was early in the evening and the sky wasn't really dark enough for it to pop out. The Crab isn't the most beautiful object in the night sky, but its backstory is fascinating, so we enjoyed thinking about the history of it as a "guest star" appearing in 1054.

I took the sis on a tour of some of my favourite doubles, staring with Polaris, then moving to Castor, Mintaka, Meissa and Rigel; a bit of a "wow" moment with Sigma Orionis and finishing on one of my very favourites, the "Winter Albireo" of h3945 in Canis Major. This last pair was showing some beautiful colour with a very distinct orangey-yellow offset against a striking blue.

We then took a whistle-stop tour through some of the easiest and most obvious open clusers - Pleiades, Double Cluster in Perseus, M35 in Gemini, the Auriga clusters of M37, M36, M38 (noting the small cluster NGC 1907 at the edge of the FOV) and M44 in Cancer.

I tried and failed to locate the M81/M82 pairing of galaxies and didn't want to keep my sister out in the cold for too long, so we swung over to Andromeda, noting also the smaller fuzzies of M32 and M110.

A final view of the h3945 pairing, only just visible above trees capped a brief but enjoyable session.

Pete

Edited February 24, 2022 by Orange Smartie
Typos

[Nik271]

8 hours ago, SuburbanMak said:

M47 looked brighter than I remember and had fun trying to work out if I was imagining the planetary in M46 or not (came to the conclusion I couldn’t be sure). 
 

I was looking at M46 last night as well with 100mm refractor and at first could not see the planetary nebula. When I put my OIII filter in the 20mm Svbony EP ( 3mm exit pupil) the nebula popped out. At my low magnificatiion x35 it looked like a slightly defocused star.

The transparency was very good last night in my location, I spent a lot of time scanning the low southern horizon at low magnification. I was very happy to spot the open cluster NGC 2362 arount Tau CMa. The faint stars surrounding Tau seemed to wink in and out of existence with averted vision. If there is a 'ghost' cluster this is it!

[Davesellars]

Urrgh...  another frustrating one.  It looked really promising at 7.30 ish with transparency looking OK - I could just about make out M31 naked eye.  By the time I managed to get out at 9 after the kids were in bed it had got significantly worse and the sky seemed milky and bright.  With the cold wind I decided against getting a scope out.   Went out a few times until 1am and it had only got even worse....