200P vs Moonlit, light polluted sky

[OK Apricot]

Hello ladies and gents, hope everyone is well.

 

I had the pleasantly surprising opportunity earlier to get the 200P out of the lounge tonight - the clouds had broken, albeit leaving a trace of wispy high haze. This was much to the joy of the Mrs who, as yet, has had something to say about our new lounge-piece (the Atom Bomb) every night since its arrival last week. The excitement that my first light brought had not worn off, so I was out the back door with a trail of smoke behind me.

I wasn't too fussed about letting the scope cool - the moon, coupled with high hazy cloud meant that seeing wasn't going to be great, and leaving the scope for 20 mins beforehand was just a waste of 20 mins observing. So, without further ado, it was off to the Moon, and on with the Moon mask.

Immediately obvious was Tycho with its thousand mile long streaks and rays racing away in all directions. A gorgeous sight indeed. I was drawn to the lower left quarter with its craters and mountains like a huge panorama of the badlands, with a dull grey sea of maria at the foreground. A truly amazing sight with crater edges towering above shadows cast from the opposite side, creating the illusion of gigantic bridges spanning hundreds of miles - a humbling image granted to me through the 10mm EP. I am getting the impression that visiting the Moon is never going to get old!

Next, it was south in the direction of Orion. M42 was hiding behind some trees, but Betelguese was shining confidently and invitingly. I nudged the 200P in it's direction and was somewhat confused, disappointed almost. A dull orange disk-like object... until I realised, like a numpty, that I'd forgotten to take off the Moon mask! Having rectified the situation, taking centre stage at 48x magnification, she revealed a brilliant yellow/orange, the diffraction spikes giving a tangible impression of the impending violent end. 600+ light years distant and will still be visible in daylight when she goes boom... an amazing sight.

By the time I'd done with Betelgeuse, the Great Orion Nebula had come out from behind the trees. Sitting comfortably in my chair, this time I picked up a lot more detail despite the proximity and brightness of the moon. A much more pronounced and vivid green was immediately apparent, as well as a more "bowl" like shape to compliment the swooping dust cloud and sweeping wings. I was curious of the settings on my phone, so had a fiddle with the ISO and exposure time and actually produced a readable image! Very exciting for me, as at some point i'd like to get into some small scale astrophotography. I note the blue/red colour and the reach of the nebula.

Next up was the double cluster. The 25mm was my only option here due to the wider FOV, and it was a pleasant sight. The scattered stars reminded me of the light of rural dwellings from cruising height on a plane at night. It was like looking back through my memories. Noting the colour of a few of the more prominent stars being a deeper yellow/white colour, the wider field view was like watching two rivals ready to engage in a stellar scrum. 

Last up was Polaris, as i knew it was a relatively easy double. At 48x, there was a tantalising glimpse of a companion, easily missed by the magnificent bright blue/white of the main star. At 120x, I split it without issue. A definite double in the eyepiece, the companion with hints of blue.

 

Again, absolutely astounded at what this bad boy is capable of, even with the supplied equipment and not properly collimated! I do have a couple of StellaLyra superview EPs coming tomorrow as well as a cheshire to get things lined up properly. I can't wait for the wider field of view, the crisper and darker images these will provide, and a clear, steady dark night at a dark location wouldn't go amiss! Here is my viewing area. 

 

Thank you for reading, and I appreciate having the platform to share my experiences!

J.

Edited February 11, 2022 by OK Apricot
Adding pictures

[ShrewView]

Great stuff. I saw the moon was looking good and was hoping to observe tonight but had to go out in the end, but I did catch it last night and as you say there's so much to see that it doesn't get old at all. Have you tried the lunar 100 challenge? It's a good way to check off some of the interesting features.

[Pixies]

I'd say that streetlight is more of an issue than moonlight! Have you tried asking your local council to shield it? I put up with such a light for a couple of years, then last week I sent an email and this week it was fixed!

Now - I realise a lot of readers will be cursing me, having spent years fighting with their local council to get a light sorted. However, my experience shows that not all councils are the same. It's worth a try!

 

[OK Apricot]

I'll definitely have a look into the Lunar 100, sounds like a good way to learn and navigate around the surface. 

I haven't asked the council anything as yet,  but it is on my list of things to action this year. Saying that, I'm not too fussed as it's not the ideal observing location even under the darkest of skies. I get a greater sense of adventure and reward from going to a more suitable spot, where I can really relax and get properly dark adapted. 

[Sp@ce_d]

It’s well worth asking. We had a couple of lights they painted to stop the spill as they couldn’t get shields for them. Made a world of difference.  It just involved a sensible conversation with a guy who was replacing a blown bulb one day. They first tried to angle them away & then a telephone conversation with the lighting department as it had made it worse. They were out next day & painted the edges black. They couldn’t have been more helpful. He did warn me they would eventually be replaced with LED’s though but we now have a precedent set for the need to shield stray light spill.