2nd April - Barbie goes to a Dark-ish Site

[PeterStudz]

Went out with my 10 yr old daughter in order to check out a darker site about 30mins drive. To keep things simple I just took our 8x42 binoculars. If anyone knows the area it’s Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary in the New Forest. Supposed to be Bortle 4 compared to my garden in Southampton which is Bortle 7. Although the gate is locked at night there is access to the top of the track and an adjacent accessible open area.

Got there at about 9:45pm. It was cold (below freezing) but hardly any wind. One issue, even after 10pm and even though it’s relatively remote, was the number of cars going past. Roughly one every 3-4 mins, which made it impossible to get truly dark adapted. 

Still, the sky was obviously far darker than home, but as my daughter pointed out, “it’s not Crete”. You could, after sometime in the dark, just make out the Milky Way, although of course it’s not in a great position at the moment. 

Did a quick tour with the binoculars and just scanning the sky. Mainly old favourites like the Pleiades, Beehive, Orion, Hyades….  There was far more going on around Orion’s sword than we can see at home. I managed to just be able to see M81 & M82 (which I can’t see in the binoculars at home), although Alice couldn’t make them out. M3 looked brighter too. We also spotted a couple of shooting stars. 

Definitely possible to take the Dob there, although car headlights would be annoying. And it was obvious that Alice wasn’t comfortable being there just with me. If there was one more person/astronomer(s) it would have been fine. Because of that we didn’t stay too long. Camping in an official campsite would probably be a better option. I also know the head chef at one of the New Forest hotels, but of course you’ve got the hotel lights. Maybe preferable to car headlights. 

Took a quick snap of Orion with my iPhone at the beginning using the Nocturne app. Not convinced by it but worth experimenting. Interestingly a car drove past with full beam while the app was in the process of capturing the picture. Somehow it’s removed it. All in all worth the effort, yet another late night but better than being stuck indoors.

The hoodie that Alice is wearing is great. Warm, fake fur lined and with a large horizontal pocket that’s handy for eyepieces, caps, various bits and bobs. I have an adult version too. Of hand I can’t remember where it’s from as my wife bought them. But if anyone is interested I can find out. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by PeterStudz

[SuburbanMak]

Sounds like fun! Always interested to learn of sites in and around the New Forest / Hampshire area as I’m up in Winchester. 
I was in the Forest last weekend dropping my daughter off at Ferny Crofts Scout camp which is just past Beaulieu Road Station.  Looked like quite a good prospect to observe, elevated, nice clear horizons and quite a few car-parks dotted around where you can get off the road away from passing headlights. The Drift Inn is a nice pub over that way too! 
Also had a good couple of sessions at Lepe beach in the summer & my slightly older kids loved the adventure of a midnight excursion to the sea. 
Winchester way I observe at Farley Mount country park which is a good dark spot but a 5 minute gear carry. Almost as good and 50 yds from the car is Cheesefoot Head on the A272 just outside Winch.  Elevated and solid Bortle 4 (SQM 21.04) this is where I do most of my dark sky observing. 
 

 

[jjohnson3803]

Very nebular looking - gotta love it!  😀 

I've only managed time to take a few shots with Nocturne, but it seems like a good app, at least for widefield.

[PeterStudz]

@SuburbanMak Good knowledge and information. I know the area around the Drift Inn quite well but hadn’t thought of it as a potential site. Might well check it out. Lepe Beach is another spot that I know well. I had thought about that one before, although wasn’t sure if it was far enough away from the glow of Southampton and the docks.