It’s the MILKY WAY!

[Sunshine]

It’s been two weeks since my wife and I moved into our new home on the shores of Lake Ontario. Although I was aware I was moving from bortle six to bortle four, I haven’t had a chance to step out into my back garden and have a look up as renovations left me exhausted and the skies were not clear.
 

My sister in law lives on the next street and as my wife and I walked back home from their home I couldn’t jelp but notice how dark and clear the sky appeared. Once we arrived at home the first thing I did was step out into the garden and to my amazement and joy I noticed I could clearly make out the milky way!. Like a faint thin cloud snaking its way right through Cassiopeia and Cygnus, above, the hairs on the back of my neck crawled.

This was a surprise as I was not expecting to be able to see the milky way, the sky was dark and filled with so many more stars that what I was accustomed to at my previous home. Another very pleasant surprise was the fact that my neighbors all around me do not have any intrusive lights, their own back gardens are dark save for the odd little solar powered and dim garden light.

For a full hour I stood in amazement as I was able to see M31 and the double cluster naked eye! Andromeda naked eye was a revelation for me, I have seen it naked eye many times but never from my own home, impossible from where I used to be for the last fourteen years. Even though it was midnight, I decided to take out my 8” dob for a short while, the double cluster was just magnificent! awash with stars, so many that the double cluster seems to have been lost in the ocean of stars in which it sat. This view of the double cluster was far better than what I could have hoped for from my previous home, it was such a pleasant surprise, it left me stunned.

Clusters were brighter and richer than I have ever seen from my previous location, scanning the milky way at low power with my 14mm XW was an adventure, the points of light were endless. It seems that in the coming years I will be boring you all to death with overly excited reports from my new place. Soon I will have my sticky little fingers on an FS128, be ready for a tsunami of reports! 

[Paz]

Look forward to your reports, you have lots of good times ahead!

What effect does the lake have on seeing I wonder? Some of the best seeing I've had has been on holidays looking out over the sea and big patches of open water.

[Sunshine]

2 hours ago, Paz said:

Look forward to your reports, you have lots of good times ahead!

What effect does the lake have on seeing I wonder? Some of the best seeing I've had has been on holidays looking out over the sea and big patches of open water.

Thanks @Paz I’m not sure about effects to seeing due to lake/ocean proximity, good question.

[DaveS]

The first night when I moved into this house from Bortle 8 Ruislip the sky was clear, and when I went out onto my patio and looked up the milky way was glittering overhead, I reckon it's mid Bortle 3. I just stood there with a big silly grin on my face!

[JeremyS]

4 hours ago, Sunshine said:

My sister in law lives on the next street 

Well, good luck with that 🤣

Seriously, though, it sounds like you’ve made a great move. Enjoy those skies!

[badhex]

5 hours ago, Sunshine said:

It’s been two weeks since my wife and I moved into our new home on the shores of Lake Ontario. Although I was aware I was moving from bortle six to bortle four, I haven’t had a chance to step out into my back garden and have a look up as renovations left me exhausted and the skies were not clear.
 

My sister in law lives on the next street and as my wife and I walked back home from their home I couldn’t jelp but notice how dark and clear the sky appeared. Once we arrived at home the first thing I did was step out into the garden and to my amazement and joy I noticed I could clearly make out the milky way!. Like a faint thin cloud snaking its way right through Cassiopeia and Cygnus, above, the hairs on the back of my neck crawled.

This was a surprise as I was not expecting to be able to see the milky way, the sky was dark and filled with so many more stars that what I was accustomed to at my previous home. Another very pleasant surprise was the fact that my neighbors all around me do not have any intrusive lights, their own back gardens are dark save for the odd little solar powered and dim garden light.

For a full hour I stood in amazement as I was able to see M31 and the double cluster naked eye! Andromeda naked eye was a revelation for me, I have seen it naked eye many times but never from my own home, impossible from where I used to be for the last fourteen years. Even though it was midnight, I decided to take out my 8” dob for a short while, the double cluster was just magnificent! awash with stars, so many that the double cluster seems to have been lost in the ocean of stars in which it sat. This view of the double cluster was far better than what I could have hoped for from my previous home, it was such a pleasant surprise, it left me stunned.

Clusters were brighter and richer than I have ever seen from my previous location, scanning the milky way at low power with my 14mm XW was an adventure, the points of light were endless. It seems that in the coming years I will be boring you all to death with overly excited reports from my new place. Soon I will have my sticky little fingers on an FS128, be ready for a tsunami of reports! 

Sounds absolutely amazing, very happy for you! Having observed on only a few occasions in Bortle 4 or better, I have also been amazed what difference it makes just going from even 5 to 4.

I look forward to more reports! 

[Grump Martian]

Great write up Sunshine. I live near light polluted London. So no chance of seeing the Miky Way. But last week my family and I were on holiday in Devon South West of England. Yes I could enjoy seeing the Milky Way there. My 80 mm refractor revealed thousands of stars in that direction. Also dark patches, probably dark dust clouds .

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

I assume you do realise Mr. Sunshine you have opened a huge can of worms. Have you have initiated marital negotiations regarding the purchase of a 20" dob and an observatory?  😄

[Captain Scarlet]

Well done, what a great move. I know _exactly_ your feeling, having made a similar move 3 years ago. My list of naked-eye revelations include (in no particular order): M31, whole of Ursa Minor, Double Cluster, M44 Beehive Cluster, Coma Cluster. Whenever I see any of those I think back to my time in London and what I could see there and feel mighty lucky.

ENJOY

Magnus