Tonights Report - 2/6/06

[Kain]

Oh My God!!

After searching for for god knows how long Wednesday night, I HAVE FOUND M13!! Sadly the high Cirrus was abit of a setback, but seeing a mass of turquoise stars in the EP is breathtaking!! What was even more cool (well for me anyway) I wern't straight to Vega then across to M13! I must be subconsciously learning the night sky! Something I noticed in M13, which I don't know if it's the scope or it's meant to be like that, there were darker patches on towards the edge on M13..but anyway!

Anyway after looking at M13 for a good 20 mins, I thought I'd be cocky and look for M92 (Collins Need to Know Stargazing is a fantastic book!) and there you go after a few mins wiggling the controls on the scope there it was M92, looking smaller and rounder than M13, but this was my 2nd cluster!! I want more!!

Having then popped in the house got a can of beer, I went back out, this time looking for M81/82...What a game this was! took me a good half hour to see them, but I think I found them in the end. Both was visible in the EP the one looking like a faintish streak, the other looking like a oval blob, not as nice as M13, but I had seen my first Galaxy!! I also have a nice at Mizar and Alcor, Is Mizar a double? I swear I could see something close to Mizar that wern't Alcor..

I had a look for M108 and M97, but sadly I had no joy with these, I don't think the sky was dark enough..I'm not too disappointed with that, theres more than one night to see it!

Finally I turned my scope to Jupiter, now I don't know if I'm going mad, but I swear I could see the GRS!! kinda like an oval darkish spot compared to the rest of the the cloud band. All the 4 moons were visible too.

With that It was 11.35, The girlfriend was waiting to go to bed, and me walking in and out was annoying her, so I called it a night..

One little thing, what are these slow moving small stars I see occasionally while looking at something? Are they satellites?

This has got to be the best night I had with the scope, despite the high thin Cirrus, the views I saw was fantastic!!

Roll on tomorrow, even better roll on the 8" Revelation Dobs for my birthday

Wicked evening!

Kain

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

One little thing, what are these slow moving small stars I see occasionally while looking at something? Are they satellites?

Wicked evening!

Kain

Yes they are satellites. And they are watching you watching them. They are nice to watch until they step on your nice long exposure image, then they're no longer welcome. BTW slow moving is relative, these things are a long way up and going fast enough to fry a GATSO.

Sounds like you had a good night, congrats.

Captain Chaos

[Mick.G.]

Hi Kain,glad you had a good time.

I too had a first tonight,M57(It's now in my log as Dinky donut).

Hope you get some more,in the near future.

Mick

[Kain]

I'm going to try M27 tonight, though I have borrowed a neighbours garden to pitch up in, so that I'm away from damned street lights!!

Kain

[geppetto]

Great night you had there Kain..

Hope tonight is even better.

Oh, yes it was the red spot last night that you saw 8)

[MartinB]

Wonderful report Kain. You expressed the frustration and rewards of this hobby very well. Took me right back to my first efforts at finding DSOs a few months ago and the excitement of finding faint fuzzies. You obviously have the tenacity and ability to do very well.

Once you have worked out how to find M81/82 you'll be able to track them down again with no bother.

M27 is bright enough to see its shape quite nicely. It will seem pretty faint and don't expect any colour - the human eye just isn't sensitive enough to pick this up.

Good luck tonight and let us know how you get on

[Kain]

Cheers guys!

I will let you know how tonight goes, I'm currently looking in the book I have to see what I can have a look for tonight.

I wouldn't mind seeing M64, but I think thats a little out of my league at the moment.

Might go back and try a high magnification on M13 yet, I'm quite impressed with the colour of that

Kain