first look at saturn

[Wurzil]

With the moon out and lots of LP last night it was all planetary and lunar observing for me. The waxing moon was noticably brighter than a few days ago and left me a bit (must get filter) - Im growing to love the old crater face, every night the terminator moves a little, revealing different details for me to explore at high mag. I cant believe people moan about the moon, its the best thing up there!!

I had a look at mars last night as well, but it wasnt as stable as when I last looked (a few days ago-through a misty haze), but the polar region and a hint of a dark area just underneath were still visible during moments of stability. Im definitely noticing details more easily than when I first started this a few months ago.

I actually found Saturn last night for the first time as well (WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG!??). Twas a big WOW moment for me and I actually did a little infantile hop up and down in celebration. The rings are edgy and I could see the shadow of the ring on the globe of the planet at 150x. I could also make out Titan clearly and Rhea (only using averted vision). It was bright white-green (and didnt look real - it looked like a projection into the eyepiece????).

Absolutly loving the moon and planets at the moment (Mars is closest it gets today I think?)

[Doc]

Lovely report your enthusiasm is fantastic. Keep observing and let us know how you get on.

[Wurzil]

thanks doc. I dont know why I felt the need to post what i saw on here, I suppose I just needed to tell the world.

[pvaz]

Great report!

I must agree Saturn looks like a computer generated image. I always have to convince myself I'm looking at something real.

[ashenlight]

wondeful report Haven't sampled Mars yet, but Saturn was a 'moment' for me too - I'm in the 'infantile hop' group with you

get yourself a moon filter from FLO, it is brilliant - just dulls it a bit (you've probably noticed how bright it gets as it fills up!!) and you can see much more fine detail. It's also great for dulling Jupiter too, which can be a little too bright for comfort on sustained viewing sessions.

[coxie]

i cant wait to get set up so I can join in and get the same buzz the rest of you guys all have from this