Seeing was so good last night (26th feb)

[LukeSkywatcher]

That for the first time EVER (naked eye) i noticed quite a bright star just below Mintaka in Orion designated as 31 Ori.

In ALL my yrs of observing Orion (naked eye)...........i have never seen this star.

It was so bright/clear that i thought it was perhaps a comet in Orion.

For ME...............Orion consists of 7 main stars (and then the sword).

I honestly have never seen 31 Ori with the naked eye before.

I observed it under a near full moon on my way home from the cinema with street lights all around me.

Mars also looked fantastically big and bright.

There were a few clouds about but they were far and few between.

The "seeing" was some of the best i can remember in a very very long time.

Soon as i got home (8:30pm), i stuck my scope outside for an hour or so to cool down.

The views of the moon i got with my new TAL 2X barlow and a 6mm EP were simply outstanding.

Mars was pretty close to the moon but i actually managed to see some detail in it. I saw a clear bright polar cap and what i think were darker areas on the surface.