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Wow What a night!

Tycho Brahe

By Tycho Brahe
in The Astro Lounge

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Beulah

Beulah

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Yeah, great one tonight!! Managed to bag a few Messiers low down on the horizon, popping out later for the second time for a one-man (woman/person?) session - when I can clean the child-gunk off my EPs...:)

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twotter

twotter

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Beautiful night! The dob went out into the garden as soon as I got home at 19:00 tonight :eek:

Went out at 21:00 and just I was getting settled both neighbours turned on their kitchen lights which flood my garden :) Luckily my observing spot gets some light protection from one neighbour so I popped round to the other and they kindly closed their kitchen blinds - thanks Matt :eek::)

I had the laptop running Stellarium in the conservatory and kept popping inside to check where I was aiming my RDF.

First stop was M1. A really nice and big fuzzy cloud. 25mm EP was okay, tried the 12mm which was better, then the 10mm which wasn't as good. Tried the 2x barlow and quickly put it away!

Then down to M42/M43. Brief look in the 32mm. Lovely, that EP is like opening a window on the cosmos - definitely my favourite EP! The trapezium was very clear and I managed to make out 'E' in both the 12mm and 10mm, which was really cool :D

Just up from Alnitak was M78. Fainter than I expected but with an obvious brighter side to it.

Over to Auriga and the 32mm clearly showed the busy clusters of M36, M37 and M38.

I could have stayed out all night but tomorrow is a busy day at work so it was time to pack up at 22:15. Back in for a cup of hot chocolate :(

Best thing of all???

Sharing the cosmos with my good lady wife :mad:

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Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe

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Great round off of the night... After the observatory shut I took my telescope down the local park which is a hill, with an ordinace survey post on top that is just the right height to act as a stable tripod. As I'm a noob, I just spent 40mins scanning the sky with binos and the telescope, to learn my way hopping round the major stars near orion (Beteguese, Reigel, Sirius, Procyon, Mirzam, Alhena), when a big junkie decides to try and rob me at knifepoint. Now I'm not the most trusting sole, and was sure from his demeanour he wasnt a fellow stargazer, Hurriedly I grabbed my stuff as he approached so was semi ready to leg it when he pulled the knife...I just had time to give him the finger and RUN. The police were treated to a rather comical CCTV scene of man with telescope legging it out the park and down the highstreet, binos trailing in the wind, being chased by big knife weilding junkie!!!! I for my part was glad I had read the goto debate on here, so was deterimined to do at least half my stargazing without the goto function, so hadn't taken the LX200, I'm not confident I could have reached the minimum escape velocity weighed down with that bad boy!!!

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acey

acey

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It was a beautiful night. There was some cloud while I packed the car around 7pm but when I got to my site I had a clear sky until the Moon rose at 12.30 and I headed home. Glad I wasn't put off by those clouds!

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gliderpilot

gliderpilot

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Crikey, my night seemed quite benign in comparison.

Finally finishing off a 4 year observing project to observe and sketch off all the Messier objects through binos and scope. It has been interrupted by two noise machines (now 3 and 1) so a spell of clear weather at the weekend is wonderful.

Recent highlights included sketching M104 (Sombrero Galaxy) and NGC 4656 (Splinter Galaxy) - post in deep sky observing section.

It's looking good again tonight, wahoo!

Mark

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Ant

Ant

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Last night was exceptional.

I was staying at the company House, which is just north of Ramsey in the Fens... I don't think I've ever seen skies that dark from the UK.

Alas I had no scope, but it sounds like you guys took advantage of a very nice night!

Ant

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Space Bat

Space Bat

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Last night was exceptional.

I was staying at the company House, which is just north of Ramsey in the Fens... I don't think I've ever seen skies that dark from the UK.

Alas I had no scope, but it sounds like you guys took advantage of a very nice night!

Ant

It is lovely and clear around there/here (Chatteris just around the corner) very minimal sky glow...

Crikey TB that is not good - perhaps you need to get a air horn or something like that to blast if that happens again as it should deter a junkiemugger...

Chris

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Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe

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Ha Ha Laser light saber!!! I love it. I wish I thought like that, I could at least have burned his eyes out with it!

You can see M104 through binos? Can you see anymore than a star? I need to figure out some easy objects to aim for with my 3" reflector and my binos...

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acey

acey

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I had a great view of M104 with handheld 10x50 binos from Greece, could clearly see the galaxy's elongated and bulbous shape. In UK skies it's lower but should still look good - as long as you can get away from light (and more particularly junkies!).

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yeti monster

yeti monster

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Tycho, a flash gun or laser pointer would render an assialant blinded whilst one gave them a swift boot (or two) to the groinal area, which would make your escape somewhat easier.

I had a swell do last night, starting with Venus straight after sunset with the 114mm newt. Then later the 10"SNT-Dob for Mars, Saturn, M42, a hunt for horsey (still not nailed it), a hunt for Triangulum Galaxy (I think I tagged it, but a lot of LP) and Andromeda Galaxy. As well as some random "looking about". I tried for Triangulum Galaxy again later, but things had fallen too low by then.

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lostinspace

lostinspace

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Tycho, a flash gun or laser pointer would render an assialant blinded whilst one gave them a swift boot (or two) to the groinal area, which would make your escape somewhat easier.

I would embrace this technique and add a hammer to the mix, i know this sounds violent but hey, i doubt he was going to ask nicely for your belongings!

My sister is a sergant in the police and informs me that should you attack someone who has had it away with your stuff then it is you who will be charged :headbang:. No wonder we look to the stars, this planet is soooo messed up!

Glad you got away, i`m off to the tread mill..... just in case..

john

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