About the Monthly Observations section

[MartinB]

One of the greatest pleasures of star gazing is the changes in the sky from month to month. This section is for visual observations and comprises of 2 main sections.

i) Monthly targets

Each month we will provide a list of interesting targets. Some of these will be relatively easy to locate, others will be more of a challenge! If I find the time and sort out the technology I will post some charts for the less familiar targets. However if I try to be over ambitious I may just not get round to it! Any suggestions for any given month are welcome. Actual reports are best posted under the relevant observing section.

ii) monthly comparative

imagine you are trying to find M27 for the first time using a 110mm refractor. What can you expect to see? Should you be able to see any detail within the core or the outer nebulosity which makes up the ears? Will your light pollution make it impossible? Will any particular filters help? These are the types of questions we ask.

Each month I will post a target. Generally it will be fairly easy to locate and suitable for viewing with a small scope. The idea is for as many people as possible to send in their observations.

Please include details of : -

scope used

filters (if any)

light pollution

seeing conditions - how steady the the stars appear through the scope - twinkly = bad!

transparency - how clear the sky is i.e whether the view is being partially obscurred by thin, high cloud or haze.

Include information on what you could see but just as important what you couldn't. Try to include as much detail as possible even if it amounts to "all I could see of M1 was the faintest haze with no detail whatsover". It is also very helpful to include comparsions of different magnifications.

So please send in your comparative reports and target suggestions.