steroids, insomnia, jupiter and the moon

[Wurzil]

Apparently i am one of the 5 in 100 people who suffer from insomnia from the steroids ive started taking for my sinus problems!! Its like drinking a four pack of red bull for me!

Luckily for me I have no work tommorow so i dragged the scope out for a late night session.

My first view of jupiter this year, through some thin cloud, was pretty darn good - one main belt and hints of other belts when the seeing steadied, four moons and a missing stripe!! No GRS sadly until 3 or 4am so Ill leave that for another day. 200x (5mm) was not working so i settled on a 9mm ortho, and as the seeing got better I sat in the chair for an hour (nice comfortable position with jupiter low, using the refractor). I wonder if the 5mm will work on jupiter when it is higher on a good night?

Should I be able to detect uranus as a disc - think i found it near jupiter along the ecliptic but it just looked like a slightly "chubby" blue-ish star to me.

Sitting with my eye to the eyepiece letting the warm steroid buzz slowly turn into a relaxed tiredness has been probably my most enjoyable session ever. The night was still and quiet and cool, the silence only broken by the occasional seagull (?) and the neighbours baby whinging here and there.

I then turned to the gorgeous hazy pale yellow moon - which had kindly given me a light to set up and work in (saved me turning the light on and waking neighbours and flatmate), and put in the 5mm. Lots of detail and steady seeing to be had, i even watched some little peaks go dark in a shady crater as the sun was setting on them.

I then put in the big 2" 32mm and had a look at the moon framed in the big piece of glass which was also beautiful. so so crisp.

I then tried looking for the double cluster with it, but the stars were veiled, so i packed up and came back in, totally content and in love with this hobby once again.

so good

W

[yeti monster]

Isn't it great to get a really good observation session after a long spell of frustration?

After I'd finished my crayford conversion I was handsomely rewarded with fantastically clear views of M13 and the ring nebula (which I call "ol' smokie").

[Ben478]

Sounds like you had a fantastic viewing session, thanks for sharing! And Jupiter too!! I've not seen it yet, I'm hoping for that one soon!

[Space Oddity6]

Was also woken late last night by the cat chorus (I swear they sound like crying babies sometimes) and happened to glance out the my eastern bedroom window to see Jupiter and the Moon shining brightly. Alas my scope was safely but unhelpfully locked up in the outhouse.

I've promised to myself to set my scope up and stay up to see it tonight but looking at the cloud now it looks unlikely.

[Wurzil]

it really was a lovely little session. hopefully we'll get some more clear nights soon as its my birthday on saturday and i have a sneaking suspicion that there might be a televue plossl or two coming my way

w