First Session At New Dark-sky Site

[Llamanaut]

I found a new dark-sky site this week whilst out mountain-biking, literally bumped into the land-owner so asked for permission there and then and was granted on condition i call them prior to a session so they can take a peek too

Was going to go last night but BBC forecast got it wrong again, they failed to appreciate the approaching bank of cloud was swirling south not south east - as a result i stayed in with a crate of cider... imagine my annoyance when i went out for a look-see and it was crystal clear

Anyhoo, today i did a quick forecast myself using met-office satellite imagery and decided the approaching wall of cloud was going to miss Dorset between 9 and midnight (and i was right)

Started session at 2100, and decided to take a peek at Sagittarius first... started at the spout of the teapot and looking into the 'steam' bagged M8 the lagoon nebula straight off followed in quick succession by M20 the trifid, M24 the sagittarius star cloud (which looked fab in my 40mm ep) and M17 (still my fave) I then swung left and down and nabbed M25, M22 and M54

Turning my attention to Cygnus next.... i was determined to bag the Veil which up till now has eluded me. Armed with my 40mm ep fitted with 0III filter i zeroed in on 52 cygni, the difference a nice dark site makes is astounding. Almost straight away i could see a thin sliver of eerie green filtered light which is the eastern veil, moving slightly down and left revealed the bigger western part of the veil, I couldnt quite get both parts in the fov but by nudging the dob back and forth I could easily make out the component parts. Very impressive. As an experiment I removed the filter and the view became Milky Wayish again, i can see now why up till now ive missed the Veil, you really need a filter to see it in all its glory.

Flushed with success, i attempted the Pelican and North American nebulae unfortunately a stiff breeze had sprung up and my eyes were watering so couldnt give them my fullest attention, i left them for another time.

Cassiopeia and Andromeda were beckoning so i had a really close look at M31 the Andromeda galaxy and found i could easily resolve M110 and M32 too, first time ive seen all three.

Said hi to Capella and the kids (havent seen them since April) before moving over to the Hunting Dogs and the Big Bear. Cor Caroli was an easy split for my 32mm ep and i bagged M94 and also NGC4490 and 4485 a little further on from Chara. Moving up to the bear i had a good look at M101 viewing it with a 10mm ep then across to M91 near Phecda

Some cloud was drifting over by now and the wind had increased making my eyes water more so i decided to have a look at Jupiter before i packed up. Managed to use a 6mm ep to good effect so throwing caution to the wind threw a x2 barlow into the mix for a whopping x500... huge bright disc, very turbulent, like looking at it through a fast flowing stream but occasional clearish views of the banding. I think i saw the blue disc of Uranus to the right and slightly above jupiter but not 100% sure due to watering eyes)

Packed up satisfied with my haul. Very happy at bagging the veil, i can see now why people have raved about the view in OIII so much. Thanks to Talitha for her help with this one

My new site has on-site carparking, is secluded and on private land, has lovely, easily discernable views of the milky way overhead and due to its height above sea level affords some nice elevated views of the southern messiers, it will also enable me to steal a few degrees from the horizon...however the LP from weymouth and dorchester lets it down. Effectively the horizon from capricornus to pegasus up to roughly level with equiluus is a washed out orange glow which scrubs out the background stars.

My previous dark-sky site is much better but access is a pain, i nearly had my car broken into too. I think i'll probably persevere with this one before i venture back. All in all a very enjoyable nights observing

[QldLiz]

Great report Rich!!

Always good to find a nice dark site that you can head to.

Lots of goodies found too. I also found the Veil 2 months ago for the first time, and with the help of an 0111 filter - a beautiful object.

[Talitha]

Great report, and congratulations on finding a new dark site! The land owner sounds really nice, have they had a chance to take a peek through the Dob yet? I bet the Moon would make them oooh and ahhh.

Glad you finally got to see the Veil, too... the O-III can make or break it, depending on the sky conditions and your aperture. Btw, i have the same teary-eye problem when it's windy. Try draping a sweatshirt or something over your head, it really helps. Looks a bit silly, but who's looking?

[Llamanaut]

They havent been out yet but ive a feeling they will soon.... weathers wet and windy again at the moment... hoping for a clear weekend to get out and give cassiopeia and cygnus a good going over

[Mark at Beaufort]

Great report Rich you certainly seem to find these dark locations.

Mark

[Llamanaut]

Great report Rich you certainly seem to find these dark locations.

Its what happens when youre a mountain biking freak like me!

[Doc]

The Veil how I love this object

Lovely report I really enjoyed it.