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first time at a dark site

stevelcfc

By stevelcfc
in The Astro Lounge

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stevelcfc

stevelcfc

Posted
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went to a dark site for the first time tonight with cyborg421 also a member here.BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT oh and did i forget to mention it was brilliant,saw the crab nebula for the first time,the beehive cluster m36,m37 and m38.could have sat there all night without a telescope or binos just staring at the sky it was awesome.dont think ile bother setting up in the back garden again

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JamesM

JamesM

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Does make all the difference and in some ways, more important than aperture. The other thing too of course is that you can have a chat, make a bit of noise without feeling like you've got to tip toe around the place when you're at home. I've an NEQ6 mount which is great but is not the quietest of mounts when slewing around a bit. Mind you, it is still far quieter than a Meade!!!

Another thing, there was no mention of the biscuits consumed during tonights session - you know the forum rules, you "....must include and list them in full when reporting on any observation session".:):D:D

Congratulations on your observations and I'm glad it was worth the effort!

James

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dogfish

dogfish

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IMHO dark skies win over aperture every time. As you say, you can do naked eye astronomy, take a pair of bins, use a small frac, and still have a worthwhile session. We've just bought a holiday cottage in deepest Galloway, and whilst I'll have a big dob down there, I'll still sometimes just use my Megrez 72 for some nice and clear widefield views.

Cheers, Martin

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Oh, it is more important than aperture, no doubt about it. In the end aperture just guzzles more LP. From my mag 7 zenith location I can easily see the whole Veil Nebula complex in a 70MM Pronto. Ditto the Rosette. The Flame is visible in the 140 refractor. It really is vital, and so is first rate dark adaptation. No laptops!! And my eyesight is terrible.

Olly

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Neilius

Neilius

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I was in Northern Ontario back in the summner of 2002 camping. A couple of things I will never forget is Venus casting shadows, and the clear band of the milky way running across the sky. I would hazard a guess that stars down to 5.5 magnitude were visible (or are) at such an isolated spot.

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Mutley

Mutley

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Funny - I had the same "never bother with the back garden again" feeling after a session at Clee Hill in Shropshire. I only took the 4" refractor, but my God what a difference. Almost crashed the car on the way up there because I could see so many stars.

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NessieHunter

NessieHunter

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Having just started, I spent my first few efforts in the garden finding my way around the equipment. Being based in Inverness I am lucky to have dark skies only 10 minutes away in the car. I found a site and spoke to the land owner to get permission last week and have had clouds ever since. Looking forward to my own first dark site experience.

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John

John

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I found the same when I went to the SGL5 star party last year. Under the reasonably (but not perfectly) dark Herefordshire skies, my 6" refractor was turning in similar DSO views to the ones I get with my 10" newtonian at home ;)

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JamesM

JamesM

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This may sound stupid but a very dark sky does take a little getting used to. I remember seeing a VERY dark sky on Exmoor once but the problem I had, compared to my normal sky I'm used to in the city, was that there were so many stars that it took me ages to find anything because my normal reference points were lost by the sheer number of other stars. This is the sort of 'difficulty' I enjoy.;):D:D

James

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Nexus 6

Nexus 6

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This may sound stupid but a very dark sky does take a little getting used to. I remember seeing a VERY dark sky on Exmoor once but the problem I had, compared to my normal sky I'm used to in the city, was that there were so many stars that it took me ages to find anything because my normal reference points were lost by the sheer number of other stars. This is the sort of 'difficulty' I enjoy.:p:D:D

James

totally agree, I found it to be the same when I went on holiday to France recently, was a bit overwhelming to see so many stars! totally lost my bearings for the first few nights! ;)

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Hig

Hig

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dark skies are what first got me interested last year...

we went on holiday to parkdean caravan site called 'sea-acres' a few miles from lizard point in cornwall..

its right out in the middle of nowhere literally miles from any town or village (a few miles from the goonhilly dishes) and is set up on a headland clifftop, so you also have the ocean on 2 sides giving great views to the horizon, and there was very little onsite lighting too... it was pitch black there..

i stepped out to grab something from the car one night about midnight and there wasnt a cloud in site, and I just couldnt believe how many stars there were... i had never seen so many in my life... it was crazy i was stunned... and i could clearly see the milky way ribbon snake across the sky too...

i called my wife out and we were both out there for ages sat on the decking just looking up...

it was then i started watching lots of progs on History channel and Natgeo etc about the universe and solar system and decided I wanted to get something to give me better views...

It was also a fantastic holiday site so I am hoping to book us there again this year even if only for a wknd, and if only for me to get under the pure dark skies with my bins...

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Egor Blimey

Egor Blimey

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Hello Steve from Leicester. You may know Thorpe Satchville near me.

I've just returned from a frustrating trip to my usual 'dark site' there. I packed up due to Twyford village church sending a beam of searchlight straight up Orion's backside!

I called in and tried the door on my way back - locked of course. I realise that astronomy is a relatively minority pastime, but how many nocturnal church watchers can there be? I noticed on the way back home that all the other village churches were burning their parishiners money too.

Grrr! Can anyone recommend a cheap brand of black paint?

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tuc

tuc

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I was in Northern Ontario back in the summner of 2002 camping. A couple of things I will never forget is Venus casting shadows, and the clear band of the milky way running across the sky. I would hazard a guess that stars down to 5.5 magnitude were visible (or are) at such an isolated spot.

Was this at Algonquin Park? If it was, the skies there are more like mag 7! I was also there in 2002--did you see me?

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Neilius

Neilius

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Was this at Algonquin Park? If it was, the skies there are more like mag 7! I was also there in 2002--did you see me?

LOl! Not far, actually (Well - not far in North American terms!). It was in Lake Superior Provincial park and at Pukaskwa park, near a town called Marathon.

I've never seen Venus cast a shadow before or since - Venus setting over a glass-still lake is a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

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