SW130P First Light, First Night & what a night

[jayjt29]

I have Sky Walk on the iphone 4 will check out Stellarium, thanks for the heads up!

Jay

[Porl]

great first light and report! Like some-one else said you pretty much observed what I was on the same night Im glad you said that you'd seen the Pleides as well as that was one i was going to suggest. In my 32mm lense I get all of it in view and when you see it, wow!

I've not checked many other things yet other than what you've reported about but I did look up in the Cancer constellation (to the left of orion in the sky) and the beehive cluster is another cool close bunch of stars to see

I struggled to get afocal shots by hand with my scope but the best thing I did was get a universal digital camera adapter. It really helps with lining the camera up with the eyepiece and makes your images sharper. I had the problem of the view zooming about in the camera when holding it up to the eyepeice.

And GazA those photos are cool! Especially from your iphone!

Paul''

[Damo636]

Nice write up. I would agree with Malcolm about the laptop or netbook. Stellarium in night mode on a fold up table beside me really helped me learn the sky. I hope you have many such nights with your scope.

[mdstuart]

Great report..If you like clusters M35 is hard to beat in /gemini overhead early evening...Try a few double stars using the 10mm so alpha gemini and the pole star plus iota cancer...Try M65/66 under Leo after 9.30 but they are like tough smaller versions of the grey splodge that is the andromeda galaxy...or M81/82 high to the North near the plough but tough to find again the first time.

You could try a bright planetary nebula....in Gemini..NGC 2392 but you will need a star map.. Its a bright blob...

Try the 37 cluster to the North of Orion NGC2169 which yes looks like the number 37...

But lastly and not least M3 the globular cluster above arcturus on high power..can you see the zillions of little stars aground the edge of this glowing blob?

Enjoy...all of the above much easier with turn left at orion or pocket sky atlas or experience!

Mark