Enjoyable session, 9th April

[Midpoint]

No earth shattering discoveries, but I found it one of my most enjoyable sessions due to stumbling across a couple of unexpected sights. Rather than list everything I saw (which wasn't anything too challenging due to my local light pollution), I thought I'd just share the highlights. It's also a notable session for me as it's probably the first time I've been able to set up and use my telescope a whole two nights in a row! The only downside was the session being cut short by the thin layer of cloud(?) forming at around midnight that cloaked everything but the brightest of stars.

After setting up shortly after 8pm, I pointed my scope at the Moon to for my first alignment object. While I wasn't intending to observe the Moon, I did spot an interesting crater formation, Catharina, Cyrillus and Theophilus. The angle of the light really brought out the details and made it seem much more striking than the link indicates. The channel between Catharina and Cyrillus was particularly pronounced and has left me wondering how it might have formed. Time for me to start reading up on Moon geology!

Later on in the evening, I decided to take a look at M35. Using the "precise go to" option on my scope, it picked out a star called Propus for the initial alignment. Probably quite unremarkable to most, but it made a lovely sight seeing that small orange star in the eyepiece when I was expecting just another plain white coloured star. Probably not a star worth hunting down particularly, but i goes to show that even a Go To system can still present you with something unexpected occasionally.

Finally, I decided to try to find the Stargate asterism after seeing it recommended in this month's Astronomy Now. This is one of the rare times I've actually prepared in advance to look for something and a created myself a little guide. Stellarium told me that I should be able to just about fit both M104 and the Stargate in the field of view of my 40mm EP so I sketched a little picture of what else I should be able to see to help me find it. Due to light pollution, I didn't really stand much chance of seeing M104, but once the scope was pointing in what was apparently the right place, I was able to follow my guide to what I think was my target. By this time, the sky was starting to haze over and so I was only able to make out 4 of the 6 stars. They appeared to be in the correct alignment and so I assume that I was looking at the correct thing. One to try again in the future when the skies are clear again.

All in all, an enjoyable night that reminded me why I bought a telescope in the first place!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Nice report. M104 is well worth the revisit, if my old sketches are anything to go by. It is awkwardly place for us in the north, so more difficult than its magnitude suggests. I started late on April 9, so I was bugged by similar cloud, and did not get any real observing done (tried for M109 and NGC 3953, both easy in my scope, but nothing showed). Reading your report, I think I should have started early.

Clear skies

Michael

[Midpoint]

Thanks very much. If I ever get around to visiting a dark site, I'll certainly be hunting down galaxies as I just can't see them from my house. Until then, it's just the brighter star clusters for me.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I live in the suburbs of a medium-sized city (190,000 inhabitants) and can spot many more than I ever thought was possible. An LPR filter can help a bit with galaxies (a UHC filter typically does not help at all for galaxies). An LPR filter rejects line such as the sodium line and several mercury lines, and accepts most light in other parts of the spectrum. If the skies are transparent (rare I confess), an LPR filter is not even needed.

Cheers

Michael