I wish this weather would sod off!

My but the constant cloud over the last few weeks is tedious. My last observing session was 17th February......

Roll on clear skies!

Venus, Pleiades, Orion nebula and M31

First posted to Stargazers Lounge forum 18th February 2017

After a busy day today I decided that as the skies were clear again I would head out to Cookham Dean Common for a less polluted viewing session. I loaded up the car and head out, arriving on plot and completing set up by 20:30. Venus was getting quite low in my available sky but it was perfect for checking the zero of my finder scope.

After last nights view of Venus, tonight was a little disappointing, the atmospherics making the crescent less defined. Still a pleasant 5 minutes though.

I then turned my attention to Pleiades, working up through the magnification range of my kit then back down again through 25mm- 10mm- 25 + X2 Barlow- 10 + X2. I am finding this is a good way for me to gain an appreciation of each object I observe. Start low mag to get the overall picture then upping the magnification to hone in on particular aspects of the object. Having done this, reducing magnification and increasing FOV brings the whole object out from the background again.

From Pleiades I moved on to The Orion Nebula. As others have mentioned, this is fast turning into one of my favourite areas of the sky. Using my work up and down through the mag range, I really got a handle on just how much nebulosity there is in this area. A fantastic view for me.

My next mission was to try for that pesky elusive M31. I scanned the sky by eye and located Cassiopeia and Andromeda, then did a bit of rough alignment, sighting along the top of my tube. I then rotated the tube in its rings to make the finder scope more accessible. I fired up the iPad and opened Stelarium. With frequent references back to the iPad and lots of peering through the finder scope, I finally saw what looked like a tiny hazy blob. I quickly reverted to the EP and bingo! M31 and I were reunited. More working up and down the magnification gave me a good look at the object again. After 20 minutes or so, I started to cast about the vicinity using the slow motion wheels on the EQ3-2 mount. By slewing slightly down and left (South and West in the sky?) I came across a smaller slightly hazy bright spot. I am not certain but think this may have been M33?

I was really enjoying my session so thought I would try for something else. I consulted Stelarium and saw The Cone Nebula marked in the vicinity of Gemini. Doing naked eye scanning and comparison with Stelarium I identified Castor and Pollux and, through this found the feet stars Alzirr and Alhena. By now however, my neck was complaining about my finder scope use. I therefore gave up on the cone (it may be too small/ faint for my equipment anyway) and decided to return to The Orion Nebula for a few minutes before packing up. Another 10 minutes on this object also saw me rewarded with a bit of satellite bombing.

The time by now was 22:00 so I dismounted my kit, loaded the car and returned home for a nice cup of coffee to finish the evening. 

All in all a fantastic evening for me. I hope others out there were able to enjoy their evening as much as I did.

The sky was clear (ish) when I got home

First posted to Stargazers Lounge 17th February 2017

Reasonably clear skies, Venus high and bright and about an hour from getting dark so, after negotiations with my Good Lady, dinner was delayed a little bit so I could set up.

This is the lightest sky I have experienced when observing Venus. As a result, utilising the X2 Barlow, 10mm EP and ND filter, the crescent was very discernible. There was a little too much high altitude haze for me to make out detail but the crescent was the best I have seen yet. 

After 20 minutes or so, I put the caps on the optics and went in to assist with dinner. Once the cooking, eating and clearing up was finished I was back outside.

Venus was still visible but was behind a tree so I went hunting. Using Starlight and Stelarium I tried for M31 but, once again I failed. I have a feeling this is a combination of factors- light pollution in the early evening, impatience on my part and a struggle to get on with my stock guide scope that came with the SW 150P. I am beginning to wonder if a future purchase of an RDF would help....

Whatever- the scope came out and I got some observing in.

Mad dash for Mars

First posted to Stargazers Lounge forum 21st January 2017

I had a late finish at work today which meant that dinner was soon after I got home as were the clearing up chores. As I was leaving work I could see that Venus was high and bright again. 

This got me to thinking. Last night whilst at my adopted away site, I wanted to try for Mars. Starlight showed it in close proximity to Venus and well above the horizon. I knew this was wrong as I had already identified the iPad was having a hissy fit so, I decided that I would give Mars another go tonight.

I set my rig up when I got home then did the eating and clearing up stuff after which I went out to play. Venus was first to check alignment and I spent a few minutes swapping the optics around enjoying the view. I then switched over to Mars and got it straight away. With the 25mm I could just make out that there was substance to the target. Upping to the 10mm then adding in the X2 Barlow and the disc resolved itself- small but discernible. 

The iPad was behaving itself tonight and I saw that Neptune (I think it was) was also on the same arc as Venus and Mars but closer to the horizon. I tried to hunt it down but a tree got in the way. Not the end of the world as I can save this target for another session. 

After Mars I decided to try again for M31. I could identify Cassiopeia and, with the help of Starlight was able then to identify Andromeda. Again, I didn't know where in the area to look for M31 so decided to quarter the area to see if I struck lucky. I tried for what felt like about 15 minutes but, suddenly a voice Identifiable as Mrs Swoop called to say that the pot of tea I had made an hour earlier was getting a bit cold! Had to pack up and go and pour what turned out to be a nice, warm mug of builders tea. 

There is always another night.....

First trip to an away site to observe

First posted to Stargazers Lounge forum on 19th January 2017

Tonight I headed out for the first time my destination being Cookham Dean Common, which I thought may have been reasonably dark. I was on site and set up by about 19:45. I was accompanied by my eldest son. The visibility was very good, the sky being quite dark with the main exception being to the East (is there a way to switch London off?). 

I made my first target The Orion Nebula (again) as I wanted a good look in better observing conditions. Once again, the nebula was a captivating sight and accounted for a good 15 minutes of time. I then stepped aside to give my son some eyepiece time and his first taste of Orion which he seemed to enjoy.

We then did a bit of naked eye scanning and I explained the method of averted viewing to him utilising the nebula and Pleiades. After a few minutes he got it and was able to confirm he could just see a misty patch in the right location for the nebula with his eye alone. I then lined the scope up on Pleiades and let him spend some time scanning the area, getting a feel for the scopes controls. Whilst doing they he had the pleasure of being obs bombed by a satellite or piece of space debris transiting the FOV. He was quite pleased by that.

We then tried to locate Andromeda to observe the galaxy but, due to the profusion of visible stars and the fact that Starlite on the iPad going into wibble mode (showing Orion as below the horizon etc.) I couldn't get my eye in. Lack of preparation also meant that, once I twigged where The Big Dipper was, although I seemed to have some recollection of using the dipper as a guide to Andromeda, I was unable to remember how. 

Not to worry though. Time at the scope is all a learning experience. We decided to call it a night at about 21:30 due to cold feet. Once the car was packed up and the heater on, life returned to the toes and all was well with the world. Even better- on arrival home and unpacking the car, I identified what I needed to do to stabilise a slightly wobbly mount on the tripod.

All in all, a productive and educational first expedition.

Pesky security lights!

First posted to Stargazers Lounge forum 18th January 2017

Last night had a period of what seemed to be crystal clarity above so I broke out the rig and let it cool, heading out myself at about 19:45.

I started by zeroing in on the Orion nebula and, taking heed of what I had been advised, I spent a bit of time swapping between EP's (10 and 25) and including the BarlowX2. The wider FOV I used last night does make a big difference when appreciating the scale of the feature. I was pleased that I could still resolve the trapezium even when just on the 25mm

.

Having spent some time nebulising I decided to hunt for Andromeda again but really struggled (and failed in the end). I used Cassiopeia as my guide but just couldn't hit the galaxy. I have a feeling the light pollution from my neighbours security lights may have been to blame as the full FOV when hunting had a faint orange hue. The security lights are close to the point I set up last night (about 8 meters and they illuminated a good proportion of the side of my house. The bounce back of light was quite marked.

In the end I resorted to pointing my scope in the general direction and used the slo mo wheels of the EQ to quarter the sky. Had a nice surprise whilst doing this as a faint point of steady white light traversed the FOV. I think I got obs bombed by a satellite 

If the opportunity (and significant other) permit tonight, I may head out to a nearby common which I have identified as my potential (almost) dark sky zone for the first time.

Orion nebula and Pleiades

First posted on Stargazers Lounge forum 15th January 2017

I saw that the sky had cleared earlier this evening so set up the scope outside to cool at about 21:00. 

I head out at 21:20 and used the moon to confirm spotter alignment before traversing onto Orion. My target tonight was the Orion Nebula. 

Now, as a new guy to this, I wasn't sure where in the constellation the nebula resides. Starlight, the iPad app that my son loaded for me is a good bit of kit but, I haven't quite got used to its vagaries yet. I initially set up with the x2 Barlow and the 25mm eyepiece and used this to explore the constellation while my eye settled in. I then upped to the x2 and 10mm and used the finder scope to try and identify fuzzy points of light as opposed to pinpoints. 

Having found one, I checked the EP and blow me, a line of stars leading into an irregular cloud with a group of 4 stars within. Not being sure yet as there was the odd bit of wispy cloud around, I stayed with it for 5 minutes but the irregular cloud remained constant. I was satisfied that I was observing a DSO however, it wasn't until I had finished and researched the nebula that I was satisfied I had achieved my aim. The nebula was very distinct, more so than my first DSO- Andromeda. The visibility of the object was almost immediate. I don't know if this is because I had my eye in or because the nebula is more prominent than Andromeda? I spent a good 20 minutes following the nebula through the heavens. A very enjoyable time it was too.

I then decided to relocate to the back of the house to try for Uranus. Starlight had it about three fingers above my visible horizon (the roof of a 2 storey apartment block opposite) so light pollution was a bit of an issue. I lined the finder up on what I thought may have been Uranus and, with the Barlow and 10mm, I saw a prominent point of light a dull yellow in colour. I'm not sure if Uranus would be a visible disc on my set up (Skywatcher explorer 150P) so don't know if I had it. 

Being in the right part of the garden to observe I then decided to have a look at Pleiades. I have always loved the look of this feature with the naked eye. It's shape reminding me of Concord in flight. Once aligned, I swapped between the 10mm and 25mm in the Barlow. To quote a certain reasonably well known SF film, "My God, its full of stars!" Beautiful.

It was about now I identified my one major mistake of the evening- footwear. I had pulled on a pair of light pumps for the session and as I stood at the EP, my slight movements were accompanied by the sound and feel of ice forming on the patio. Wow but my feet were cold (I currently have them resting on a warm hot water bottle!). A bank of cloud was starting to roll in so I decided to call it a night. Only and hour and 20 minutes at the scope but very satisfying.

Venus- just

Previously posted on Stargazers Lounge forum 11th January 2017

Last night was a bit of a wake up call. After the joy of my first session I thought I would get out for a short stint last night. Venus was visible as I rode home so I set up the scope on getting home then sorted myself out.

Before dinner I went out and lined up on Venus. The 25mm EP gave me a discernible disc so I swapped to the 10mm and managed to centre in the EP. The disc was more prominent but, as I had failed to fit a filter, the magnitude made focus difficult. I thought I would try then with the Barlow so fitted it. After the relative ease in which I found M31 the night before, I thought reacquiring Venus would be easy- more fool me.

One of my problems is that the site I have to observe that sector of sky has a street lamp about 15 yards away and, at 1800 last night, directly below Venus (about 2 palm widths below- not got the hang of degrees of declination yet). Combined with clumsy gross adjustments, I failed miserably.

Hey ho. All part of the learning experience.

First ever session

Previously posted on Stargazers Lounge forum- 9th January 2017.

Whilst I was at work today, Parcelforce delivered 2 large boxes and a little jiffy bag. The two boxes contained my first scope- Sky watcher Explorer 150P complete with 10mm and 25mm eyepieces, a X2 Barlow and my EQ3-2 mount. The jiffy bag was my planetary and moon filter set.

I unpacked the gear and spent some time setting the equipment up then had dinner. As soon as I had eaten, the excitement got the better of me and I was outside where the cloud had cleared and the Moon was high and bright. I aligned the mount with Polaris and used the moon to centre my finder scope with the main scope. I then set to having a look at our nearest neighbour.

Wow! I am hooked. I spent a good 40 minutes swapping between eyepieces and the Barlow, getting a feel for how they perform and the relative merits of each combination. Having fallen back in love with the moon, I decided to try for a DSO and, utilising Starlight for guidance along with some remembered tips from on here over the last few days, I located the rough vicinity of Andromeda. I aligned the scope using the finder and then started to do a bit of 'fishing'. After a few minutes of using the slow motion controls on the mount, a hazy blob came into view. I centred it and, again falling back on advice from here, relaxed into looking through the eyepiece and averting my gaze slightly. Before I knew it, the hazy blob had resolved into a milky cloud with a brighter heart. I was looking at my first ever galaxy! Another 40 minutes exploring the effects of the optics on my view of M31 and I then had to call it a night. 

Why I got into astronomy

I am a child of the Apollo years. My early heroes had names like Eugene Cernan, Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell. I remember my dad getting me out of bed to watch that 'One small step' live. The realisation as I looked at the moon that there were men walking around up there was fantastic. I loved looking up at the sky- or what was beyond it.

In later life, I spent some time in the army. Much of this time was spent outside, under the stars. When not actively engaged in looking out for colleagues or enemies trying to creep up on me and give me a bit of a kicking (or worse), then I would find my gaze creeping upwards. On one deployment, I found myself equipped with a Nikon catadioptric camera lens of gargantuan proportions. When fitted with a X20 magnification eyepiece, the views from their beast were phenomenal. During daylight, the lens spent its time looking earthwards but, after dark, when the earth based visibility was nil, I pointed it upwards a little. The moon would fill the field of view and, for the very first time, I got a glimpse of the disc of another world. I found myself looking at a yellow ball that looked like it had sticky out ears. It took me a few moments to understand what I was seeing- Saturn and its rings!

During my time in the army I got married. Postings and other activity in addition to my post military career choices meant we never got a honeymoon. Some 30 years later we decided to rectify this. Hawaii was our destination of choice and a beautiful place it is too. One of the sights we saw and visited was the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on Big Island. Situated on the summit are a number of observatories. On our trip to the summit, we stopped at the visitor centre which had a pair of solar telescopes set up outside. With these scopes we were able to safely view the surface of the sun. We were fortunate that at the time, there was sunspot activity visible.

Throughout this time and these experiences I wanted a scope of my own. I finally realised this just after christmas with my purchase of my first astronomical telescope, a Skywatcher Explorer 150P Newtonian telescope. A newtonian is a reflector telescope, which uses mirrors tom gather light and direct it through the magnifying eyepiece. With my scope I have viewed the moon in all its glory, discerned the disc of both Venus and Mars and found the Andromeda Galaxy and the Orion Nebula. I am hooked.