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2nd June 2011 - Clear skies and looking good for Astronomers!

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  • 02-06-2011 7:47pm
    #1
    DarkDusk
    Registered Users Posts: 914 ✭✭✭


    Hey all,
    So today's looking great and it's (hopefully) going to be even better tonight for stargazers. I for one are definetly going out tonight... Probably going to look at the Andromeda galaxy if it's not too low in the sky and probably Saturn. Anyone else going out tonight? Tell us your plans here and come back after to say what you got up to! :)

    James.


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    #2
    NUTZZ
    Registered Users Posts: 4,101 ✭✭✭NUTZZ


    Was just thinking the same thing early while enjoying the weather! I can't wait to get out there tonight with my scope, having said that my new latest craze is tracking satellites so I may not even use it!


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    #3
    DarkDusk
    Registered Users Posts: 914 ✭✭✭DarkDusk


    NUTZZ wrote: »
    Was just thinking the same thing early while enjoying the weather! I can't wait to get out there tonight with my scope, having said that my new latest craze is tracking satellites so I may not even use it!

    Glad to hear someone else will be joining me!;) So, what type of scope do you have?..


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    #4
    emo72
    Registered Users Posts: 6,273 ✭✭✭emo72


    anybody chasing the Iridium Flares? saw a -6 the other night. great craic looking out for them.


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    #5
    Kersh
    Registered Users Posts: 2,893 ✭✭✭Kersh


    Im off down to wexford with the family for a holiday. And I am (regardless what moaning is done about room) bringing the 8" lxd55 sct. I cant wait. :)


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    #6
    DarkDusk
    Registered Users Posts: 914 ✭✭✭DarkDusk


    Just back in from Saturn! It was so clear tonight. Decided I'd pack it in now, I'm very tired..:o


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    #7
    peterako
    Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭peterako


    My wife was out a function last night...so I packed the kids off to bed early and headed out!!

    But it was still bright :(
    So in for a beer....

    Later....

    Lovely seeing last night!

    Pity my eyes were so tired.

    Quick twaek on the scope's collimation at the start and I could actually (possibly for the first time?) see a nice airey disk on stars with high mag!

    I started the night on Vega and Arcturus as it was still bright.
    I found the stars with the scope itself using guesses as to position....the finder did not show them as it was so bright!
    My Orion Optics Newt is a pure light bucket! :)

    On to Polaris (still not visible with the finder) and a quck collimation adjustment.
    Looked like it was going to be a good night!!

    Then back to Vega, Arcturus and Spica. Nice variation in colours from blue white to yellow/orange and back....

    Saturn...with the 4mm. Lovely, but it's way past it's best and very close to the top of the 60' trees lining the South of the garden...so some shimmering from thermals. Saturn will be 'gone' soon so it was nice to see again before that.

    Could clearly see Titan and Rhea. Rings and detail on Saturn were not as sharp as earlier in the year, but then it's much brighter and Saturn's lower.

    Tried some Astrophotography but I don't expect too much from the captures as there seemed to be a massive red/blue 'shift'.

    Porrima is very visible with the naked eye beside Saturn at the moment.

    So, some star gazing....

    Mizar. The double looked very nicely split right up to (and beyond) 220x with a nice faint airey disk on both stars. :)

    Then....a quick look at the Ring Nebula in Lyra....nicely visible in the still not dark sky!
    Blasphemy....but I can't wait for a little real darkness to have a proper look at this Nebula again!

    All in all....nice viewing...but I'm wrecked now!!

    Clear skies!!

    Peter

    Oh! While it was still pretty bright I did 'catch' and track a very bright satellite in my scope...close enough to Vega heading West to East. Stellarium says it might have been DO-64? But it looked 'big' (about 30x magnification).


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    #8
    Zubeneschamali
    Registered Users Posts: 16,686 ✭✭✭✭Zubeneschamali


    DarkDusk wrote: »
    Just back in from Saturn! It was so clear tonight.

    I went out to look for Saturn with binoculars, and came back in to look up the star it's sitting next to. I'm not as familiar with the summer constellations, and I had never heard of Porrima before. Very interesting!


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    #9
    NUTZZ
    Registered Users Posts: 4,101 ✭✭✭NUTZZ


    Just back in after an hour outside....and it was amazing! Such a clear night, I got my best view yet of Saturn and was completely blown away! Porrima was right beside it so I could have the two of them in view and it made for a great sight.

    Had a look at all the usual's then, Spica, Arcturus and Antares all looked amazing. Capalla cut a lonely figure when I pointed the scope North (which I rarely do because of slight light pollution) but it looked vibrant as it flickered.

    It was great to be out there for an hour wearing a t-shirt and not have to worry about getting cold! Roll on more Summer nights I say! :)


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    #10
    Ardent
    Registered Users Posts: 5,290 ✭✭✭Ardent


    After a miserable day, tonight turned out to be an awesome night in the west of the country! Not a cloud in the sky, the best night of the weekend by far.

    Had a good look at both the moon and Saturn before they got too low. And later on, for the first time, I got to see the globular cluster M13 and the ring nebula M57. Incredible to see these things with your own eyes!

    I'm slowly learning how to navigate the night sky and enjoying every minute of it. Wrecked now though so off to bed!


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    #11
    Kersh
    Registered Users Posts: 2,893 ✭✭✭Kersh


    First night down here in Wexford and I dragged the 8" out. Got a pretty decent alignment done, anything I went to was centred in a 26mm ep :)

    I started off with M51, which was lovely, filled the fov in a 15mm, and then swung around to Saturn to keep the family happy :pac:

    They all loved that, then it was on to some more fuzzy things. I went from M81 over to M57 and then onto M27. All were pretty clear in the 15mm, but went a little hazy with a 9mm, so I stuck with the 15mm. I then went looking at some Virgo galaxies, which were nice.

    It was getting late by this stage so I had a goo at Deneb, Albireo and just for kicks i had a sweep for the North American Nebula, but couldnt pick it up.

    Ill drag it out again tonight if its clear, but ill have more of a plan :)


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    #12
    Ardent
    Registered Users Posts: 5,290 ✭✭✭Ardent


    Kersh wrote: »
    It was getting late by this stage so I had a goo at Deneb...

    What's there to see with Deneb? Is it a double star or something?


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    #13
    Kersh
    Registered Users Posts: 2,893 ✭✭✭Kersh


    Ardent wrote: »
    What's there to see with Deneb? Is it a double star or something?

    Nothing special at all. I had hopped down Markarians Chain, found a lot of fuzzies, some planetary nebulas so while in looking at Albireo I swung over to Deneb just to see colour and all that. And for a bit of change.


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