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Saturday night was a great night for viewing!

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  • 06-03-2005 3:05am
    #1
    hamster
    Registered Users Posts: 1,766 ✭✭✭


    Home in the country for the week and I went out star gazing after 9pm... I must say this was one of the best nights I have witnessed yet! So many high magnitude stars were visible with plain eyes. Ursa Minoris' 7 star (the little dipper asterim) reference was all visible! :) Normally I would struggle to see them all in Dublin. Jupiter was screaming bright tonight and is up nice to the SouthEast (10pm) and early at this stage. Saturn is still nice slowly crusing the Gemini constellation over head.

    I gave Orion a good look tonight (SW) ... around the 3 vertical stars under Orion's belt... Nair al Saif and the Orion Nebula (M42) and NGC 1977 using a cheap pair of 10x50 binos. M42 looked like a milky ball with 2 "stars" embedded in it.

    Next I went to Perseus and using it I located the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) to the north west with the help of Andromeda's star (Alpheratz) counting up 2 stars in the constellation and I noticed another milky spot (smaller and fainter than Orion's). Need a telescope soon. It's a pity than we don't get more nights like this. Nice and dark tonight... no moon up until quarter to six in the morning...

    Anyone had a go? It was cold out there! :eek: ... 2 coats and I still need to jump around to heat up occasionally. I must get a red light to figure out the dimmer constellations... thought I'd share tonight's fun... it's hard to get good nights like this. :)


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    #2
    Darwin
    Registered Users Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭Darwin


    Yes, the night sky was stunning last night...unfortunately my constellation location abilities are not too good - I must get a decent star map!


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    #3
    Geoffw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13 ✭Geoffw


    hamster wrote:
    ... I must say this was one of the best nights I have witnessed yet! So many high magnitude stars were visible with plain eyes.
    Agreed - I was superb here in Pembrokeshire, West Wales as well. Our local Astronomy Group held its first Weekend Star Camp as well this weekend and so were praying for fine Skies. the clouds did tease us, but it came up trumps of Saturday night.

    Geoff


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    #4
    Flukey
    Registered Users Posts: 11,001 ✭✭✭✭Flukey


    They were good nights. Id din't particularly go out looking, just a bit from my window, but they are good nights to have a telescope out. The best constellations are waning now and the nights are shortening. So make the most of it before the nights really shorten!


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