NSW informal Astro Camping Trips - Page 9

Kunama · #**161** 28-08-2016, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan

The weather is looking great for the weekend, so I'm looking forward to lots of observing.......

Thanks for the spectacular evening of stargazing Allan and Jordan, Best one this winter for sure. What an excellent dark sky reserve you have there!!!
Great to meet Shane as well...
Hope the van didn't wake you guys, I had to sneak off early to get back to Canberra.

Cheers,
Matt

Allan · #**162** 28-08-2016, 06:11 PM

Thanks Matt and Shane for coming along to the first Coolah star party, you are in the visitor book. I always enjoy observing with you guys, and seeing Matt's latest Astro acquisitions.

Tonight's looking great again, but I've opened one of the house warming presents, so tonight's observing will be a casual event.

I will organise another get together in a couple of months if anyone's interested.

Shano592 (Shane) · #**163** 29-08-2016, 07:53 AM

I think I ran out of superlatives early on Friday night. Exceptional viewing position, with a magnificent outlook. Views basically everywhere in the sky, and a wonderful daytime view to the north / north-west.

And quiet. How's the serenity? All you could hear were the lambs in the next paddock at around 10pm, otherwise nothing.the only sound was the chirping of the tinnitus off to my right...

North and west views are sloping down (I think you could almost have seeing to +45-50 degrees declination). South and east have a couple of (soon to be remedied) trees. But the overall sky view was staggering. By 6:30pm, you could make out most of the dust lanes in the Milky Way.

Matt's arrival on Saturday was a welcome surprise. Great to meet you also. That home made Dob is excellent, and so quick to setup. The views through it were certainly worth the look. Heck of a trip from Canberra via Sydney. And to answer your question, I didn't even hear you pack and leave.

On the third go, I finally got a passable polar alignment, but for the last few hours I ran Alt-Az, and hit a lot of targets dead centre.

We were able to make out a great lot faint fuzzies, with galaxies down to maybe Mag 11 or 12? The Ring Nebula and Dumbbell leapt out in Matt's 18-inch Dob. They even had good pop in the 10-inch LX200, once I stepped it down to F/6.3. The Grus quartet was visible in all scopes. NGC253 was very bright. The Tarantula through a filtered 18-inch Dob was one of the night's highlights, as was an almost 3D 47-Tuc.

Thanks again, Allan. A truly remarkable location, and your patience has definitely paid off.

Allan · #**164** 29-08-2016, 09:05 AM

Nice write up Shane and thanks for the kind words. You can be the publicity officer I think. Remember we did check out Polarissima Australis which is a mag 13.5 Galaxy, and I was finding a lot of faint galaxies through Grus and Sculptor, so we were doing alright with the faint stuff.

Last night was superb again, even though it was forecast for cloud. Three dark, clear nights in a row is good enough for me.

Shano592 (Shane) · #**165** 29-08-2016, 09:25 AM

Publicity Officer? I thought I was the Demolition Expert, and Minister for Rolling Wire? I suppose I can take 2 wages...

I forgot about Polarissima Australis. Couldn't see it in my scope, but in the larger scopes it did resolve.

Allan_L (Allan) · #**166** 29-08-2016, 10:07 AM

I can't find an emoticon for green with envy.!
Casual job! What was I thinking

Kunama · #**167** 29-08-2016, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan_L

I can't find an emoticon for green with envy.!
Casual job! What was I thinking

Not to rub salt into it but you sure did miss out. I am still compiling the list of objects that we viewed but the Bug, Dumbbell, Polarissima Oz, Ring and Grus Quartet, Tarantula and M17 in the NPB, and my favourite 47Tuc were memorable.

It took me a while to get my bearings when there were so many extra stars visible compared to my usual haunts. The dark sky doesn't get any better.
The sporadic smoker and other meteors completed a perfect nights viewing.

On some targets Shane's Meade and Allan's Dob matched the 18 well and perhaps even bested it on Saturn and a few others. Tracking certainly shows it's worth once the higher powers are used.

Not even the -3C temperature could dull the enjoyment. Well worth the 1200klms round trip though I did not end up testing the new TSA..... Yet!

MortonH · #**168** 29-08-2016, 01:04 PM

Only just came across this. Sounds great. Hope I can make it some time.

Allan_L (Allan) · #**169** 29-08-2016, 02:32 PM

Thanks Glen

Kunama · #**170** 29-08-2016, 03:54 PM

If there is a greener shade of green then this will turn Allan L into it...
I only ever remember seeing one star inside the M57 (Ring) Nebula but with Saturday's seeing in such dark skies I saw the central star clearly and a second flickering in and out of view. Had to go to the book today to confirm what actually I saw.... The brighter of the two companions !!!

The central star at 15.8 and a fainter companion..... A first for me......

Allan_L (Allan) · #**171** 29-08-2016, 05:16 PM

OK OK Enough with the Green Meter...
Now I know Allan has a Sky Quality Meter...
So how did it compare on the SQM ?
Was there any dew? (I know you said there was ice)

Shano592 (Shane) · #**172** 29-08-2016, 05:27 PM

Dew yes. Much dew on Friday night, that turned to ice under -2 degrees. Everything was saturated by about 8:30pm. The dew shields and heaters were cranked to full on both nights. The neighbour (Craig) had mentioned that there had been about 20mm of rain during the week.

Saturday was certainly better but still dewy, then icy (-3 on the Meade-o-scope)... I had a packet of biscuits on the blow-mold table, that kept sliding straight off! Very icy. I think Allan's and Matt's eyepiece cases caught the brunt of it. Allan's black case was white, by the light of the stars. A noctilucent case! My table froze, as did my eyepiece case, but being lighter in colour, were only noticeable to the touch.

Sunday morning was mercifully sunny, and the condensation of the night before thawed, then evaporated by 9am pack-down time.

Allan · #**173** 29-08-2016, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan_L

OK OK Enough with the Green Meter...
Now I know Allan has a Sky Quality Meter...
So how did it compare on the SQM ?
Was there any dew? (I know you said there was ice)

Best SQM I've seen so far is 21.91. It was around 21.7 to 21.8 over the last few days, all the moisture might be impacting the sky darkness.

I don't think it will be a very dewy location, it's just that there was rain in the days before, so there was a bit of moisture around from that.

Coldest temp I saw on my thermometer was 3C. I didn't think it was that cold, but I had the freezer suit on. I was surprised to see the dew icing up.

Maybe we can have a bigger group session in October, the weather will be much warmer by then. Plus the whole site will look much different by October with more room and better horizons.

Allan · #**174** 29-08-2016, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kunama

If there is a greener shade of green then this will turn Allan L into it...
I only ever remember seeing one star inside the M57 (Ring) Nebula but with Saturday's seeing in such dark skies I saw the central star clearly and a second flickering in and out of view. Had to go to the book today to confirm what actually I saw.... The brighter of the two companions !!!

The central star at 15.8 and a fainter companion..... A first for me......

That's a great observation Matt. You get the observing award plus the long distance travel award.

Kunama · #**175** 29-08-2016, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan

That's a great observation Matt. You get the observing award plus the long distance travel award.

I thought that the second star could have been in my imagination but I did go back three times to M57 and saw it each time. Checking with some detailed pics in my books today shows a star in the location I spied the fainter one.

(Just a sidenote Allan, those marks on the dew shield of the TSA102s turned out to be glue from the felt inside the objective cap, a bit of elbow grease and the scope is as new.... now saving up for a second TSA102S)

Rick Petrie · #**176** 30-08-2016, 07:29 AM

Wow guys you are making me green now. We are hoping once we get back from USA and all is well to come up if that was OK with you Allan. We will need a break from all that has been happening to us this year.
Is access easy and would it be OK to bring the caravan and Meggs (dog)?
Sounds like a wonderful site you have picked.
Cheers Rick and Lyn

Allan · #**177** 30-08-2016, 08:17 AM

Hi Rick. It will be good to have you home again for some observing. Your caravan will be fine, I'll have enough clear space shortly for a caravan park. Dogs are ok, the friendly ones anyway. I have Bundy there every time and he's a lover not a fighter.

glend (Glen) · #**178** 30-08-2016, 09:41 AM

I will try to get there in the future as well Allan. Sounds like a great place.

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #**179** 30-08-2016, 07:24 PM

Sounds awesome Allan

I may beg you for an invite someday

nobby2 (Neil) · #**180** 31-08-2016, 03:51 PM

Great to hear the stories. Would love an invite to Coolah some time as its half way to Gilgandra, a place I visit more often these days.

Sounds like the fishing stories of "you should have been here yesterday!"

Great to hear that Matt (Kunama) was there. He was such a mentor when I was building my 14".