GAA Wanderer - Iceinspace in Brisbane

[gaa_ian]

I am just packing up after having a great week in Brisbane, getting together with a number of Iceinspacer's.
"mhodson, Astro_south,Striker, Andrew2 :) ,Graham & others.
Thanks all for a great time :D :astron:
The dark skies of Gatton are worth the drive !
Highlight: Seeing the "Humonculus?" Nebula around the star Eta Carina.
Right up there with a first time view of M42, Saturn .....etc
Also attended a Public night at the botanic gardens by BAS, SAS & the planetarium.
I love these type of nights, got quite a bit of interest with my little Astroscan too :P
Lots of "Where do I get one of those" questions.
I have really come to apprecite the value of a Travel scope on this trip.
Gave some good plugs for Iceinspace to the BAS & SAS crowd too, hope to see more of them here soon.

Thanks again to all for a great week in Brisbane :cheers: :P :cool:

[astro_south]

No worries Ian, enjoyed your company.

Next time you are down in Brisvegas call in (you know where I am now) and we can catch up with the Homonculus, or drive out to Mark's for some darker skies. Loved the ease of use and views through your Astroscan...when are you going to get a 13mmT6 Nag for it? :)

[Striker]

Its always good to catch with everyone......even though Ian turned up late....grrr

Sorry I had to leave early...I promised Erik (my Neigbour) that I would just take him out for a few hours viewing because he has a sick wife he needs to look after.....Erik was so impressed with the view of omega cent and the way those Lazer pointers worked....and of course many others visuals in the sky....He also mention what a nice bunch of fella's you all are.....dont worry I set him straight....lol

Thanks Mark for the invite....

[Striker]

1 more thing....

I think Andrew (Astro_South) should change his name to his star party Nick that was givin to him by Mark Hodson as the GOTOMAN.....you always amaze me Andrew how quick and accurate your are finding tiny Globular's to faint Planetries + More with the Dob.....

[astro_south]

Thanks Striker - you are too kind. I am sure there are others that can find them quicker that I can (stand up Darren (dhumpie)) and know more objects than I do.

Knowing where things are comes from practice and remembering. I did have to refer to the charts once or twice if I remember correctly.

To be honest when ever I am handed a keypad I am usually found staring at the pretty lights wondering what to do next :)

[iceman]

Good stuff Ian, thanks!

Sounds like you had a great night.. you brisbanites are really leading the way with IceInSpace star parties!

[Comet Hunter]

It was great to catch up with you guys again, and also to meet a few more. Andrew's dob is one nice scope, saw alot of objects I've never seen before.. the man's a walking sky atlas :) Thanks mate!!

The nights got me considering getting some decent 2" ep's, the views through my LX just dont compare to those that were seen on Friday.

Looking forward to the next gathering :)

[gaa_ian]

It certainly was a great night a Gatton Andrew, I too look forward to another.
I must say I loved the way the 12" just sucked in the Virgo galaxies 2 &3 at a time with a widefield 2" eyepiece.
With our club LX-90 a 2" eyepiece, coupled with a meade 2" diagonal made all the difference.
I think the F10 LX-90 is much more forgiving of the cheaper Andrews 2" eyepieces, than the F5 & F6 dob's too!