Bobj
25-05-2007, 12:02 PM
Last week, took out my new 10" dob to the Belmunda t/o (a nice, flat plain,45 km NW of Mackay, hip high grass and the odd tree dotted around). Waited for the sun to sink and took a couple of sunset pix while waiting.
Got to see Saturn and a couple of tiny moons, NGC 5139, what a glorious sight!, Centaurus A, and a few of the sights around Carinae.
Had a break for a few moments and saw a couple of greenish spots at the top of the grass. A look through the binos' revealed that they were fireflies; 30, or 40 ,milling around in the one area. I was fascinated to the point that I forgot about the 'scope and nearly backed on to it. For the next hour, I watched these tiny lights pulsating away in the dark
A thoroughly good night's viewing, even though my main target eluded me because of the hazey atmosphere around it, M101.
Got to see Saturn and a couple of tiny moons, NGC 5139, what a glorious sight!, Centaurus A, and a few of the sights around Carinae.
Had a break for a few moments and saw a couple of greenish spots at the top of the grass. A look through the binos' revealed that they were fireflies; 30, or 40 ,milling around in the one area. I was fascinated to the point that I forgot about the 'scope and nearly backed on to it. For the next hour, I watched these tiny lights pulsating away in the dark
A thoroughly good night's viewing, even though my main target eluded me because of the hazey atmosphere around it, M101.