[castor]

In freezing cold conditions I dragged out some of my acquired collection. It was first light for my Sharpstar 90mm triplet refractor which I had bought from Testar. I mounted it on the balcony of my top-floor apartment.

We're still under lockdown, but Melbourne was lucky enough to get three consecutive clear moonless evenings. So I thought how much observing can you get done this close to the city.

Well as it turns out, quite a lot.

While inner Melbourne is never going to be the same as a rural location away from light pollution, I was able to do some very enjoyable exploration of the Milky Way around Vela and Carina. The brighter clusters actually looked surprisingly good, especially with Televue eyepieces. The 27mm Panoptic seemed to hit the sweet spot.

Gamma Velorum was a beautiful double to split, with its components completely devoid of chromatic aberration. A complete contrast compared to an ordinary achromat.

I can't wait to have a look at the Moon with my new scope when it's around.
And bring on planetary season.

I have found a new coping mechanism in urban astronomy.

I wonder whether any of you are doing similar.

Clear skies to you all and stay safe.