Last night when I got home at 7pm, Orion looked magnificent there in the West, right over my shed. I couldn't resist and never mind supper, out came my Lightbridge 12 inch. What a magnificent sight, even from light polluted Brisbane suburb. I tried my Baader nebula filter on M42 and then my O3. I must admit
I really couldnt notice any improvement with the Baader, and the O3 knocked out so much light that I gave up. So back to my Hyperion 13mm on its own. After peering at the Trapezium for quite a time, I imagined I could see an extra star up there, then my eyesight went fuzzy and I lost it. BUT later on, YES
there it was again - a tiny definitely orange star just to the west of one of the Trapezium stars. I rushed indoors and consulted my trusty Burnham's Celestial Handbook, and there, sure enough, bang in the right place, was star E. WOW and I saw it.
It must have been extra good seeing last night because I have never seen E before, and that is despite my neighbours lighting up my garden with spotlights slung from their deck... Do you think they were sitting out there - of course not. Have they heard of saving the planet I wonder???
Anyway, I then pointed towards Carina and it just blew my mind to think that the sky there was not black - it was milky and that milkyness is of course billions more suns. Fantastic. There's another star in the Trapesium, I think, called F. I'll be after that one next
