ok now for the second part of the evening...
with the moon glow, DSO hunting was out of the question so I concentrated on the Tarantula Nebula and 47 Tuc, 'coz at this time of year at this time of night, those are the only two objects I can find without an atlas
In other words....most of the fun is below the horizon!
Without realising it, I actually spent almost 3 hours staring at both the Tarantula and 47tuc in this friggin cold.
Started off with 47 tuc as it was quite high. At 83x, it was a gorgous (sic) sight. It was well resolved, right down to the core infact which quite surprised me at this modest magnification. In my 4.5", only the outer third is resolved, the rest is granular. But now, I am seeing something resembling a pile of glitter. Increasing it to 138x, the cluster as better resolved, the haze of the core littered with tiny pin pricks. Further increasing the magnification to 227x, the view was even better, the stars of the cluster overwhelming the field of view. The core, a large area of haze was covered with specks of light and using averted vision really bought out the best of the cluster. Using 416x, the view was similar but the cluster appeared spectaculary large with the outer 2/3rds completely resolved while the central regions remained a delicate haze littered with stars. My mum was particulary impressed with the 416x view
The Tarantula Nebula was a decent sight despite the overpowering moonglow. At 83x, it was easy to pick out and it exhibited considerable filamentary detail. At 227x, the view was far better, with two looping filaments easy to pick out - the features which give the nebula its name and it does indeed look like a spider. One loop is the head, complete with stars as the "eyes", while the other loop could be interpreted as the abdomen. Some outlying nebulosity was also visible at this magnification which was quite impressive considering the intense moonglow. Sweeping the area, several little knots could be seen littered everywhere. Surprisingly, I had my best view of the Tarantula at 416x, there was simply better contrast between the nebula and the background sky. The surrounding swaths of faint nebulosity were indeed easier to pick out than at 227x. Sweeping the general area at 416x I could pick out absolute scores of little fuzzies everywhere. I can see myself having fun in the LMC with the 10" on a moonless night
Can't wait for the moon to disappear - then we'll be in business
after sitting inside for almost an hour now, parts of the scope are still covered in dew...