[DaveM]

Hi all,
I recently moved from Oz to Oman in the Middle East and got my first chance to attend a star party over here. We headed off to an area called the Empty Quarter on the border wth Saudi Arabia, which consists of dunes and flat sabhkas. We had plenty of room for the observing field and camping as you can see... It got up to 38 degrees in the late afternoon, which was not too bad, but it still winter here which makes you wonder what the place is like in summer. The sky was nice and dark with a little dust haze lower down towards the horizon.

It was my first chance to see some northern hemisphere sights that are not visible from Australia, and I won't forget my first view of the Whirlpool Galaxy, using a 20" Obsession with a 13 mm Ethos eyepiece. A laser pointer sky tour was a nice start to the night, which we finished chasing deep sky targets around Leo. As in Oz, a star party is a great way to meet new people and head off to some places you might not otherwise visit.

David