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Asimov, we setup with my scope for a impromptu drinking session and some imaging with EXFSO, Gadget, another mate and myself. Seeing was initially around 1/10. Really bad and the image looked like a mix master going on 1000. No detail was visible at all and trying to focus was impossible.
Thinking that maybe the collimation was off, EXFSO and myself set about checking it at 2am. Yes collimation was ever so slightly out but we quickly made the adjustments; mind you this would not have accounted for the bad images. See the collimation shot below. Dont worry about the pinch, it is tube current related.
By about 3am EXFSO and myself were the only ones still attending and by this stage very under the weather. Peter went home and I decided to wait out the dreaded tree for the vain hope of some good seeing. Around 4am Mars was once again visible and it was the first time I had seen it since 2am and before that 1am. Damn tree on my neighbours block is treading on dangerous ground. Very frustrating.
At 530am after taking a couple of AVI's of Mars that were at best ordinary and looking at Saturn with a 12mm (which gave a beautiful view) I decided to pack it in. Seeing over the course of the night would have only gotten to a very shaky 3/10 and transparency would have been very low also; no doubt contributing to the haze. Very disappointed and goes to show that all the preparation in the world cannot account for the weather.
Paul
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