thanks guys! Two great sessions in a row, finally got paid my long overdue dues
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Originally Posted by Paddy
Great stuff Sab. I think getting up at 1.30 is a great strategy - I've been starting earlier and by the time I'm exhausted and have to head in, the seeing is really starting to improve, as well as the transparency. Sounds a magnificent night.
Funny about your spider. I've had one building little webs around the secondary spider of my scope. As if he knows what it's called!
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It's not a bad way of going about it, especially if you're after faint galaxies and what not going to sleep and getting up early means you've been dark adapting for hours and transparency is at its best. I never really considered it though when planning my sessions.
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Originally Posted by barx1963
Spiders! I found a daddy long legs in my ota the other night and a few bits of cobwebs. Must be a lot of spiders this year.
Yes the seeing was pretty good at Snake valley last night also. managed Cent A naked eye thanks to Kens encouragement. Saturn was really steady with clear cloud bands and the Cassini division standing out.
Malcolm
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You and Paddy aswell! My place is shocking for spiders, no kidding every single window corner, eave, fence everything has got webs all over it. But it's not as bad atm as in late spring/early summer, lot more spiders then - perhaps out looking to "get some".... that would explain the reduction of spider activity lately... all the males have been eaten
Centaurus A naked eye? that's pretty damn impressive!
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Originally Posted by Suzy
Great report, thank Sab.
Just incredible you could make out all that detail on Mars.
When I saw it a couple of weeks agao (after 2mths of non observing due to persistent rain and cloud  ) I too got to see some wonderful features- dark shading and wow that polar cap was so bright and striking. No misty wisps though, I'm not that god yet  .
That's a whole lot of power to split Antares- I had no idea it needed that much. |
hey Suzy Nah Antares doesn't need that much magnification, but it's best to go as high as possible. I could see the companion at about 300x (didnt try any lower) but this binary is notoriously difficult due to their close seperation and the overwhelming glare of the primary so used as much power as I could to increase the apparent gap. Even in this good seeing, the glare is overpowering. IMO Antares is a harder split than Sirius. AFIAK the seperation is less than 3".
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Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
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For sure. Surprising to get two such good sessions in a row - and less than a lifetime apart to boot! Hoping to get out tonight, but looking at the satpic, there is masses of disgusting cloud tearing down from NSW at superluminal velocity, and the week ahead is just another cold late-Autumn scudfest . La Nina, I hate you more than the permanent nuclear winter you cause.
cheers