Yep, I'm just back from Lostock. I arrived on Friday night, so I was there for the Friday and Saturday night observing sessions. Last night there was not a drop of dew, absolutely fantastic conditions, Friday night was quite dewy, as Tornado 33 reported.
The skies at Lostock are darker than at Ilford (SPSP). At times I found myself just gazing with my eyes rather than using the scope. Mindblowing!
By all accounts, Thursday night saw the best viewing. John Bambury (ausastronomer) was able to get sharp views of Saturn at x400 in his 10" dob!
The best moments for me were seeing NGC 1365 in Hector, and a rising Omega Centauri, which looked absolutely spectacular in the 22 Pan in my 10 inches. I also enjoyed lots of star clusters in the Puppis area.
For those interested in learning, there were some fantastic sessions presented. Anthony Wesley (Bird) gave a ripper of a talk on astrophotography. His self-made newt is georgeous, and it was very interesting to hear how he has come to the conclusion that 13" is ideal for imaging.
One thing my two kids (aged 7 and 4) particularly enjoyed was the chance to play with other kids. They had a ball at the swimming hole. Oh, and Noah (aged 4) was particularly chuffed at winning the 12" Dob in the lucky door prize competition!!
I am absolutely exhausted, so I will add some more detailed comments later, but in short, the location was beautiful, skies very dark, a great gang of amateurs of every level of experience from newbies without scopes to people with 30 and 40+ years experience. A wonderful event, not to be missed next year.
Thanks to Mike, HOughy, Brendan, and the others who helped with putting the event together. It ran like a Swiss clock - testament to the hard work of the committee, and possibly also an indication of just what a fine bunch of people amateur astronomers make when they get together!
