Dark Skies at Tura

Ric · #1 26-12-2006, 11:12 AM

Hi all, Kee and I finally got a decent night at Tura Beach for observing last night and it proved to be a beauty. According to the maps Tura is in a dark sky zone and the diference in viewing was amazing, everything was literally jumping out of the sky.
We had the C8 and a pair of 10 x 50 binoculars and started in Orion with M42, always a great sight and then moved around the same area to view Rigel, Sirius and Betelgueze. It was then across to Taurus for look at Aldebaren and the Pleiades.
After that we moved south to the Carinae region, that was spectacular through the binoculars which give a wider FOV, so many clusters and nebulas, it's a pity I didnt have a widefield camera would have been a great shot. We spent a good hour in that area as there is so much to see when you close in with the C8.
After that we finished off with the LMC & SMC with a viewing of the Tarantula nebula and 47 Tucanae.
It was a great nights viewing and a great way to finish off Christmas day with a great star gaze

cheers

matt · #2 26-12-2006, 11:15 AM

Glad you had a great night of viewing Ric

It would have been good here too except for the wind

Ric · #3 26-12-2006, 11:23 AM

We had some strong wind as well Matt but thankfully we are sheltered by the house and hardly felt it.
Having a clean corrector really makes a difference as well, it was like removing a layer of fog from in front of your eyes

cheers