What a fantastic night! I haven't done an all-nighter since...., well since the last time I was at Snake Valley!
Here are a few details:- An irritating trip out of Melbourne - at least an extra 45 minutes stuck in freeway traffic! Grass had been cut recently - good! Club members gathered with webcams at the ready and we fiddled for a while getting overexposed snaps of Sirius through our dobs, while Ken produced lovely Toucam images of M42 on the club 120mm refractor.
Crystal clear skies (I suspect some smoke arrived by early morning), seeing was above average. A little wind earlier, but I said an incantation (which included some choice thoughts) and it died for the rest of the night. A little dew formed mid-morning meaning the eyepieces needed a little hairdryer treatment. Cool but not chilly.
Watching Orion spend the night sweeping across the heavens; watching the Milky Way rise to the zenith - simply marvellous!
Apart from Uranus, I spent most of the evening with old favourites.
After midnight, Ken and I retired to the clubroom to educate me in the finer art of processing avi data from my webcam - processing another of the videos I took of the early crescent Moon at the recent SV Camp.
Then back out to a few more hours of imaging for Ken and observing for both of us. We had two 8" reflectors and the 120mm refractor as our tools.
I did experiment further with my erect image adapter:-
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=25920
and was very pleased. It did just what I wanted and, after getting lost looking for Uranus, I put it into the focusser/eyepiece train and the task became easy!
I did put my hands on a GEM for the first time in my life. I don't think I broke anything, but there is a fair learning curve for me there, compared with the faithful old dob mount! OK, move it to the Pleides - won't get there - bumping into knobs etc! "Flip it" says Ken. Push, twist, shove - thank goodness I had nipped up the eyepiece or it would have hit the dirt! Didn't bother to go for NGC253 - I don't think I want to view on my knees. Sitting down - that's astronomy!
Followed Mars for much of the morning - Ken's eyes were more experienced than mine, but I could also make out some surface detail. Saturn was a delight to see a little later.
Caught an early glimpse of M104 at low elevation - it was good to practice the starhop from Corvus again.
Packed up club and Ken's gear so he could retire for the night and I spent a little longer, until the eastern sky brightened and M104 faded into the morning dawn.
Watched Venus take over the skies and a waning crescent Moon, then time to catch some sleep in the clubroom. Woke up to the sound of willow on leather as the local junior cricketers played a match.
SV does it again!
Eric
Anyway, I'll be there. I reckon the change will have blown over and the sky will have been washed clean!
