Enjoying the clear dry season nights here in the NT, I decided to get the Dob. out in the front yard to give the kids a short observing session.
After sitting back with my 7y.o son & looking at the Milky Way for I while I asked what he would like to look at.
"Anything interesting" was the reply.
So I said, "How about the Trifid" it's got dark spidery arms !
So off we went to the Trifid with a 20mm Possol & a UHC filter in the focuser.
"So how does it look", I asked, "greenish" was the reply.
Intrigued I had a look, Hmmm ... it looked good, perhaps if I used some averted imagination!
OK lets have a look at the Lagoon Nebula, (7 y.o has a look again).
"That one is green & it has some red too"
"Goodnight I'm tired" & off to bed he goes.
Well, I spent the next 10 minutes looking for the Green & Red, after a while I could see a faint greenish grey & pale, pale pink tinge.
Wow this is great, I spent the next hour rediscovering the delights around Sagittarius particularly M16, 17 & 18.
M16 in particular really comes to life with a Nebula filter.
So if you want to be inspired to hunt for detail & see with new eyes, just take the kids out for a look under the crisp clear skies, this time of year (well they are here in the NT anyhow
).
