Tag: M42

Observing Session: 3, December

This evening really pissed me off. Conditions were pretty good and looked reasonably settled. This was the first night where it felt really cold outside and we were both layered up, doing a very good impression of Dunlop Man and Women. The humidity was low and dew was absent throughout the session. All very nice, but with the Moon up and 91% illuminated, took the shine off the session.  I’m running out of star clusters…


A New Toy

I’ve been a bit behind keeping the blog up to date. Apart from a couple of one hour windows where I was able to stick the TMB through the conservatory door and do a little manualy navigated observing, those clear crisp clear nights of  early Spring,  have been few and far between. As I mentioned in my last post, I have a new toy, or more precisely, my partner has,  in Pentax’s O-GPS1. Primarily the…


Observing Session 21, November

Its seems like an age since I was able to open up the observatory and look through a telescope….and I’m right. The 3, November was the last time . Even more amazing was that the technology didn’t go tits up. I fired everything up, slewed to my first star and the target was well within the FOV of a 40 eyepiece.  Apparently, I was not the only one who’s first outing for a while went…


Observing Session 30, Nov/1,Dec

Session Stats Air Mass: 1.9Session started: 00:07 GMTSeeing: I: perfect seeing, No quiverTransparency: ClearMoon: 16 days since New : Phase: 0.98 Orion Nebula M42 NGC 1976, Sh 2-281, Bernes 117 A magnificent sight as always. Looking at my logs the last time I observed M42 was on the 5, November of last year. And within 30 minutes too. With a full moon 30 degrees to the East, I didn’t spend too much time looking…