Much Better Views of Messiers 35-38
Much better views of Messiers 35-38.
Wasn't sure the clouds would clear, tonight, but sure enough at 1am they did. Spent from 1 to 2am at the scope out back. Gave those four clusters I've been hunting each a real look this time. Finding the Auriga Messiers (M38, M36 and M37) was much easier, this time, with clear skies, proper attire, etc.
I liked M35, but I have to say I wasn't deeply impressed with it. Failed to spot the orange star.
Spent a little bit of time hunting down the oft-ignored emission nebula in Orion, M78. Thought I had it for a moment, but it was a false alarm. Clouds started to come in and I was getting cold (and it's getting late!), so I packed it in after only a few minutes in Orion.
It's interesting, but after spending an hour looking at open clusters, it's kinda hard to mentally adjust your eye to spot faint nebulae.
At the end of the night, while packing up, I got a surprise visitor: one of the neighbors' cats was standing in my living room, wondering where the food was meant to be. It must have got in during the brief time the door was open while I carried my Dob's base into the basement. (I keep the base down there, as it's a bit of a heft to carry around, and the basement stairs are right off of the entrance to the kitchen from the outside.)
Next on my list: M78, a revisit of M42 and M43, and then perhaps a trip to Monoceros, Canis Major, or maybe one of the other neighbors. Weather forecast doesn't look good for the coming week, but we'll see.
--------
Wasn't sure the clouds would clear, tonight, but sure enough at 1am they did. Spent from 1 to 2am at the scope out back. Gave those four clusters I've been hunting each a real look this time. Finding the Auriga Messiers (M38, M36 and M37) was much easier, this time, with clear skies, proper attire, etc.
I liked M35, but I have to say I wasn't deeply impressed with it. Failed to spot the orange star.
Spent a little bit of time hunting down the oft-ignored emission nebula in Orion, M78. Thought I had it for a moment, but it was a false alarm. Clouds started to come in and I was getting cold (and it's getting late!), so I packed it in after only a few minutes in Orion.
It's interesting, but after spending an hour looking at open clusters, it's kinda hard to mentally adjust your eye to spot faint nebulae.
At the end of the night, while packing up, I got a surprise visitor: one of the neighbors' cats was standing in my living room, wondering where the food was meant to be. It must have got in during the brief time the door was open while I carried my Dob's base into the basement. (I keep the base down there, as it's a bit of a heft to carry around, and the basement stairs are right off of the entrance to the kitchen from the outside.)
Next on my list: M78, a revisit of M42 and M43, and then perhaps a trip to Monoceros, Canis Major, or maybe one of the other neighbors. Weather forecast doesn't look good for the coming week, but we'll see.
--------