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Observation Log - 08/09/2004

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About time I updated the old log - I've been so wrapped up in the new scope it's hard to leave it alone! This is therefore a combined entry comprising the last few days' observing.

The majority of my first targets have been DSOs, being the main reason I got a telescope in the first place. I've observed pretty much everything within the viewable area the balcony offers, or as far as the seeing would allow, anyway. The first target was M10 which, as if I wasn't excited about viewing DSOs already, really made my night. With averted vision, I was in awe of what I was able to resolve. Current favourites are M11 and M27. M11 is wonderfully bright, even thought it's quite close to the horizon just now. Easily resolved many of the stars in the 26mm and still very clear with the new 9.7mm Plossl I recently acquired. M27 came only recently into the viewable area - it's rather high to be seen from the balcony until quite late. However - well worth the wait! Just seeing that faint glow in the sky gives a real sense of wonder.

Sketch of M11

Most of the time I've spent not more than a few minutes on each target, especially on the date under which this entry is filed. It was one of those rare, clear nights which makes observing real a pleasure, even in these heavily light-polluted skies. I must have taken in around 20 DSOs, just skipping from one to the next to get an idea of what I can see with this scope on a good night in this location. Several planetary nebulas were clearly visible, such as the Saturn and Helix nebulas. Even if they do just look like a blurred star, it was quite impressive to get a look at these in a location such as this.

Wondering what the fuss was about, I picked out a few double stars to see if I could split them. Rasalgethi was do-able with the 26mm, despite rather average seeing, even if it's hardly a test of the resolving power of the scope. I must say it's transformed my view from "Oh, great, a couple of star close to eachother" to "Hey, that's actually pretty cool!". I guess you need to see it (and do it yourself) to appreciate it! Another shot with the 9.7mm made the separation very clear indeed.

I also got a peek at Uranus and Neptune, which took a while to locate with any certainty among the similarly bright stars in the area.

Basically, I'm just amazed that I can even see a *hint* of all these things! I guess it's something only someone who's experienced this beginner phase can appreciate.

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