Observing in Greece and Oxford

Tuesday 8th of January 2008 10:13:33 AM

I found myself in a Greek mountain village on the night of 30th of December 2007. The sky was unbelievable. Orion alone seemed to have more stars than an entire Oxford sky. Andromeda (M31) was easily naked eye but so was Holmes. It was actually quite tricky to get one's bearings because the familiar constellations were swamped with stars. I was only carrying a pair of 10x50 Bresser Lidl-specials. Saw one meteor as well but can't remember now where in the sky it was (well, high towards the east, I think). Next time, I should do some homework so that I have a set of targets to check out.

Back in Oxford, I got the 12" Dob out on the 7th Jan. I found M1, the Crab Nebula, with the help of Stellarium, the Wixey and the Turn Left at Orion book. A faint smudge but quite extensive in the 12mm Nagler, perhaps 1/8th of the full moon. I managed to lose it and find it again but it was a tricky one, needing patience. I then used Stellarium to get Altitude readings of the open clusters M35/36/37/38 in Auriga and Gemini. I used Betelgeuse as a calibration point for the Wixey. I set the Wixey to the required altitudes and easily found M35/36/37/38. Some were visible in the finderscope too. Of course, no night is complete without a look at Mars, the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula. I am pretty sure I saw the blue wisps blowing around M45. Mars showed some detail but my eyes are just not up to the task, the longer I stare the less I see. Cassiopeia is well advanced these days and I must visit the clusters there before it's past its best.