AstroCamp May 2013.

This was the second AstroCamp at Cwmdu campsite in the Brecon Beacons organised by the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers and as the skies and weather were superb for the first event in Sep 2012 I was keen to attend the latest one. I prefer observing with my eyeballs to imaging so I brought along a ‘shopping list’ of DSO targets to observe over the long week-end. I booked an off-site ticket as soon as the event was organised; I do not camp so, as before, I reserved a room at the local pub, The Farmers Arms.

Friday, 3rd May.

I, with two other Irregulars car sharing, arrived following a four-hour car trip from Marylebone, to find the campsite filling with Astros and their kit expectant of fine clear night-time skies. There was time in the afternoon to set up the WO GT-81 on the AZ4

and contemplate some sunspot viewing using my hand made solar film filter. Less than a minute of viewing elapsed before the clouds enveloped the Sun to remain all evening and night.

Saturday, 4^th May.

It had rained during the night and the morning was grey and damp. But there was soon time for some morning solar viewing as the skies cleared.

pic fom Spaceweather.com

Active regions 11728 to 11739 were observed through a Baader Astro SolarFilm filter at x48 (20mm Vixen NLV EP in a Celestron 2x Barlow).  AR11734 displayed an interesting cat’s paw shape.

 

At 3pm it was time for the Astro Pub Quiz in the pub where my current lack of astronomical knowledge was demonstrated once again! By 6pm we were back in the camp field viewing Jupiter in the western blue skies until Saturn rose in the East. After observing the two planets easily seen from home in Marylebone I was keen to view a celestial object not visible in the light polluted skies of Central London.  For 2.5 hrs I observed a longed for target: the Leo Triplet.

Leo Triplet - pic from Wikipedia

 I’ve never observed them from London so I was determined to enjoy them in the dark skies of the Brecon Beacons. M65 and M66 were delightful fuzzy ovals but NGC 3628 eluded my eyes.  By 11:30 clouds had arrived and so to bed satisfied with observing two Messiers unseen by me before.

Sunday, 5^th May.

The skies were extremely clear as my evening observing session started at 21:30 UT. I started on my list of DSOs I can’t see from Central London. First up was M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy.

M51 - pic from NASA

I located it using my manual setting circles on my AZ4 mount from co-ordinates provided on my SkiSafari Pro app. At x24 I could detect a rounded even silvery shape – of course nothing like the detail seen in the image. I was pleased the evening started successfully.

22:09 UT - Next up was the Bodes galaxies, M81 and M82. Again I’ve tried several times unsuccessfully to discern these in London and was excited when both hove into view appearing as milky ovals at 24x.

M81 and M82. Image from astrobin.com

21:32 UT – many fellow Astros were enjoying the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, M13, so I joined in with the excitement and pointed the GT-81 at it and was pleased with the far greater detail than when viewed from NW1.

M13. Image by NASA

21:43 UT – I returned my attention and scope toward the Leo Triplet. As during the previous evening not all three were observed at x24 but the two Messiers: M65 and M66. The faintest NGC 3628 was again a ‘no show’ to my curious eyes. The two oval smudges were a delight to register. I felt my trip to the dark sky site had been worthwhile just to see these.

Finally I returned to globular clusters and spent time enjoying M53 at x24.

M53 pic from messier.seds.org

I was pretty tired by 21:45 UT so decided to relax in one of my astro-chairs with my 10x50 binoculars scanning the Realm of Galaxies in Virgo. Dew arrived presently on oculars and objectives hampering further observing by telescopes and I called it a night just before midnight.

Conclusion.

I went to Brecon Beacons for the dark skies, to observe DSOs I cannot detect from Central London. I was delighted and excited to see all I wanted to see in the skies. My experience has whetted my appetite for the Canary Islands skies I shall be under in early June.

Baker Street Irregulars Astronomers - May 20133 Meeting

Photo by @jimanning. 

By Eric Emms.

For this month's meeting I wanted to view the triple planetary near-grouping of Jupiter, Venus and, the planet I've yet to observe, Mercury. 

The trio were to be seen low in the north-west soon after sunset due at 19:56 UT. (8.56 pm BST). I arrived at the Hub, Regent's Park earlier than sunset so spent time observing and showing to others sunspot activity using my solar film filter.

The Moon, waxing gibbous, 9/10th illuminated, soon revealed itself from behind light cloud in the East and as the Sun became obscured by the trees of the park I showed the Moon to a few first-time visitors to our group. Against a bright sky little definition of the lunar surface could be made out at that early part of the evening.

Soon I spied Jupiter through my 10x50 binoculars, bright but very low in the north-east. Through my WO GT-81 at 48x the planet showed as a small bright disc although no Galilean moons were detected. Both Venus and Mercury escaped my scrutiny and Jupiter, now eye-visible, soon sank below the tree-line. A few first-timers at the Hub observed Jove for the first time: not its best display, of course, but Saturn awaited.

Turning to the east, my binoculars again helped as I located Saturn in a still blue sky, a few degrees left of the brightening Moon. Seeing conditions suffered during the evening: poorly defined cloud belts on the disc could be glimpsed but satellites weren't seen. The rings, as always, delighted those present who observed at 48x and 224x.

All other photos by @PhilipStobbart

I returned to showing to others the bright Moon

But it was now so dazzling observing at the eyepiece had become painful on the eye. I didn’t bother to crack open by variable polarizing filter so I decided to try something new. I projected the Moon's image from the eyepiece on to paper to the delight of all around.

As the stars finally made their appearance I turned my scope toward the zenith 

to show the multiple stars of the binary Mizar and Alcor.

Finally I awaited the appearance of a bright Iridium flare in Leo before heading home.