My HantsAstro multi-site pass came just before Christmas and I had the first chance to use it last night (9th January). Gates opened at 8pm and I was there not long after, and stayed until about midnight.
The HantsAstro lot are a really good bunch. Very friendly and helpful and got the chance to do some viewing through some good scopes; an Altair Starwave 70ED and a 10 inch Skywatcher Dobsonsian.
Sky was very clear; the Moon was just over half full, so this did mean some parts of the sky were not available for observing. However, it provided some good opportunity for some lunar observing and to see if my Meade 10x50 bins were any good. Image was very sharp but I did get some reflection inside the bins. However, Dave (HantsAstro founder) informed me that this was refraction in the prism since the Moon was so bright and it wasn't anything to worry about.
I had a go at trying to observe Kemble’s cascade. Not much luck. I think it was due to the Moon’s brightness and the fact that it was quite near the zenith which meant I had to strain and could hold the view for too long. Hey Ho, I'll give it another go at some point.
Trying to keep a log of all my observing so have provided a link below
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1Q_jaEOMLGVb2F0aGV5WUdyRzQ/edit?usp=sharing
Lastly, I was surprised how much dew can be a problem. I took a small picnic table to put my stuff on and within a hour my books and other gear were damp. Might need to rethink the table idea.
Love your blog AstroHog! Keep up the good work xxxx
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