Last night’s Blackheath observing session was another great success, with around 80 visitors joining us under mostly clear skies. Despite a thin veil of high-altitude cloud at times, the evening allowed us to showcase some of the night sky’s brightest objects.
One of our regular visitors brought along friends and family, so we had a large number of kids in attendance early on. We were busy showing them Saturn, the Dumbbell Nebula, and the Andromeda Galaxy, which kept us on our toes for the first hour!
One of the highlights was the friendly competition for the best view of Saturn, with Tej, Phil, Mark, Eddie, Alec, Richard, Giorgio, and Matis all participating. Alec’s binoviewers unexpectedly took the spotlight - much to my surprise, as I’d previously been skeptical of their value! Alec’s setup revealed impressive detail, and he experimented with different eyepiece combinations, fine-tuning the view for visitors. One attendee was so moved by the sight of Saturn that she was “lost for words” and nearly brought to tears. These are the moments that remind us why we love sharing the night sky.
Neptune, as anticipated, was less striking. Initially, we debated whether we were seeing the planet or a star, as the haze made it difficult to distinguish. Only after Alec increased the magnification on his scope did we confirm Neptune as a small, bluish disc. It still lacked Saturn’s wow factor, but at least we resolved the sighting!
Jupiter also made an appearance later in the evening. Tej’s SCT provided crisp views of the Galilean Moons and equatorial bands, while Mark’s “tank-like” but surprisingly lightweight mount delivered steady, rewarding views of the gas giant through his Tal scope.
Phil spent time observing Iota Cassiopeia and Almach, and his refractor also gave excellent views of Saturn. Tej captured the Double Cluster, though the high haze washed out the red star in the middle. I focused on the M2 globular cluster, which stood out well despite the occasional cloud.
Tim, after troubleshooting issues with his Seestar at our last session, had it performing brilliantly. He imaged a variety of objects, including the Ring Nebula, Albireo, the Andromeda Galaxy, and more.
Tony, Yvonne, and Helen were also on hand, chatting with visitors early on when the crowd was large, and later sticking around when things quieted down, adding to the camaraderie of the evening.
Todd, a returning volunteer, brought his refractor and new DSLR, capturing some great shots, including a beautiful image of the Double Cluster. Matis and Giorgio, first-time participants, were fantastic additions to the team, offering lovely views through their scopes - Matis with his Newtonian and Giorgio with his 60mm Tak refractor.
Clouds briefly threatened to cut the session short around 8:30pm, but they cleared, allowing us to continue well past the official end time of 10:30pm. As the temperature dropped, we got our first real taste of winter observing - a few muttered complaints about cold hands and feet started circulating, but overall, the atmosphere remained upbeat.
All in all, it was a fantastic night, and we’re already looking forward to the next session on 12 or 13 October. Thanks to all the volunteers and visitors for making it a memorable event!
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