Cue the A-Team music because the skies are clear, and we love it when a plan comes together! đ
Tonight was our (get ready, big word alert) penultimate exclusive evening at the Royal Observatory, and the hosts were me, Bobby, Clive, and Poly, along with our colleagues from the ROG, Jess and Gideon.
We arrived early to set up and entered the Aladdinâs den for astronomers - the small telescope storage room at the ROG. đ I grabbed the 127mm Mak, Clive got the 8â Dob, and Jess & Gideon took the 6â refractor. Once we loaded up the buggies, we headed to the Dolphin sundial area, leaving Bobby & Poly to handle the meet-and-greets while we proceeded with the setups.
We all ended up slewing to the Moon - it was hard not to, as it was such a stunning sight. While there, I looked around the sky for more targets and, through the tree branches and twigs, I spotted Venus. But could I get it in the telescope? We had about 15 minutes before the groups arrived, so I thought, why not give it a try? And guess what? I only went and managed it! Venus, in all her crescent glory, right there through the eyepiece - and what a sight! Clive stayed on the Moon, while Jess and Gideon moved to Mars.
Over the course of the evening, I switched between the Moon and Jupiter, Clive moved on to the Orion Nebula, and Jess & Gideon targeted the Pleiades open cluster. With each new target, the "wows" were constant and very much welcomed. đ Three planets, the Moon, a nebula, and an open star cluster - not sure how much more we could have squeezed in!
Meanwhile, Bobby was having a fantastic time guiding the groups on a historical tour of the Royal Observatory. He started with the buildingâs origins, moved on to the Longitude Problem and the iconic Harrison clocks, and finally led the group to the Prime Meridian. Judging by the clapping I heard after the tour, itâs safe to say everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
A huge thanks to Bobby, Clive, Poly, Jess, and Gideon - and, of course, to the clear sky - for an amazing evening!
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