Observing report -- May 6, 2013

After a clusterfuck of a weekend (about which more later), it was time to go astronomizing. But to do that, I'd have to take Tuesday off -- so I did. And what with the nearly new moon and the XOMG weather, I decided I'd go to Boundary Bay. After the last time I went, I got an email from a guy named Scott saying I should invite him along the next time I go. I admire a man who's direct, so I did. And wonder of wonders, he showed up, bringing his 120mm (I think) Skywatcher refractor. We arrived just after sundown and chatted while the ducks and herons dive-bombed us. It was his first time out at the Bay, and my 3rd.

We checked out Jupiter and caught it shortly before it set, low in the sky. We tried looking for the GRS (due to transit at 10.06pm, not 9pm like I thought) but didn't see it. After that it was Saturn, rising in the east. I couldn't see the Cassini Division then (9.30pm, maybe?), but I did see it fleetingly around midnight.

While Scott took pictures of Saturn, I looked up M35 before it set, and found it relatively easily -- much easier than the last time I'd tried to find it. I can nearly persuade myself that I saw NGC 2158.

And by now, M13 was up; I showed it to Scott, and he found it in his scope. "That's the first non-planet I've seen with this scope," he said. Wonderful, beautiful, and lovely to see after the winter. M57 was another reminder of last summer, and so was Albireo. Gorgeous in Scott's scope.

Markarian's Chain -- would you believe I saw part of this? True: M84, M86 and NGC 4438/4435, which may have been split. Barely. And M87 again, as I starhopped over. And but so after that it was time to head home, where I'm typing this now and am tired enough that I'm going to just post this and go.