Observing Report -- July 27 2013

Back to the park...the idea of driving to a darker place after insomnia the night before didn't seem safe. And as for actually staying in and sleeping, pshaw! Gotta get out while it's nice; we've got a cloud scheduled for next Friday.

Started off w/a look at Saturn before it disappared behind the trees...which took about 8 minutes. That's probably it for Saturn and me 'til next spring. Split the Double Double, which was a nice surprise -- but not as nice as being able to see M57 in twilight without a filter. That surprised the hell out of me. Two Iridium flares came and went.

I had intended to track down Bernard's Star tonight, but I left behind the S&T with the chart, and irritatingly Tri-Atlas did not have it. Brief search for NGC 6246 since I was in the area, but no luck. I flailed about, and decided to try and find M51 to compare it with a view from a dark site. Pretty sure I found it, but faint; averted vision only, and no sign of two components.

More flailing, this time about whether it would be possible to see any Sagitarrius/Scorpius objects through this tiny notch in the trees. As it happened, I managed to catch M23 quite by accident; got a quick sketch, noted time and alt/az, then checked it out when I got home. Another Messier, which brings me up to, um, get back to you later. Wait, 47.

Tried for M97 but no luck; tired, no filter, no patience. Then the moon came up, and that was lovely. I thought saw my tunnel between Catharina and Cyrillus. (Not really a tunnel, but it does look like one under the right lighting.) Then I thought it was Alphonsus, Arzachel and Ptolomeus. Then I checked when I got home, and it really was Catharina and Cyrillus.

Overall, it was a frustrating night; I kept wishing for a goto scope, because I was having a hard time hunting things down. I got bogged down, too, by trying to figure out what would be visible through that stupid notch in the tress. Oh, well...a CPC's years off, but I really, really look forward to it.