Location: Tilshead
Time: 2130 – 0130
Saturday brought a hat trick of clear SPOG observing sessions with wonderfully transparent skies. It didn’t start that way as, to our surprise, it was raining when we met at the pub. Thankfully it was only a passing shower and it soon left a crystal clear sky. Venus was shining like a beacon in the western sky while fiery Mars hung high overhead. It was one of those brilliantly clear skies that allow a myriad of fainter stars to shine through making the constellations almost hard to recognise.
We had a fantastic time exploring the spring sky. Particular highlights include:
- The interacting Siamese galaxies NGC5426 and NGC5427 clearly visible as two elongated features touching at one end
- Getting lost around the Virgo galaxy cluster while having multiple galaxies in the field of view (I counted 9 around the M84, 86, 87 “core” through Dave’s 10” scope)
- M104 Sombrero Galaxy
- Saturn with the dark Cassini division and several moons
- Surface features on Mars
- Numerous bright Lyrid meteors
- A low level ISS pass
All in all a fun night enjoyed by new and old members alike. It seems a different world with the current driving rain and howling rain.
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