BAZ Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 It was a great introduction to Wymeswold. After a warm welcome from Nick, we were left to our own devices, which meant get a brew sorted. The EMS fan heater came into it's own, keeping the kitchen as a warm room. Sheila bought enough cakes to keep the entire village happy, but only succeeded in keeping us happy. The weather was already at -2 when we arrived, and this got to -6 by the end. When Krys and myself arrived the Moon hadn't yet risen, the Milky Way was clearly visible, but not as good as Belper. However, it is a lot better than Sawley. I took the AR5 refractor and the Vixen 95L cat. The Moon just past full was, well bright, surface features were fairly washed out, apart from some good detail along the terminator, where the height of some of the larger crater walls were clearly apparent. Jupiter and its four moons put on a good show, being the best view in the small cat. A look for M31 in binoculars found it straight away, and considering the Moons efforts it looked nice and bright. M33 was a struggle, and took some finding, but was evident as a faint smudge. M81 & M82 were also visible, and in 8x40 Bins and with the moon out I think this shows the potential of this site. M36, 37 and 38 were nice and clean, but with a bright sky behind them, the smaller stars disappeared. I tried for M35, but with the Moon next door, just a few stars were present. M44 faired better, but only just, only the prominent stars could be seen, which is a shame as it's my favourite cluster. I had a wander round, Celeste was merrily dispatching batteries at a rate of Knots, but had a good night finding some new objects. Bill was quietly imaging the Moon, and Mick was very happy with his Dob. I think Santa will need a bit of help from couriers judging by Micks prezzy list. It was nice to meet Doug (Streetbob), who seemed very happy, and Felix, with his huge new Bino's. Dave, (Rock doctor) had fun with his Meg, which is an excellent scope, even with abuse it turns in a good performance. Iam sorry Craig and Kim couldn't make it, but health comes first. There was a copious amount of snarling and loud muttering coming from the imaging contingent of Sheila and Stephen, Iam not sure what it was, but it didn't want to play. Eddy braved the cold on his motorbike, after overshooting a wee bit. He attended with his Mak and Bino's. I think with a good sky and no Moon, this site will prove nearly as good as Belper. Both have their pro's and con's. There is not so much skyglow from nearby towns such as Ripley, at Belper, but the occasional passing car can ruin night vision, which to be honest I could have counted the number of cars on my fingers, so shouldn't present any real problem. The facilities are a welcome addition, and make it a far more comfortable experience than Sawley on all counts. We didn't have any problem getting in the cars, and with a bit of thought, we will cope just fine with parking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Excellent report Martyn - gives me a real feel for the place and the sky. Thanks for the mention - I was really keen but just in no condition for it and woulda been very uncomfortable - and probably made me worse for work tomorrow. Can't wait for the 15th now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Sounds like a great night. I wish I could have been there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Sounded like a good night and well attended, looking forward to having a look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celeste Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I had a wander round, Celeste was merrily dispatching batteries at a rate of Knots, but had a good night finding some new objects. Haha...yeah i'm a newly qualified battery basher lol. I can't believe just how fast my pack ran down, and then I ran your fully charged battery down in under 2 hrs! Oops. I did find M81/82 for the first time, amazing! And thanks for the nudge in the direction of the Owl cluster...how cute! I did wander over to the the imaging section at the end of my night, I was interested in the process but unfortunately it wasn't going to plan....computer said no lol. Did you manage to get it sorted? Thanks to Sheila for the yummy cakes, my daughter is a bit of a baker herself, she enjoys it too. A very enjoyable evening in all, I tried to say hello to everyone at some point, if I missed you sorry! Bill, did you manage to get any decent images last night? I'd love to see what you got Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Just how I remembered it all. A great night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 There was a copious amount of snarling and loud muttering coming from the imaging contingent of Sheila and Stephen, I am not sure what it was, but it didn't want to play. This is starting to become the norm from these two - lol....... It's going to be very odd when they get up and running! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 This is starting to become the norm from these two - lol....... It's going to be very odd when they get up and running! Will they ever get up and running, that is the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T A WOW Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Good report. I'm looking forward to the 15th now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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