Sally saw Saturn

by Jamie Dillon


This was Friday night, i.e., 16 February. The person Liam and I took observing was our house guest, so last night I had two sharp women going, "You're not going to turn the computer on tonight, are you Jamie?" Answer was no.

But Friday night we went to Dinosaur Point and had 3 good hours of sky to the South. The West and East weren't much, and the North was murky, but you're not going to get to sour-grapes this one, because Orion, Auriga, Gemini, Taurus and Canis Major were all clear till about 9 pm.

The big deal was showing Saturn to a lifelong friend who had never seen it in a scope before. Sally shows observing talent. Last time she was out West we had one murky moonlit night, and she got a charge out of Cor Caroli and Mizar and the like. That redhead knows how to sit at the eyepiece and absorb photons. So here I just put her at the Telrad, showed her where to go, didn't tell her what that pale gold star was she was pointing at. One of those moments.

Also showed off the halls of M42, sigma Orionis the septuple star, M37, gamma Andromedae which was looking good at the right moment, Venus in phase, Jupiter, oh yeah and the Double Cluster. She also got to study NGC 1847.

Yes, on the third stab I found that little OC in Auriga, just inbound from the Kids. On reflection, it deserves another look from a darker sky. A warm reddish star on a bed of dozens of dim stars. The SkyAtlas Companion turned out to be real useful here, going by Scotty Houston's description. That was the hard science for the evening.

Rolled by nine, quite satisfied, full of roni mushroom garlic pizza half choves from the Pizza Factory in San Juan Bautista.