Saturday on the Peak

by Jamie Dillon

Jane mentioned a 6.4 night at the Observatory, and it was 5.something in the SW lot. M22 I was tracking and it was never naked eye, at 5.9. It was last 15 July when I was observing at the Observatory, when Jeff Nowell and I had an eye orgy, with the transparency better than 6.0. Now I do wonder if the Observatory routinely has skies a tad clearer than the SW lot? Anyone done a systematic comparison?

Maria Schaefer was also right, the company at the SW lot was good. At one point I let out, "How'm I gonna do my list when everyone keeps showing off stuff?"

I've been going constellation by constellation, and Ophiuchus (pardon the profanity) started showing off his mysteries. Enthralling to find out that M10 and M12 are in the same finder field. Nilesh described M12 as his new buddy; can see why. Bud, Nilesh and I did comparisons of M16, with different apertures, eyepieces and filters. Bud got a clear close view with the 13" and an OIII.

So don't think there wasn't any science going on. Greg deserves some serious credit for helping me run down ole M33 for the first time, after 2 am when we were both nicely punchy and they were packed to leave. Not wasted effort; after a time studying it, some structure came out, faint spiral loops and one brief hint of a dust lane.