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Impressions of Hardraw, June 08 - 10, 2007 ...
The Friday blast along the twisty A-roads followed by a battered cod
is all part of the Hardraw experience. And as we scoffed our fish and
chips we hoped for better luck with the weather than we had the previous
trip. And we were rewarded with a clear night! The sky was not all that
dark for this 'Dark-Sky Trip' to Hardraw, but then it was June with
its long days and short nights.
Some of us could be candidates for the TV show 'Spendaholics' going by
the huge pile of optical toys that filled Harris House. I had a new 3.5mm
wide angle eyepiece to try out while Roy had a rather neat battery powered
mount and tripod. But the best bodge award goes to Jason and his duel
PST mounting apparatus.
As the sun went down out came the midges, little beasts sent straight
from hell to torment us! A clear sky brought us out in spite of the bites
(which have not quite faded 2 weeks later). I observed Venus and Saturn
in the twilight but Mercury eluded us. Saturn was wobbling so much it
looked like a little fat child spinning a hoola hoop it had just got for
its birthday.
The highlights included the Ring-nebula and the Double-Double in Lyra.
The crossing of the ISS with the space shuttle Atlantis catching up. The
globular cluster M13 in Hercules and Jupiter were also popular. It was
the first time that I had seen the Ring-nebula, unmissable in the non
light-polluted sky. Even through my little 80mm refractor it looked fantastic,
like a glowing smoke ring. And it was the first time that I had split
the Double-Double with my 80mm. After watching Mars rise between the Hardraw
chimney pots I went to bed but some people stayed up to see the sunrise.
On Saturday morning out came the PSTs (Personal Solar Telescope). In the
gaps between the clouds we were studying sunspots and prominences on the
fiery golden orb. I hogged a PST for most of the day as it was the first
time I had used one. Jason had a PST binocular set up which gave stunning
views.
Maccastro could be renamed the Macclesfield Gastronomical Society after
the fabulous barbeque. There was salmon, sausages, chicken, strawberries
in chocolate, banana in chocolate, pineapple in chocolate and chocolate
in chocolate. We were not so lucky with the weather but at least we got
a stunning sunset. With nothing to see we hid inside from the midges.
My big 3.5mm eyepiece was a success but my wobbly tripod was not. I think
I might have to invest in a motorized tripod like Roy's, something new
to try out at the next dark-sky field trip.
Christopher Hill
Click on an image to see a larger version.
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Keep up-to-date with Society events and subscribe to the electronic version of our newsletter - 'What's Up?' ... Click
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 July and August updates ...
The bright twilight nights are slowly giving way to darker skies and the prospect of revealing a little-known nightly sight. Away from the towns and cities, the Milky Way will soon be glimpsed meandering through the constellation of Cygnus. This river of stars was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians ... Nowadays, especially when we approach the end of Summer, it's astronomers that turn their gaze skyward and praise the sight of a myriad of stars arching high above them.
The following sections have been updated: This month's night sky and observations.
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Would you like to join our newly formed visual observing group? We will now be holding regular observing sessions at some of our dark-sky sites across Macclesfield. If you would llike to be added to our contact list, don't delay ... Click
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For information on our observing
field trips to Hardraw, Yorkshire ... Click
here. |
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Our Workshops continue to be a
great success. As a result we are looking for more of you
to participate and give your own short presentations to Society
members. Let us know if you'd like to get involved ... Click
here. |
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