First "Skelligs Star Party" August 22nd/23rd 2014

Hey Guys..

Just the same as Neill, I've been scrolling
through Starry Night and came up with the same
dates..
My vote is for Sept but I don't want to be standing
on anyone's toes so I'll do the same as last time..
So those in favor of Sept or Aug sound off.

Cheers Roy

#ClearSkies #LunarNut #LoveSkelligsSkies

We could always do both weekends .

I suspect August will be busier as it is an earlier weekend so I would vote for September as well.

Michael.

I'm for the September dates also. Might be slightly colder but its not like we are in tents.
We will also get that extra bit of darkness.
I think ill be taking an extra day myself, going to bring the fishing rods.
Teach Seanie and Dave Mc how its done !

WOW! It shows how great a weekend it was when there's already plans for 2015, 13 months in advance.

For me, I'm torn. the Perseids peak on August 12, and I can only guess what that must look like under those pristine skies, it might tempt some members to go down on the Wednesday to catch the shower and stay on for the weekend.

I know there were a few of us die hards who stayed up on the Friday night until 4.45, and the skies were still dark, Stevie showed us the Silver Coin Galaxy, NGC 253, in the early morning, so there is plenty of observing to be done in August.

We all want southern skies, and September offers the likes of Aquarius, Piscis Austrinus, Cetus, Pisces and eastern Eridinus, prime galaxy country for those who pursue such objects.

As John states, there are the stars of summer, autumn and winter to be seen in a single night, start off observing Lyra and finish off with Canis Major.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm good for either August or September.

Paul

September would be fine by me, now that my hankering to see M54, M69 and M70 in a scope has finally been settled.

The Teapot will be low on the horizon by the time daylight fades, but the M objects above it will be visible for an hour or so.

NGC253 and the elusive Helix (which I saw for a total of about 5 seconds) will both be visible, although lower down in the sky.

The constellation Cetus was also brilliant in the early morning, and I have never really had a chance to get stuck into the Eridanus galaxies.

One thing about the really dark skies down in kerry, was that you had to be super careful not to knock over/come into contact etc with other people's gear. Can anyone recommend where you could get red led lights which could be clipped on/attached to gear that's not being used etc.

Cheers

Neill