Hi folks
I had a very mixed nights observing tonight. I went to my semi dark sky just outside Killarney and was set up waiting for full darkness. When it arrived I took a good long look at saturn and when the scope cooled down I had some good views.
After that I went after a few fuzzies, I looked at a few galaxies in leo and then onto a few globulars. i was having difficulty with a few faint ones so I decided that enough was enough. I had a look at the sky and the light from Killarney (a couple of miles to my north) really brightens up the whole sky, particularly if there is any haze or fog.
This site showed some promise, but it is too close to the town and the light pollution can spoil an otherwise good night.
Back into the car and I headed for the hills a few more miles outside the town. These are not great in terms of access but, I pulled up at the foot of mangerton mountain a few hundred feet up.
I wanted to give it a quick check before the moon rose. I got a nice surprise. I left my eyes adjust for a few minutes and pulled out the 10X50's. I gave a quick look for M81 and M82 and they were easy.
Next up i tried for M51 and M101 and managed to spot both without too much difficulty. I had a quick look for the faintest star i could see and reckon the limiting mag was about 5 or there abouts, maybe more if I left my eyes adapt longer.
The glow from the town was still bad but it is much better than the site closer to town. The site is fine for maybe two or three cars, but is very isolated and the road is very bumpy. The nocturnal sounds of animals in the woods was a little spooky but it looks like I have a new site for small observing groups.
While the site is not perfect it will have to do. It really is a struggle to find a decent site, with easy access and parking suitable for observing,without having to travel too far. I wonder how the national park would take it if I asked them to lay down some gravel to give a flat area for parking and observing.
Has anyone had any dealings with the parks and wildlife service in getting them to help out with observing?
Cheers
Trevor
  