back to basics + perfect skies = increased motivation!

fguihen wrote:

I about a thumbs width above Orion between betleguise and bellatrix there looked like a small cluster of 3-4 stars. can someone advise what this is? cant find any info online, and can only do so much searching over diallup.

Sounds like Meissa - the head of Orion and two other bright stars: SAO112956 mag4.09 and SAO112914 mag4.38. They form part of a nice little cascade of dimmer stars.

Phil.

Yeah ,a noce group them stars, think they are collectively known as Collinder 69

Keith..

M33 is actually relatively faint...it's a large object but once the total surface brightness has been divided by that area there is little to see at all.
I've glimpsed it with the naked eye a couple of times, but it is one of the most disappointing sights in the sky...and M1, which it resembles as a faint milky fuzz, isn't much better unless you've a good bit of aperture focused on it.

This thread has been quite an enjoyable read, thanks for starting it Fintan! Your 'born again' descriptions in the first post made me smile!

Thanks Seanie et al. Born again is the best way to describe it. with all the clouds this year my interest had wained, having only magazines and ideas of purchasing expensive equipment to keep me motivated. All I needed was a nice clear night and dark skies!