casual observing (Richmond Hill)

The second half of the RASC First Light session was reserved for casual observing, weather permitting.

The first half was for introductions. Diane and Sharmin started us off.

While Guy had called a no-go for the City Observing Sessions, we enjoyed almost completely clear skies.

We pointed out constellations and looked up ISS flyovers (none). I fired up the netbook and used Stellarium and SkyTools3 to determine the configuration of Jovian moons.



Through Katrina's small refractor, Diane's 8" Dobsonian (flown by Rajesh) with zoom eyepiece, Don's image-stabilised Canon binoculars, and the big 74", I observed the first-quarter Moon (noting Crisium), Jupiter (with Europa's shadow), the Andromeda Galaxy, Albireo, and a fuzzy smudge that might have been comet Hartley.

It was the first time Rajesh had seen a shadow transit!

Kinda cool.

P.S. Katrina has an Orion 80mm APO refractor on a Vixen Porta mount and Manfrotto tripod (from her partner, Fred, the pro photographer).

P.P.S. Don's binos are the Canon 10 x 30 IS model.