viewed 84 and 86 (Blue Mountains)

When the crew starting watching Les Mis, the movie, I suited up and headed outside. Pretty cloudy. But there were some stars here and there. I thought I'd aim at a part of the sky and wait for the clouds to part.

I woke the cluster flies. They were buzzing around like it was a summer evening. It was toasty! The sensor, which I had moved from the kitchen to the warm room, was reading 27% humidity and 21°C.

Instrument: Celestron 14-inch SCT
Mount: Paramount ME
Method: Go To

12:22 AM. I had the mount tracking the Messier 84. I had installed the low power eyepiece in the big 'scope. I waited for a break in the clouds.

12:29. The Windows updates I started applying in the afternoon were done installed. I let the computer reboot.

12:33. It was still cloudy. While waiting, I let the Java software update...

12:39. There were still clouds. But Arcturus punching through. It was starting to clear. I watched the eyepiece as stars started to show.

12:49. I think I saw M84 at 71x. I saw it in a lazy L. A backwards L. At the apex of the L was where the galaxy was located. HIP 60604 (aka HD 108136) was the top star. It was magnitude 10.0. Star PPM 129028 (aka HD 108009) was at the bottom of the L, at magnitude 10.2.

The separation of 84 and the top star was about half the field of view.

I think I also saw Messier 86 on the right edge of the field. I verified the software, TS6, was showing the correct field of view.

1:02. I confirmed that Messier 86 was to the right (or east). It was a larger blob. But fainter? More diffuse? I think, during a brief moment of clear skies, I saw bright centre?

Sheesh. There are not a lot of field stars around M86. There is nothing to the east of 86...

I spotted star GSC 880:777, well below M86, at mag 10.9.

Below the L but near 84, I spotted GSC 879:280 at mag 12.0. And GSC 879:398 at mag 11.7.

Near the top of the L I saw GSC 879:273 to the left at mag 11.7 and GSC 879:486 to the right mag 12.4.

1:09. Kept turning down the portable heater.

1:11. I checked the local conditions, from the weather station...

10 min avg wind 4.8
direction ENE
high wind 17.7
current 8.0 at 1:07a

outside hum 80
baro 10129
outside temp -7.4
wind chill -9.9
dew point -10.3 (close)

1:17. I tried the SQM. I took four readings: 19.97, 19.98, 19.96, and 19.93.

It looked like the clouds were thickening. I closed up.