A panoramic view of Robin Hood's Bay from the Hook's House site. 
Image by Keith D. (Click for larger view)

Our annual visit to Hook's House Farm Campsite, a highlight of the WDAS observing calendar, took place this year on 5th September.  

Daytime conditions were encouraging, with broken cloud and a light breeze. Evening forecasts varied from promising to doubtful—an uncertainty all too familiar to UK astronomers. 

As transport was limited, two Dobsonian telescopes and two placards were delivered to the site that afternoon. That evening, Brian, Keith, Mark and John L travelled to Hook's House in two vehicles, carrying three more telescopes and other equipment. They arrived by 7:45 pm and set up on the meadow in front of the farmhouse, where fellow member Paul Wood joined them with his Questar. By 8:15 pm, everything was ready and campers were gathering around the telescopes. Some had seen the placards; others were drawn by the set-up or heard about the event by word of mouth.

John L and imaging camera. 
Image: Keith Deason. 

After introductions, we waited for darkness, hoping the thin cloud would disperse. The wait proved frustrating: gaps opened only to close within seconds, while thicker cloud threatened to move in. We remained optimistic as the sky began clearing upwind.

Arcturus, Vega, Altair and Deneb appeared intermittently, and members tried to bring each into the eyepiece. Fleeting views of the exquisite double star Albireo (Beta Cygni) whetted appetites for more exotic targets, but it—and everything else—soon vanished behind cloud. Conditions were not developing as forecast.

Brian and Mark erecting the camping table. Image: Keith Deason. (Click for full image)

Then, miraculously, Saturn appeared over the sea—the only visible object. The call went out: “Saturn sighted!” and the telescopes were hurriedly turned towards it. Although the planet was still low and the view far from perfect, it was better than nothing and drew favourable reactions from those at the eyepieces. The rings, still orientated by just 8 degrees, could clearly be seen, and Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, could also be glimpsed. The campers were delighted by this unexpected bonus.

Campers surveying skies hoping for clear breaks.
Image: Keith Deason. (Click for full image)

Cloud continued to come and go, turning observations into a frustrating game of hide-and-seek. Just as we began to think this would persist all evening, the sky cleared; by 9:30 pm, most stars were visible. Those who had returned to their camper vans missed out on the glorious panorama of the Milky Way arcing overhead. There were also great views of the Andromeda Galaxy through the small, short-focal-length refractor and the Double Cluster in Perseus.  

Other deep-sky targets included the planetary nebulae M27, the Dumbbell Nebula, and M57, the Ring Nebula. The globular cluster M13 also looked splendid through the eyepiece. By then, Saturn had climbed higher and appeared sharper, drawing appreciative exclamations from observers. 

We pointed out the constellations associated with summer - now fully traceable, as well as those autumnal groups prominent already or rising in the east. There were plenty of questions from campers, but all too quickly our time at the campsite ticked away. As scopes were disassembled, the lovely Pleiades star cluster appeared low in the ENE, heralding the arrival of winter skies and signalling the end of the event.  

Thanks to Jill, Joanne and the Halder family at Hook's House, and to Brian, Keith, John and Paul for their help. On our return to Whitby, a waning quarter Moon rose above the hedgerows, softly illuminating the end of a pretty satisfying evening – in the end.