There have been several visits to the Danby Observatory facility in recent weeks, primarily for instrumentation/equipment alterations and also to familiarise themselves with IT and security aspects. These test events were carried out when clear(er) skies were forecast allowing observations to also be made. 

Tuesday 17th was a particularly fine evening – mild, still, and predominantly clear. WDAS members, joined John McCue, Paul Woods and NYMNP Parks officer Jonathan Green to appreciate the dark skies.

Mark using hand controller to acquire Orion Nebula. 
Image - Paul Wood. (Click for full image)

The previous Saturday (14th) had seen our first serious outing under the stars using the scope, conditions then, clear and chilly - but as we realised later ‘seeing’ was probably not as good as skies suggested. Certain objects looked a little blurry or fainter than expected - atmospherics and condensation to blame. The main objective that night had been Polar alignment of the C11, unfortunately John McCue was unexpectedly called away not long after arriving, so this exercise was left for another evening.

Initial observations were carried out to assess the equipment for future use. Locating objects was accomplished utilising the hand controller, then the finder scope (if visible), and finally centring accordingly. Somewhat time consuming and only for targeting brighter deep sky objects. It was nevertheless fantastic to finally be able to look through the scope.

The C11 Edge bathed in the eerie red light - roof open, dark, starry, skies above.
Image - Paul Wood. (Click for full image)

Conditions were at least 12 degrees warmer on the 10th, condensation on the corrector plate not an issue this time around, although polar alignment and other teething items are still to be resolved. These are to be addressed in the coming weeks. Observations themselves were excellent, Jupiter looking much improved and sharper through all the various eyepieces employed, 56mm, 23mm and 12.5mm. The Orion nebula was fabulous but plagued by high cloud from time to time.

While Mark and Paul operated the C11 inside the observatory, Keith, Jonathan, and others set up an array of smart scopes, Dobsonian telescopes, and camera equipment outside on the hard standing. Keith, using his Celestron Origin, captured a stunning image of the Andromeda Galaxy despite its relatively low elevation.

Orion and company imaged by Paul Wood from the Dark Sky Station. (Click for full image)

Back inside, and after much muttering, Mark finally acquired the M81/M82 galaxy pair in Ursa Major. Both galaxies sat neatly within the field of view of the 56mm eyepiece - a sight that was extremely pleasing and appreciated by all present.

By 9:30pm, patchy cloud had begun to build, and having achieved all we could for the session, the observatory roof was closed. Discussion regarding further modifications to improve observing flexibility and comfort is ongoing.