Lockwood Valley Observing Session

Had a great time observing at the LAAS site in Lockwood Valley. Friday had very good seeing with my best sky quality meter reading at 21.56 at 2:00am. Floyd Blue was imaging next to my site and we had some splendid views of Thor's Helmet, Medussa's Head and the Rosette nebula through my 16" dob. Leo and Leo minor were near the zenith with superb views of their galaxies. Ditto for Ursa Major and Virgo. Overall, the filamentous structure in Thor's Helmut and the distinct demarcation between the bright nebulosity and the dark nebulosity in the Rosette nebula stole the show. Floyd Blue also picked out some nearby nebulosity with associated clusters from his starry night pro and we viewed them in close proximity to Thor's Helmut in my scope. The baader O111 filter with a 27 mm wideangle eyepiece really helped bring out the details. It also produced a great view of the Medussa's head and much better than an ultra-contrast filter.
What a great series of views!...

You picked the better night to go, Rod!
I was too tired Friday and worked late to boot, so I didn't make it up until Sataurday.
We started off good, but dealt with increasing high clouds throughout the evening.
I woke up in my sleeping bag about 3:30 though, to a crystal clear sky with the Milky Way arching up over my head.
I thought about getting up and resuming observations...
for about 10 seconds. Next time for sure!
Linton

Hi Rod,
You got the best night of the three, you lucky dog! 8)
Had a great time, glad you made it.