Young’s Park Observing, Saturday April 21

By Donna Pursley

For the first time in a long time we had a perfectly clear night and it wasn’t freezing cold. There were plenty of people there long before it was dark. A few new members came out to join us tonight. The clear sky clock said excellent conditions but there was something going on in the atmosphere so the viewing wasn’t the best. Plus the moon was very bright. The telescopes were aimed at many different targets besides the moon, including Venus, Mizar and Alcor, the Beehive Cluster, the Sombrero Galaxy, the Whirlpool Galaxy, M81 and M82, globular clusters M3 and M13, and a very red star in Hydra. Overall it was a successful night, and the visitors who came to look were very excited about what they saw.