I found another planet ...

At least I think I did... but I'm getting ahead of myself..

I setup the rig, and set that going... more M31 data... then, after a quick check on Stellarium, grabbed the 15x70's on my tripod and went a hunting..

I started with Jupiter, then on to Neptune... Not unsurprisingly in exactly the same place (or at least that I could tell at this low power :D). Then using Starwalk on my ipod... red screened and auto lock turned off... I went a-hunting along the plane of the eliptic.

Thankfully, using Starwalk, I found some very nice little pointers... a triangle of stars pointing straight at it, and a few forming lines either side... and after looking, and checking, confirm, and look and check... I'm sure I found it... looking just like a star... but if I'm correct... my 8th planet... Uranus..

Yay!!!

During one of the look away, check and look back, I caught a glimpse of something bright, fast and fiery shoot overhead North to South.

I then went and had a look at tonights imaging target, I'm sure I could just about make out M31 unaided tonightm but getting the bins on it, and the shape was clear... the bright core elongating out into an oval.

I spent some 10 minutes, hunting from there for M33, but no luck again tonight... a tough needle to find in that haystack... and starwalk really wasn't of any real use... I'm sure I was pointing the bins to the right patch of sky... ah well...

I spotted Auriga over the neighbours house and went looking for clusters... I firstly found Mr Smiley and the little fish nearby, then studied where his right ear would be, and yep... there's the first one... M38... A little way lower than this and I found M37.

By this point, thanks to spending so long craning my neck to try and find M33, and the cold seeping in through me fleece, I went in for a cuppa and to warm up.

Hmmm... I enjoyed that session too... Even better knowing that I'm imaging whilst observing too..