So we went to NC for the Memorial Day Weekend (Lynns folks have a house in Lake Toxaway). I brought the big scope (see post below). It was a clear night on Saturday with no moon, so it was great for using the scope. I got lost in all the stars, as there were so many visible, it is nothing like Atlanta, where you only see the brighter stars. Up there you see every star!

Anyway, I got a real good look at 2 items in the short time I had there (more about that below). First, I found the “Surfboard Galaxy” (M108), which was pretty cool. I could see the center and everything.

Then I was able to get in the same field of view, the “Owl Nebula” (M97). It was pretty clear.

I was using the new eyepiece I got for Christmas, so now I feel justified for spending the money!

Anyway, I was out there for about 1hour+, and when I was walking from the van to the scope at one point, something growled at me from the dark woods near where I was!!!!!  Talk about freaked out!  I froze, slowly made it back to the van, closed the doors, hit the high-beams, rev’ed the engine and made a lot of noise.  Then when I figured it was safe, packed up and left!

So much for a long night of stargazing…sheesh!

Anyway, it was cool while it lasted.  Below is an example of how it looked, though everything was bigger than this…