Hi Esteve,

Enjoyed reading your report. I'm also a "not quite beginner" in astronomy and got my first look at Uranus through my 10" (254mm) SCT last night. Sky conditions were great but Uranus was still a featureless little blue-green ball near the southern horizon. Still, it's kinda cool to think you're looking at one of the more remote planets in our solar system.

Hit a bunch of showpiece objects last night but I was with a friend, so for the sake of time I didn't make any detailed observations worth noting. The Ring Nebula was pretty cool, but like you, I could see a lot more detail with averted vision. He was impressed, and hopefully with a few more nights like that I'll get him hooked on the hobby.

Clear skies and best regards,
Matt

• Thanks! - esteve - August 7, 2002 - 08:27 UTC