Well it has been a couple of months since my last blog post. As many will know, the weather in the UK has been particularly bad for many weeks now. Deep sky imaging has been virtually impossible, with not a single clear usable moonless night. I've finally managed to generate a six hour hydrogen alpha exposure of IC 410, 'The Tadpoles' in Auriga. I'm not sure when I will get the OIII or SII data!

On the visual astronomy front, the Tolcarn Observatory Astronomy Group has had a couple of clear club nights, albeit with the moon in the sky. Last week we had the opportunity to test a mate's new scope; a William Optics GT-102 triplet refractor. The build quality on this scope is excellent, with a feathertouch focuser and integrated camera angle adjuster. We had some cracking views of Jupiter at high magnification. That night was also the first time I've seen the 14'' Meade LX200 show what it can really do. At 280x magnification we detected structure in the bands and the Great Red Spot itself. I've never seen Jupiter so clear. I'm looking forward to some galaxy hunts with this light bucket! The Takahashi TSA-120 also did not disappoint, with clear crisp views of the planet.