2011-10-20, Sight Report

10/20/2011 22:30 – 10/21/2011 00:15 CST
Ankeny, IA, home driveway
~35 F, clear sky, ground atmospheric issues (humidity/haze) made light pollution pretty bad nearer to midnight
Equipment: Zhumell Z10 10″ Newtonian reflector

What I observed:

* M45 (Pleiades)
Not very good viewing, mostly just main stars, assuming due to atmospheric haze

* Jupiter
(near zenith) with at least 5 or 6 moons. 2 very close to the planet on either side, 3 or 4 farther out. Excellent banding/color at all mags (41x – 277x)

* M31 (Andromeda galaxy)
Under multiple magnifications could clearly see the overall shape and orientation. Looked like a hazy disc tilted and near edge-on, with a bright core.

* M33 (Triangulum galaxy)
Hunted for, but no luck finding it, or maybe we did but just the bright core that looked like a star. Unsure.

* Orion
Was just rising on the eastern horizon when we closed up shop.