I'm sure we all have idiot moments when observing. Here's one of mine from last night (I'm ashamed to admit it):
A really clear sky beckoned me. It was already 10:15, but I decided I could at least get in 30 minutes or so with the 8" SCT before bedtime. So, out I went, set up, dropped in my 40mm (51x) for scanning purposes and started with M104. Found it ok, but not much detail. I tried the 25mm wide angle (81x), but no better. Then, I tried the 25mm with the 2x shorty barlow just for grins (162x). No good. Ok, moving on.
So, I carried the scope to the side yard to get a better view of M13, then decided to try for something new, like Bootes. I've never looked at Izar and Alkalurops. So, back in scanning mode here I went. Boy, I was having a hard time aiming straight up through my finder, and an even harder time locating either object. I wondered what the heck was wrong with me. I don't usually have a hard time finding things that are bright enough. I kept re-aiming and scanning while my neck and legs began to tire out. I finally gave up, not sure if I actually found either. "Dang, I must be more tired than I thought," I said to myself.
So, then, I moved back to the front yard, dissatisfied, and decided to go for M3--a familiar target.
Never found it.
I was REALLY disgusted with myself by then. I thought about packing up, but decided to try just one more thing since the sky was so nice--M51. Well.....No luck there either, of course. I couldn't take it any more.
So, being defeated for 45 minutes, I began to hatefully pack up. I was very sorry to have wasted that good sky. I put the covers over the corrector and finder, took the eyepiece out and then...OMG, realized that what I had been scouting with all that time wasn't my 40mm, but was the 25mm, still in the shorty barlow. No wonder I couldn't find anything, no wonder the image never seemed as sharp as I thought it should. In the dark, without looking closely the set-up looks pretty much like the 40mm. It had been in there since M104. I guess the first move to the side yard made me forget what was in the scope.
What a dope.
Anyone else wanna confess?
-------------------- --Russell
"Akita mani yo." Observe everything as you walk. (--Lakota)
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