Tracey's Observing Report last Friday night

So I made the kids shovel a path out of the gargae (where the scope lives) and a square of the driveway big enough to walk around it and I did look at a few things. With the moon as bright as it was I had to go for the really bright objects obviously. I looked at the Orion Nebula and it was a beautiful sight! Not very nebulous but gorgeous none the less, Venus because I wanted to show Chris how the brighter it gets, the less of the planet we actually see, the moon because I had to line up my new TelRad and what brighter object is there?? - and to be honest, I enjoy looking at it, I know it messes up the darkness but it is an amazing thing none the less, Then I looked at Pleiades, my favorite open M37 which was a dissapointment because the moon was so close - I could see the red star in the middle of it tho which is why it's my favorite :-) , the ET cluster NGC 457 which Chris commented "why is it upside down?", because it's not July I said ;-), the double open, Eta Cass, then I tried Andromeda but it was so bright out that it was not very pretty....on the next trip outside I looked at Saturn and couldn't focus it - my husband said it was fine so either he had too much to drink or I did!, and then Gamma Leonis which I could not split either so maybe it was just the seeing i don't know. Anyway the clouds started to roll in so I just put the scope away and will try again in a few days when the moon rises a little later.
Tracey Held