Viewing

Don't transport my TAL 1 telescope - just use it in the Backyard.  Vision restricted a little to the South with, for example,  Spica in Virgo just about visible above the garage.  In the East the high sky is quite good but to the North there is a lot of pollution due to town/street lights.  The West is mainly cut off by a row of 3-storey houses and the heat from the roof produces shimmering, and from the front garden the main road makes for more light pollution.   Being in Leigh, Greater Manchester, there are lots (and lots) of cloudy evenings.  We are under the Manchester Airport route so there are often plane trails in an otherwise clear sky.  Had my Tal a couple of years but with limited times to use it, I am still very much finding my way round with it.  See Viewing

Moon

My main interest is in the Moon which can be seen (in its high months) to the E, SE, S and a little of the SW.  Illness makes it difficult to be around in the early hours to see moons later than about 17 days with a telescope.  That's where the binoculars (20 x 50) are handy in the night. Young moons tend to be visible mainly too far West to be seen with the telescope except through the bedroom windows (not very clear) or front garden (much light pollution). See Phases of the moon

Photography

Opportunities for photographing the Moon tend to come from Day 5 through to about Day 17. Like to get a photo for observing log - main interest is seeing the sky, not being a great photographer (just as well!!). At the moment I use a digital camera, hand held, and poke it down the eyepiece!  When I get round to reading the instruction book, I will doubtless find information which may lead to better photographs, but I'll not hold my breath ..8-) The optical zoom has to be on full ( x3) to avoid most of the vignetting - but still doesn't lose all of it.  Am looking at ways to attach the camera to the telescope but not set anything up yet.  Usually use Paint Shop Pro to process the shots.  See Things to do

Sketching

Haven't enough hands to hold all I need to sketch at the telescope eyepiece - but taking in what Peter Grego and others say about it helping you to observe the details, I have a go at sketching from my own photographs.  Not very good, nowhere near the standard of my artist husband, but interesting to do - may put the odd one on the web for a laugh ..8-)  See Sketches

Software

Use Moontool to remind me where we are in the Moon's cycle.  With so many cloudy nights it's easy to lose track!!  Starry Night Enthusiast lets me see how high the Moon will be on a particular evening. Also see Links and Planets

Contact:    

Am very much the amateur, with fairly low-tech equipment, but if you enjoy observing the moon too then contact me 

Email Backyard Moon: backyardmoon at blueyonder dot co dot uk 

Let me know what you think of Backyard Moon so far and tell me how you watch and record the Moon.  The website is still under construction - and knowing me will probably remain so for some time ....