Two good nights in the "Rhoen" uplands

Saturday, October 10, to Monday, October 12, 2015

These are ancient volcano-built upland hills in central Germany up to alt. 950 m. It had been on my agenda to observe there for quite
some time; it's not too far away from ITV star party site, but with a much better sky. This time the weather prospects were far better there
than at home or in the Alps, and so I decided to go up there - I had taken a day off on Monday beforehand. It's a considerable distance
of nearly 400 km from Munich, but mostly on motorways. My old friend Friedhelm and I arranged to meet there on Sunday for one night,
together with his observing partner Horia with his 18". They had a far shorter way to go from their Rhineland home close to Frankfurt; and
had already observed the southern sky together, on an Astro farm in Chile.

I already arrived on Saturday, observing alone in the first night on a dark parking ground in about alt. 770m -with my old 10"Coulter. Given
that this site lays in central Germany: The sky was really great, and the limiting magnitude fst about 6.8 to 6.9. It is surely one of the best
observing areas in this region up to a distance of several hundred kilometers - Uwe Glahn had also recommended it.

The first night Saturday to Sunday

It did not clear up before 2:00 in the morning, and I managed to sleep for some hours in my car before; so I had full energy
to observe till dawn, with the fine planetary parade.

2:58 CEST: A free horizon to the South and Southwest

View to the West

With my 10-inch I made a travel in the border area of Andromeda, Perseus and Triangulum: From the superb color-contrast double Alamak to NGC 891
(the dark band discerned all along, more distinct in the middle), the galaxy cluster Abell 347 with NGC 910 (four of the galaxies distinct), the high surface
brightness galaxy NGC 1023, the open cluster M34, the Perseus galaxy cluster with NGC 1275 (several objects visible), the color-contrast double 15 Tri,
the galaxy NGC 925, the scattered cluster NGC 752 and the tight galaxy pair NGC 750/51. Moreover additional galaxy clusters like the NGC 7619/7626-
NGC 83- and NGC 691 groups - the latter group loosely clustered around the relatively tight color-contrast double 1 Arietis. And a journey to the Milky
Way in Cassiopeia and Perseus, with a special focus on the red supergiants in NGC 457, M103 and h+Chi in Perseus (in the latter five of these stars.)
Great also the famous galaxies M31 and M33; in M33 the spiral structure was very obvious,with some knots well seen.

Planetary parade & moon sickle in the morning

About 4:30 I put the 10" back into the car, and made a hike - only with binoculars and camera - to the old inner-German border, less than one kilometer away.
Here was a free horizon, important for the planets. As a historical monument, a former GDR watchtower and some segments of the barbed wire fence had
been left over here - before 1989 there had been a continuous fence, erected by the East German communist state, between the two Germanies. The next
one and a half hours I leasurely observed the planets rising together with the Lion, until eventually the sickle of the moon, and later - already in a brighter
dawn sky - Mercury arrived on the scene. A very nice event !

4:59 CEST : On the former border patrol path of East Germany

f.l. Ursa Major and the rising Lion; with Jupiter, Mars and Venus

6:26 CEST: Lion & planets in the dawn

f.r. desc. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Moon and Mercury

Impressions with a watchtower ...

... and remnants of the fence

Sunday: The day between the observing nights

During a walk to the border site I accidentally met Uwe on a bunker near the watchtower. He was on the way north, and intended to observe with his 8" for the
next night - together with an observer from Frankfurt. We all met in an inn in the evening, but they chose another observing site more to the West - an overall topic
was how to escape the quite noticeable wind. Before that I had already met Friedhelm and Horia for lunch in the inn, with a nice hike afterwards.

Cranes on their way to the warmer South

Wide landscape on a high plateau

The former border is a now part of the "Green band"

- now a hiking trail through Germany

At the former fence

f.l Horia, Friedhelm and Ben

On the way ...

... to the the "Black Moor"

The second night Sunday to Monday

It was clear from the beginning, and we could also discern the "Gegenschein"

Friedhelm at my 10-inch ...

... and Horia at his 18-inch

Friedhelm began with the pair NGC 6712 (globular cluster) and IC 1295 (planetary nebula) in Scutum, at first in the 10-inch, and afterwards also in the 18" -
an interesting comparison; without filter, the hole could only be suspected. And it was galaxy time in the big Dobson: We could see several single galaxies in
the clusters around NGC 1275, NGC 383 and NGC 507; moreover four galaxies in the direct vicinity of NGC 7331, and also leasurely the five members of
Stephan's Quintett. We also saw the interesting group NGC 470/474, and NGC 770 or NGC 7479 with the single spiral arm. And also highlights like the dust
lane galaxy NGC 891, the "Fetus nebula" NGC 7008 - Horia was very impressed - or the "Crescent nebula" NGC 6888 - all great in the 18" in these good skies !
It was a both concentrated and relaxed observing night - very nice :)