Any takers on an observing session tonight?

Hi All,

I had not planned to observe the night sky this evening as I thought I'd be in Kilkenny. As luck has it I'm back in Dublin. While the sky looks pretty good now it is not possible to observe from my back garden tonight. So, I'm considering going to the Sugar Loaf for 10pm.

I appreciate it is short notice, but would anyone be interested in joining me tonight?

All the best,
Darren.

Sorry about that, Darren.
I am greatly surprised your back garden was unavailable last night.
I did a tiny bit of observing in my back garden on both Friday and Saturday nights. It seemed so long since I did some!
But as I was getting up early on Sunday morning, I don't think I would have gone to the Sugarloaf anyway.

Best regards from Aubrey.

Hi Aubrey,

Many thanks for your message. 

Don't get me started about the back garden. Two weeks ago I pulled down the shed and cleared lots of bushes, hedges etc. During the process a mouse got into the house, and I have been trying to deal with the issue ever since. My wife and the kids moved in with her mother (who lives in Kilkenny), as we don't think it is a good idea to have them exposed to a mouse / mice. While the shed was put in a skip, and hauled off to the dump, the garden is a mess. I've not had the chance to finish it because on top of the rodent issue our car packed in. So, I had to try and find another one. Thankfully, I found a nice car the other day and I'm back on the road. As you can imagine the past two weeks have been trying to say the least. Hence, why I needed some time under the stars last night!

Interestingly there were a number of other observers at the Sugar Loaf last night. I got talking to two of them. They were both nice guys doing some astrophotography. Waiting for the clouds to lift we chatted about NEOWISE, but the clouds remained. All was not lost though - I managed to have a quick peek at Saturn, Jupiter, M31, and Antares. I couldn't believe how rich in colour that star was - very striking!

That's my lot for now.

Clear skies,

Darren.

I think you should buy a lottery ticket, Darren.

Gosh!
I'm truly sorry your ordeal, Darren.
There are some very good pest control businesses in Dublin.
I'll ask Valerie which one she has used in the past.

And I do sincerely thank you for heading up to the Sugarloaf on Saturday night.
It makes me wonder if there is always someone in that car park at the weekends.
I will be looking forward to see what your newer car is.

Clear skies from Aubrey.

Hi Aubrey,

Very many thanks for your help. Thankfully, I took immediate action and called Owl Pest Control. While I have done the physical work (I won't go into the details), they have provided the products, the advice, and the support. They are an amazing company to deal with, and glad I found them.

In addition to watching numerous YouTube videos, 'CloudyNights' had some excellent resources on the topic. It seems that mice like observatories too!

Clear skies,
Darren.