Joshua Tree Stargazing

After work last night, we headed out to Cottonwood Springs Campground in Joshua Tree National Park with our Obsession telescope to do some stargazing. We got there and had the telescope and tent set up by 9pm. It was one of the clearest nights we've seen out there so far. It was also nice and cold - still some snow left around the parking from the winter storm that passed through last week.

We started off in Orion with the Orion Nebula then moved on to NGC 2024 which was easily seen in the 18" UC. After about a half an hour of searching and referencing the Night Sky Observer's Guide Volume 1 Autumn & Winter we were able to identify the Horsehead Nebula without a filter. This was the first time I have ever seen it through a telescope. It wasn't very bright, maybe next new moon we can try it with a H-beta filter. The Eskimo Nebula was next and much easier to see than when we tried a couple months ago. When it was high enough in the sky, we looked at Saturn - the first time of the year. The rings are nearly edge-on, just like the first time I ever looked into a telescope 13 years ago. We spent the rest of the night looking at a few other nebula (M1 the Crab Nebula in Taurus) and then the galaxies M101 (the Pinwheel), M108, and M51 (the Whirlpool) around the Big Dipper.
It was a cold night sleeping in the tent, but nice not to have to pack up and drive back to Riverside - thanks to Will for covering my shift back at the pharmacy the next day!