I've changed the image in my page-top banner to a shot of Markarian's Chain. This group of galaxies is one of the most awe-inspiring sights I've had yet through an amateur telescope. I first viewed the chain in our back garden using my 150mm f8 refractor under the Bortle 4.5/5 skies we have here, and even in these less than ideal conditions, it looked wondrous.

It's not the size or brightness of the galaxies in the chain that's so jaw-dropping (they're rather faint in the eyepiece of a 6" refractor or 8" reflector), it's their number, coupled with the fact that with a low or medium power eyepiece you can see multiple galaxies in the field of view simultaneously. The chain and the Virgo cluster of which it is a part is probably the closest you can get, when using a small telescope, to the sort of galaxy-peppered views captured by the likes of Hubble and the James Web Space Telescope.

To view a single galaxy is mind-blowing enough, but being able to see several in same field of view is an experience for which you quickly run out of adjectives. To boot, being able to see the chain from a location as familiar as your own back garden just makes the experience feel all the more special.

So, if you're as relatively new to this as I am and you haven't yet pointed your scope at Markarian's chain, you really must put it on your shorlist of objects to see. It's quite something. For the majority of viewers in the northern hemisphere, the Virgo Cluster (the location of the chain) should be at its best between now and June.

So far I've only viewed the galaxies in the chain using my 150mm (6") refractor. I'm not sure how impressive the views are through scopes that gather less light, say, a 3" or 4" refractor. I'll get around to pointing my 100mm (4") refractor at the chain at some stage and will report back here with the results.

Links to articles about Markarian's Chain:

messier-objects.com
Wikipedia
Sky & Telescope

Markarian's Chain image courtesy of Hewholooks (Wikimedia Commons)

A fascinating and alarming interview in the Journal of Bibliophilic Design with Steve Tonkin, dark sky advisor to the Cranborne Chase National Landscape. Topics covered include the effects of light pollution on human health, on wildlife and biodiversity, and on the night sky and astronomy.

Right Light, Right Place, Right Time.

Disclosure: Steve is a member of my astronomy club, the Fordingbridge Astronomers.

I had a sublime star gazing session in the garden last night under our Bortle 4.5-ish sky. Despite being very humid, the sky was nevertheless clear and conditions turned out to be good for observing DSOs.

I was able to get some good views of the galaxies in Markarian's Chain, the rest of the Messier galaxies in Virgo, plus Messier 99 in Coma Berenices. The globular clusters M3 and M13, and the open cluster M37 were breathtaking too. I also had my best view yet (from my home location) of the Whirlpool Galaxy NGC 5194 and its interacting neighbour NGC 5195. I came in after my session filled with wonder and feeling very satisfied.