After the Yelagiri trip got cancelled, all of us decided to go to our usual observation ground in Shivanahalli near Banerghatta National Park. Luckily, a few members who would not have made it to Yelagiri did manage to make it.
The observation session was attended by eleven people: Amar, Pavan Sarma, Nitesh, Sriram, Jaya, Shuchi, Sowmya, Pradeep, Nagesh, Niveditha and Hemant (myself).
I, Jaya and Shuchi reached at about 7:30 and the skies were absolutely clear. Amar, Pavan, Nitesh and Sriram had to take a tractor ride to Shivanahalli and finally made it around 8:30. Skies had bacome worse by then but not bad enough to have a decent observation session. We decided not to setup photography equipment and used only the 12-inch Dob for observing. Sowmya, Pradeep, Nagesh and Niveditha made it around 9:40 after having to struggle a bit to find the right turning in the dark.
We also had a few visitors from Calcutta at the Shivanahalli Ashram who visited us along with our freinds Manohar and others from Shivanahalli.
Saturn was as usual brilliant and those who had seen it for the first time had all kinds of exclaimations at the sight. Omega Centauri was brilliant too. We took a dinner break around 11 and had an introduction session and a brief discussion over dinner before resuming.
Other objects observed during the night were the bee-hive, Sombrero, M13, M42, Eta Carina, Lagoon, Swan, Eagle. Jupiter was brilliant with its moons and was object of the night for people who saw it. Belts clearly showed tiny curvy and curly features and this was probably one of the best sights of Jupiter ever. In fact we chased Jupiter till well past sunrise untill it got lost behind clouds. All of us kept trying to find it in the bright blue skies between rolling clouds but could not sight it after that. Sowmya et al departed early and rest of us followed a while later.