Observing - 6/10/04 - If only they could all be like this

Location: San Diego, CA
Time: 2045-2315 PDT (0345-0615 UT)
Seeing: 5
Transparency: Variable (5 to thin clouds)
Darkness: 2 (Limiting Visual Magnitude 4.5 if I was lucky, 3ish to the
south)
Equipment: Celestron C 91/4
35mm Panoptic (35 Pan)
17mm Nagler (17 Nag)
32mm Plossl (32mm)
8mm Radian (8 Rad)

2110: After taking my time aligning the telescope and judging dew
conditions, I made a quick stop at Jupiter to judge seeing and
transparency. Definite moisture ring around planet at higher
magnifications. Only middle 5 belts (3 light and 2 dark) visible and
detail in the darker belts is fleeting. Polar regions are uniformly
tan. Io, Ganymede, and Europa make a nice, even line almost equally
spaced with the planet (Io, Ganymede, Jupiter, Europa).

2130: Began a search through the Virgo Cluster. Didn't know what I
was getting myself into!

2155: FINALLY identified my first galaxy in the cluster with M89.
VERY faint and visible as a faint smudge with averted vision only, and
then only as a small bright area.

2205: Made a short jump and found M87. MUCH easier find. Small,
circular smudge visible with direct vision but about twice the size
with everted vision. No detail.

2212: Another short hop to M84 and M86. Appear similar in size and
about 20 minutes apart center to center. Visible as small smudges
with direct vision and both increased in size by about 50% with
averted vision. Made note that this might be a nice pairing under
dark skies.

2220: Nice little hop over to M5. Estimated at 12-15 minutes across.
Edges resolved with sugary texture througout with 35 Pan. Under 17
Nag, edges cleanly resolved with a hint of spiral structure.
Individual stars resolved to the center over a background that ranged
from sandy near the edges to sugary in the center.

2250: meant to try for both M10 and M12, but encroaching light clouds
made star hopping difficult. Found M10 just as the clouds covered it.
Viewed it faintly for about 2 minutes before it disappeared.

New Objects Observed: M84, M87, M87, M89, M5 and M10.

Note: Attached Dew Buster automatic ports to Corrector Plate and
Telrad (vice finder as I did last time). Adjusted the setting to keep
the Telrad clear. Corrector plate never dewed up this time.