Low in upper teens, very late moonrise (which provided a very pleasant sight as it rose large and gorgeous over the trees as I left at 3.30 am)

This was a late call & by the time I prepared everything else (the all-crucial hot drinks and food) I had little time to prepare my scope, so again teamed.  I particularly miss it when I do not plan what to view, as planning & studying the books provides as much enjoyment for me as the visual observing.

Rosette Nebula, NGC 2337-39 in Monoceros

Wow!  Well as I had hoped from my last visit out, this was our first observation.  This clearly is an object for dark skies, because this night it stood out in stunning relief.  There was a huge amount of detail, especially along the inner edge of the ring and in the SW quadrant.  The inner edge appeared all torn apart and "raggedy" and dark lanes were clearly evident throughout the nebula.  There was a LOT to see in Rosette tonight and it was fun pointing out different details as they emerged while our eyes calmed down.

NGC 3226 in Leo

This is an interesting pair of galaxies in close visual proximity.  They appear, visually, to be tugging at each other, coaxing stars away from each other.  The two separate cores were easily discernible, and the stellar mass surrounding each had a pleasant magnitude under dark skies.

NGC 4565 in Coma Berenices

I have only one mark next to this in my notes from that night - an exclamation point!  Wow, this edge-on galaxy was absolutely stunning.  Two highlights in my mind were the clear (to me) visibility of the "back side" of the galactic core on the other side of the dark lane.  But what really was breathtaking was just the sheer SIZE of the galactic arms, which spread out seemingly forever on each side of the core as two long, spindly arms, like spider legs which just kept going and going and going.  Just when I thought I'd found the end of the arms I would spend more time looking and continued to find more arm stretching out further.  This was a stand-out object.  Breathtaking.  One of those views that just make you want to grab everyone on the observing field and make them look.

NCG 4631 and 4656-57 in Coma Berenices

4631 provided a fine showing, with nice magnitude which really showed off the irregularity of the central region.  (The observer's guide says "Awesome!" but doesn't pay the same reverence to 4565, which is head & shoulders above).  But even more pleasant was the hockey-stick shape of the 4656-57 pair, whose shape and dual cores, with stars stretching between, was clearly evident and provided for plenty of minutes of viewing.

M51 in Canes Venatici

Well have I ever seen this object before?  Seeing it this night I was certain I hadn't.  The views through this 25 inch mirror often exceed - yes, I said exceed - photographs (even CCD).  The two spiral arms of M51 were clearly discernible.  But they weren't just discernible, you could, in time, make out their junctures (north & south) with the galactic core, and follow their arcs at least 200 degrees or so as they spiraled out.  A visual feast, this face on spiral.  Though I did not note it, I cannot recall seeing the companion, 5195, which is responsible for distorting the spiraling of the arms somewhat.

M104, the Sombrero, in Virgo

Nothing in my notes and nothing in my memory.  I think it was well after 3am by this time, and my thoughts had become a jumble of "I'm freezing, no I'm warm, I'm hungry, no...I'm not.  I'm hyped on the quart of green tea...let's get the heck out of here!"