disappointing night

I went observing at the dark site along the central coast last night.  Overall a frustrating night observing-wise.  I couldn't decide what I wanted to observe, nebula or galaxies, so I split the difference and packed my NP101 and C8.  But my mount's encoders were on the fritz, and I couldn't use the DSC -- with as narrow a field as the C8 has, and no RACI to help star hopping, I was a bit lost.  I spent most of the time on the NP101 revisiting previously observed objects.  While the forecast was for excellent transparancy, I knew from the satellite there was upper level moisture coming overhead.  But the effect of it was worse than I expected.  My SQML never got above 21.0.  No dew, fortunately.

Coyotes howling and yapping pretty close, I felt nervous, though I'm usually able to ignore it.  Heard a wildcat snarl? roar? in the early part of the night.

Late I heard a sound like someone shaking out a towel behind me, it must have been its wings.  A few seconds later a large owl flew over my head about 10' up. 

One really great observation was watching the Eagle Nebula set behind the rocky prontmontory of a nearby ridge.  The Pillars going first.  All that dust and gas in the nebula, in front of solidified dust and gas...makes one think of the large scales of time in the universe.  I imagine the rocks on the ridge are old, but the dust is older...  Once it started setting it moved very fast, a matter of moments and it was gone.

My only useful observation, some nebulae north of the Veil near Epsilon Cyg, about as faint as the weak nebula next to Flemming's Triangle, which was on the edge of the field.  Still trying to identify it.

I felt tired by 12:30pm and wrapped up.  Slept in fits but felt ok in the morning.  Woke at 5:30am, still dark, and got out of the car to watch a thin cresent moon with luminous earthshine rise above the eastern ridge.  The sky was still clear and sparkling with the bright winter constellations, Orion and Canis Major culminating.  Remembered comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is very low in the brightening morning sky, so I started driving (I packed everything the night before) east to find a clearning for a better view.  Unfortunatley the clearest opening had a low ridge in the way, though the moon was still pretty.  I got out and ate a roll and some yogurt for my breakfast, watching the sky in case I could see the comet.  I could not.  But, refreshed, I continued on the drive home.