26/08/2010

Birkrigg Common (Cumbria)

SkyWatcher 200p (8") - EQ5 Mount (Manual)

As this was the last opportunity to get out with the scope for a few days, I thought I would have another go at finding M31.

Arrived at the observing site at 21:10 and set up the scope, polar aligned and balanced, love the polar scope on the EQ5, makes things so much easier.

Moon was already climbing steadily in the Eastern sky, so I took the time to fix a

couple of Moon filters double stacked, as the Moon is again very bright.

Got the digiscope frame and set up the Nikon Coolpix S220 camera, and took a

couple of pics. The Moon was reasonable in the eyepiece with 2x Moon filters fitted and although the pictures are slightly out of focus, I am pleased with the results.

My next target was the Andromeda Galaxy, M31.

Using my star charts and Helios binoculars I located Mirach, Mu and Nu, using the

32mm eyepiece a fuzzy blob came into view, The sky around this area was slightly

washed out from the Moon, but the galaxy could clearly be seen, a bright core with dimmer streaks extending out from both sides of the core. Changing over to the 10mm eyepiece the core becomes more defined and the longer you look the more you see, but I need to view this in darker skies.

Note:

The Andromeda Galaxy is made up of over 300 Billion stars and it's diameter of

150,00 light tears across, we see the galaxy almost edge on, and it is a spiral

galaxy.

My next target was M13 the Globular Cluster in Hercules, again I located with the binoculars and the object was clearly seen in the spotting scope. M13 was really very pretty in the 10mm eyepiece and then I tried the x2 barlow, but the view in the 25mm & 10mm gave the best views, this is another DSO that I can spend a long time viewing.

I made an attempt to find M57 in Lyra but failed to spot it, I will make a better effort next time I'm out, but it's almost overhead from Birkrigg so difficult to get the scope positioned correctly. (will work on that).

Jupiter was beckoning and I was determined to try and get some sort of picture even though the EQ5 mount is manual, no drives yet.

I set up the DSLR an old Canon EOS D30, not really designed for night shooting?

I fitted the camera adapter and took some pictures, very difficult to get accurate focusing with no live view, but eyed up the camera as best as I could and took a few pictures at different settings, and viewing the pictures later at home, I am pleased with some of them, there the best pictures of Jupiter I've took to date, and bearing in mind it's only point and shoot with no tracking, I think I'm getting there.

I spent a long time observing Jupiter and it's Moons, Love the crisp images the 200p produces, it's a really nice scope and I'm enjoying using it.

Time was getting on and I had one last view of M31 and then decided to call it a

night, Dew was starting to form and since I had work in the morning, I decided to

pack all the gear away and head back home.

Arrived home 00:45,Unpacked the car and checked images.

Ray Gilchrist.