John

With deep sky filters I've found that it pays to buy good quality. To me today that says Astronomik or Tele Vue Bandmate II. In a 6 inch scope the UHC is more versatile but the O-III has more impact on the targets that it's strong on. Lumicon filters can also be excellent but there has been variation in recent production runs. The Omega DGM NBP is a really effective UHC type but no UK vendors as far as I know.

You will probably want both types in due course.

I have owned a few less expensive ones but they just didn't seem as effective I'm afraid

6 hours ago, Louis D said:

..As far as eye positioning, try dealing with the 12mm and 17mm Nagler T4s.  Both are incredibly tiring to use due to their super finicky exit pupils.  The ES-92s are a dream to use by comparison...

.

I have owned the 22mm T4 Nagler and found that comfortable and easy to use but I have heard that the 12mm and 17mm T4's are not quite as nice in that regard.

6 hours ago, jetstream said:

According to Simbad NGC514 has a V mag of 11.6.

Yes, I noticed that. In practice though I found it very difficult to get more than hints of it with the 12 inch last night. It is a face on spiral and many references to it on the web refer to it as dim or of low luminosity so that might explain why seeing the galaxy is hard.

I came across this image on the Barry Astronomical website. It was taken by Stephen Lubbock of Bridgend on October 8th when the SN was at around 14.5 magnitude. This image shows quite closely the stars that I could see visually last night down to magnitude 15. The galaxy is a very faint smudge, barely visible at all in this image as it was for me last night. Stephen used a 10 inch SCT and 27 seconds exposure with a Canon DSLR to capture this - the view is N at the top. I hope he does not mind me posting his image if he sees this

Here is a link to the original posting:

https://barryastronomical.wordpress.com/

Yep - looks like you got it !

Also useful to me because it shows that the core of NGC 514 is fainter than mag 15. I wondered why I could not see the galactic core and now I know why !

I could only barely see any indications of the galaxy visually in fact. 82 million years ago the SN must have been quite a bang - it's far, far brighter than anything else in that galaxy.

I did have the 12mm as well for a while but the eye positioning with that one was even harder to get used to and I never really enjoyed using it. It went to a new home in Greece as I recall 

The 17mm though I've persevered with and now it's paying off

It fits well in between my 21mm Ethos and 13mm Ethos but cost a lot less than a 17mm Ethos !

By coincidence, NGC 514 was discovered by William Herschel on this day (16th October) in 236 years ago 

I reckon I got this one tonight

NGC 514 is barely seen at all with my 12 inch scope. At high magnifications (318x) I am getting down to mag 14.7 stars and even glimpsed a mag 15 (dimmest I've managed with this scope). The supernova appears to be at mag 14.0 or maybe a touch brighter even. It's certainly a bit brighter than the 2 stars to the upper right of it (one is targeted) in this Stellarium generated image which are mag 14.7 and 14.3 respectively. The red arrow marks the position of my suspect and I've also added an image taken on the 10th October by F. Dubois when the SN was mag 16. Quite a tough one because the host galaxy is very tricky to see (barely there in fact), the SN is way out from the galaxy core and Mars is bright and not too far away. Pleased with this result

Both images are the newtonian view so S at the top and W to the left:

I've got the 12 inch dob out tonight and the Explore Scientific 17mm 92 degree eyepiece in the focuser. To start with, when I first used it a few months ago, I was not sure that I liked the ES 17 / 92 hyperwide eyepiece but it has gradually grown on me. The optical performance is really excellent and can't be faulted. Really sharp right across the massive field of view. Stars pinpoints right at the edge in my F/5.3 dobsonian.

What has taken a little getting used to is the eye positioning which is not quite the same as my Ethos eyepieces. The eye relief is longer and this is one hyperwide eyepiece that those who wear glasses have some chance of seeing the full field of view with. As a non-glasses wearer I've had to get used to an eye position that is a little further out than I'm used to but I've gradually found a method that works and it's starting to feel more natural.

The views are stunning with this scope / eyepiece combination. The true field of view is just a touch less than 1 degree at 93.5x magnification. The views this evening of the double cluster and the Andromeda galaxy group (M31, M32 and M110) have been really impressive and very immersive. Really like looking out of the porthole of a spaceship

It's a large and heavy beast but the Moonlite focuser handles it fine and I've found the right amount of counter weighting to put at the bottom of the scope tube now.

One of those eyepieces that you can have in the focuser for a couple of hours as you move among galaxies and star clusters.

I think it's fair to say that the ES 17mm 92 has grown on me

Definitely the best Explore Scientific eyepiece that I've used to date and right up into Tele Vue build and performance territory.

Pity there are just two in this range - the 17mm and the 12mm. More focal lengths were promised by Scott Roberts, the President of Explore Scientific but have yet to surface. Maybe that will change soon ?

Anyway, this very large chunk of glass and alloy is earning it's keep tonight

This was my Vixen SP102M. It was branded Bresser and the model was called the "Uranus". I bought it used around 35 years ago. It had one of the first GOTO systems fitted to the mount - the Vixen Skysensor. Not at all easy to use so I just used it as a motor controller. I used the Vixen .965" eyepieces to start with, then got some Unitron plossl eyepieces in the same fitting, which were better and eventually got the 1.25" adapter and moved on to what then seemed "large" 1.25" eyepieces !

I used this scope for about 4 years until our children came along and I could not find much time to observe so I sold it and was "scopeless" for nearly a decade

It was great to own one of these nice achromat refractors for a while though. I had drooled over them for ages in the "Telescope House" shop in Farringdon Road during my visits to London.

My Vixen ED102SS looks pretty much like a shortened version of the SP102M but with a 2.4 inch focuser and an ED doublet objective lens. I still have a Vixen GP mount as well. I do like Vixen equipment

Ade used to live quite near me before he did his stint in New Zealand. We used to meet occasionally and chat about scopes including the latest ones that he was reviewing. He cleaned the objective of my Vixen ED102 for me before I had the confidence to do such a thing myself. Very knowledgeable and friendly chap 

With Jupiter and Saturn where they are, viewed from the UK (ie: low down) smaller aperture scopes seem to be able to cut through the atmosphere better than larger ones.

When they are higher in the sky though, the additional aperture shows what it can do.

300x is going to be too much for Jupiter much of the time. Might be OK for Mars and Saturn if your scope is in good collimation and is cooled down. I was using 300x last night with my 100mm refractor on Mars and the views were pretty good. Excellent optics in that scope though.

Looks like a possibility of some more clear skies here tonight and the blustery wind of last night has gone so the 12 inch dob will be the instrument of choice I think

Thanks for the link Jeremy - good to see that Ade is still producing good stuff

12 hours ago, nfotis said:

 

...I would suggest the Bresser 127/1900 Maksutov, then, since it offers long focal distance and light weight at f/15.

https://www.bresser.de/en/Astronomy/Telescopes/BRESSER-Messier-MC-127-1900-OTA-Optical-Tube.html

N.F.

I've eventually reached that conclusion through a process of elimination !

I do think that observing conditions and the location of the targets are part of this story though.

Under good steady conditions with the target planet well placed (eg: with Saturn and Jupiter somewhat higher than they are now) I've had really amazing views of the planets with a wide range of telescope designs, even ones that are not supposed to be planetary specialists

23 hours ago, Luminated said:

This helps a lot, thanks Chris!

Anyone used these FOV simulators much (just for impression of scale, not detail)...as mentioned, I find they underestimate slightly:

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

 

Sometimes the FoV that the scope and eyepiece are giving is not exactly what the specs might suggest so I suppose the simulators do their best but it's only approximate.

Thanks for the comments / feedback folks 

I've packed in for the night as it was getting cold and the clouds were building.

I rounded off with the Tak 100 on Mars again, Neptune, Uranus, and then splitting Theta Aurigae and finally Castor as it was rising in the East. 

All in all a very enjoyable and varied session with these two refractors

Next clear night I'll get the dob out to have another go at Phobos and Deimos and also maybe that supernova.

Ooops !!!

Posted by mistake - forgot that I'm not a mod any more so can't delete it !

9 minutes ago, globular said:

Sounds like a good night.

Have you heard about the supernova in NGC 514, if you like such things?

I've just looked that one up. One for my 12 inch dob I think. It's currently listed as mag 14.1 which is a touch beyond my Tak 100 and ED120 tonight I think, despite the good conditions.

I do like to have a peek at supernovae when possible - thanks for the "heads up"

A bank of cloud is headed my way by the look of it so I'd better pop back out and make the best of it !

Got the ED120 refractor out as well now

I reckon I've had some glimpses of Deimos which is mag 11.5 or so and around 50 arc seconds SW of Mars just now. Phobos is brighter but much closer to Mars - around 20 arc seconds apart. Mars glow is drowning Phobos out. Need high power to pull these faint specks out of the background sky with Mars in the vicinity - 300x or more.

Back in Andromeda and at much lower magnification I've picked up Messier 33 quite nicely. 65x (Delos 14mm) shows uneven brightness across the galaxies face and is enough to pick out the HII star forming region NGC 604 which lies within the outer arms of the galaxy. This small patch of light lies close to a magnitude 11 foreground star.

Apparently NGC 604 is over 40x as extensive as the Orion Nebula and over 6,000 times more luminous. It would look an amazing sight if it was within our galaxy !

Quite an unusual combination tonight which is allowing my Takahashi 100 super views of Mars 1 day past it's opposition AND some nice galaxy catches as well.

M31 and the Double Cluster are naked eye visible quite easily. Mars sharp and contrasty at 257x and 300x with the Tak. Lots of S hemisphere detail to unravel.

Over in Andromeda, Mirach's Ghost (NGC404), a mag 11 galaxy was visible at 65x. That can be tough in smaller apertures because of it's proximity to the mag 2 star. In Cassiopeia the gorgeous triple star Iota is a textbook three way split. 

Spoiled for choice in these conditions even with"just" 100mm of aperture.

Wind is a bit blustery but the slim Tak on the Skytee II is not really bothered by that. Hope these conditions continue for a while longer

I've used my Vixen ED102SS F/6.5 on an AZ-4 mount. Very nice combination and compliments an 8 inch dob perfectly. So I'd recommend something like an ED 102 F/6-7 ish refractor. (the Vixen I have is long out of production).

I have the Lunt 1.25" Herschel Wedge and use it with my 100mm - 120mm refractors. It works very well

The Lunt incorporates an ND 3.0 filter within the it's eyepiece holder and I also use a single polarising filter on the end of the eyepiece which gives control of the final brightness of the image.

I've not used the others that you mention but I've read good reports on those as well

1 minute ago, Deadlake said:

This spreadsheet has an estimated field stop.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/700069-2020-eyepieces-buyers-guide/#entry10080606

 

 

Yes, Don's annual spreadsheet is a very useful source of information

Well I have a 12 inch dobsonian with excellent optics but I don't use 450x more than very occasionally.

Most of my planetary viewing with that scope is done at 150x - 250x and sometimes 300x.

1 minute ago, Stu said:

Optical path length will change, but not focal length. That’s only the case with SCTs.

That's what I thought as well.

11 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

That’s why I was asking, how do I work out if I go for the 33 or 43 mm diagonal? 

Well, I think would base it on the largest eyepiece field stop that I would be using.

It's not always easy to find that out but it can be tracked down with a bit of googling.