AlcorAlly

Thank you. The sketch and your explanation make me want to try look at the sun in white light.

I'm not sure what you mean by "trembling disk". Maybe because I've never observed the sun in this way. Could you clarify?

Refractor 3" f7.5 + binoviewer Two views combined at ~40x which gave about ~3.6 degrees total FOV. Drawn across two nights last week. I really enjoyed observing and drawing this asterism. Kemble's description captures it perfectly: “A beautiful cascade of faint stars tumbling from the northwest down to the open cluster NGC 1502.”

Good tips, thank you @josefk @SwiMatt

Nice long session last night with my 4 inch refractor. It was very windy and the seeing wasn’t great. Still, really enjoyed the doubles in Bootes, with highlights being Izar and Mu Bootis. First time I’ve seen Mu - I thought it had a playful feel to it, with the two smaller companions balancing a widely separated bright primary. M13 looked very sparkly - the view in 4 inch refractor was noticeably more impressive than my smaller refractor, perhaps more similar to the 6 inch reflector than the smaller refractor. Finished by looking at Epsilon Bootis which was riding in the east. Even in poor seeing it looked tranquil as always - this double is always so enjoyable and interesting to watch, perhaps due to the relative angles and balance of the components. Notes and sketches of the doubles here:

Sharing a few sketches and notes from last night's doubles session. All with 4 inch f9 refractor and 4mm eyepiece. I'm struggling with balancing red light intensity when sketching. Too bright and I can't see the stars in the eyepiece. Too dim and I can't see what I'm sketching. So I keep turning the light on and off. Is there a better way? Tips appreciated

That’s the one, thank you!! 🙌🏻

Half an hour on NGC 1502 and Kemble’s Cascade at low magnification just before it clouded over. Fascinating sight. Somewhere nearby in Camelopardalis there was an unusually geometric small cluster with 5 bright stars, I couldn’t identify it as it quickly disappeared behind the clouds. can’t find it in the charts. Any help identifying would be appreciated. It looked like this at 36x magnification in small refractor.

I really like the dramatic feel of the sketch. It captures the mood of the moon for me.

It could evolve into a a giant hand drawn M37 wall mural. Could be spectacular.

I love the idea of inline notes and labels, the composite sketch works really well to grasp the complexity of the targets. Thank you for sharing!

Tried Kappa Leonis with 2.2” separation for the first time. Spent a loooong time staring at it 230x. Secondary wasn’t visible at all in 4 inch refractor. Not even a trace. Not even a hint. Excellent seeing with perfect stable airy disk but maybe transparency not great? Also the moon 98% shining bright. Will try again another time.

I think 60mm is probably the smallest I’d consider but that does look cute indeed!

@Highburymark How much does it weigh please, without the diagonal/eyepiece?

Do you think the focuser problem with WO GS maybe solvable by using it with a Baader diagonal with a helical focuser? (Image source: Tamiji Homma on Cloudy Nights. This a difference guide scope but same principle)