RobertI

The 150PL definitely hits the tripod legs with the Skytee, a pedestal tripod would solve the problem and I have considered getting one, but I’ve heard varying reports of how good the skywatcher is. The Skytee handles my 150PL easily, it’s just the tripod that’s the problem.

Yes it is, and I was surprised at what I found in Taurus - I think the Pleiades and Hyades steal the show, and I forget to ramble the lesser known paths.

Trying to keep it simple last night, so ventured out with the 102ED and the 17.5mm Morpheus (giving 40x) and filter wheel for some DSOs. Warmed up with M42 and had some lovely views, tried some different filters - the UHC was the best. Transparency was good after all the rain but seeing was very wobbly so I didn't try upping the power to get the E and F. Had a scan around some other objects in Orion. Had a half hearted attempt at the Flame Nebula - I've never seen it and I think I need to do some more research about the best scope and conditions to see it. Next I found M78 by accident, a small, faint, well defined but irregular shaped nebulosity with a couple of stars at one end. There was a hint of the even smaller and fainter NGC2071 in the same field of view. Failed to find the challenging planetary NGC2022, at mag 11.7 I need darker skies I think. The some open cluster in Taurus and Gemini. NGC1817 was large and sparse with around 40 members. Next to it in the same FOV was the slightly smaller and even more sparsely populated NGC1807. They made a very attractive pair and will go on my "two in a view" list! NGC1647 was another very nice large and scattered open cluster, possibly the nicest of the Taurus clusters I looked at - worth a look. NGC1746 was also large and sparse but again, definitely worth seeking out. I failed to find the "intergalactic wanderer" NGC2419 which was a bit disappointing, but it lies in a sparsely populated area of sky so star hopping not easy. The Eskimo Nebula NGC2302 was easy to find lying next to a brightish star, which made its non-stellar appearance more obvious. When viewed with the OIII filter, it maintained its brightness whilst all other stars dimmed, confirming the catch. I finished the session with the Crab Nebula M1 which was nicely visible, but didn't seem to benefit from any filters for some reason. A nice session but noticeably colder now! The Morpheus is a very easy eyepiece to live with, and with the 102ED, shows lovely wide field of view and at 40x, the sky is dark enough for DSO hunting but wide enough to find things easily, so no bulky finder-scopes required. It was nice keeping things simple.

That’s a nice way to explain it! 🙂

You guys made me think I need to set up a couple of Grab and Go scopes for super quick sessions. So I put my 60mm RACI finder on a monopod with a 21mm eyepiece in, making a lovely rich-field mini-telescope, with 11x magnification, 6.3 degrees FOV and 5.6mm exit pupil. Actually quite amazing the number of stars and clusters it picked up last night - almost got M36, 37 and 38 in the same FOV! Edge of field aberrations were pretty horrendous, but not surprising at F3.75!! The mono-pod really helped to steady things, even when not on the ground. I also set up my Heritage 130P on the mini-giro and photo tripod for quick sessions. The Heritage is good as the eyepiece is at the right height to use when standing (so no seat to set up) and is nice and easy to view near the zenith. Actually a very good G&G setup. I tried the 24mm ES, 21mm Hyperion and 17mm Morpheus - the latter giving much the better views and probably the one I will leave in there. A nice transparent night last night with M1 and M33 (my test objects for transparency at this time of year) showing up very clearly. So now the decision on which scope to use becomes easy, if I have 5 minutes it's the 60mm, if I have around 30 minutes it's the H130, and if I have longer I set up the 102 and/or C8 depending on what I want to see. Simples.

Actually this reminded me, I think the Portaball is a very attractive looking scope:

Is this the “John Player Special” edition of the Moonraker? 🙂

Very nice report! Objects at different ends of the spectrum there, sounds like it was a great night for planets. I can’t help going back to M42 each time I go out, there is so much to see at any magnification.

Yes, I really only started ‘getting into’ Mars at the 2020 opposition, partly because it was so large and partly because my new refractor/binoviewer combination transformed my enjoyment of solar system viewing. It seems that Mars is a bit like a plant that flowers spectacularly every two years, but only for a very short period - blink and you miss it!!

Nice. I like your electronic finder setup in the right hand panel. What scopes are you using?

Nicely caught!

Another nice session tonight, with wonderful transparency but slightly wobbly seeing. Despite this I managed some nice views of Mars. Got out the C8 and the 102ED - while the C8 was acclimatising I had already spent some time observing Mars with the 102ED and made a sketch!I Syrtis major was very obvious with Hellas Planitia clearly showing as a light oval patch. With my binoviewers I found that my Hyperion Barlow gave a noticeably better view than my Baader classic Barlow, showing more contrast with less red and blue on the planet limb. The C8 came into its own for deep sky and I enjoyed some nice views of the M1 and M42 with my new Morpheus 17.5mm. The E component of the Trapezium was clearly visible but the seeing was a bit too wobbly for the F tonight.

Welcome back sir. 👍

Thanks for the reminder Paul. It makes you realise how good Mars was at the last opposition when it was nearly 22” diameter. Your post made me investigate a bit more to remind myself what’s going on - there’s a really good explanation here. So basically we can look forward to Mars decreasing in size at every opposition (approx every two years) until it reaches a minimum of 14” in the 2029 opposition and then increases again until it reaches a maximum of 24” in the 2035 opposition. Unfortunately it seems that the declination is decreasing so it reaches a max altitude of around 60 degrees from the UK at the moment but will only be at 30 degrees in 2035, so another good reason to be observing NOW. 🙂

Interesting thread on using two RACI finders: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/631033-using-two-ra-finderscopes-to-make-a-binocular/

Thanks hadn’t spotted that - I think it’s these. Interesting that they are triplets. Not cheap but should provide outstanding views I would think and potential for powers up to 100x. Thing is I only need low power and these are possibly ‘too good’ for my needs!

Which scope Michael?

I really enjoyed low power viewing with my binoculars last night, but straight through viewing was a pain in the neck - literally! I lay on my damp and hard garden bench which was much better for overhead, but not ideal. I then got out my 10x60 RACI finder and found it instantly much more comfortable. I could go the parallelogram route with my bins, but seems overkill for 10x50s. I know there is the angled mirror option, which I might look at as a last resort. But I’m wondering: - Is it possible to lash two of these 10x60 RACI finders together to get a right angled binocular (my inter-pupillary distance is 65mm) - Does anyone sell 90 binoculars this small? I know you can get plenty of 45 degree giant binoculars, but I want a 90 degree small binocular!! - is an alternative route to get a fast 70-80mm refractor and cut the tube down so I can use my binoviewer and low power eyepieces? I’m thinking the magnification would be more like 20x min in this configuration which is still pretty low. Any thoughts appreciated. @Peter Drew I know you have lots of bino-scope experience, so tagging you!

A very elegant and simple solution. Nicely executed. 👍

My 150PL is rock solid and wobble free when mounted on my SkyTee2 on a 2” tripod, even in breezy weather. Interestingly I recently tried the same scope on my AZ4 with 1.75” tripod and, as you found, it was too wobbly to be fun. The SkyTee is a big step up. I have the Mini-Giro with is I believe the same as the Castor under the skin - it is too lightweight to carry a 150PL (it only weighs 1.5kg versus the 6kg of the Skytee). The Skytee is hard to beat for value for money - note that you will probably want to budget for replacing the saddle(s). I’ve had mine many years and although I’d love a premium mount like the Rowan, I am really struggling to justify it when the Skytee does the job. The APZ looks really nice though, would love to try one. 🙂

That looks like a fine visual setup Olly. Will be very comfortable with the chair. 🙂

I think the classic white Newtonians, epitomised by Meade’s ‘Research Grade’ newtionians, look amazing, especially on an equatorial mount and pedestal pillar. So good they were advertised by men in white coats! If you watch any Ed Ting video, you will see lots of mouth watering white Meade Newts in the background. Like classic cars, they are beautiful to own but a pain to use! 😆 My first ever scope decades ago was a 6” Newt just like this, happy memories….

I stepped outside before bedtime, and was greeted by a spectacular sight - Mars, Aldeberan, the Hyades and Pleiades shining brightly against a wonderfully black transparent sky. Not what I expected after a day of rain! Annoyingly, I was too tired to lug out the scopes, but then I remembered the binoculars, which don’t get used enough, and I ended up enjoying a fantastic fifteen minutes of astronomy bliss with my 10x50s. First test of transparency was M33 and I was pleased to clearly see the the oval glow in the right place. And with NO dark adaption. This was obviously a good night for DSOs. A quick scan of Auriga revealed M36, M37 and M38 - open clusters with an interesting mix of brightness and size. Then M35 in Gemini which was even better, appearing large and resolved. I’m always amazed at what a magnification of 10x can reveal. The Hyades filled the field of view, its members having some subtle variances of colour - these binoculars always pick out colour so well - I think the large exit pupil must help. The Pleiades were equally inspiring, with Ally’s Braid showing clearly in the middle. Then onto Cassiopeia. Easy to get lost in the mass of stars of the Milky Way, and open clusters abound - NGC663, NGC457 (ET cluster), NGC129, M52 and NGC7789 (Caroline’s Rose) which looked more like a galaxy than a cluster, thanks to its richness. The double cluster in Perseus was just a short jump away. With Orion rising over the rooftops I got first sighting of M42 this year. I reluctantly packed away and retired to bed very happy to have made something of the evening. Thinking about how good this wide field bino-experience was, I shall have to think about how to get a more serious setup that doesn’t involve getting a neck ache, perhaps a better binocular plus parallelogram mount, or possibly a right-angled wide-field bino-scope like the Vixen BT81S. 🙂

Thanks Stu, I’ll have a bash at this if I can get out this weekend. 👍

Yes, SGL has become a “centre of excellence” for handles. Hope you didn’t take it the wrong way @Carl Au .