wookie1965

Set up really early so could have a good session aligned with Arcturus and Dubhe 

 Σ 3009 (SAO 1281 60) Yellow/Orange with a light green companion used 11mm  x98

35  Piscium (SAO 1090 87) Yellow with a purple companion

38 Piscium (SAO 1091 11) Yellow/Orange twins with 8mm x135

51 Piscium (SAO 1092 62) White primary Blue companion with a 15mm

55 Piscium (SAO 0741 82) Orange/Yellow primary with tiny blueish companion at x98

65 Piscium (SAO 0742 96) Yellow twins at x98

77 Piscium (SAO 1096 66) this had a white a dirty yellow/Orange  and a wide yellow star 

 ψ Psi (SAO 0744 82) White/Yellow twins

100 Piscium (SAO 0925 55) Very wide White with a greyish companion.

ζ Zeta (SAO 1097 39) nearly matching twins Gold colour.

I struggled with these as the wind had picked up blowing the OTA everywhere I was going to go into Aries and sketch managed one everything else was behind houses disappointed with this but had a couple of good nights.

1 minute ago, cotterless45 said:

Ace report , full of wonders and colour ,

Nick.

Some wonderful coloured stars there I was overjoyed to see them.

4 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Interesting Book Paul,
I like the pictures so you can visualise what you are looking for.
 

I only paid £14 including postage used in very good condition New its £70 not paying that for a book

Set up at 9pm get a couple of hours in before the giant lightbulb made its entrance, Used Capella and Caph to align. Tried NGC 457 to check there it was bang in the middle which was the constant all night.

η Persei (ETA)  (SAO 0236 55) Lovely Orange star with a blue companion but I think its a triple as could see another star but there was not much colour.

Σ 331 (SAO 0237 65)  lovely white and blue double

ε Persei ( Epsilon) (SAO 0568 40) Lemon/Orange with a blue companion brilliant contrasting colours.

ζ Persei (Zeta)  (SAO 0567 99)  Small Yellow with a tiny spec of blue

Σ 552 (SAO 0572 79) A pair of white twins.

57 Persei (SAO 0396 04) wide twins apart from the colours one is white the other is yellow/orange

α Persei (Mirfak) (SAO 0387 87) Although not a double this is a cracking bright yellow star in a field of stars (Melotte 20) really nice view.

γ Persei  (Gamma) (SAO 0237 89) Pale white with a ocean blue companion with 8mm x135

θ Persei (Theta) (SAO 0382 88) had to Barlow my 10mm vixen here giving x216 orange/yellow primary light purple tiny companion.

Σ 162 (SAO 0375 36) With a 1.9° split I was delighted to get this two yellow stars with a green/blue companion at X216

7 Persei (SAO 0231 49) this is a wide double on the edge of the double cluster.

20 Persei (SAO 0559 75) Yellow/green primary with just a spec for a secondary.

Σ 360 (SAO 0562 41) twins very close hair split with averted.

Σ 369 (SAO 0387 00) white with a green companion almost touching.

ΟΣ 59 (SAO 0390 31) yellow primary with white secondary used a 8mm get a hair split x135

40 Persei (SAO 0566 46) Yellow with a tiny blueish companion.

Es 277 (SAO 0567 35) White primary with a light grey almost silver companion with averted.

Σ 230 (SAO 0230 71) white with a blue/green companion.

14 Arietis (SAO 0751 71) These jump out at you with not much else in the field Looks like a triple white, blue and very light purple.

Σ 268 & E 270 (SAO 0233 69 like a double double a pair easily split  then a pair of tighter ones used 8mm here white with tiny dot.

Σ 391 (SAO 0388 73) A white and red double same brightness.

S 430 (SAO 0390 05) A wide pair of white stars.

56 Persei (SAO 0572 16) Yellow/Orange primary with a yellow secondary. 

Every one was bang in the middle I was chuffed to bits, I packed a lot in for 2.5 hours. When everything goes right its much easier.  Really I should of halved this list and sketched some I may do that another night.

I concentrated in Perseus last night all doubles and multiples getting notes ready now for a report.

Great Sketches "Graph`s" is a lovely cluster.

This is it got all-sorts in with picture's.

I will dig the book out maybe you can get one it's a cracking book.

1 hour ago, Trikeflyer said:

Thanks. Book ordered. Much appreciated. 

Steve

Are you going Hereford with SGL I have a book here you can look through.

Great report Nick South is hard for me Ive got that street light and houses I had 53 Aquilae in the FOV then it just went realised gone behind the houses opposite me. Great sketches as usual. I do like that triple (5)

Set up at 9.30 used Capella and Caph for alignment stars went to a couple of favourites check alignment delighted I only had to tweak the mount.

ΟΣΣ 242 (SAO 0527 54)  A pair of unmistakable white twins.

Σ 3004 (SAO 0529 27) Yellow/orange primary with a grey spec of a secondary.

γ Andromedae ( Almach SAO 0377 34) Orange primary Blue/green secondary this is a triple but I could not find the third component.

π Andromedae (SAO 0540 33) White/Lemon primary with a blue companion.

56 Andromedae (SAO 0551 07) Wide split twins yellow/orange.

Σ 249 (SAO 0379 71) Pale white primary with a tight red/brown companion had to use a 4mm here make sure of the split.

1 Pegasi (SAO 1070 73) Orange/red main star with a lilac companion.

3 Pegasi (SAO 1269 40) Yellow/white primary with a blue companion.

33 Pegasi (SAO 0904 62) Yellow/white primary small grey companion.

 Σ 2978 (SAO 0730 10)  Yellow primary with a blue companion. 

Went to Neptune could not find it saw a bright orange star at the bottom of the FOV with a small object (I say object now) to the left when I came in I found out this was in fact Neptune.

one last double well I tried a couple got one but went behind the house before I could see it properly.

107 Aquarii (SAO 1658 67) Lemon.white twins with a 8mm.

M2 a lovely globular cluster

last but not least NGC 752 nice open cluster containing two giant yellow stars.

A super session all had.

I used this when I swapped the grub screws for thumb screws on my polar scope really easy.

https://www.myastroscience.com/polarscopecalibration

Glad you got out I however did not from 10.30 am i had been wrestling with my sisters VW Tauran a front spring had snapped, the stuff you have to take off get the strut out is unbelievable and then the sizes of the nuts. Once the spring was compressed I needed a 21mm swan neck spanner after ringing around all my local motor factors I got one the bloke lent me one out of his kit such a gent. finished both struts at 6pm I was shattered.

I am sure I have that carbon star list I will check, great sketches as usual Nick I should be able to split all them I will have ago next time out thanks. 

My Tal 4" performs really well on close binaries but the Meade 127 has thrilled me with splitting close binaries, aperture does work to an extent and that 120 will perform really well in favourable conditions, nice report a couple there I have wrote down thanks for posting. 

Great report Nick where do you get these doubles from. Groombridge and the like I've never heard of them.

Great Sketches as usual.

A good diagonal for the Meade. 127mm Refractor

3 hours ago, Stu said:

Wow, great session Paul. Good to hear that you beat the mount into submission finally and that it played ball! Some lovely objects in there, NGC1502 is a nice one, sitting on Kemble's Cascade as it does.

Have you given Neptune a go? It is easy to find currently, near Phi Aquarii.

I totally forgot it but being as its between E and S I may not get it as I have 3 story houses depending on how high it gets I will give it ago next time I will find out what's best time for me to try for it.

Thanks Stu, I love getting out and hopefully this time I have got the mount playing ball I will have many more sessions.

I see you had the 8" out I wonder if I can get those in the 5".

I had Σ 269 and Σ 239 but wrote the wrong SAO numbers down when I checked Σ 239 I had (0753 84 but it should of been 65) Σ 269 I had (0753 83) from The Cambridge Double star Atlas but that number is wrong my handset would not get 83 must be a printing error. I will try with RA and DEC next time.

Had trouble with the mount but I think I have sorted now. Put the Meade on went to balance it I had one weight on right at the bottom of the weight bar scope was still trying move so put the other weight on both to the top and hey presto balanced.

Aligned with Arcturus and Dubhe. Tried M31 bang in middle thought hey ho going have a good night and sure enough I did.

NGC 1502 ( Kembles cascade) including Struve 484 and 485  great line of stars with two doubles thrown in. ( A first)

Double cluster NGC 869/884  both in the 25mm stars popping out everywhere just brilliant.

Messier 103 cracking open cluster ( A first)

Messier 52 also known as NGC 7654  another lovely cluster. (A first)

NGC 457 one of my favourites  unmistakable shape  with two bright eyes.

Messier 34 wide open cluster plenty of stars on view. (A first)

Tried Messier 76 eluded me 

NGC 752 lovely open cluster. (A first)

Messier 15  with the 15mm in all I could see was a snowball with the 8mm in stars started popping out on the very edge looks to be a really tightly packed globular cluster. Think I have seen this before but it could be another first.

NGC 7762 beautiful cluster running through two bright stars on one side and another on the other side like a river of stars really nice. (A first)

NGC 7662 (Blue Snowball ) in the 8mm it looked spectacular should of put a UHC or Oiii filter on and viewed but forgot.

 Ψ Psi Cassiopeia  01h 25.9m  +68° 08` Thought this was a double easily seen in the 15mm but then read it was a triple had go up to the 4mm to tease out the triple with averted vision very hard satisfying though. (A first)

Iota Cassiopeia  (SAO 0122 98 My nemesis tried 4/5 times split this into the triple tonight with the meade 6.4mm there it was easy dont know how or why I have struggled with this.

1 Camelopardalis  (SAO 0246 72) nice twins except for slightly different colours. (A first)

A couple I wrote down from Cotterless45, Nick.

Iota Triangulum (SAO 0553 47) easily split with the 15mm nice yellow and pale blue. (A first)

 γ Aries Mesarthim Rams eyes  I can see where it gets its name from really bright twins looking at you. (A first)

9 firsts for me some wonderful clusters and double star delights, the mount hit everything I pointed it to.

I hope that`s the end of the mount trouble and cannot wait get out there again now to write some more lists up.

Clear skies.

That tip save performed really well I wonder why someone was throwing it. Great report and sketches Nick, on and off rain all day then thick cloud from the forecast supposed to be clear and cold tonight we will see.

clouded out here from 9pm  great report ive never managed split Iota Cassiopaie into its 3 components must try again. A few more add to my lists.

Great report some nice doubles there, I was the same as Nick cloud rolled in when it was forecasted to be clear from 10pm until 1am.

4 hours ago, Paul73 said:

I’ve vowed to steer well clear of GoTo. Great idea, but it would drive me up the wall!

Hope that it works better next time out.

Paul

Worked fine a few nights back dont know what went wrong this time probably something I have done.

Set up at 10pm colder than of late but the skies looked pristine.

Went to Saturn spent over half an hour here I could see 3 moons one being Titan, now as a friend said clear the PAE and do a normal 2 star alignment.

Arcturus first further out than I would like but got it in next was Rasalgethi first time used this but its what the handset came up with that was further away than usual for a second star but got it in alignment successful.

I always go to a couple of favourites to try the accuracy NGC 457 and nowhere to be seen so I said to myself think Paul what can get you more accuracy so decided to go to a couple of named stars in 3 parts of the sky first Altair way out got that in next Mirach again miles out and lastly Mizar closer this time.

Why I was there checked out a favourite "La Superba" (SAO 0443 17)  There it was bright orange burning coal just a bit out try NGC 457 again yes there it is top of the FOV but there next M31 again top of the FOV .

I stopped thought again and did a 1 star alignment with Capella now try M31 again dead centre brilliant but it looked rather diffuse strange onto NGC 7762 "Blue Snowball" was not in the centre but only a tad out at first I had thought it was nowhere forgot I had 32mm in as I looked closer I could see this thing that was not in focus like the rest of the stars. I put my 8mm in and there it loomed like a powder blue marble but was watery.

Over to NGC 7789 "Caroline`s Rose" and here I could see nothing sitting back thinking what could it be lack of magnification so put 15mm in I could see something well I told myself that. Went to NGC 457 bang in the middle but was very wobbly checked my scope and dew everywhere checked the Lens covered checked my dew strip cold so that`s what was giving the awful views , so either I can try fix this one or buy a new one. 

" Caroline`s Rose" eluded me this time.

I packed up and came in 12.45 and not one double was had. 

Good to see you back in the saddle and viewing my nemesis M51 I have tried loads of times from home not even a blur. 

Nick has told me about Skye if its better than Galloway I will be blown away. I must try and get there. 

Great report there are plenty of doubles in draco to cover 2/3 nights.