wookie1965

A warm welcome to SGL from your title I thought you had joined the wrong forum and should be AA 😁 https://www.celestron.com/pages/manuals As above download and study the manual you can always come back and get help.

Very nice pictures.

I used a vixen dovetail on my Meade 127mm works just the same

http://www.schlatter.org/Dad/Astronomy/collimate.htm Here is that link I used this in conjunction with "Astrobaby`s" helped enormously.

I have a sight which may help but I am out at the moment. What you can do is place a white piece of paper opposite the focuser and use a another to block the primary mirror reflections. You can then concentrate on the secondary. Once you have done this remove the paper blocking the primary reflections and adjust the 3 collimation screws to get the mirror clips in. Make sure you wind the focuser in and out to get the best view. Once you have done this it's just a case of tweaking the primary then you are done.

Should say dew strap sorry.

A warm welcome to SGL

A warm welcome to SGL

Brilliant looks good to me.

Nice report and some great objects.

I have took a couple of pictures with a smartphone I have been given a bresser MakrOcular full HD camera which I intend to try out but I won't be going the whole hog. I really enjoy my time at the eyepiece teasing out the finer details and splitting close doubles and triples and sketching that is how I get the most pleasure but each to their own.

I wish I was up to this standard of engineering truly a joy to read and see the pictures. If you was of a mind and I had the money I'd love to send my EQ5 goto to you and let that engineering brain of yours on it, that I think would increase accuracy enormously. I would be hitting every target once balanced and polar aligned.

I forgot all about this will give it a go with my Meade 127mm first then the C-102 but at under 1° I've got a feeling going struggle with the 127mm.

A warm welcome to SGL

I got them from the lists you gave me otherwise I would never have known about them. Cracking clusters people should really visit.

Set up early but planned to go out later to catch the planets. Why not try a few objects and get my eye in with some sketching. M3 just a dusty cloud here no chance of seeing any individual stars but the view was great. M5 No tree in the way must try this again an hour earlier. M15 A ball of unresolved stars but still a great view. NGC 1502 Two bright stars at its centre with trails of stars coming off in different directions. NGC 1501 could not see this must try with UHC or Oiii filter next time. Cassiopeia NGC 7788 + NGC 7790 These clusters look very similar many blue stars with sprinkling of orange stars well worth a visit. NGC 225 Lovely cluster from my perspective it was butterfly shaped just the wings though. NGC 654 A bright star with a cluster of stars to the side M52 nice cluster of white/blue stars with a contrasting orange star, first time I have looked at this as are all the clusters above and below. Cr 463 01h 48.0 +71° 57 This is a very big open cluster dim stars I could make out a crescent shape it has been called the "Lock Ness Cluster" it does resemble a Plesiosaur. ι (Iota) (SAO 0122 98) Mags of 4.6 and 6.9 with a separation of 2.9" between Aa-B and mags of 4.6 and 9.0 with a separation of 7.3" between Aa-C I was so thrilled to get this in the C-102 η (Eta) (SAO 0217 32) mags of 3.5 and 7.4 with a separation of 13" Bright yellow with tiny red/brown companion. Σ 170 (SAO 0045 12) mags of 7.5 and 8.2 with a separation of 3.2" off white with a small blueish companion split at x118 21 (SAO 0042 16) mags of 5.7 and 10.6 with a separation of 35.9" at x147.5 (8mm) I did not think I would get this being the second star was a 10 mag star so well pleased. To the main event having remembered to put dew strips on both planets had climbed high above the roof tops. Saturn with Barlowing my Vixen silver top 10mm with the Tal x2 it was a sight I have never seen before the Cassini division was very easy and I could make out a band on the planet itself wonderous sight. Jupiter with 3 moons heading away towards the 2 o'clock position it was time to put mag on this 11mm Televue plossl and the Tal x2 did best here I could see 5 bands the thicker one on the bottom was accompanied by a thin band just underneath incredible views. All this from A Celestron C-102 4" scope. This scope is brilliant really impressed with it and free.

It can happen no worries so pleased you like my reports I am out again tonight so look out for it. Best wishes Paul

A warm welcome to SGL

I have never seen M51 through any of my scopes in the 10 years I have been doing this hobby so well done you. I have seen it through a friends 22" scope Damián's (Mapstar) that was breath-taking.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/257911-no-power-to-heq5/ https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/archive/index.php/t-101907.html Read Merlin66 posts could possibly be this.

Brilliant Nick I have wrote a few of those clusters down for my list couple of firsts for me in Camelopardalis.

Had the scope out for a couple of hours waiting for darkness, Polar aligned and for the very first time my handset corresponded with the Synscaninit app for Polaris position and hour angle usually a couple out. Swung the scope to Altair fine tuned the alignment then did a one star alignment with Deneb very close in FOV centered it and off we go. CYGNUS Σ2671 (SAO 0324 55) Mags 6.0 and 7.5 with a separation of 3.6" bit of mag here to get a clean split x118 with 10mm silver top Vixen plossl more on this eyepiece later. White with tiny dot at the side. 16 (SAO 0318 98) Mags 6.0 and 6.2 with a separation of 39.1" pair of wide gold stars with stars all around I believe this could be a triple but I couldn't see it. 26 (SAO 0490 98) Mags 5.2 and 8.9 with a separation of 41.4" Wide pair but beautiful colours Orange and pale lilac Σ2687 (SAO 0325 91) Mags 6.4 and 8.3 with a separation of 25.8 again wide with contrasting colours yellow with blue/green companion. S 786 with Σ2789 make up another double double. (SAO 0333 34) S 786 mags are 6.9 and 9.2 with a separation of 47.1" yellow and blue. Σ2789 Mags are 7.7 and 7.9 with a separation of 6.8" pair of twins. δ Rukh (SAO 0487 96) Mags 2.9 and 6.3 with a separation of 2.5" This is not as easy as one would suspect had to Barlow a 10mm to get a clean split with a bright white and pale green on its edge. NGC 6866 "Kite Cluster" A nice cluster it is too. NGC 6871 A lovely cluster with what looks like 6 pairs of double stars in the FOV two pair right in the centre. NGC 6888 With a UHC filter in this was a wow I did not think I would see it but with the semi apo filter in the diagonal and the UHC oh it was a delight. NGC 6910 "Rocking Horse" Has to look at this again with the 5" and it did not disappoint. NGC 7039 lovely cluster and I could see there were many many stars but more mag never brought them out perhaps under darker skies. M29 I really liked this small cluster and next time I am going to sketch it. M39 This is another I want to sketch it is not so involved with hundreds of stars but lovely just the same. Saturn this looked incredible two moons showing Cassini division I could even make out a bit of detail on the globe never seen that before. Pushed the mag right up to x262 and it was steady. LACERTA h 1735 22h 09.3 +44° 51` This is a triple with 3 stars in a row Mags of 6.7, 6.8 and 9.7 the dim star is between the two other, the outside stars where white the dim star looked off white. Hass says White, Blue white and yellow white. Σ2902 (SAO 0519 57) Mags 7.6 and 8.2 with a separation of 6.4" Off white with silver like companion. 8 (SAO 0725 08) mags of 5.7 and 6.3 with a separation of 22.2" brilliant view two nearly alike white stars with several dim companions NGC 7209 A cracking cluster must visit again. NGC 7243 Another lovely cluster many blue stars here. NGC 7245 A small cluster most of the stars where unresolved. Swinging round to Andromeda a favourite of mine NGC 7662 for some reason wasnt as blue as I had seen it before, M31 got to look at this and very underwhelming spun around as Jupiter had cleared the roof tops opposite me, What a sight the old Vixen silver top 10mm was a delight to use crisp sharp image watched the shadow of the moon on the surface but I could not push the mag up any more than x118 Jupiter when soft. As it was 2am I switched off the mount turned the scope into the horizontal position to take it off and then I saw it for the last few objects not as good as previous must of guessed by now DEW I had not put a dew strap on thinking it was too warm for it, how wrong was I well that is why NGC 7662 did not look as blue how M31 was a cloud and why I could not push the mag up on Jupiter oh well you learn something new everyday they say well I did tonight. This was from Saturday night I could not go out last night I was in too much pain hoping it settles down for tonight want to get the Helios on Jupiter give it a whirl, thanks for reading. Paul

I too saw Jupiter last night best view in ages saw a shadow of a moon going across pity I didn't use a dew strip.

Brilliant Magnus great read. Paul

Brilliant read thank you my southern view is blocked by a street light but I got out last night I will write my report up tomorrow now had birthday party for my granddaughter so I am tired and in pain.