kerrylewis

Thanks for the heads up chaps. I've not seen a comet for ages so will definitely give this one a go Kerry

SOLD

Apologies for the poor pics of teh front of the telescope - not intentional. Here is an in focus one:

Hello Michael. Got your PM and will respond. Gus - I didn’t see your post. I presume Michael may want everything and I prefer to sell it as a job lot. If not I’ll let you know Kerry

I agree with Paul and regularly use the contrast booster filter on the planets. I find that it doesn’t always improve things depending on conditions but it’s always worth a go. I particularly like to try it at dusk or dawn . The neodymium filter can also help at these times but it is slightly less effective I think. Not tried the two together though - but I will now!

Well done Shaun. After a day out I was too tired last night to stay up. There is doubt that being seated makes a big difference if the angles and everything are right! My @swamp thingchair has had a lot of use on the planets lately

What a wonderfully evocative report. Yes, it is a bit like box ticking in some ways, but the main thing is that if it's fun and you enjoy it then that's what this hobby is about. I've done it a few times in the past but not yet tried this time. Like you, I'll need more than one location to get good views west and east. Well done Kerry

I love the Iopton mount and it works a treat with no issues. They seem to have come down in price too - last time I looked anyway. Ioptron are very good with support and responding to emails. I asked them about the mount's capacity for my various scopes and it seemed like the 9.25 plus diagonal etc was a little bit above its capacity with two counterweights.

Got up at 1.00 for Saturn. I could not see it naked eye at first because of the nearby very bright full moon. But through the scope it was immediately stunning. I had set up the Tak on Jupiter in the evening in ‘straight through’ mode, ie without a diagonal, so that I could use the ADC with its added bubble level which arrived from FLO yesterday. Jupiter looked good with clear detail so I was optimistic for Saturn and I was not disappointed. The seeing was very steady and the planet and rings very sharp. The Seeliger Effect was very obvious and fascinating to see. This the phenomenon where the rings appear brighter around opposition as the particles within them reflect the sun straight back. The planet itself looked dusky in comparison to the rings although subtle banding detail was visible. The Cassini division was clear all round and the whole had that marvellous 3D effect. I would say that the view was almost as good as the best I’ve seen and a surprise given the low altitude. I’m not sure how much the ADC contributed because I didn’t fiddle with it too much given the quality of the view. I just enjoyed it - the bright shiny rings and the dusky planet. Got up again for Mars at 3.00 but it seems like the dust storm is still wiping out most of the detail. I was happy enough with Saturn.

Wonderful! And you chose exactly the right time with the beautiful planet at opposition.

It is special in that Mars it at its closest for some time and will therefore present a good sized disc. However, as you note, it’s also in a position on the ecliptic which means it’s lower in altitude than ideal. This means that it is more susceptible to atmospheric conditions and seeing is more likely to be a problem. Having said that there have been and will be times when conditions are favourable. I’ve already had some some very clear views with the southern polar cap and dark features being clearly visible. As far as the dust storm goes it’s difficult to say at the moment. Last time I observed the planet detail was less clear but this could have been down to conditions. With magnification as usual more is not necessarily best. It all depends on the seeing. I’ve rarely gone beyond 180x recently and that was in good seeing. It’s true that around 3 or 4am is best at the moment and I’m fortunate in being retired and am happy to get up at that time - but it will be at its best earlier than that very soon. Naked eye it is just stunning - very bright, steady - and red! Good luck!

Apologies @Timebandit I meant to post this in the Show Us Your Frac section and thought I had! Hence my comment .

Hello Mark . It’s the 1.25” wedge. Gives great views in good seeing and I don’t use an additional filter

Ah Steve, trust you to notice that! The garden wall was done a long time after the extension and we couldn’t get bricks of the same size to match!

Couldn't put a Dob in the frac section !