paulastro

Thank you. Regarding setting the scope up, Chris does set it up every night he uses it. The mount and pier are left outdoors with a cover over it and the ota is then taken out of the box and carried outside. I think the acope is around 20 lbs, not too bad for a bit of a'beast', but not good if you have any mobility issues. So there you are, no excuses for not buying one 🤣.

I stayed with my friend Chris (Bradley 1953), who I have known for over fifty years, last Thursday and Friday night. On Thursday we observed the Moon, not for the first time, with Chris's Starfire 155mm f9 EDT refractor - a telescope he has owned since July 2014. The seeing was probably as good as I've ever had, and the sort of night you might get only every few years. Perhaps a handful of times in over fifty years of observing in my case. The highlights were the areas of Sinus Iridum and Gassendi. When I first looked at Gassendi (observing with an 8mm TeleVue Ploss, x174) the view literally took my breath away, I was shocked. The sharpness and stillness of the night made it look like an etching, an unmoving image of incredible detail. The contrast was just beautiful and the overall 'look' of the image was such as I have never seen before. I haven't the words to describe the quality of the image. It was the same for the Sinus Iridum area - and other features we looked at. As I write this, I'm feeling the same excitement as when I was observing. I have used other six inch refractors and bigger, but nothing like this. Though, I may well not have used them in conditions as had with the EDT. But still, I've not seen such images before. A thrilling o servation that will stay with me. Not bad for a refractor that was made in1993 0r 1994! I've added two crops of the exact libration details at the time of the observation. They were obtained using the NASA SVS Moon Phase and Libration 2022 software. Though they may show some detail I couldn't see visually, it's hard to say as I didn't have the images to compare when observing - but certainly the detail in Gassendi was similiar. Visually, the view was sharper and so was the 'quality' of the image, the colour being a very pale khaki(?). Whatever the case, the visual image was MUCH superior to the software images. Having a quality beyond my descriptive powers and beyond any photographic or electronic image that could be obtained. Below are a phone snap of Chris at the eyepiece, and also an image from Astrophysic's own literature. The scope has the same mount we were using - steady as a rock as we pushed it along to follow the Moon. Thank you Chris, another one for the archives. PS 'The Beast' was named from what Chris's partner's reaction was when she first set eyes on it!

Thank you Mark. I must have many similiar pics of the same phase if I bothered to check 😄.

Thanks Stu, it was very good, though the seeing was poor there were moments when it was very good with the binoviewer and Orthos. Not so good tonight though, cloud.

I was out from 4.35 pm to 6.00 pm with the Tecnosky 102ED F7. One of my favourite terminators at this phase, Clavius, Tycho, Rupes Recta, Eratosthenes, Plato and environs all really favourable - and numerous other features. Took a single frame with the Olympus at 5.15 pm, low res of course but it gives an idea what you missed if you didn't bother to go out 😊 or had cloud of course ☹.

Welcome back to solar observing, it's a good time to return as activity increases leading up to the maximum - the last prediction I saw was for Oct 2024, but it will probably change. I've never used a solar max 111 of any aperture so I can't comment on the 70mm. As you'll be aware already, there are many solar enthusiasts within SGL who will be pleased to give help or advice should you need it. I'm sure you'll be up and running in no time 🙂.

I had some good breaks in the clouds and observed from about 7.45 pm to 8.30 pm with the Altair 80 ED-R on the Scopetech Zero. The Theophilus trio of craters were well placed as was Mare Tranquillitatis. I hadn't noticed at the time, but the Arago domes (alpha and beta) appear to show up on a single frame I took with my Olympus E-M5 MK11 at 8.16 pm. I was alerted to them by Nik's excellent post made earlier today.

A great write up of your observations Nik, thanks for posting. 🙂.

I was out from 8.30 am to try and catch AR2924 and AR2925 before cloud closed in. I had to carry the Altair 80 ED-R in and out three times to avoid periods of rain and sleet, before the cloud closed in completely at 10.36 am. A small sunspot can be seen encroaching onto the E limb, it has no AR number at present. Location marked on spaceweather.com The seeing was poor because of the frequent cloud, but I was pleased to have some views. I also took a few single frames, the one below was taken at 10.10 am, a single frame with the Olympue E-M5 Mk11.

Thanks for posting Stu. Love it, I'm a great enthusiast for using a grab and go scope so that any opportunity of clear sky can be taken advantage of. My Tecnosky 102 ED is usable this way, but I have to say since I've had the Altair 80 ED-R it has taken over the role from the 102. It's even quicker to get out and I can more easily walk up the road with it if I need a better W horizon. As you do I use the Scopetech Zero Mount, its ideal for this. I was out yesterday evening too. I had a 21 minute gap before it started to snow again! The pic below was a single frame with the Olympus taken at 4.19pm, not long after sunset.

Thank you Kon, that's very kind of you.

Mike, does it clean your lens OK when you have been licking it? 🤣

Many thanks. Yes, it was the last remnents of the sun on the contrail which made it such a vivid colour. Very lucky as there are fewer planes in the air than there were pre-covid. I agree with you, I like the the wider angle view the most myself. Thanks again.

I'm pleased some of you saw some meteors 😊.

I observed the crescent Moon from 4 pm to 5.20 pm with 10x50s and the Altair 80 ED-R. I was taking some single frames with the Olympus when a visitor arrived on the scene. I saw it come into view on the rear camera screen and quickly grabbed the dangling shutter release. Then managed to grab four frames before it departed the scene right 😊.

Thank you Nicola. Yes, I didn't lock the car when I got home last night, so I don't have the same problem this morning 😊.

Thanks Mike, too exciting at my age 😄.

Many thanks Stu. You're very kind. I must say, I do love a thin crescent. The seeing was poor as you say - role on the spring when it's higher in the evening sky, and hopefully warmer 😊.

Thanks scotty, the Quadrantis have a sharp maximum, so It's not really surprising.

I went out late afternoon to observe the nearly 2 day old Moon, driving a short distance to have a better horizon. I picked up the Moon at 3.15pm in 10x50s at an altitude of 10.4 degrees. I observed with the Altair 80 ED-R, and also took some single frames using the Olympus EM-5 Mk11. The two frames below were taken shortly before the Moon went into some tree tops, taken at 4.40 and and 4.51, the Moon's altitude being 6.6 degrees. It was very cold and when I walked from the field I was in to the car, I couldn't open the door. The biting wind had frozen the lock. After 15 minutes I was about to phone my daughter to come out and bring me a tin of de-icer, when I had a moment of inspiration. I went to the lock on the front passenger door which was sheltered from the wind - luckily after a few attempts I managed to turn the key and open the door. Phew, I wasn't sure my daughter was available to come out, so if I hadn't been able to open the door I might have still been there! 😁.

I was out from about 8.10pm to 9.00pm with limited clear patches . I didn't see any, but the conditions were poor. Has anyone been out in a good sky and seen a bucket full? 😄.

I've certainly found over the years that a smaller doublet ED using FPL53 appears to show less CA than a larger aperture version. But, it could be that they are the same if tested in a lab , but on the night sky what we see is also affected by the seeing, ice/water in the atmosphere, the altitude of the target, the target itself, our own eyesight, the eyepieces and diagonals we use, and indeed the size of the objective as you say Mike.

Thanks Pete, let's hope the weather picks up, and the solar activity of course 🙂.

A bright dawn surprisingly. I managed a quick drawing, below, with the PST at 10.10am. Some good filaments as well as the proms. GONG view added.

A gear start to the New Year as you say Mark, we'll done. 🙂.