paulastro

I'm always up for a challenge Jeremy, to keep Mike on his toes if for no other reason 😄. Reading Johns comment on a challenge, some three years ago ( 12 or 13 years ago I think ) Mike and I had a challenge on who could see Venus at the smaller crescent phase. I was in pole position to win, but I was robbed by the most un-sportsmanlike behaviour at the end - not worthy of a gentleman! At the time I was in a lot of pain, waiting to have my right hip replaced, but was gallantly getting out to observe at every opportunity despite this. Then would you believe it, I was the front runner the day before I had to have my hip replacement. The next evening, when I was in hospital having my op that dastardly Mike took advantage and made another observation, what a cad! Yes, of course I hold a grudge, I'm going to win this time - I'm coming to get you Mike ! 😜

Lets hope that the DZ performs better than your excellent DC did - it will take some doing. I can see you getting anxious if a few weeks go by with no good seeing and the DZ hasn't yet matched the DC at it's best. Anyway Mike, we're good friends and you can always rely on me for words of support and encouragement whilst waiting for a top night to come along for the DZ to strut its stuff. And, being the good pal I am, I'll be happy to take the DZ off your hands ( at a bargain price of course! ) if you get fed up waiting. 🤣

So, it would be true to say you liked your Tak Mike? 😄

The Takahashi 100DC and DF are 100 mm aperture and 740mm focal length, one element fluorite. They are superb, in my view you wont get better for visual observing. And yes, they are better than FPL53 objectives. I have used SW ED doublet refractors with FPL53 for years and they are excellent too - but not as good as Tak. Having said that they are not too far behind. I currently use two of the SW doublets and am very happy with them. But I have used the Taks too, if the price is no object and you want the best, buy one of the Taks, you can see the difference. If you're on a budget buy one of the SW FPL 53s, you'll still have a great refractor. I've not mentioned FPL triplets as I much prefer doublets for visual myself.

At about 4.30 am on Wed 22nd the shadow of Jupiter and the Great Red Spot start to cross the disk of Jupiter. About an hour later, both will be approaching the central meridian. Remember, it will be approaching dawn, so get out early and observe until the sky becomes too bright. The peak of the April Lyrids is at midnight before Jupiter rises, so you may already be out observing. The BAA Handbook indicate a ZHR of 15 meteors per hour, but you can never be sure unless you are out observing. There is no interfering Moon so dont miss out.

The Astronomy Centre near Todmorden is currently not open due to the Coronavirus situation and there is no-one there to take phone calls, though you can contact Peter Drew by email via the website..

John, I appreciate your contributions to this thread as in the not too distant future I'm thinking of buying an 8 inch Dob to go along with my 80ED and 120ED - I was already heavily leaning toward the Bressier before coming across this thread. Like yourself I have owned and used many SW Dobs over the years and have always found them to be very good. I wondered how you think the Messier 8 optics compare with those of the SW. If they are at least as good, it seems a no-brainer to me. Thanks.

Mike. You've clearly not read my contribution to DaveL59's posti regarding contacting aliens 😊.

I viewed the conjunction through haze and some cloud until past dawn by which time it was clear. The seeing was really terrible throughout, but I thought the Moon looked beautiful, a really nice colour low down. The three pics are the same frame cropped twice. Single frame taken at 5.33 am, SW 80ED, Olympus E-M5 MK11, 1/80 sec at 400 asa.

Out early for the conjuction, saw Mars as well but it was to far to the E and out of field for the lens I was using, also cloud covered early on. The first pic was taken at 4.40 am ( 1 sec at 400 asa ) and the second at 5.25 am ( .62 sec at 400 asa ). Both hand held, but luckily my Olympus has a very good image stabilisation facility.

I was up at 3 am, to observe the nearly last quarter Moon, and if possible Jupiter, Saturn and Mars - low down to the E of the Moon. This turned out to be on the early side as the seeing was very poor and I couldn't even see Jupiter until later on. It improved steadily into the dawn, though it was still not great seeing. On the Moon it struck me straight away that there was a one-armed man waving to me! (see the crop below) His head is represented by the crater Maurolycus and his waving left arm consists of the illuminated S and SE walls of Barocius. I also managed to observe the three planets. I only used x75 on the Baader Mk111 zoom, but could see some nice details on Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and the very small disk of Mars. I also heard the local Tawny Owls, and the dawn chorus - the highlight being a blackbird which landed on the fence behind me and sang very loud only four feet away from me. It was a lovely end to the session. Packed up with ice on the telescope and the temperature a cool -2 degrees C. The single frame below was taken with the SW 80ED and Olympus E-M5 Mk11 at 5.28 am, 1/100 sec at 400 asa. The crop is from the same frame.

It just beats me why you keep on using the "10 inch thing with mirrors" Mike? 🤔

Thanks Mike. I must admit I was pleased with the pics I obtained. The 80ED is a great scope to use if I can't use the 120 ED in the observatory, or as this morning when the Moon was at a low altitude with poor seeing - the 80ED is less affected of course.

I set the alarm for 3 am, and was out, set up with the SW 80ED on the AZ5 by 3.20 am. Though the low Moon was always observed through a thin layer of hazy cloud, it looked very beautiful in the peaceful hours before dawn. Janssen was well placed on the terminator. I took a few frames using the Olympus E-M5 Mk11 before observing with my binoviewer and both 26 mm and 16.8 Orthos. The seeing was mostly poor but good detail could be seen at times. It was nice to see Jupiter rising low down some 40 degrees to the E of the Moon at 4.15. I then packed up as the cloud started to engulf the Moon completely. The single frame below was taken at 3.32 am, 1/125 sec at 400 asa. Colour and mono versions and crops from the same frame.

Well John, there shouldn't be any true lunar enthusiast who doesn't buy a copy when they find out about it - in my humble opinion 🙂.

I bet you one million pounds, your house, your 3.9 inch refractor and your eyepieces that I have! My wife will vouch for me as well - now you wouldn't argue with her, would you? 🥴

Mine was delivered 40 mts ago, WOW! Everything my friend said about it is true, and then some! 😃

What a coincidence, mine was delivered about 40 mts ago. My wife carried it into the lounge complaining how heavy it is. It's got to be the best value and most comprehensive lunar title ever. I know what Ill bedoing later this evening if its cloudy! 😃

A nice waning gibbous Moon with interesting terminator, particularly E of Petavius and M Crisium. The Moon was always covered by various amounts of thin cloud, but the seeing wasn't too bad, though the contrast was subdued. Single frame taken at 01.00 am, 120ED, Olympus E-M% Mk11, 1/250 sec at 200 asa. Crops taken from the same frame.

John, mine is one it's way from UKPaperback show, from a link on Amazon. if you look it up on Amazon it will show you other places affiliated to them you can get it from, just click 'all options'- or something like that. I've already had one send from Amazon themselves and had to send it back - they only included one of the three volumes! Mine is costing £49 including postage by the way. It's well worth the effort, a close friend of mine who has being collecting astronomy and spaceflight books for over fifty years recently bought a set.. When he had his copy delivered he phoned me immediately and I'd never heard him so excited, he said it was by far the best new book(s) and the best values in all of the fifty years he has been buying books, He is a lunar specialist, and believe me, he really know what he is talking about. Make sure you get a copy, or you will regret it when you get to see a set. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed mine arrives (in about a week), there aren't many copies around.

I just wondered if anyone else was observing Mare Australe last night? I'd like to see any drawings anyone made if so. I observed it mayself and took as snap, it was posted here: Thanks.

I was out last night from about 11 pm and was pleased to find that a very favourable S/SW libration had brought Mare Australe into view. It's a hugely interesting area and not often seen well. In the fine Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas (out of print and very expensive if you can find a used copy), chapter 10 covers Mare Australe very well. It's not well shown in most references I had to hand and the two page spread of images and information were invaluable in helping me identify the features I has been looking at. The craters Oken, Lyot, Hanno and Pontecoulant (visible only because of their darker floors than the surrounding mare areas) were all on show. I was particularly pleased to observe Lyot, as according to the Cambridge atlas: Lyot, diam 140 km is a large complex crater and the largest impact structure in Mare Australe. Observing is a challenge because of the location at the extreme limb and is successful only under the most favourable libration. (Lyot is situated at 50.2 degrees S, 84.1 degrees E) This was a fabulous highlight of the session but there was also other fine detail along the terminator, including the area to the S of Bailly. The single frame below was taken at 00.19 on 8th with the SW 120ED, Olympus E-M5 MK11, 1/1000 sec at 200 asa, and the crops taken from the same frame.

Thanks Stu. I'm glad you had some good seeing, it's just a shame we don't get it too often.

Seeing was rather poor last night, but I still managed some nice views and a few pictures. Bailly and Riccioli were well placed. Single frame taken at 11.55 pm, SW 120ED, Olympus E-M5 MKII, 1/250 sec at 200 asa. The crops of Bailly and Riccioli are taken from the same frame.

Bailly is very well placed tonight on the SW Lunar terminator> Well worth a look. Description: Circular formation little differentiated. The largest of crater shaped formations. Few steep slopes supporting many craters. High walls ridden by Bailly A to the South-East. Extensive and pretty flat floor to the South and tormented to the North. Spangled of craters and craterlets whose Bailly B to the South Bailly D & C to the North-West and Bailly F & I to the center. Hills.