kev100

2 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

the moon really is weird to look at

I hadn't actually noticed how weird it was (lit from underneath at the time) until my mate pointed it out. 🙃

3 minutes ago, Chefgage said:

Sounds like a fantastic place.

Gotta say 'yes, it is'. Something I forgot to mention, though, is that I'm a purely visual observer. There's a whole other tale to be told from an astrophotography point of view that I'm not qualified to tell. Some of the images here go some way towards that ...

Kev

Hi all, as promised, here’s a brief update/overview of what was the most amazing stargazing experience ever!

Of the nine nights spent at Tivoli Astro Farm, about 120km south of the capital Windhoek, seven were fully clear, one involved peeking though gaps in the cloud, and one was fully cloudy (the last night). We were so lucky with the weather!

As for the equipment, I’d brought my Celestron 20x80 bins (which survived the journey, plus several trips in the back of bumpy pick-up rides, and were great for scanning the Milky Way and the SMC and LMC), and we hired an amazing 25in Obsession dob, plus a case of TV Naglers and a 35mm Panoptic (lovely eyepiece that), paracor and laser collimator, and an Argo-Navis and various finders.

The scope, though big, was a dream to use, and, needless to say, gave stunning views. We ticked off over 100 objects, and saw countless more (when scanning through the LMC and SMC, for example, there were so many NGCs that is was impossible to confirm sightings).

The Milky Way was gobsmacking, with the Emu and Coal sack dark nebulae clearly visible to the naked eye. Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae were ‘stop you in your tracks’ stunning with the 20mm Nagler, as were the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae, the Jewel Box and Southern pleiades clusters, and so many more. We ran out of superlatives after a couple of nights and just accepted that the views were amazing.

Watching the Pleiades, Hyades and Orion rising (in that order and upside down) was very disorienting, and the total darkness (akin to being at sea with the lights out and seeing stars right to the black horizon) saw us getting lost walking to and from our chalet on several occasions (a short distance).

Our hosts bent over backwards to see that we had a great time, the food was excellent, the sunsets unforgettable, the wildlife and terrestrial sights and sounds beautiful, and the astronomy utterly unforgettable.

I’ve had to keep this brief because to do the experience justice would require more words and time than I can manage. If you have any specific questions I’ll do my best to answer. I only hope that I’ve given a sense of how utterly fantastic stargazing in a truly dark southern hemisphere location is - with a big dob, big bins or just naked eye. They say a picture paints a thousand words, so here goes (all mobile phone shots, apart for the one with the Oryx).

Kev

Taken on the 22nd of August,  on my first night in Namibia, on the pixel 4a. No processing.

Kev

Taken this week in Namibia. Pixel 4a, no processing...🙂

Took this photo on my Pixel 4a in astrophotography mode, on my first night in Namibia... No processing.

Kev

I've got the same issue ... Can't search for anything.

I use Night Filter till the issue is sorted 👍

Venus (lower left), Mars (upper right), and M45 in the middle. Taken with a Pixel 4A, on a static tripod, in Astrophotography mode.

9 Jul
Sat, 03:30
12.2 MP
4032 × 3024
737.6 KB
Google Pixel 4a
ƒ/1.73
7.8s
4.38 mm
ISO120
 

8 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Wow, looks great I bet you cannot wait, please keep us all updated when you are there sounds like a trip of a lifetime 🙂 

Enjoy.

Steve

Definitely a trip of a lifetime. Can't wait. 🙂

Update: Myself and a friend have booked a 9-day stay at Tivoli Astrofarm in Namibia from the 22nd of August! Including the use of a 25in Obsession dob! Excitement levels are off the scale.

Anyone been there? Got any advice? Going to be putting together a target list over the next few months, if anyone's got any suggestions (LMC and SMC already on it).

Kev

1 hour ago, Astrobits said:

Try Sutherland, South Africa. About 3 hours drive from Cape Town and in the middle of the Karoo. There are some b & b's  that have telescopes for guests and the South African Astronomical Observatory is a short drive away. There are many telescopes there including SALT ( Southern African Large Telescope) 11M of Hexagonal mirrors. They also do guided tours and observation evenings if you choose the right times ( although I don't know how Covid has interrupted these arrangements).

Nigel

Just had a look at Sutherland. Mixed reviews, but interesting 🧐 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I’d imagined that there would be packages available, all-in deals for flights, accommodation, gear to use, etc. anyone know of such a thing?

Hi, 

I'm set to inherit some money in the near future, and thought I might spend it on a holiday in the southern hemisphere, ideally at a dedicated stargazing venue, with scopes etc. I'm thinking southern Africa, rather than Oz, purely because of the cost of flights...

Has anyone been on such a holiday, or know of anywhere they'd recommend?

It's early days, and I'm just starting to think about it...

Cheers,

Kev

8 hours ago, Ags said:

With or without a telescope? Without: M31. With: not sure, can't remember them all!

I was thinking with... 🙂

1 minute ago, Pixies said:

NGC 4889 - Caldwell 35. An elliptical galaxy in the Coma cluster. 330 million light years away!

I observed that (and nearby NGC 4872 - 320 Mly) last year with an 8" dob at a dark site in the Scottish Borders.

 

A galaxy far, far away. Suitable for the 4th of May!

Thanks for the tip. Might have a go at those next chance I get.

Hi,

One for the visual only observers, I guess. I was out with my 10in dob on Friday, and spotted NGC 5985, a mag 11 galaxy in Draco. It's (according to SkySafari) 182mly away. I'd have to go through my notes to be sure, but I believe that this is the furthest galaxy I've seen with my own eyes. Those with larger scopes will have seen further, obviously, but I just wondered what's your most distant galaxy sighting. I'm limiting this to galaxies as I seem to remember reading that some of you have observed quasars that are almost impossibly remote ...

Kev

Thank you 👍 I'll take a proper look at the EPs you mentioned. I'm not after perfection in the field of view, and can put up with the coma/astigmatism. I do though like a bit of context to the object being viewed, that comes with the wider fov...

Kev

7 minutes ago, Don Pensack said:

Neither is the 14mm Explore Scientific.

Interesting ... This is what I've read ...

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/183154-explore-scientifc-82-degree-eyepiece-range-first-light-report/#comment-1900802

Hi all, and thanks for the thoughts. Although still unsure about the 14mm ES, I think I might go for it anyway, keeping the 16mm MV in reserve just in case. I just saw a 16mm Nagler on ABS, but as the only reason that I'm in the market for an EP at the moment is the fact that I have a voucher with a particular retailer, this rules out spending elsewhere. The 14mm's better ER (stated to be 20mm) and smaller exit pupil should give better views than the 16, albeit will little or no change to the fov, which is what I really wanted ...

Really want to like the Nirvana 16, but just can't ...  

1 hour ago, Ricochet said:

I've got the same focal length scope and I go from a 21 Ethos to a 14XW. I can't think of any object where I think that I could do with something with a TFoV between the two. 20 to 14mm is also the ideal step in terms of exit pupil. However, if you can afford the 14mm ES82 then you can afford the Baader Morpheus and based on everything that I've read about them, that is the one I would go for. However, the 14mm Morpheus only makes sense if that is going to be the only Morpheus that you're going to buy, so say you end up with an eyepiece set of 20 Myriad, 14 Morpheus, 10mm and shorter XWs. If you're going to end up with multiple Morpheuses then you want to skip the 14, so I would go for the 12.5mm. The exit pupil is right where you want it for extended DSOs both unfiltered and with a UHC filter if the transmission of the Morpheus is as good as their reputation suggests. You could then see if you still find yourself using the 16mm ES68 or if you just skip right over it because at the moment I think your problem is the gap between the 16 and 8.8mm.

That’s very interesting, that you see the gap as being between 16 and 8.8, when I’m seeing the need for a wider field of view between the 20 and the 8.8 … a 16 being the mid point for me. Already a fan of the ES 82 range, and at nearly 50 quid cheaper than the Morpheus, the 14mm ES would be my preference, I just wish there was a 16mm 82 degree version. Given that there isn’t, the question comes down to whether the better eye relief and smaller exit pupil are enough to justify replacing the 16 MV …

6 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

Did you consider this one already?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/ovl-nirvana-es-uwa-82-ultrawide-eyepieces.html

I had considered the 16mm nirvana, but the reviews I've seen weren't great with faster scopes ...

Hiya,

I’ve posted before on this issue. The 16mm MV is probably my most used ep - the mag is good, it’s a reasonably flat view, but I find the 68 deg field of view and the eye relief a bit tight. Ideally, I’d be looking for a 16mm 82 degree ep, suitable for an f4.7 scope (funds prevent TVs and the like, such as the 16mm Nagler). I was looking at the 14mm Explore Scientific 82 deg, but I feel that the increased mag offsets the wider fov. The only advantages that I see are increased eye relief and a smaller exit pupil, so better contrast. Just wondered if anyone has any thoughts?

Cheers,

Kev

I use a manfrotto camera tripod, with an extension tube on top to hold the 20*80s. Great views of dsos ...I'm sure that more expensive binos will give better views, but I think the skymasters are great (on my second pair)

Hiya, have you budgeted for a decent tripod/adaptor? If you're all sorted on that front, then these should meet your needs. I'm personally a fan of the Celestron SkyMasters (cheap and cheerful, but probably my most used piece of kit).

Kev

Hi,

I was messing around with some photos I took recently with my Pixel 4A, and wondered if it could pick up any galaxies, besides M31 and 33 (which I'd already caught). As I'd recently taken a pic of Ursa Major, I wondered of M81 & 82 were possible. Here's the pic:

Anyway, I took a screen capture of the same part of the sky in SkySafari and overlaid it in Photoshop, then dropped the opacity. Amazing, M81 & 82 show up (okay, the very definition of faint fuzzies, but there nonetheless)!

Exported the transition as a video:

I think that this is bloody amazing ...

Kev