F15Rules

On 11/02/2022 at 11:23, Davesellars said:

Expanding my astronomy library...  Just received a used (like new) copy of Atlas of the Night Sky by Storm Dunlop.  Since I've just got into lunar observation and peeked my interest considerably I mainly purchased this as it has quite an extensive section for the Moon and maps illustrated by Antonin Rukl since his book, Atlas of the Moon is a ridiculous price.  Also winging its way here is the 21st Century Atlas of the Moon (Charles Wood).

I have this same book Dave, and it's excellent. High quality atlas, great graphics, excellent star maps and as you say, one of the highlights is the Lunar section..I particularly like the different formats for reflectors and refractors, showing you the exact view you will see depending on your scope type -  makes it much easier to recognise features!

I paid £12 for mine in mint condition 18 months ago..but I see you can pick one up online in great used condition for less than that at the moment..a bargain!👍

Dave

On 16/02/2022 at 15:53, JeremyS said:

I’ve been learning Japanese so I can talk to the other members of my (Tak) family

🤣

in that case, this is one of the first things you should learn Jeremy..

把手

(handle)..

どういたしまして

(you're welcome)

😊😊

Dave

26 minutes ago, Saganite said:

....all of them jewels to be honest.

Just like you, Steve!! 😃🙃🤣

Dave

So sad to hear of this attack.

Complete ignorance and stupidity on the part of the culprit.

Thank goodness neither of you were hurt, and I hope your insurance does cover this mindless act.

Please don't let it put you off our wonderful hobby, and give our best wishes to your partner too🤗.

Dave

13 minutes ago, Roy Challen said:

I don't have any vintage eyepieces at the moment, other than this lovely Meade RGO. The second one I've had, not had the chance to have a decent look through it yet, but the first one was a cracker, as was the 10.5mm I had too.

I truly regret selling my CZJs, best EPs I've ever owned.

 

A cracking eyepiece!!👍

Dave

32 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Saganite, you do realise that following your post, some unscrupulous people will be looking to buy a 24mm Ultima to sell to you for a 'kings ransome' 🤭.

I have one you can have Steve, shall we say £1000??😋😈😁

Dave

6 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Great topic for a grim day with sleet falling, Mike 👍🏻
 

My vintage jewel is the Pentax XP-3.8. I first bought one in about 2000 for use with my Tak FS102. I was living in the Far East at the time and this EP, which I hadn’t come across before, had legendary status among my friends over there. A stunner on the planets. I made the error of selling it after a few years as I wasn’t doing much observing, mainly imaging. I had the opportunity to purchase a replacement for Japan last year.

I like its diminutive nature, 0.965-inch (especially contrasted with its brash and burly sibling). It’s for lovers of short eye relief. 😊

Not much room for a handle on that little beauty Jeremy...🤔😋

Dave

That's almost certainly a GSO made Barlow (Guang Sheng Optical), so it should be decent quality👍😉.

Good luck!

Dave

1 hour ago, badhex said:

I have looked into the nose piece trick before but it is a lens assembly which screws *into*, rather than a nose piece which screws *onto*, the barrel, so I'm reticent to unscrew it (would require a lens spanner also) so I don't think it's an option. I do have a BST 3.2mm which would give me 223x - I didn't enjoy it so much with my F5.9 ZS73 but perhaps I'll dig it out and give it a go in this scope. 

I understand what you mean, that barlow wouldn't work with my suggestion..but this one would....😁😁

https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/baader-planetarium-2.25x-q-barlow-lens-1.25.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiApL2QBhC8ARIsAGMm-KFHJj1n2hEH9fCMNTBWid7QwMnv4d2TGCQxl3IuBEooEG86fdF5nWgaArHBEALw_wcB

Dave

Great report!

And good performance from your scope, given your light pollution and bright moon challenges to contend with too 👍..

Alnitak is not an easy split, but as Nik says, it's definitely within reach of your 102mm F7.

Given your magnifications quoted, I'm assuming your Barlow is a 2.5x unit? Does it have a removable bottom section that you can remove and thread into your eyepiece?

If so, chances are that the nosepiece only will give you between 1.3x and 1.6x..with your Morpheus 4.5mm, this would translate to between 206x (1.3x Barlow nosepiece) and 253 (1.6x Barlow nosepiece)..

These two magnifications would be very useful for close doubles of c 2" - 3" separation, including Alnitak.

Judging by your photo, your scope has very nice optics!

Dave

1 hour ago, Dave scutt said:

Looks like the wife not watching the apprentice tonight 🤣

It's worth watching Hubble just to avoid Lord Sugar & Co!!

If ever a program was past it's sell by date...😝

Dave

Burnhams' Celestial Handbook Volumes 2 & 3..

I had a set of these once before and let them go, regretting it since.

The amount of info in these volumes is astonishing, intimidating even, but once you start reading about each constellation, Mr Burnhams' enthusiasm really draws you in.. ok, they are old now, but still very useful and informative, with loads of tables and maps etc of objects.

I will source a copy Vol 1 soon to complete the set, and these will complement my more modern, recently bought two volume "Night Sky Observer's Guide" set really nicely😉.

Dave

+1 for the Vixen.

I've owned 2 ED103s ( now the "SD" but almost identical)..the Vixens' are oversized tubes but very light and to my eyes look fabulous (not the main reason to buy of course!).

I now have a Tak FS128 and for a short time owned both the Tak 128mm and the ED103s simultaneously, so could compare them. Honestly, the ED103s was visually right up there with the Tak, sharpness, contrast etc, but the extra 25mm really does count, especially on fainter objects. 

I couldn't find a115s Vixen at the time , and really wanted a 5" all round visual scope and was very lucky to find a mint FS128 (at a price!😱). 5 years on, I love the Tak and it will stay with me, but I would take a Vixen 115s in a heartbeat. My Tak is a big tube, but only 7.5kg and sits well on a Tak EM2 mount (think Vixen GPDX capacity). I think an HEQ5 for visual or EQ6 for imaging would work well, and both come up used at good prices quite regularly.

I don't do AP, but at F7.7 and good CA control I think the Vixen would do a decent job..and you already have your 80mm for all night imaging etc..

Good luck with your decision.

Dave

5 hours ago, HollyHound said:

Very nice indeed @Stu 👍

Mine’s been happily sitting out in plain sight for almost a year now too… ok, it’s just inside my office door, but Mrs H has commented she finds it “quite elegant” 😮😃

Maybe it’s a Tak thing 🤔🤣

Nah.. it's the chair she's admiring..you could offer to use it for ironing once a week if she lets the scope stay put too?🙃

Dave

32 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

Well done Dave, I tried for it again last night with my Tak FC-100DL & TV 3-6 zoom (150x - 300x). It was the best I've seen Sirius for some time with two to three diffraction rings showing sporadically, however there was still too much scintillation obscuring any chance to reveal the Pup. Maybe the extra bit of aperture in your FS128 gives you the edge 🤔  

Never mind there's still a few weeks left before it gets too low and I know roughly where to look, (upper left looking through my Tak!)

 

Hi Iain,

Thanks for that..I should have mentioned, I used a moon filter too, and that definitely helped!

Oh, and its upper right through your Tak if you're using a normal diagonal or prism...image is right way up but East and West are reversed..😉

Good luck!!

Dave

It's quite possible that you saw the E and F components at 150x..I regularly see them with my 128mm apo at less than 100x in good conditions 😃

Dave

Got the Pup tonight!!

Just another micro session with Trinity the Tak FS128 tonight. I have just 30 minutes as we're having an early start to drive a long way to family tomorrow..

The sky is great tonight and by naked eye Sirius looked very steady, so I thought maybe tonight's the night..(I've never seen the Pup in this scope before, very frustrating as I've seen it in a Vixen ED103s  a couple of times from my old house).

Anyway, got the star lined up and went straight in with a 9mm Morpheus. Clearly saw 2/3 diffraction rings but not the Pup.

So I upped the magnification with a 1.6x Barlow and this time I was pretty sure I could see the Pup, east north east of Sirius (refractor view, 2" diagonal) at between 12.30 and 1pm position.

I then went in with a Baader 2.25x Barlow in the Morpheus, at 260x. This time there wasn't any doubt, there it was..and I was able to repeat the confirmation with the Morph 9mm and 1.6x barlow at 184x.

The seeing is everything to get this split and I'm so chuffed to finally get this monkey off my back here in the Lincolnshire Wolds 👍🤩.

Got to go in now, but a big smile on my face tonight  ...hope some of you get it as well!

Dave

4 hours ago, wulfrun said:

Or stop trying to launch them when a storm's due?

Or...just stop launching them altogether??😎😈

Dave

Grabbed a 20 minute gap in the clouds to go back to Orion (it's like a magnet🧲😊)..

I've been using a very nice Celestron Axiom LX 23mm lately and just gazed at M42 and surroundings for the whole 15 minute micro session.

The 82 degree field gives spectacular views at 45x, and at 90x with a 2" AP Barlow, the view became really involving, even in conditions which included fast moving scudding clouds, and an increasingly bright moon..lots of wisps.and tendrils of gas going in all directions.

I was beaten by the clouds after just 20 minutes, but I knew the forecast would make this a short session, so I just picked the one target, the one eyepiece and made the most of it😊.

Dave

Thanks Mark.

Yes, I think you're right..every session I observe I follow a pattern to start with, of lowest power (finder scope!), then 23 - 31mm, 17.5mm, (12mm), 9mm to (5mm).

The two in brackets depends on the object I'm observing and the sky conditions. All of my eyepieces can also be barlowed if need be.

The main difference I noted with the 23mm Ax vs the 22mm LVW was the extra width of the sharp field. Although the LVW was sharp in my Tak right to the edge (ie the full 65degrees, the Ax23 is sharp to c 96-97%at least, and that percentage equates to at least 78, degrees, so right up with the best Morpheus field.

The 31mm also performs well, but I haven't used it as much as yet so will report on that later, when I've been able to put it through it's paces 

Dave

Fair comment about possible eye relief issues..the quoted eye relief on the 23mm is 17mm, which as a non glasses wearers for observing is very comfortable for me.

The 23mm has no ring of fire that I can detect. The 31mm  Axiom LX has a bluish thin ring around the edge in daytime , but I can't detect it at night, which is what matters to me, plus I'm reviewing the 23mm here, not the 31mm.

9 hours ago, Louis D said:

Stars are also not as pinpoint in the central 50% as the 27mm Panoptic or even the 30mm APM UFF.

I've never used either of those eyepieces so can't comment on them.. However, I have 9mm and 17.5mm Morpheus and a Nagler 12mm T2, and I can say that the Axioms' on axis sharpness gives up nothing to any of these, it's every bit as sharp.

9 hours ago, Louis D said:

Stars remain a bit bloated in comparison at best focus.  It's why I keep all of them

Well, it's each to their own of course, but I couldn't afford to keep several different eyepieces of the same or very similar focal lengths..I'd just buy the one that got as near to being perfect for me and my scopes as I could afford🙂.

Dave

I used to own a wonderful Vixen LVW 22mm eyepiece..it was, IMHO a pretty much perfect low power, widefield eyepiece, and in my FS128 it gave me my best ever view of M42, just stunning.

Sadly, I had to sell it shortly after I got my Tak (in spring 2017), as part of my kit sell off to help fund the Tak scope and Tak mount. 

Since then, finding another has been pretty much impossible, and those that do have one seem determined to keep it, as they realise just what a gem they are.

This does sometimes happen: a readily available branded product can be somewhat overlooked, and only after it has been discontinued does it begin to be properly and widely acknowledged for the great performer it is..the Baader Genuine Ortho range also springs to mind, and I think the Vixen LVW range is another...all sizes were and are great performers, with a nice 65 degree fov and good eye relief.

Anyway, some months ago, I saw an advert for a Celestron Axiom LX 23mm 2" 82 degree eyepiece, and found some positive reviews/opinions both here on SGL and on the US site. I still really wanted a decent low power widefield giving me c 40-50x in the FS128 (FL 1040mm, F8.1), so I decided to give it a try and bought it.

Over the past few months I've had about half a dozen sessions using the Axiom 23mm, and I have to say I'm delighted with it. It's a big, heavy eyepiece, twice the heft of the Vixen LVW 22mm, and only useable in 2" focusers, but the key positives I've identified are:

- Excellent fit and finish. Built to last and optics have very good coatings.

- Built in rotating eyecup, which makes it easy to find a comfortable observing position

- very wide, immersive 82degree field of view, which is sharp virtually to the edge of the fov in the FS128 (95% plus).

- good colour rendition..eg Albireo, showing great contrast and beautiful colour shades in a "spacewalk" field

- comfortable in use

Potential issues:

- needs a robust focuser due to the weight (926g)

- 2" barrel so not useable straight into 1.25" focusers**

I spent time observing mainly M42, The Double Cluster in Perseus, and the Pleiades.

- in good clear, dark skies M42 was stunning. Just as sharp and contrasty as the LVW 22mm, but the extra 17 degree fov (82 vs 65) of the Axiom really added impact to the view..with M42 centred in the field, the Iota Orionis system was clearly visible out towards the edge of the field, with room to spare.

- we've all been entranced by the Double Cluster, I'm sure. I'm no different, it's always one of the first things I look at when it's well placed..but I've never seen it as I've seen it through the Ax 23mm. Both clusters superbly framed with room to spare, with hundreds of tiny, scintillating points of light all over the field. I think the phrase I've heard more often used to describe this object than any other is "diamonds sparkling on velvet"..I couldn't put it any better myself.

- The Pleiades. With an apparent field of 1.83 degrees I could just about fit the main asterism into the Axiom 23mm field (1.82 degrees)..

The nebulosity around Merope and the other brightest stars was quite evident, and the lovely line of 7th magnitude stars extending down to the southeast from the main grouping was beautifully sharp.

So, in summary, I do believe I've found a worthy replacement for the Vixen LVW22..actually, taking the extra field into account, even a little better?

Photo shows the eyepiece decloaked, but I've recloaked it for comfort reasons.

NOTE: **2" barrel so not useable straight into 1.25" focusers**.. I have found I can use this ep in a 1.25" focuser by using a Baader prism with 1.25" nosepiece on the scope end and a 2" Clicklock on the eyepiece end. This can cause some vignetting but the views are still very nice. Better still is if you can attach a T2 adapter to your focuser and thread the male T2 thread into a Baader BBHS Zeiss prism..this has a 34mm clear aperture vs 32mm on the standard T2 prism. The Axiom 23mm field stop is also  34mm, so the BBHS prism will fully illuminate the Axioms' fov with little or no vignetting.

Mine's definitely a keeper!👍

Dave 

PS: I see there's a 23mm Axiom LX for sale right now on UKABS..nothing to do with me, but sounds like a bargain!

A lovely clear night here tonight. I decided to go retro, just with my lovely old Vixen SP102 on SP mount in Altaz Mode. Transparency and seeing were very good, despite a brisk, cold breeze.

I spent a lovely 90 minutes touring Orion..a few highlights were:

- M42 a lovely sight with 23mm Axiom LX at 43x. Upping the power with 9mm Morpheus for 110x, I could intermittently glimpse both E &F Trap stars, well pleased with that.

- Sigma showed all 4 components and the faint 11th mag 4th star was clearly seen with direct vision.

- Alnitak in the Belt. Pushing the power up to a silly level (BGO5mm and 2.25x Barlow giving 450x), the 2.4" close companion was clearly shown with clear black space between it and the primary star..it was whizzing across the fov though!

- just before packing in due to the cold, I just sat and looked at the main Orion asterism of 7 stars including the Belt.

I counted a total of 29 stars including the 7 main stars, a record for me with naked eye.. many were averted vision, but definitely there.

Went back inside by 8.30pm for a hot chocolate and early night for early start travelling to see family in the Midlands tomorrow.

Sleep well all😊

Dave

A lovely clear night here and I decided to have a session just with the SP102 tonight. 

The SP mount in Altaz Mode worked a treat..using my Axiom 23mm at 43x, M42 was sharp right to the very edge of the fov, and took well over 2 minutes to cross the field..and with a 5mm BGO and Baader zoom 2.25x barlow, giving 450x,  Alnitak in Orion's belt was a lovely sight with it's 2.4" distant companion clearly showing dark sky between them.

Dave

Great report Neil, and as many have already said, really nice to see your handle on an observing report again..always informative, varied and motivational 👍😊.

Dave