mikeDnight

Mallas & Kramers Messier Album had me enthralled. Kramers photographs, for the time, were awesome; even more awesome for me were Mallas's drawings and the fact he only used a 4" refractor, albeit a Unitron, which in the 1950's were close to house prices for Mallas model. The single photo in the book of John Mallas twiddling with his Unitron refractor was as inspirational to me as his drawings, and when I eventually afforded to buy a second-hand 4" F13 Vixen achromat in 1986, I felt I'd won the lottery. I've spent thousands since then and still have a 4" refractor. Well, 3.9", just before someone corrects me. Two inspiring books for the visual observer. John Mallas with his telescope.

I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of local amateurs when I was a teenager, and they acted as mentors as well as ending up being good friends. They were both quite a bit older than I was, so I listened to every word they said. Their combined guidance and encouragement was invaluable to me. One in particular, Derek, encouraged me down the refractor line, and I have to admit that after 43 years at the eyepiece I've never been disappointed. I'm also reasonably certain that if I'd been introduced to reflectors early on I would be in exactly the same place as I am now. It was their enthusiasm that fuelled me. A big influence on me was the autobiography by Leslie C. Peltier, Starlight Nights, the adventures of a Stargazer. Peltier was a dynamic and prolific observer. His passion was variable stars and comets, and he used refractors, so naturally as an easily influenced teenager I began to see refractors as not only beautiful telescopes, but powerful multipurpose instruments. It seemed there was virtually nothing they weren't good at. Reading Starlight Nights for yourself may just help ignite that visual flame. And of course association with other visual observers can help greatly too.

Here's where it begins to hurt. 🇯🇵

I'm sure you're not alone in doubting your artistic ability, but artistic skill isn't so important. The simple act of putting pencil to paper somehow engages a critical eye. The end result isn't that important, as simply scribbling down detail has helped you to understand whats actually visible in the eyepiece. I use two sketch books. The rough sketch book is what i use at the telescope, and it contains scribbles and crossing outs as i correct mistakes, and as the subtle detail gradually reveals itself. Then soon after finishing observing, I'll make a cleaned up version of the eyepiece sketch in my other sketch book. Of course not all visual observers choose to draw. Some write notes, which serves the same purpose as sketching as it focuses the observers attention in a critical way. A friend of mine uses a dictaphone at the telescope, then makes written notes when back inside. The reason I like to sketch is that I'm inherently lazy, and find it much easier to look back at my sketches rather than reading pages of notes. I hope you give it a go sometime in the future. You may find its not as hard as you might first imagine.

I have thought about it, but i think there are already a few on the scene that cover most of the techniques. I have thought about making a short video showing how I complete various sketches, but it would likely need subtitles so that those north or south of Lancashire and Yorkshire could understand it.

What a brilliant post. When I started out in astronomy over 40 years ago, photography as it was then was nothing like today. Visual observers could make valuable observations that very often outstripped the majority of photographs in detail - I'm talking about observational sketches. Although today imaging has under most circumstances, made sketching all but obsolete as far as creating a scientific record; it has not replaced visual observing. I'm what you might call "old school", or a bit of a dinosaur. I'm a purely visual observer, and an avid sketcher. Sketching is a powerful visual observing aid. It forces the observer to slow down and search out the most subtle nuances in an object under scrutiny. I find that as wonderful as images are, they are a little like the art of taxidermy, in that they show an object frozen in time, and often cooked to reveal an aspect of a feature rather than the whole as it truly is. Visual observing when done correctly, shows the object to be alive, and its features presented differently, more subtle and almost three dimensional compared to those in an image. You asked to be inspired. I hope you enjoy the following mix of my observations, from lunar & planetary; brighter deep sky & Comets, and Double star, to planetary mapping and globe making. Most of the following have been observed through a 4" refractor. The two Mars globes below were made using observations from the 2016 (small globe) and 2020 apparition (large globe). They are spray painted stainless steel balls, and the detail was added by using graphite applied using cotton ear buds. Edges sharpened using a putty eraser, then overcoated with spray on clear lacquer.

As you're obviously planning on observing from the same spot; what about setting up a permanent pier? Depending on the type of scope you use, you may even be able to leave the mount permanently attached and just cover it with a canvas bag. I did this with a Losmandy GM8 and a G11 for years, and not once did the mount or its electronics get wet. With less to carry outside, and back inside when everything is caked in ice, and you're cold and tired, I'd imagine you'll use it more often. Everything remains polar aligned too, so no set-up required.

It's possible you may be able to pick up a second-hand Vixen aluminium tripod. The one in the pic carrying my GP and FC100DZ, is tall and surprisingly steady, but light weight. Another alternative could be a SW tubular steel tripod, in the second pic carrying my Equinox 120. Very solid, though heavier, yet still easily manageable, and relatively cheap. Also easily sourced second hand.

Don't let it trouble you too much. I bought a DC in March 2015, which is optically identical to the DF, and it rapidly became my most used scope. In fact the darn thing nearly wore me out. Together we had five years of non-stop awesome adventures. Then in April 2020 I recieved my DZ. It too is a superb scope, but with hand on heart, in real terms it is no better than the DC. The differences are so miniscule its not worth losing sleep over, so never imagine you have a poor cousin. As far as I'm aware, all Takahashi lenses are produced by Cannon Optron, and are truly world class. Takahashi themselves are just an engineering company, and though very well engineered, they are set in time. Personally I love their look as they stand out from the rest for good or bad.

Well that's a marked improvement on what you normally call me Jeremy. I'll take it as a compliment.

That's a beautiful scope. Perhaps you could consider setting up a permanent pier in your garden if you have one, so you'll only need to carry the tube outside? One thing is certain however; you may have a new best friend in the Moon. For that, your scope will be truly awesome! And why not take advantage of our nearest alien world, as it dominates our sky for half the month.

I have used a cheap Revelation binoviewer since 2008 and love it. I use the binoviewer with a 2X barlow attached to its nose which amplifies about 4X. My eyepieces are mainly old 5 element Ultima's, Ultrascopic's, Parks Gold & Eudiascopic's (pseudo Masuyama's). They are very similar in design to the Tak LE's only a touch better in my view. Unfortunately they are nolonger in production. I also use 16.8mm Kson Ortho's. I find that longer focal lengths in conjunction with a barlow on the binoviewer give a more comfortable view than the shorter fl's without a barlow. I like around 180X for Jupiter, 200X to 250X+ for Saturn, 180X to 250X+ for Mars. I usually only observe with relatively small aperture scopes, so the resolution is obviously limited; however using both eyes massively improves the ease with which subtle detail is seen. The only drawback for me is that binoviewer tend to be critically adjusted to a single observer, which can take some time to get right. This means that they are unlikely to suit another observers vision and would need adjusting. Then they can become a pain. Below are my pseudo Masuyama's and binoviewer in two of my scopes. The binoviewer has for me been the most impressive accessory I've ever bought.

It's easy to begin doubting the detail you see, especially when its approaching the limit of your visual acuity. Your experience with detail at the polar region is a lesson you shouldnt be too quick to dismiss. When I sketch, if over the time of the observation a feature at the limit of discernability keeps flitting in and out of view, I include it. You can always make a side note to indicate it was questionable or at the visual limit. Even if for a time it seems you may have made an error, in time you may find that what you recorded has been seen by others past or present. Sketching greatly improves your visual acuity, and you may have your observing skill questioned by others, especially by some who haven't yet experienced the benefits of putting pencil to paper as an observing aid. As an example, some years back i began sketching a lunar crater named Werner. I chose it as it looked simple and I needed the practice with lunar drawing. I was using a 100mm refractor, but as the observation progressed my attention was drawn to a borderline visible fine rille, which extended from one of the two central peaks and travelled up the inner retracing and out onto the rough upland terrain. No photographs I looked at showed the rille, so I turned to some more experienced lunar observers. Doubt was cast over my rilles existence. So Werner became a pet project for me, and successive observations using my 100mm scope not only reveald the same rille, even during different lunations, they also revealed a number other fine rilles. Again, no NASA images I saw showed the rilles and no other observers acknowledged their existence yet I knew I was seeing them. Then a BAA member who had been intrigued by the problem, sent me an e-mail that included some images he had recently made. I was thrilled to see in those images the rilles I had seen visually. Experiences like this help to build confidence. When looking at your sketches, they immediately demanded more than a cursory glance. As eyepiece sketches they are excellent. Have you thought about making a cleaned up version in a separate sketch book? Doing so will give you a beautiful record of your observations that can enthuse you and others for years to come.

I see the Pendle Witch Old Mother Demdike, a Poodle, and Stu's mouse, but I'm afraid the fox eludes me.

I love your sketches with plenty of detail seen and nicely recorded.

That's a great achievement and immensely valuable to amateur imagers and visual observers alike.

That's brilliant Jeremy. And I believe you when you say you look at it every night before bed. It's difficult to turn away once you start looking at those images. I'd forgot I'd posted some photo's of my friend Derek with his, now my Sky 90. Happy memories! Perhaps I should keep it!!??

I love my Tak prism. Some aren't so happy with the locking ring mechanism as it can cause a problem when using eyepieces with deep undercuts. Televue eyepieces are the worst for deep undercuts. And although the body section of the Tak prism is plastic, it is extremely strong and can carry a heavy load without any issues. I've used mine with a barlowed binoviewer for lunar and planetary for years and its never let me down. I think the Tak prism is one of the best value for money accessories on the market.

I could be wrong but the Tak pic of the FS128 on an EM1 may have been one of the pic's I posted on SGL a few years ago. I have a collection of photo's showing the history of Tak scopes and their development over the years. I think i posted many of those pic's, so you should be able to search for them if you know how.

I used to really look forward to Sky & Telescope and bought it religiously until the destructive take over a number of years ago. I didn't usually buy it for the astro charts etc, but for the enthusiasm displayed by our American cousins that I find sadly lacking from any British astro mag. Back in the day the equipment reviews were truly outstanding and informative. Today most reviews in mag's aren't worth the paper they are written on. Everything is so watered down and often written with an undertone of inexperience that they are effectively valueless. Then there are the silly price hikes, and paying more for less really gets under my skin, so I nolonger buy a monthly magazine and haven't done so for around ten years. Better to buy a set of 1950's to 1990's S&T's and look back at a time when amateure astronomy was truly great and observers knew their instruments and the night sky.

The 102ED is definitely worth it. The ST 102 is a nice little scope which will give you pleasing low power views but the 102ED is in a whole different league in my view, being a much more capable all round scope.

60mm F11.6 Carton Comet Seeker checking out Mars before the occultation 07/12/22.

Here's a sketch of Mars made on 07/12/22 using my 60mm F11.6 Carton refractor, a Takahashi prism diagonal and a 5mm Ultrascopic eyepiece. Showing Solis Lacus region.

Sorry for the three posts. For some reason the site isn't registering the post has been sent.

I think these little scopes can be awesome. Here's my 60mm F11.6 Carton Comet Seeker. I know, it doesn't sound like much of a comet seeker at F11.6 let alone with a 60mm objective, but for its time it was quite short yet still is pretty much free of any visible CA. The Carton also boasts a 1.25" stock focuser which again is unusual for a 60mm of its time. This of course means I can use some high quality eyepieces to get the best out of this beautiful little objective. The scope is also capable of using a binoviewer which really gives it a punch above its aperture class. Below are some pic's and a sketch of mars from this evening (07/12/22).