mikeDnight

M1 can be a pig! Back in the early 80's i could find it on most nights when well placed through my 12X60 binoculars. Today it can give me the run-around. I recon much depends on sky transparency, I blame aircraft vapour trails and all these astronomers flying abroad in search of clear skies! ✈🛩🛫🛬 It's close to a year since I saw it last. It was the first object I looked for using my new Altair 30mm Ultra Flat after getting home from the practical astronomy show. The sky must have been transparent as M1 immediately stood out as large as life in my FC100DZ. I haven't looked for it since! I've found it helps to block out peripheral stray light using a black blanket or hood, as its often the light around us that causes most harm.

The longer you study them the more subtle the detail. Mallas was more of an inspiration to me in a way, because I saw things that I considered to be easily discernable, but that he didn't record. Mind you, his Unitron eyepieces were far removed from what we use today. Steve O'Meara on the other hand, although also using a 4" refractor, makes too much of a big deal about observing from the slopes of a Hawaiian volcano. This has definitely led some to imagine their own more mainland suburban situation is hopeless for Messier hunting, which is simply untrue! Here are just a few from the suburbs of a misty, often cloud plagued, north of England mill town. M1 (5" refractor) M45 and the Merope nebula (4" refractor) M57 the Ring Nebula (4" refractor) M27 the Dumbbell Nebula (4" refractor) M97 the Owl Nebula (4" refractor) M33 spiral galaxy (4" refractor) M78 nebula in Orion (4" refractor) M82 edge on galaxy (4" refractor) Mrs the Great Orion Nebula (4" refractor) M81 face on spiral (4" refractor)

This could be the start of a personal project for you. Sharpen those pencils! 🙂

This was the first book about the Messier objects that I first bought over forty years ago. The Messier Album is a collection of visual observations made by the late John Mallas using a 4" Unitron refractor, and corresponding photographs by Kramer. I love it for Mallas's drawings, though I've personally seen many of them better than he sketched them. Although out of print I'd imagine you'd soon pick up a copy if you placed a wanted ad on SGL and Astro Buy & Sell.

Most of my records consist of sketches with minimal notation, and to keep well dark adapted I use a variable brightness red torch, but always keep the light source shielded with my hand that's holding the sketch book so I can't see it directly. The light shines across yhe page rather than directly onto it from above.

You probably consider me a peasant, as I thought Canapes were something you sit under in the Sun. Lovely report & lovely scope!

WOW, a Vono Table! Thats a blast from the past. I thought i was the only person left on earth with one of those. When youre six years old they make great tents if you throw a sheet over them!

Skywatcher EQ5 and Bresser motors also work well with the Vixen GP's, so no need to worry about sourcing motor drives as they're readily available. 😊

I too think that equatorial's are the easiest thing in the world to use. They make tracking something at least half the hassle, as even if you don't use electric drives, you've only one knob to turn instead of two. And contrary to popular belief, you can sweep the sky with them, even around the pole! But there's also something really relaxing about the quiet tick of the motor as it tracks, that isn't there with the majority of altazimuth mounts. They're a sketches dream!

Rainy day/night pose! Can't really do this with a Dob and still have a happy wife. Sad isn't it!

Is that called gloating? 😂

Thanks Don. The eye relief didn't help as I tried to hand hold the phone camera still over the eyepiece while pressing the take button. Your improved version looks much better! Through the eyepiece though it was a gorgeous low power view littered with stars, which I felt was enhanced by the sharp field stop. The phone pic doesn't really do it justice! I seriously doubt I'm a threat to anyone, even if they're using a box brownie. 😁

I've just been messing with this eyepiece which I love early, while playing with my 100mm refractor. It has a special magic to me at least, as the view stands above the eye lens as if floating in space. So I thought I'd try something I've never tried before - taking a pic of M42 with my phone as seen through the 35mm. Forgive any spurious star images, its my phone and not my scope or eyepiece. Do you think the images would get worried if I posted in their section?

Have you ever wondered - What's the point of the Bortle scale? The only reason I'm asking is that our local skies are what our local skies are, and there's little we can do about it. So does knowing where you are on the Bortle scale put you off trying? Does knowing have a negative psychological effect that affects your zeal and your potential? I'm a purely visual observer, so the Bortal scale may not be anywhere near as important to me as it might be to an imager, but for decades I've just assessed the night on the night. On most clear nights I can see the milkyway with the naked eye from my doorstep so I'm happy. I've seen IC434 and the tiny notch of the horse head through my 4" refractor from my site, but that's because I largely ignore the general consensus about what can and what can't be done. So do scales such as Bortle bother you, slow you down, or stop you in your tracks? I believe I'm a Bortle 5 spot!

Great little scope only limited by its aperture. But it will give nice views of the moon & planets when barlowed, and will give gorgeous rich field, low power views of star fields and nebulae, especially from a dark site.

Very nice drawing David! Looking at it 24 hours earlier I also noticed the turbulent northern equatorial belt. Lots still to see.

The scope or the similarity between Wallace & family?

Absolutely true! This was my first FS128 on a Vixen GP and Aluminium tripod made by Peter Drew. From memory, the FS128 weighed around 17lb, yet the GP really was solid for visual, far beyond expectation. The tripod can make a world of difference!

It would seem a backward step if the payload should change simply by changing to motors. It doesn't make any sense! I would imagine the weakest point would be the tripod choice?

Looks fantastic! May be no drinks from 6pm from now on? Just a suggestion! 😅

Bacteria with a hangover. I use Toilet duck for mouthwash, so I think I'll be ok! 😄

Yes it is! 😊 There are a few additional eyepieces fighting for space now, but its largely full of binoviewer pairs of pseudo Masuyama's such as Ultrascopic's, Ultima's and the like.

Caloclean was suggested to me by Nick Hudson of True Technology Ltd, and who was the former sole importer of Takahashi into the UK. I enquired as the user manual for my FC100DC said not to use solvent lens cleaners. Nick said to go to an optician and ask for a solvent free spectacle cleaner. Very cheap and effective, and easily obtainable. Baader fluid has been used by many on SGL, but I've never used it. Just don't spray directly onto the lens as fluid could easily flow between the elements.