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cloudsweeper

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cloudsweeper last won the day on March 26 2019

cloudsweeper had the most liked content!

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    Male
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    Physics, maths, history (family, military, social), pre-modern architecture.
  • Location
    Merseyside, England

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  1. Not been out for quite a while for a number of reasons, but thought I'd take advantage of the clear sky this evening at 7.00pm. Quick easy session with the little ED80 Triplet on the AZ4. M42 a bit faint at that time, but the Trapezium was lovely and sharp in that quality frac. at x27, x120, x160 (faint E star showed up), and x192 - still good and sharp. 30 minutes later the nebula was brighter and clearer. Quick look at the Pleiades, then on to the magnificent Double Cluster by just aiming in the right area near Cassiopeia. A fine sight at x20 / 4.10deg - myriad sharp specs of varying brightness, yet none too bright to become blurry. Something you can just stare at and enjoy. Well, this all got me back in the mood. Hopefully I'll do something more challenging with a bigger 'scope before long! Doug.
  2. If you settle (somehow) on a calculated mag to split a particular pair, the important point is that that mag alone will not necessarily do the job. Why - because of seeing limitations. A bigger aperture will give better resolution and show the split. That said, this is all less relevant at a mag of just x18! Doug.
  3. I don't understand a word of this, but I love the enthusiasm! 😉 Doug.
  4. GREAT RED SPOT! Just been out before 5.00pm with the lovely ED80 Triplet G'n'G set-up. Sky clear and still a bit lightish, Jupiter highish ESE. The four moons and the two main belts were very sharp and clear. Going up to x160, still good, AND I noticed a small pale curve in the SEB, just off-centre - the top of the GRS! Fabulous timing, and Stellarium confirmed the observation. In after a cold but very satisfying 20 minutes. Doug.
  5. Just did a grab 'n' go session with the 4" achromat on Jupiter. Nice and sharp up to x100, and I was thinking there was, unusually, very little CA. Then I noticed there was thin cloud across the sky! Doug.
  6. On the subject of hopping.............. The basic principles are I suppose similar for everyone. First, I get onto an easy start object, as close to target as possible. Then depending the 'scope, I choose a low power EP giving close to 2 deg or 4 deg of field. This then corresponds with the circles on Stellarium, so I follow patterns between EP and computer until target is reached. (CTRL ^ H is used with a frac to get the same views.) Of course, you can occasionally just scan to the target area, again using low power. This is good for M31, Double Cluster, etc.. Doug.
  7. The Vixen bar is such that the 'scope only goes easily into a saddle on the left, as with the 8SE GoTo mount. But I wanted to put in on the AZ4 (saddle to right). Tried an L-bracket, twisting the tube/focuser, even using cable ties to get the finder in a decent position. This wasn't very satisfactory, and it wobbled far too much. So I went for tube rings. They came today, and after a bit of drilling and bolt-shortening, the new set-up is ready for action - a quality RFT, easy to handle, and much more stable. Doug.
  8. 24, and I use several each session. But the collection of 'scopes has been reduced from five to three. Out with the big 'uns (slow frac, biggish Dob), so now an 80mm apo frac, a 130 Newt, and an 8" GoTo SCT. They're all I need. I think..... Doug.
  9. Out early - 4.45pm. Jupiter + 4, low, east; Saturn + 1, low, south. The AR102S achromat showed CA at x75 in a Hyperion with Jupiter, but not with the dimmer Saturn. At x50, very little. At x100 with the TV Radian, the CA was not so pronounced, despite the greater mag. Was that due to the EP?? Doug.
  10. This evening (Thursday) two young cousins of mine (8 and 11) came round with their parents to look through a telescope. They were very interested, and managed not to grab hold of the 'scope. We looked at The Pleiades, and they were thrilled to see so many more stars than naked eye. Made me feel really old when I could barely spot the cluster at all, but they saw the main stars clearly! We then took in Jupiter - two clear belts and three moons, all to one side. I briefly mentioned some points about astronomical times and distances, which enhanced the experience. They were delighted with what they saw and heard, and keen to talk about it at school tomorrow. And I was pleased to share my passion and bring some new stimuli to youngsters. Doug.
  11. Thanks Stu - nice to link up with SGL pals again. I would've done more but for the clouds, so red wine trumped the red spot! Doug.
  12. Thanks Steve - not bad, just lacked motivation I suppose. Hope you're enjoying the Dob by the way! (It was good to meet you both.) Doug.
  13. Not been out for many, many weeks, so at 5.20pm when I spotted Jupiter (low, east) between houses I decided to shake off the inertia and took out the ED80 Triplet on AZ4, my lovely grab 'n' go set up. Two equatorial bands were clear and sharp, and three moons were scattered around the disc. The Double Cluster was easy to find with x13 / 5.4deg by going down the line from Cassiopeia's Navi and Ruchbah. I upped the mag a bit, lovely. (This is also preparation for showing some young cousins some of the delights of the night sky.) Before long, it clouded over, but it was good to get back in action with these easy yet endlessly enjoyable targets. Doug.
  14. Bresser 127L - not as difficult to handle as a 10" Dob, I find. And once it's on a mount (like a Skytee), it is very easy to swing around and enjoy. Long focus achro - gives sharp images, less CA, good depth of focus, easy on EPs, less Field Curvature, good contrast at low power. Mine is still for sale: Doug.
  15. 8.5 years in and I'm feeling apathetic too! Lousy weather, general inertia, and new neighbours who don't believe in curtains. It has prompted a desire to scale down - the heavy mount and the Dob have gone, and the big frac is on sale. But I'm not ready to sell up, and hope for more favourable circumstances. Doug.
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