cloudsweeper

Didn't do so badly here.  Got the big 127L frac out of the shed at 4.40pm.  

Jupiter bright, low, SE - bands crisp at x150, moons very sharp.  Not as good at x179.

Saturn appeared a bit later, lower, near south.  A faint Titan came into view at x69.

To complete the trio, I hopped from Jupiter west to Neptune (mag 7.8), and got it at the centre of a "squashed Y".  At a range of mags I saw no hint of colour, but it was still good to see the most remote planet.

Not a bad 90 minutes before clouds rolled in.  Packed away.  Clouds dispersed.  Drat!!

Doug.

2.20am Saturday, mostly clear, Orion in the south, AR102S frac ready for use.

I tried for the double star Alnitak first - mags 1.9 and 3.7, with separation 2.4".  Going up to x200 I only saw rings and glare/nebulosity, a difficult target.

I wanted to crack a double not already seen, so made Sigma 701 (Ori) the goal.  6th and 8th mags, 6.0 arcsec of separation.  Easily found via Rigel in the 4+ deg of field at x17.  Up to x60, and I got the split - close, clear, with secondary at 4 o'clock.  Rough sketch illustrates.

I would have gone on, but just after this success, everything clouded over at 3.00am.

A short session, but worthwhile, with a new target achieved in the early peace and stillness of a starry night (at first, anyway!).

Doug.

36 minutes ago, Knighty2112 said:

Phi2 Cancri is listed in Sissy Hass’ book already. Not sure if there are any new ones that aren’t listed in either CDSA or DSFST, but I stand to be corrected by any eagle eyed readers of them both!  

Yes Gus, it is in Haas and not CDSA.  That's because it is not a physical double, and CDSA tends to be limited to physical rather than optical examples.

But I still like the presentation!

Doug.

44 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

Here is a picture of one I've not seen, 

Thanks Paul.  I do like the presentation and diagram!

Doug.

2 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

These turned up nice books to add to my collection. 

Nice, Paul!  I look forward to learning if the Doubles book has any exciting targets beyond Haas and CDSA.

Doug.

5.30 - 6.45pm Sunday.  8SE Cat with focal reducer.  Clear sky for a change.

Top target was the asteroid Juno.  Already seen Pallas, Vesta, and Ceres (in top four for size), but Juno was lurking in Aquarius, so I went for my fourth, which is the 12th in size order.

I got the target via Tau2 / 71 Aqu, and there was a helpful little triangle of stars near the asteroid.  I couldn't see it at x36, as the contrast was poor for a mag 9+ object.  So on up to x64 with the 20mm TV Plossl, and Juno came in and out of view with AV.  A very pleasing result!

The session also took in Saturn/Titan, Jupiter+4, M72 globular (faint fuzz), C55 Saturn Neb (planetary neb) - bigger and fuzzier than surrounding stars at x36, and a bigger, clear, fuzzy patch at x191 (hard to focus).  Plus M30 globular cluster, which I could only see as faint dot.

(I also tried a couple of tight doubles, but they were low, so at high mag remained too blurry to be split.)

Another short but enjoyable session, with some new targets to add to the list.

Doug.

FIVE (see signature) - widefield grab 'n' go, slightly bigger grab 'n' go, 10" lightbucket, a fine long focus frac, and a GoTo Cat (with focal reducer).

Different targets, different views, different 'scopes, different experiences.

So that's it, all bases covered.  (But I'd love an 11" GoTo Cat with reducer!)

Doug.

30 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

Nice one Doug I took the dob out but didn't have much luck because of the moon. 

Thanks, Paul.  I'm really pleased with the 8" SCT plus Focal Reducer.  In spite of the opinions that it's not a good combo, it works well for me!

Anyway, when the Moon wanes, you should be able to split some really tight doubles with your 10" Dob.

Doug.

37 minutes ago, BizzleNizzle said:

Being an absolute beginner, i thought i'd try and get something which can help me learn. 

I've gone for a small(ish) one to start, a Skywatcher Heritage 150P Flextube Virtuoso GTi (that's a mouth full!).

So i can either use it as intended with the goto capability or as a manual dob.

Nice!  Decent aperture - you'll see lots with that.  And the GoTo really is a good choice - makes things so much easier.

Doug.

Hello BN, welcome to this great forum!

We'd be most interested to know what 'scope you have ordered.

Doug.

7.00pm Thursday, 8SE with Focal Reducer. Jupiter, Moon (2 days past 1st quarter), and Saturn in a line between SE and S. Aligned on the Moon.

I started with Solar System stuff - see under Planetary.  Then....

Sigma 2854 Peg – near matched 7th mag pair, 1.6 arcsec separation. A few stars in the neighbourhood, target was the brightest in an equilateral triangle. x191 – very close, matched, side by side. x213 – still close, clearer split.  1.5, 1.6 arcsec is just about at the cusp of what could be described as an easy split.

Sigma 2797 Peg – triple, visual double, 7th and 8th mags, 3.5 arcsec. Few faint stars in the region, with a clear triangle as a guide to the target. Not sure at x91, x107, but by x116 the fainter sec came in and out view at 7 o’clock.  Trickier than the above on account of the difference in magnitudes.  

A great session, lasting 1.5 hours, very successful.

Doug.

7.00pm Thursday, 8SE with Focal Reducer. Jupiter, Moon (2 days past 1st quarter), and Saturn in a line between SE and S. Aligned on the Moon.

Io kisses the SEB and casts a shadow

With x36, I saw Ganymede and Europa west of Jupiter (sky orientation), Callisto east. Io was crossing the planet’s face. At x107 I saw Io’s shadow on the SEB. The tiny black spot was clearer at x128. At 8.20, with x107, emerging Io was just kissing the disc by the SEB (to the west), and the tiny black shadow was still clearly made out. Throughout this time, Jupiter was very sharp and clear, the best I’ve seen in a while, but then clouds prevented any attempt to tease out any further detail!

Saturnian moons and some detail

Across to Saturn. Titan clearly seen at x36. With x128, Rhea was spotted with AV, as was the planet’s shadow on its rings, and a belt on the disc, above the rings. The Moon was too close for any further Saturnian moons to show up.

A great session, lasting 1.5 hours, very successful, and once again revealing things I wasn’t expecting. This pastime very often provides pleasant surprises!

Doug.

7 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

All the way back from North Yorkshire bumpy roads all over the road humps near mine, checked collimation and it was spot on. 

Glad you've got your Dob Paul, you'll really enjoy the views!

Doug.

6 minutes ago, Nik271 said:

I was looking at the Moon and Mars through the mist this moring. The seeing was excellent but the Moon was dimmer than usual because of the mist. I went up to x250 with my 127 SW Mak and the view was holding up, just getting a bit too dim.

One remarkable thing was the 'church spire shadow' across the flloor of Plato. I dug up the simulated view from SVS at Nasa and it was exactly what I was seeing:

 

It must be some rock outcrop on the rim casting it. Never seen this before, the Moon always has a surprise for you!

Clear skies! Nik

 

 

Just what I saw Nik (see What did you see tonight?)  I estimate the spiky shadow to be about 34 miles long.

Doug.

Another early session, starting at 6.30, Tuesday.   ED80 Apo (widefield) on AZ4.

Orion just past south - took in all of his belt at x20 / 4.10 deg.  M42 / Trapezium good at x160 - sharp, fine focus control helped there.

Moon - 1 day past 3rd quarter, high, SE.  Used the observing chair for comfort.  Plato very near terminator - spiky shadow from its western edge to beyond the centre, I reckon about 34 miles long.  (See extract from log.)

Mars - high, west of south.  Not too much glare, as the sky was lightening.  Think I detected a bit of albedo change at x160.

Finished at 7.10, with only the Moon, Mars, and Sirius visible.

Another excellent start to the day!

Doug.

Just had an hour out with the ultimate, widefield, grab 'n' go - the ED80 Apo on the AZ4.

Sigma 222 / 59 And (6th mag pair, 17 arcsec) - just split at x13, near match, side by side.

56 And - not a physical double.  5th and 6th mags, a huge 200 arcsec apart.  Very easy at x20, matched, sec at 11 o'clock.  There is a third component which was too faint to spot.

And 1 deg away -  Open Cluster NGC 752.  x20 - nice, dense, faint stars.  At x60, it was clearer, with more stars resolved.

Saturn and Titan were low, east of south.  I pushed the mag to x192, but the view got mushy.

Finally, M31.  Easily found, up from Mirach,  very pale and faint, but clear despite low mag (x13) and large exit pupil (poor contrast).

Good session!

Doug.

6.45am Monday - lovely 3rd quarter Moon sat high near south.  10 minutes later, the 10" Dob (cooled in the shed) had it in its sights.  Mars was a little further south, and a faint Orion could just me made out.

Crater Albategnius lay on the terminator, with the fine trio Arzachel, Alphonsus, and Ptolemaeus a little across.  

I decided to concentrate on Arzachel.  At x212 the general surface detail was very good, and Arzachel revealed some of its features.  (Only a little was in shadow from the rim.)  The terraced walls and central peak were sharp, and a craterlet plus two small pits stood out well.  I also made out a N-S rille, the Rima Arzachel.  This is a fine target for prolonged study.

Finally, Rupes Recta, the Straight Wall (a steep cliff) in Mare Nubium was clear a little to the west, showing as a fairly bright line.  (Near first quarter, with the sunlight from the opposite direction, it appears dark.)

A most enjoyable hour - a fine start to the day!

Doug.

150 foot focal length.  Wow!  But from basic physics, isn't that just a sheet of plane glass?  😉

Doug.

Splendid!  Two of my favourite things: beautiful Gothic architecture and celestial objects.  👍

Doug.

5 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Just watched it come back out. I assume from your description Europa is the one I saw move across the edge of Jupiter and over the surface at around the same time? There were two moons the other side.

Yes Michael, by about 1.45, Ganymede was on show again, and Europa was starting to move across Jupiter's face.

Doug.

9.15pm Saturday.  8SE with focal reducer.  Saturn low, south.  Moon (1 day to full) SE, with Jupiter quite close, above.

Moon good at x41 / 1.74deg, not too bright - a bit of detail to the east/terminator.

Then up a bit to Jupiter.  Io and Callisto were west of Jupiter and not in the usual "line".  Europa was a similar distance on the other side.  Ganymede however was close to Jupiter, west of it, and above its equator.  

I raised the mag in steps to x160, and kept watching Ganymede as it disappeared behind Jupiter.  By 9.45, it was "kissing" the planet.  Five minutes later it was just a pimple on the side.  Five more minutes, and it could only just be made out.  Three more minutes and it had gone behind the disc.  

It is quite remarkable to watch these changes taking place over a matter of minutes.  

It is also pleasing to go out and come across something surprising, interesting, and unexpected.  What a great pastime this is!

Just for the heck of it, I directed the 'scope to the Andromeda galaxy, close to the Moon's glare.  Yet there it was, a small, faint, grey patch, at x41 again.

A great little session, ending at 10.05.

Doug.

28 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Just curious why you chose the 31mm BHA over the 30mm APM UFF.  Was it simply to complete your Hyperion set?

Yes Louis - I fancied an additional Hyperion.  I have especially liked the 36mm Asph., and often start sessions with it.  

I had considered the 30mm APM, but it's bulkier and costlier.  

(I did have an ES 30/82, but found it way too heavy (1kg), causing balancing issues.  And I didn't much like the Ring of Fire phenomenon!)

Doug.

I recently got the got the Baader Aspheric to add to the Hyperion stable (see pic) and to improve on the Rev Astro Superview.  The Rev costs more now than I paid, but is still a lot cheaper.  So was it worth it?

I used the two EPs in the 8SE Cat (with focal reducer), and targeted the Summer Beehive Cluster IC4665 for the exercise.

Both showed stars quite sharp to the edge of the FOV, with just a little field curvature and perhaps also a little astigmatism.  

The main difference however was that the Aspheric gave a nicer view - a bit wider, and with less (if any) blackout.  This is due to the Aspheric having 17mm of eye relief, compared with the Rev at 22mm.  

The Aspheric is a similar size to the Rev, and 50g heavier - not much, and it is still certainly not bulky.  And it has a better look and feel - not that those features are hugely important!  The adaptor that comes with it allows for use with a 1.25" diagonal - at the expense of some FOV (>56deg).

All in all, I am pleased with the small (I didn't expect anything more!) improvements offered by the Aspheric, but would still recommend the Rev as a low-cost 2" widefield EP.

Doug.

NEW ADDITION TO THE HYPERION STABLE - a 31mm Aspheric.

These are nice, wide-angle EPs, and not bulky.  The Aspherics have adaptors for 1.25" diagonals (but this reduces the FOV).

The regular Hyperions are dual-fit, but generally need an adaptor for use in a 2" diagonal.  (Although they are said to be better suited to slow 'scopes, I am happy with their all-round performance.  They can be used in a modular fashion, with a variety of focal lengths, but I have never bothered with that.)

I am looking forward to comparing the new 31mm Aspheric with my 30mm/68deg Revelation Superview.

Doug.

7.50pm Thurs. - still, clear – ED80 Triplet on AZ4 in use, great widefield grab ‘n’ go.

Σ2613 Aql – triple, visual double - 7^th and 8^th mags, 3.6” separation. I started with Altair, and target was in the same 4.10deg FOV, part of a triangle of stars. Going from x20 to x80, I got the split – still very close, good match, secondary above.

At 8.10, Saturn was sitting just over a rooftop. Looked good at x80 then x160, with moon Titan clear, below and east of the planet.

Back to x20, and I took in one of my favourites, the beautiful Perseus Double Cluster in the 4.10deg field. (Just gauged the position going down the Navi-Ruchbah line.)

Turning east, I got onto Mirach (And), and just moved upwards to see the small fuzzy patch of Andromeda Galaxy M31.

Then across to Caph (Cas) where Σ10 Cas was in the same 4.10deg FOV. It is an 8^th mag pair, 18” apart, seen at the bottom of a triangle of stars. Looking more closely, I could see the split at x20 – very close indeed, well matched, sec at 8 o’clock. At x48 it was clearer, and the sec appeared rather fainter.

I finished at 8.40, very satisfied at the haul of doubles, clusters, a galaxy, planet, and moon.

Doug.