Nyctimene

10 hours ago, Captain Scarlet said:

What does that translate to in terms of _true_ Field of View 🙃?

Well, it's a bit like observing with a Zoom eyepiece. At the default setting, with the longest focal length, there is a certain True Field of View and an according Apparent Field of View. The next step (=first drink) will show you a larger AFoV, but in reality, the TFoV has narrowed down. This divergence will increase with  the next steps (=drinks, not recommended with a 60°!). OK; with higher magnifications you will be able to see smaller and fainter objects - but the general brightness of views will be dimmer...... and so on, until clouds are rolling in 😉

Stephan

Just gave the Pup a try with my 12" f/5 traveldob. Despite very good optics (spotted Triton with it months ago), orthoscopic eyepieces giving 150x resp. 250x mag, and seeing better than average, to no avail. Still too much air turbulence low down in the sky; gave up after thirty minutes.

Stephan

Spotted Hickson 44 (it's two brightest members) again last evening with the mighty little Skywatcher Heritage 130 P Flextube. Under NELM 4.6 skies, 3193, close to the 9 mag star, showed as a round, faint haze, but almost constantly visible with averted vision. The spindle of 3190 was also visible with AV (83x mag). So I had a look at Arp 94, just E of Algieba, and found gx 3226 (11.4 mag) and 3227 (10.4 mag) as an oblong agglomeration, not separated under the given viewing conditions, but well visible with AV. The two Leo triplets followed; 3628 showed it's extended structure, but without details. Finished after 1 hour at 23.00 CEST.

Stephan

Spotted comet 19/P Borrelly this evening under 4.8 mag skies with the 8" f/4 traveldob. At 89x mag (ES 18/82+2xBarlow), a very faint haze, only visible with averted vision for about 20-30% of observing time. Diffuse; coma diameter about 2-3 arc min; brightness about 10 mag; no tail.  Two or three times, I had for fractions of a second the impression of a pseudonucleus flashing up. By no means spectacular; will have a look tomorrow with the 12", weather permitting.

Stephan

Despite clear blue skies during the days here in SW Germany, transparency has decreased steadily in the nights, resulting in unusual low values of NELM (around 4.8 mag) and SQM-L (20.5). Meteoblue indicated a higher level of PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles (not Sahara dust). So my expectations weren't too high, when I took out the 18" f/4.5 Obsession yesterday evening. But I had fixed some problems with the 10x60 Baader finder and swapped the SkySurfer III against a Rigel Quikfinder, that I wanted to align. Started with Gamma Leonis, Algieba, which showed at 164x mag (12.5 mmf Docter) as a nicely split double (4.8"). The seeing was above average. The Leo triplet M 65/66 and 3628, fitting completely in the 1° field of the Maxvision 24mmf/82°, showed less contrast as usual, especially the fainter 3628. Over to Hickson 44 = Arp 316, nicely placed and easy to find between Algieba and northern Adhafera (Zeta Leonis). This group of four is the brightest member of the 100 Hickson groups. Three of it's members, NGC 3187, 3190 and 3193 are interacting galaxies. Two of them were easily visible at 164x. 3193 (11.0 mag) showed as a round galaxy with a bright central region, just S of a 9 mag star. Close by in the same field of view was 3190 (10.9 mag), in contrast to the former a 3:1 spindle with brighter core, E-W elongated. SW was the 12.1 mag 3185 (not interacting), considerably fainter, round, and diffuse, but still to hold in direct vision. The fourth member, 13.3 mag 3187, could not be made out, indicating the low transparency (usually I can get down to 15.5 mag for the average E galaxy without problems). So I finished the session after one hour at 21h15 CET. The Quikfinder/Baader finder combo had worked well together, and I rewarded myself with an excellent B.Nardini Grappa Riserva (60° proof).

The three brighter members of the Hickson 44 group should be accessible with the average 8" dob under good conditions, so give it a go, and let us know

Attached a drawing with an 17.5" (from the net); 3185 is top left, followed to the right by 3190 and 3193 (close to the star):

Thanks for reading

Stephan

Just came in from a short (40 min) Lunar session with the 12" f/5. Moderate seeing. Spotted the fine cracklings and craterlets on Gassendi's floor, the Rupes Liebig and the double line of the Rimae de Gasparis. A line of small craterlets could be made out on Mersenius' floor. The sun was just rising over Hansteen and Billy, their floors still dark. Between them the "arrowhead" of Mons Hansteen. The Hesiodus A concentricity was easily seen at around 300x mag (Seben Zoom+ 2X Abbe Barlow). Still struggling to spot the inner ring of concentric crater Marth (3.1 km inner diameter); never really seen it up to now. Aristarchus and Herodotus. Once again, the tiny shadow triangle of the Promontorium Laplace as an ink black spot far in the bright illuminated suroundings.

Stephan

Just watch the movement of the stars in the field of view of your (undriven) scope, easier done at higher magnifications. In a Dobsonian (=Newtonian) scope, the stars will leave the field in the West direction. 90 ° counterclockwise to this direction is North. Mnemonic: stars enter from the East and vanish in the West.

Hth.

Stephan

There are several sky regions that I have observed very rarely. Puppis, the quarterdeck of the celestial ship Argo Navis, east to Canis Maior, is one of these. Rather low in the winter Milky Way skies, it is often obscured by clouds or fog; and, moreover, I hate the cold winter months with the need of multiple layers of clothing, hand warmers etc. But I was able to motivate myself yesterday evening to search for new targets. So I started at 20.10 CET, again with the 12" f/5 traveldob, under 5.2 mag slightly sub-average skies, but with rather good seeing. My starting point was Gamma UMa, and with SkySafari I worked my way through the star-crowded region to the E. The first target was oc 2360, discovered by Caroline Herschel, a round cluster with about 80 members. Moving further to E, M 47 came into view; with the 26 mmf ES, giving 58x mag and a 1.1° field, a magnificent, bright cluster with several dominant stars embedded in a background of fainter ones. oc 2423, just N, was rather loosely concentrated. M 46 gave a nice contrast to M 47 - a fainter, but very star-dense open cluster, easily to resolve. The "embedded"  11 mag planetary (it's actually a foreground object) 2438 was visible directly as a slightly oval ring, resembling M 57, when I used higher magnification. A very rewarding trio/quartet !

SkySafari pointed me to the Bat Nebula, 3.5° S, a rather bright (11.5m) object, easily to make out with direct vision. It showed at 187x mag (Seben Zoom 8 mmf) as a slightly ovoid-rectangular structure with a brighter central region. The bi-polar structural details could not be made out; I will revisit this object with an O III filter during the next evenings. Was pleased having mastered the cold and being rewarded with fine views, and so to bed at 21.45.

Thanks for reading

Stephan

Was out with the 12" f/5 Dob yesterday evening from 20.10 to 21.30 CET under average conditions. Started with M 42 and enjoyed this celestial albatros wing it's way - perhaps the last view until September mornings will come. The E star in the Trapezium was visible, F could not be separated (seeing conditions). Over to a tougher target - the galaxy NGC 1875, a member of the Hickson 34 group. It's location is easy to make out, just 1° West to Bellatrix. As with 13.7 mag the "brightest" one, it appeared as a very faint, diffuse patch only in averted vision. More easy was once more the "collarbone nebula" 2022, a planetary, that showed it's slightly oblong shape quite readily at mag 140x (Seben Zoom). The central star was not visible.

Another attempt to spot the Horsehead followed, for the third time this season, again to no avail. Despite knowing the exact location, and using a H beta filter, a 25 resp. 34 mmf Ortho and the observing hood, I was just able to make out the outline of IC 434, but not the "thumbprint". A real nemesis!

M78 with it's "headlight" pair of stars, together with the companion reflection nebula 2071, finished the session.

Thanks for reading

Stephan

30 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

nteresting eyepiece. Not seen one like that before.

As I said, it's a rare bird. As far as I know, the (modified) Bertele design was never in production by any of the big astro companies. The seller, Manfred Pieper in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, had modified the military optics by adding a 2" barrel, even with filter threads - an excellent ATM piece.

The Wild's optical design can be found here (in the diagram: third line, No. 3):

http://www.quadibloc.com/science/opt04.htm

Stephan

A rare bird - my  2" Wild Heerbrugg 30 mmf/77°:

Bought many years ago during an astro fair. It was taken from a military surplus optic, produced by the renowned Swiss company ( - "swords to ploughshares!"). An excellent wide angle overview eyepiece of the "Bertele" design with six lenses. Field lens and eye stop diameter of 42 mm - the maximum usable size for 2" barrels. Very comfortable and relaxed view (eye relief of 15 mm), especially good with the 18" f 4.5 Obsession (TFoV 1.13°, mag 68x). Will never be sold.

Stephan

After seemingly endless weeks of clouds and rain, I quenched my celestial thirst (at least partially) this evening with a few looks at the moon from 19.00 to 19.30 CET. Through chasing clouds and bad seeing, the 5.1" Skywatcher Heritage Flextube showed the crater trio Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina with some details at mag about 100x, but not the Abulfeda crater chain. Near the Eudoxus - Aristoteles crater pair, the partially lit crater rim of Alexander slightly S gave a nice view, resembling a necklace of jewels extending into the dark part of the moon. (Might be a nice present for the Moon Maiden - ?). But the jet stream turbulence was horrible, so I finished the session after thirty minutes, with that certain feeling of contentness and peace of the soul that accompanies me, when I've been out under the stars.

Stephan

Good to see you back on track again, Neil. I had to smile, as I read the description of your first target, the "Collarbone Nebula" in Orion's left shoulder - there's no rust in your skills at all! A really enjoyable read, that will, I hope, reactivate my own observing. The weather conditions here in SW Germany have been awfully bad during the last months; but I'm hoping for some clear spring nights filled with galaxies.

Stephan

5 hours ago, Stu said:

Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas which is very good, but it looks like it might be out of print

You'll just need some patience - delivery (according to manufacturer) will be June 1st, 2022, as stated by Teleskop-Express, a renowned German retailer; have a look:

teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p193_Kompakte-Version-des-Sky-Atlas-2000---bis-7-6mag.html

Stephan

I'm with Olly and niallk - even after five decades of observing, I'm using a planisphere as the fastest way to get an overview what's up there this night. Within a minute I get the answer. Complements perfectly SkySafari and printed guides. (Olly - thanks for the ebay link -  the NSOG seems to be out of print atm; no idea, whether there will be a reprint  of volumes 1+2).

No use of putting my smartphone into a bucket of water - it's waterproof! 😉

Stephan

German Hertel+Reuss 8x30 binoculars. Got them as a confirmation present 1966 (cost 165 DM, about an average week's salary at that time). First steps with them at the moon; a solar eclipse (observed in Sweden, projection method), easy DSO's and comets etc. Trusty companion during many travels; have seen the Southern Skies several times. Well kept, and still in use, due the excellent optics (H+R, Kassel, produced top-notch optics close to Leitz and even Zeiss, IMO).

Stephan

Keep your eyepiece case inside the house until immediately before use. Close the case again, when you've taken out an eyepiece, so some warmth will stay inside. After inserting the eyepiece into the focuser, leave it's cap in place until just before  observing. During short breaks (e.g., when looking things up on a map/app), always put the cap on again. When swapping eyepieces, put the unused one, covered with both caps, in a coat  or vest pocket, as mentioned by John. You can even buy a vest-hood combo for this; have a look:

https://r-sky.org/en/products/observing-hood

Another solution without electricity could be a small, isolated box with lid, warmed by a chemical hand warmer (that can be re-used by putting it into boiling water for some minutes).

I've never used dew strips, and an electric hairdryer only for the secondary mirror of the truss tube dobs (rarely).

Stephan

Blessed with SQM-L 21+ (= Bortle 4) skies, I'm almost always observing from home. My preferred observing time is during the early morning hours, after some hours of sleep; most of the lights are out, I'm optimally dark adapted, and the acclimated dob is out in a few minutes.

Found these hints years ago in CloudyNights; have a look:

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/observatories/refining-you-home-observing-site-r1631

Stephan

Congratulations, Magnus!

I bought mine ten years ago, and was always pleased with it. Observing seated will add a half star magnitude to your NELM; so you've added aperture (virtually) to your scope, for a good price. Clear skies, and many happy observing hours with it!

Stephan

Nice report!

I'm afraid, that the "teardrop" formation is already known as the "smiling cyclops". Have a look:

https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/hidden-gems-in-common-objects/

I never miss looking at it, when observing the Double Cluster - once memorized, you can't make it "unseen".

Stephan

To  quote Mel Bartels:

"Comfort at the eyepiece adds half a magnitude to  the scope's limiting magnitude ".

I'm always observing seated.

Stephan

In stock here :

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p12279_Skywatcher-Dobson-Teleskop-Heritage-150P-Flextube---150-mm-Oeffnung.html

A very reliable German retailer. I'm using the scope's smaller brother, the 130 P,  and am very pleased. Easy to use,  crisp images, can go up to 200x mag without problems, holds collimation well. Very recommendable.

Stephan

NGC 7789 in Cas, "Caroline's Rose"; easy to find, a very dense oc, needs magnification and is magnificent; my most loved oc

NGC 6811 in northern Cyg, "Hole in a Cluster";  about 6° SE of it NGC 6866, the "Kite Cluster"

M 47/M46  in Pup with the embedded planetary 2438 (will need a OIII or UHC filter)

M 35 in Gem, with the dense 2158 close W

Stephan

6 hours ago, rl said:

A 6" f/8 Newtonian makes a good planetary instrument....

+1 for that. The best option, IMO, and hard to beat, when paired with good orthoscopic eyepieces, e.g, the Baader Classic orthos. You want to do lunar and planetary observing, not wide field observing with low power. No false colour, hardly spherical aberration or coma, easy to collimate and handle, tolerant regarding eyepieces,and very affordable.

Stephan

2 hours ago, paulastro said:

Stephan.  I've done a search and the only seller I found was Amazon which lists it at £31.68, which seems rather a lot for a 96 page soft back?  A shame as it looks a good book.  There may have been a facility to order it from the link you kindly sent, but alas if so I couldn't see it - my lack of German is not helping I'm afraid.  🤔

Paul,

it's easy and self-explaining to use this atlas. The text passages are rather short and refer to partly astrophysics of the object, partly to history and common aspects ("trivia"), so not vital for observing. All the other topics you will found out, I'm sure. When you tap on one of the sliding/changing pictures on your smartphone, or notebook, the movement will stop, and you can investigate calmly.

The book is priced here at 39.90€, so not cheap, but it oozes quality. The material is heavy DIN-A 4 paper, almost carton, dew-resistant and glossy, spiral-bound. The layout mirrors all the 30+ years experience of it's author and observer (who made the drawings of all objects once again, using 12" and 10" Dobs under 21.3-21.7 SQM-L skies). You may access the objects using their M number, or planned observing time, or right ascension etc. Symbols are used for types of observing instruments, colours for favourable observing (traffic-light system - green=ok; orange and red=worse) and so on. All very thought-out and immediately useful; and up-to-date (released Oct.2020).

The Oculum Verlag will ship to all European countries; just give it a try  (oculum.de), or use the tax-avoiding river, if it's too complicated.

Stephan