Nyctimene

Following an idea in a German astroforum, I built a "T" -frame from 10 mm scratch plywood for my Skywatcher Heritage 130 P Flextube. Two boards of 39x15 cm, screwed together, and attached to the Dob base with some small Velcro pads, so it can be easily removed. The "T" structure is squeezed in between the dob's base rubber feet and some thick felt pieces. Works fine (but, unmodified, restricted to even/paved ground), is extremely cheap, sturdy, without giving up the advantages of the Dob mount. Have a look: Stephan

Binoculars are complementary to telescopes - very easy to set up as a grab-and-go instrument (tripod recommended), giving great views of large star fields, with intuitive orientation (naked-eye view). A decent pair will serve you a lifetime. I started five decades ago with a 8x30 Hertel+Reuss (German brand-almost Zeiss quality), and had a lot of fun with it. It accompanied me on a journey to a Indian Ocean island four decades later - Scorpius overhead is a gorgeous view in binoculars. The wide field view is one of the great advantages of binos; and I would not sacrifice it for larger magnifications - at least as a beginner. Given your light - polluted red zone site, I'd stick with a 8x40 or 10x50 size (same exit pupil of 5 mm); avoid zooms at any rate (small field of view; optical quality unreliable). A great way to start observing. Later on, a scope will follow as it's companion - high magnifications, larger aperture , showing more details...... enjoy the journey! Stephan

Never tried APM 08279+5255 after the report of Stathis Kafalis, a very experienced observer and ATM doyen, shown below. He used a 24" f/4.1 scope under NELM 6.3/Bortle 3 skies with mag 525x; the target was located near the zenith. He reports to have seen the quasar intermittently, estimating its magnitude not brighter than 17.The Ursa Maior double quasar he found comparatively "easy", and even split. Here his report and map/data (German only): https://www.astrotreff.de/forum/index.php?thread/68063-monster-quasar-apm08279-5255-entfernungsrekord/ OTOH, another German observer, Achim Strnad, was able to spot the quasar with his 20", and found it easier than Stathis, estimating the visual magnitude at about 15.6 mag... (in the same astrotreff thread). Stephan

Spotted the Quadrangle just now with the mighty Heritage 130 P Flextube at mag 183x. A clearly outlined irregular trapezium (more a rhomboid) with borders most distinct in the NW part, and extending here in a kite's tail. The SE and SW corners not fully closed. Clearly composed of lunar ridges. The "kite" shape is distinct and rewarding; saw it for the first time; thanks for the heads up. Stephan

Was out just after midnight with the 18" to test the Docter 12.5 mmf eyepiece at the moon. A fascinating experience, to wander with 164x mag across the lunar disc, that fits completely in the 0.51° TFoV. Average seeing allowed for viewing the concentricity of Hesiodus A quite well, whereas Marth was clearly visible as an oblong crater, but without showing the inner ring. Some fine rilles were just N of Marth - Rimae Ramsden, three R. Hippalus, and further N the narrow R. Agatharchides in crater P. Montes Riphaeus presented with a giraffe-like shape; the keyhole-crater Fauth was obvious; nice detail of the Copernicus terraces. Unexpectedly, the rim of Sinus Iridum was already lit and formed the "Golden Handle", with the floor of S. Iridum partly still dark, partly presenting shallow lava "tidal waves". A view, that I've enjoyed many times before. After some minutes, suddenly a new feature took form - Promontorium Heraclides showed a human face, and, squirreled away in some brain region, the association jumped out: This must be the "Maiden in the Moon"! A really pretty "romantic" image; a woman with long hair, looking down on the floor of S. Iridum. Cassini was the first observer to spot this light-shadow phenomenon. The Docter gave a crystal-clear and sharp, neutral colored view - a really powerful combo, no need to swap to another eyepiece. After one hour, pleased to bed. Attached two pictures from the net: (Engraving by Cassini,1679) Thanks for reading Stephan

A really sturdy astro chair; here a quotation of my 2018 post about the "Füssener Astro-Stuhl": One of my best buys 2012, the "Füssener Astro-Stuhl" in the magnum version: Extremely sturdy (Birch plywood and mountain ash (used for traditional sleighs)); the retailer, a man of heavy weight, has been reported to demonstrate it's stability by jumping up and down on the seat board put in the top position!), doesn't topple over; I'm seated safe and comfortably in the highest position when pointing the 18" towards zenith. Easy to handle; you can change the height of the seat within seconds without looking and (it's well balanced) shift it with one hand. Stretched out (using the rope shown), it serves excellent for binocular or meteor observation. Folds down flat to 45 mm thickness, so easily to store and transport. Bought this from here (website in German only; of course, no affiliation etc., just a pleased owner!); https://www.intercon-spacetec.de/zubehoer/astronomie-zubehoer/stuehle/4889-ics-astro-stuhl-magnum-grau-hoehe-115-cm-beobachterstuhl.html at 248 Euro not cheap - but just the price of a better 2" eyepiece, and much more useful! Stephan

+1 for that; I'm pleased with that combo for my 130 P Flextube. I'm using for wide field the often underrated ES 26 mmf/62° LER eyepiece (giving 2.5° TFoV at 25x mag; EP: 5.2 mm). The second eyepiece is the Seben 8-24 mmf zoom; together with the excellent Baader 2.25x Turret Barlow, I can easily go up to 183x mag; TFoV 0.33°; EP 0.7 mm. Enough for all kinds of targets - moon, solar system, DSO's; lightweight, compact and affordable. Rarely, a 6 mmf UWA is useful for moon details, planetaries, double stars. No need for more or different eyepieces. Stephan

+1 for the Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas (for an additional buy later). It's, AFAIK, the only atlas that allows you, at a glance, to estimate the visibility of a celestial target in scopes of different apertures (4", 8", 12" and larger) - just by using different fonts. Very useful to avoid disappointments when searching for an object with a scope of unappropriated aperture size. I'm using it with all my scopes (ranging from 3" up to 18" aperture) and can easily find suitable targets for them all. Stephan

After a long break, I finally was out last night with the 18" Obsession to chase some galaxies in/near Leo's tail. Average conditions with NELM 5.5 mag /SQM-L 21.12. The start was the well known M 65/66 pair, showing it's oblong shapes and brighter cores with the 30 mmf/77° Wild-Heerbrugg eyepiece. Framed in the same field of view was the fainter 3628. Switching to the 12.5mmf Docter, giving 164x mag, I was able to make out the central dust lane quite well. Two accompanying galaxies 3593 and 3596. Over to the second trio - the pretty pair 3607 (10.0 mag) and 3608 (10.6), close together with bright core regions. In touch with 3607 was the small and faint 12.5 mag 3605, but readily visible with direct vision. The third triplet was located 2.5° SE, with the members 3681 and 3684 (both 11.6 mag) and the slightly brighter 3684; none of them spectacular, but forming a nice line SW-NE, and all fitting in the same 0.5° TFoV the Docter gives. I finished the observation with some more relaxed viewing of M 98, 100 and 99, moving slowly down to the splendor of Markarian's Chain. After 1h30min observing time, when the street lights went on at 05.00, I was pleased with the three so different triplets and Virgo's galaxy galore, and so to bed for two more hours of sleep. Thanks for reading. Stephan

Agree with David (CarbonBrush). A dimmable red-white torch is the best allrounder, and not pricey. Have a look : https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p3461_TS-Optics-dimmbare-Rotlicht--und-Wei-licht-LED-Lampe-Astrolampe.html I've added two layers of deep red acryl to make it usable when searching for faintest DSO's. Stephan

Hello, and welcome from a German stargazer (Dobsonaut; purely visual). Where (approximately) do you live in Germany? I might you give some suggestions about amateur groups (atm sadly all inaccessible due to Covid-19) Have a good time here in Germany, and enjoy our beautiful hobby/way of life! Stephan

You've just given one answer in the other thread ("On Average,...") - "you really have to grasp the moment", and nothing, except binoculars, is, IMO, better suited for such minutes than a small frac on a AltAz mount. My vintage 80/400 FH Vixen frac, on a tripod with fluid head, is set up within one minute with no cooling down time; and I use it for solar white light, nightly for comets, star fields, open clusters, gaseous nebulas (with the appropriate filters), and moon views. Moreover, it's an excellent travel scope. With it's wide field views, it is complementary to my larger dobs. I never thought of selling my little companion - the only frac in my collection. Stephan

In addition to my post above: The link in the "Sky and Telescope" article ("gold mine") doesn't work any more; just found an excellent substitute (for the enthusiasts): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Concentric_craters_on_the_Moon Stephan

I've observed Marth for the first time in May 2020. A rather small, slightly oblong crater; with the Heritage 130 P I just could spot the outer crater rim, but not the inner concentricity. I guess, you will need at least 6", better 8" of aperture and good seeing conditions to spot it (that evening, with only moderate seeing, even the 18" could not reveal the inner ring). Hesiodus A, a few degrees to the east, is much easier (14 km vs 7 km outer diameter). Here's a link to the observation of both: https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/celestial-objects-to-watch/crazy-about-concentric-craters02252015/ Good luck with the hunt! Stephan

No first hand report, but I assume, somewhere close to this might be a good choice: http://skinakas.physics.uoc.gr/en/ Stephan

Some thoughts and experiences about the "binocular summation factor" by the owner of an 18" binoscope: https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/the-binocular-summation-factor-r3181 Stephan

Hello, Keora, as John and Mike said above, you seem to be on the right track - finding Uranus with a telescope isn't an easy task for beginners; patience will bear fruits. Many Red Dot Finders are way too bright, even at the lowest setting. But you can dim the red dot sufficiently by putting a tiny piece of old fashioned, developed 35 mm photographic film (think of an old surplus diapositive) across the exit of the red LED - works well for my RDF's. You don't need to wear glasses when observing, if you are just short-or farsighted - you can correct this with the focuser. Only in the case of astigmatism you have to use the appropriate spectacles; usually no problem, when you upgrade to eyepieces with a long eye relief (> 15 mm); e.g the ES 62° LER. Hope this helps. Stephan

Another vote for SkySafari Plus. A mighty tool, that replaces most of my star maps, when I am at the eyepiece. Makes star hopping and identifying objects a breeze. Very recommendable! Stephan

Before buying new, I'd try to dig out the inherited Zeiss. Chances are, that it still will deliver very sharp views, as my vintage Zeiss Jenoptem (=Decarem built) 10x50 does. The minor drawbacks are a rather short eye relief (hence not well suited, if you need glasses for correcting astigmatism,) only single blue coating (resulting in a little loss of light) and, of course the lack of argon filling, waterproofness etc. (IMO, not too relevant for astro use). Years ago, I had a lot of fun with my vintage (40+) 8x30 Hertel+Reuss, a top notch German brand - hidden jewels - , under tropical skies, with Scorpius high overhead..... Have fun with your old Zeiss! Stephan

Certainly not the 20th century concepts of the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud, associated with the different orbits. I guess, that in the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century there was not enough statistic material and methodology known to Messier to develop the concept of accumulation of comets along the ecliptic plane. At least I didn't find any sources to answer this question. Stephan

You won't go wrong with a decent Dobsonian mounted telescope, as it is easy to set up and to handle intuitively; e.g. the "standard" 200/1200 mm Skywatcher: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html or, if storing/transporting is an issue, one of it's smaller brothers, the 130 P or 150 P Flextube versions: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/sky-watcher-heritage-150p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html Enjoy the journey! Stephan

Short period comets (observable more often and reliable) can more often be found near the ecliptic plane: "The inclination of a comet's orbit with respect to the ecliptic (approximately, the plane spanned by the orbits of the major planets) depends on the origin of the comet. Long-period comets come from the Oort's cloud; since Oort's cloud is spherical, long-period comets approach the inner solar system at random angles as you correctly guessed (note that their orbit can be majorly perturbed as they pass near the giant planets). Short-period comets originate in Kuiper's belt and orbit roughly along the plane of the ecliptic." (quoted from here: /www.ucolick.org/~mountain/AAA/aaawiki/doku.php?id=do_all_comets_approach_the_sun_along_the_plane_of_the_ecliptic) M 1 is located very close to the ecliptic, as are M 35, 44, 67, the two Leo triplets, M 64,....; have a look at your planisphere! Stephan

Not in all aspects. Usually, you won't find the surface brightness (square arc sec) of galaxies e.g. listed in an app; but that's a very important information, when spotting faint galaxies and nebulas. Therefore, paper resources as atlases (Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas; Uranometria) or guides, as the Night Sky Observer's Guide are still of value, when preparing an observation. The same goes for drawings. Stephan

Almost the same number of observations as you, Doug, - 88. Highlights: Spotting the lunar Rima Messier with the 18"; concentric craters Hesiodus (with ray phenomenon, unexpected), Marth, Crozier. DSO's: Revisiting Abell galaxy cluster 1367; several Arp galaxy groups (331;18;84); some edge-on galaxies. Of course, NEOWISE (nice and typical little comet -(I'm spoiled by the views of Bennett, West, IRAS-Araki-Alcock, Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp...)) and some other comets. Took my first astrophotos since > 40 years; very few up to now, all lunar. Sold my 13.1" Coulter Odyssey; the young family who bought it, is very happy with it. Modified the position of the 18" 's 10x60 finder, can now use it even when the targets are high up, both feet on the ground. To my distress, Hofheim Instruments will close end of 2021 - they didn't accept an order for their 12" f/5 anymore.... And, as others have mentioned, the participation in this friendly, helpful and polite community was encouraging and refreshing, and has helped me through some harsh times (health issues); thank you all! Happy and healthy New Year! Stephan

Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas. Very thought-out layout, that lets you see at a glance, which celestial targets are visible with your 4", 8" or 12" scope. Together with the matching companion "Deep Sky Guide" (photos and drawings) very good for planning. Add the app SkySafari Plus or Pro for use at the scope - that's all you need. Stephan