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Les Ewan

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Everything posted by Les Ewan

  1. A very simple setup at work this morning. A Astrolux 76mm f9.2 and Nikon DSLR after doing some sunspot imaging duty this morning.
  2. These images were provided by a Astrolux 76mm f9.2 Newtonian on a yoke altaz mount. The eyepiece was a 21mm Celestron Duo threaded to a Nikon 3200 DSLR ,1/600" exp at 100ISO. This instrument is a lot easier to use for Solar work than my EQ2 90mm f10 refractor.
  3. For its price and aperture the Skywatcher Astrolux 76mm f9.2 is a fairly capable instrument. Its let down by its supplied Barlow but at just over £100 it comes with a pretty good steady full height tripod and altaz yoke. This set up is hard to criticise given its price however the finderscope really lets what is generally a good piece of kit down badly. The finder is supposed to be a 24mm but has a aperture stop behind the objective which is non achromatic and reduces it to only 12mm. Im actually surprised that a company like Skywatcher allows a junk scope finder into its range. It is also very difficult to align using the non sprung adjusting screws and is easily bumped out of alignment. This finder is very frustrating and could be a hobby killer to newbies. I found that if all three set screws are rack right up tightly the finder scope can be securely aligned permantly by packing the bracket /OTA contact point with fibre washers(first image). The aperture stop is easily removed and have done this (third image). It will of course make the abberations on this dire finderscope even worse but it will brighten the image for star hopping.
  4. After Moon set this morning DSO's really popped out. Even the weather was ideal despite being -5C there was no wind and virtually no dewing problems. I obtained this image of the open cluster M46 and photobombing planetary nebula NGC 2438 using my NIKON 3200 DSLR at prime focus of a Skywatcher 400P driven Dobsonian f4.8 Newtonian. 1600ISO 10sec exposure. Sobering to think we are a lot closer to NGC 2438 than any of the cluster members!
  5. A 6X10 ft shed! I asked Santa for one a couple of weeks back but he said I'm too old to ask him anything unless theirs a drink in it and anyway he wouldn't manage to fit it on his sleigh and the elves were too busy to erect it. So I bought and built it myself. Its long been needed to store my telescopes and odd bits and pieces of astro stuff thats been cluttering up my cottage for years. I'm mainly looking foreward to bringing home my old Siberia TAL150 Equatorial Newt which my sister has been holding for me since circ 2010. I went to her house today to collect it only to discover thats she's using the wooden creates to support a large Christmas tree so will have to wait until January now.😒
  6. When I started observations back in early 70's Edinburgh there were still a lot of domestic coal fires and evening viewing was a challenge. Not only were fainter objects dimmed the old yellow street lighting reflected back and dimmed things further by glare. The early mornings were far clearer and transparent ,it was lovely. I now live in the country and the domestic smoke and smog has gone but I still maintain even now that the last few hours before Sunrise if it stays clear are usually more crystal clear than any other time.
  7. If the scope is well focused then it sounds like diffraction spikes which are quite normal for a Newtonian especially around brighter stars. I rather like them,(except the one on my 400P that always tries to conceal Rigel's companion)!
  8. Viewing conditions for Jupiter went beyond being excellent they were exquisite.(Cant say that too often)! Fine detail normally only seen fleetingly in the blur were interrupted without a quiver. Annoyingly the cloud moved in before midnight. The Moons in the image are(l to r) Io-Jupiter-Europa-Ganymede. This image was taken around 23:30 GMT with a driven Skywatcher 400P 16" f4.8 Dob.The camera was a Nikon 3200DSLR coupled to a 21mm Celestron Duo plossl and Celestron X2Barlow. Camera settings were 1/100 sec exposure at 800ISO.
  9. The trouble with starter scopes is they tend to be difficult to use especially for starters! Starter scopes also tend to have sub standard finders and mounts -but having said that with practice and patience in honing your observing skills you will slowly get better results. My first view of the Ring Nebula was back in early 70's 1 km from the centre of Edinburgh with a rickety 60mm refractor with undersize 0.96" Huygens eyepieces and barely usable finder. (Common of the era). So it is possible to see stuff if you are aware of the the scopes limitations. When hunting faint objects be aware seeing conditions at the time may not suit the type of object your looking for. Nebulae are not called faint fuzzies for nothing and when conditions aren't good even larger scopes would toil, so on these nights its better to turn to star clusters and double stars instead. Using binoculars beside the scope can also help in conjunction with the finder in locating objects(remember to use your lowest power eyepiece) . Also the old trick adverted vision helps bring things into view on really transparent nights. These things have to be learned but it's a skill everyone can achieve with with practice.
  10. Great stuff I'm envious. I tried a similar video but my camera stopped recording after 30 seconds so didn't capture the actual ingress. Maybe a faulty SD card but my NIKON 3200 tends to do this at the most inopportune times!
  11. This was a beautiful event through binoculars the paleness of the Moon contrasting wonderfully with the dazzling pure white Venus against a blue sky.(For a change)!! My image was obtained with a Nikon 3200DSLR couple to a driven 16" f4.8 Dob at prime focus.
  12. Just packed up due to constant fog banks drifting over my site from the North Sea and the mouth of the Forth. Even when it is was clear I spent as much time in anti dewing measures than actual observing🤬! Last night 17th was much more successful with ideal conditions for both double star and DSO work until thick fog rolled in at 3am. At 1:09 am I just happened to raise my head from my eyepiece while viewing a faint galaxy when I caught part of the track of a bright green meteor (around magnitude -5). I didn't see the the start of this event just as it disappeared behind the house shooting westwards through Gemini. Just pure luck I witnessed it.
  13. It was a great evening for doubles with almost pristine separations not the usual looking through a bubbling blob! I think the high pressure and the low radiation rate from the ground helped (the temperature at around 2C). My targets were Tegmine,Castor,Algieba,Porrima and Izar. I used my old trusty 20mm Kellner and a X2 Barlow for the observations, giving a power of 180X on my Skywatcher 400P. Then as predicted low cloud extended off the North Sea around 23:15.
  14. I have a TAL 2 150 f8 which I bought in the early 90's stored at my sisters house and you've encouraged me to collect and set it up again. I know she is using the main pine box as a coffee table so she might not be too pleased! These scopes are built like tanks but the main draw back is the pillar tube vibrates when the motor is running reducing resolution at high powers. It also has a spherical mirror but I didn't find it a major setback with low to moderate powers. I don't know about your scope but mine has oversized eyepieces so a adapter is needed to fit standard 1.25" fittings. It also has a rather odd looking X5 barlow giving powers up to 315X which is a bit beyond the spherical mirror. Mine is ready to be set up and go but the main mirror needs a recoat.
  15. I was attempting to photograph the 1999 fireball display of Leonids and would have done so too only when I developed the film every single frame was completely out of focus.🤬 I really rue that mistake as to this day I have still to capture a meteor.
  16. Although I've been observing and using a multitude of telescopes for 50 years I made a really stupid mistake only yesterday in the early hours. I was setting up my Synscan and decided to use Pollux as my first alignment star. Without really thinking I slewed to Pollux (or so I thought). After centring my it on my target with the finder try as I might I couldn't focus in on it in the main scope. Then I realised the dot looked a bit like Mars complete with a white cap! Then it dawned on me it was Mars! In my rush to get the annoying alignment process done I mistook Mars and Al Nath for Castor and Pollux even though neither are even similar in magnitude(although to my credit the gap is about the same). At this moment I'm still in two minds on whether to submit this embarrassing rookie mistake but here goes....
  17. I was out in the early hours of yesterday during particularly transparent skies,with virtually no wind. Using my Nikon D3200 DSLR attached at prime focus on my driven 400P Dob I captured what the Sky Atlas 2000 Companion describes as the NGC 3190 Galaxy group. Just a couple of degrees above Algieba this group is easy to find. From the top is the spherical NGC 3193,then NGC 3190 itself with its dust lane and next to it on the right NGC 3187 which is interacting with NGC 3190. Below NGC 3185 is a face on spiral. All four are visible visually at the eyepiece but not the dust lane even with the 16".At least not to me)! The exposure was 20 sec at 1600ISO and some tweaking using Faststone.
  18. Taken with a Nikon 3500 attached to a Helios 200 Explorer 8" f5 Newtonian .1/180 sec exp at 100ISO about 5 minutes before disappearance.
  19. Nice sequence. Ideal conditions too.
  20. Saw the GRS last night (4 Nov) and is not only prominant but a beautiful orange colour. It looks a completely differant feature to how it looked in July when I noted it as pale. Jupiter is full of surprises!
  21. Its a little difficult to quantify because does a telescope in bits count? In theory I have seven telescopes. One is totally dismantled a 6"Reflector dating from the 70's with tarnished mirrors which will probably never be used again, Revelation 12 Dob which is in a similar condition a f5 8" Helios Newtonian TA which is sevicable but with no mount a 6" Russian f8 TAL 2 from the early ninties which I plan to get back into use when I have space for it(its being stored at my sisters house at the moment complete with wooden crates) but it needs its mirrors re coated. I also have a 12" f5 Newt on a EQ6 mount which is can be assembled at any time. My two other scopes are in constant use now a Skywatcher 400P 16"on a driven Dob and finally a Skywatcher 90mm f10 refractor on a driven EQ2 which I use for Solar work.
  22. Hi Polly, I'd be very wary, I've never heard of that brand. It maybe OK but there's a minefield of trash telescopes out there. Remember its not just money involved it could be the death of your grandson's enthusiasm if he's confronted with a substandard telescope. It's not worth the risk consult a proper astronomical dealership even if its just for a decent set of binoculars.
  23. I assume when you say 70 you mean £ 70. If so its fair to say your options are not great. However if you can stretch to £100 you could do worse than the Skywatcher Astrolux. Its a small Newtonian of 76mm on a altaz mount. It will have limitations due to its small mirror but if these are appreciated there will still be plenty to see and at least its a quality instrument and easy to use. Also being a Skywatcher the quality is there to warrant upgrades at a later date such as better eyepieces and even fitting a simple equatorial mount. A small refractor is another option but in my opinion they can be awkward to use because of the low eyepiece angles,I'm biased though I don't like refractors much! Good quality binoculars of 7X50 or 10X50 type would also be a option if your grandson doesn't already have access to a pair. Whatever you decide get the instrument from a astronomical dealer not from a department store I think most experienced observer would agree there.
  24. Amazing. I didn't know that thanks for the info.
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