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mark81

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Everything posted by mark81

  1. Nice session with some great objects - many of them are targets I always tend to go for with binoculars. The 8x32s sound useful. I've been meaning to get a pair for ages ...
  2. That was a very enjoyable able read. It's always amazing to hear what details can be pulled from objects with good skies, a good scope and some decent EPs... And of course a bit of skill..... Some great objects there - many of which never get old - the clusters in Cassiopeia and Auriga being top of the list. Nice report. Mark
  3. So I've been reading a bunch of reviews for big binoculars with 45 and 90 degree eyepieces. I keep coming across people mentioning whether the they were full apature or not? For example, the TS Optics 70mm 45degree, many people suggested the apature was actually 63mm. So, whats the deal with this? Is it the way the light travels through to the prism...or is it just false advertising...or something else? Thanks Mark
  4. After a little session last night with the scope and the skies getting crisper and clearer by the minute - a balmy breeze making it feel more like a spring evening, I sat back and began looking around the sky with my eyes...👀.strange I know. I realised it must have been about 25 years since I went out into the garden and looked at the night sky without even a pair of binoculars - back then all I was armed with was a coat and a copy of Astronomy Now. So often we plan our sessions or at least have a starting point and spend the evening looking down into an eyepiece. But with the skies looking so clear I had a go..... Double Cluster was a fuzzy figure '8'...... Andromeda was quite bright with a little averted vision, I traced my finger over parts of the sky picking out the constellations - only really recognising many of them from a star atlas, I found 'The Coathanger' and was even able to resolve a couple of its stars. I then sunk right down in the seat and took in the cloudy glow of the MilkyWay overhead with a couple of nice Meteors wizzing past. (not to mention the amazing amounts of satellites that drift here there and everywhere) Ok, it doesn't have the same appeal as seeing things up close and in great detail but I must say it was a little more enjoyable than I thought it would have been...
  5. I've been meaning to check these two clusters (in Serpens - just outside Aquila) out for a while and I did last night with the ST80. Not the most amazing clusters upon first glance but when you spend a little time at the eyepiece you'll agree they really are worth a look. IC 4756 starts with this chain of, I guess mag 6 stars which create a little boundry and then within this boundry sits the cluster itself which are hundreds of very faint stars all packed together - dark skies I imagine will really help to begin to resolve them.... THEN if that isn't enough, if you nudge a couple of degrees over - (going away from Aquila) you'll see NGC 6633 which is much smaller but very similar in the way its made up of many faint tightly packed stars. Well worth checking out if your in that area tonight.... Mark
  6. They do look nice.... But then again, all of it looks nice, like these 82mm bins..... If I had the funds it would be more than tempting.. http://apm-telescopes-englisch.shopgate.com/item/333631343331
  7. Great sketches Jack. The moon is very hard to draw, completely different from drawing in pin point stars. I would very happy with those.. Mark
  8. Many ways to go about it. I use black paper and white gel ink pens and now and then a white pencil. I draw a circle with the inside of a roll of cello tape and away I go... It's very basic but it works for me.. here's and example..
  9. I used to feel like that all the time. But the last thing you want to do is turn this hobby into a chore. So now, if it's clear and I don't really want to go out..... I just don't. It makes me enjoy it even more when I do venture outside...
  10. Nice report there. I've often looked at the 80mm Opticrons as the 70mm were also great for the money. Was that session with a tripod or handheld.....or both. I'd also be interested in how you get on with the 12x50s. I was close to getting a pair of 8x30 Pentax recently.... Mark
  11. Nothing would please me more than starting a thread in 'whole set ups' with me standing beside a pair of Vixen BT81 SA binoculars. It's taken me a while to realise this, but upon doing so, I have started saving a few pennies- which are few and far between. I am always pleased to read other members threads about their new setups as many of us do. But for those of you who aren't quite there yet or who have just started saving..... What are you saving for?
  12. Fantastic! I really enjoyed reading that. All the best with the new scope. Mark
  13. That's true. I think we can all find good points and bad points about any setup. The tricky part is deciding what's best for you ...
  14. Totally agree with @Ben the Ignorant about stray light. Even though I live in a rural area I do have a street lamp out front and simply standing behind a wall or even a tree can really block out the light. As for the bins, they will all be great for what you want. I have tried the Helios Stella ii at 10.5x70 which are fantastic and I found easy enough for handheld if you want a quick scan around. The Helios Apollos are much heavier and will demand a tripod at all times. The Stellas also cone in 15x70 I believe. I'd you are going to tripod mount, why not go for a pair of 80mm. This will open up so many objects and the boost in mag will bring many of them to life Mark
  15. That was a nice session and a good read. I havent come across those bins before but I will go take a look. I've always thought that a pair at x25 with 70-80mm are perfect for picking up fuzzies and let's not forget all of those great clusters. The only problem is, when you mount them, your mind starts thinking about a bigger pair.... Like those 100s.... I've looked at so many pairs but as you said, maybe next year.. Mark
  16. If I get real close to the frosted glass window of the back door and can see stars I know the conditions are fantastic. I grabbed the 10x50s and headed out The double cluster was first as it's an easy naked eye object and has to be one of the best binocular targets in my opinion. Either side of the double I could just about make out 744 and 957 which always prove tougher on other nights.. M33 although still quite low in the sky was still really nice to look at, no detail of course and if you didn't know it was there you could miss it but I really could get a sense of the shape as the light grey shading of it is quite consistent over the whole object. Andromeda was stunning showing a lovely bright core. I then picked out m34 - which is another tough one at this time of year, M11 and then The Coathanger. I finished off sitting back and looking around Cassiopeia, not taking any real notice of what clusters were what, but just enjoying the mass of silent stars on the black sky. Enjoy the night Mark
  17. Wow. I would start off by looking at star clusters. Cassiopeia is full of them and nicely placed right now. At x25 I have enjoyed dozens of clusters, both closed and open Enjoy Mark
  18. Fantastic. Yeah, it does seem to be better than the SW version and like you said, for 56 extra, your gaining quite a lot. I look forward to reading your future reports... Enjoy
  19. There is that old fact about never being more than three feet from a rat... Well, I'm guessing that this must work the same with spiders. Either that or they actually do like Observing. Every time I go out and have a look about with the scope I always seem to bring in a huge spider. I guess it could be the same one that is just hankering over taking a peep through the EP. So far this week, 2 sessions , 3 spiders... If, like me, your not a fan, it does make observing session a little more nerve wracking.... Maybe they just like me...... Yes, I'll go with that...
  20. Nice one, I always enjoy reading you reports. Great sketches too... Mark
  21. Fantastic session. I've always been of the mind to not go down the GOTO route.... But when you realise the progress you can make and the great objects you can view ...it's definitely something that could change peoples minds - including mine!
  22. Yeah, Thanks Stu, I have just added those to my list.... So many to choose from! Many will be out of reach but it'll be fun having a go..
  23. I always enjoy reading observing reports from other members and am always intrigued when they mention double stars. The only doubles I've ever glanced at are easy binocular targets and recently I've been wondering whether I'm missing out. I know the ST80 isn't the first scope, nor 2nd or 3rd that you would think of when viewing doubles but I went for it anyway. Started at Almaak in Andromeda with x16 just to get it in my sights and I immediately thought that there is no way I'm going to see a tiny star next to this star... Went up to x24 and then x50 still nothing. Went all in at x133 and there it was! A big smile on my face and even more so when I could see a colour difference. Orange for the primary and a pale blue for the secondary. In that one double I could really see myself getting into this. The way you have to run through mags untill that star reveals itself, the colours of course and then there's the separation itself. I went on to split Polaris at x66, ETA Cassiopeia at x66 and Pi Andromeda at x133. I don't see colour on them all but found the whole experience really quite pleasing. I really can see why many people love this part of the hobby and it's something I must get into a little more... Mark
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