Captain Scarlet

Weather here in SW Ireland the last few months has been terrible, and tonight has been my first more-than-a-moment session since the end of August. I've just come in from finally having taken advantage of Jupiter's altitude these days, and although I observed only Jupiter, it's been one of my more memorable sessions. I  had it in my diary as Europa & Ganymede double transit (thanks @Simon128D ) with shadows to follow plus GRS in prime position. I saw it all, though I did have to drag everything back in hurriedly while a violent squall came through.

I had my LZOS 105/650 on SkyTee2, initiually tucked right under my East wall to shelter from the 60kph wind gusts (it calmed right down a little later). The LZOS has a weird finder-mounting bracket, and it was only a few days ago that I got around to sorting it out and attching a finder: my APM 8x50 RACI . It does make navigating a bit easier ! And I also finally attached my slo-mo extensions(after 2 years of ownership), and they too make life so much easier. I mainly used my Ethos 4.7 to give me 138x.

I saw Ganymede and Europa approach and merge with the disc, while simultaneously Io disappeared around the back on the other side. At one stage there were three bright white pimples attached to Jupiter's disc. Once the two moons were in fornt of the planet, they disappeared from view, I couldn't make them out against the bright disc. But the rest of Jupiter was far better than I've ever seen him before, lots of detail and subsidiary bands, and for the first time (for me) the GRS was RED! Amazing. Then the squall came and I rushed everything back inside.

An hour or two later, all was clear again, so I quickly got it out again to see if I could discern any shadows. I could! And what's more, Ganymede had turned into a silhouette: I could see one sharp tiny black shadow, and Ganymede as a slightly less dark but nonetheless distinct disc.

So: double transit, GRS as red, lots of detail, a shadow and a silhouette. A wonderful short double-session.

As I write shortly after packing up, there's now heavy hail drilling against the window. I was lucky!

Cheers, Magnus

before the squall:

second session after the squall:

Getting ready for the Jupiter double transit tonight. Sky is clear, but 60kph Westerly gusts abound, hence the scope hiding as close as possible to the lee of the house. No comments please about the state of the wall!

First time I’ve ever used any sort of finder on the LZOS (weird mounting bracket), and first time I’ve attached the slo-mos to my SkyTee. They both make such a difference!

Tell me about the wind and rain!!

Whilst they should remove spikes, unfortunately of course they will increase the total amount of diffraction 🙁.

For stars and DSOs it should improve things  but for bright planets, unfortunately not so.

But if you can easily remove the masks, it will be interesting to hear your comparisons of with/without.

Cheers, Magnus

I used to have the old supatrak az-gt mount and it quite happily handled on many occasions my APM-LZOS 105/650 which is around or a bit over 7kg with diagonal & eyepiece (I’ve just weighed it).

The new version 2 mount I’d be willing to bet is the same structurally with improved gubbins, so actual usable payload will be at least 7kg.

Magnus

On 28/10/2022 at 21:02, vlaiv said:

Here is an idea ...

It is mostly for 3d printed focusers but I can't see why it could not be used as fine focus in any DIY focuser.

All we need is a draw tube and focuser body, draw tube being suspended on bearings or Teflon pads so it can slide in and out.

Focusing motion is performed by threaded rod and nut - or two pieces of threaded rod.

Either nut or one piece of threaded rod is attached to draw tube and can't move / rotate. Other, longer piece of threaded rod is attached to focuser body via bearings and can rotate freely.

It is either threaded thru the nut or in close contact with other piece of threaded rod. Rotating it causes draw tube to rack in / out.

Maybe easiest way to explain it would be to imagine fastening the screw in something - as we turn the screw - it is driven inwards. Now just "fix" the screw and let the object move instead.

I think you’ve basically described how the Skymax MCTs focus, with a threaded rod attached to a bulkhead on the sliding outer baffle tube on which sits the primary mirror, with the rod poking out through the back of the OTA and affixed with a knob.

If you look through the front corrector plate with a torch you might be able to see? You might be able to tell if a/the nut on the inside is welded or bonded to the tube.

Magnus

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

Odd. Do you have a photo of the SV details you mentioned?

The obvious explanation is that the SV-numbered ones are sub-contracted to Svbony 😜

Just in time for Orion season, I can now go HH hunting in wider field! Filter courtesy of @garryblueboy and my UK ex-neighbour who finally got around to posting it to Ireland.

26 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

These are superb eyepieces Magnus, though I’ve only used mine on a few occasions. Really glad I got the whole set.

I’ve read somewhere the 1.6 is the shortest available eyepiece anywhere. I’m looking forward to trying it on my Kowa spotting scope (510mm => 318x) and my LZOS 105 (650 => 406x), both of which are supposedly superbly figured so should be able to support the magnification. I don’t suffer from floaters AFAIK but we’ll see… I’ll report as soon as I can get to use it

Finally, thanks to my somewhat slow Sister-in-Law network, arrival of a Vixen HR 1.6mm, courtesy of @HollyHound .

Magnus

I invited a couple of neighbours over and in the event it was mostly cloudy, through which we were able to get naked-eye glimpses, but the only time I was able to use my Perlenbacher-cardboard Solar Film mask was by holding it in front of binoculars for a few seconds when a cloud-gap appeared, nowhere enough time to get the scope aligned to the Sun. Still, it was better than nothing and the neighbours were very grateful to have been shown it else they'd have only read about it online.

Magnus

This afternoon I quickly hacked together a filter to fit over my 6” Intes Mak:

That’s the best comparison of (much vs little vs no) light pollution I’ve seen. Superb.

Magnus

Yes I have it logged in my diary as “solar eclipse possibly slightly?” for 10-11am. But thanks for the extra reminder. Weather looks perhaps 10% likely?

Is the finder also a Newtonian? I’ve not seen that before

On 16/10/2022 at 08:14, GazOC said:

Edit: just found the answer while reading through the full (and very informative/ thread 👍

 

That's a great read. Did you happen to measure the height of the primary baffle from the mirror or backplate? I stripped and measured my gold 180mm a couple of years ago (nowhere near as exhaustively as you have) and would be interested to see how that measurement compares as all the other optically important ones seem to match up 

Alas I don’t think I did measure the primary baffle tube. Next time I have it apart I’ll do so.

M

I too have a Skymax 180 and have had it completely apart on several occasions (see here) The dovetail attachment is very solid, and there is no discernible sag in use.

Magnus

I have the Zeiss Conquest HD 10x32 and the 15x56. They are (both) very good, optically extremely pleasing as you’d expect, but the focus mechanism in particular is superb: much better than the Leicas or Nikons I have at a similar price point. The only criticism I’d have is that the soft-rubber closely-contoured eyecups are so closely shaped, they are often difficult to pull away in a hurry, leading to missing the bird. I plan to replace those of my 10x32s with some harder rubber generics.

But I love them nonetheless, and have no trouble using the 10x32s one-handed.

Magnus

Bit churlish of them not to throw in a guaranteed clear sky too 😁

Seriously though sounds like you have a good place to work.

Magnus

5 hours ago, Stu said:

Great report, glad you had a good night in the end. @PeterW is a sly one. Had no idea he had a 12.5mm Morpheus. What other treasures is he hiding? 😉

Not “a” 12.5 Morpheus but TWO!

We went birding last year and he had them in his APM 45degree binoculars looking at Snipe IIRC. The vista as your eyes approached the eyepieces reminded me of approaching the liquid-shimmering barrier to the other part of the Universe in the film Stargate. Two pools of swimming contrasty brightness. Lovely views.

Magnus

I just went outside ahead of an early night to throw out the used cat litter detritus over the wall into our next field.

Reasonably clear, suddenly at exactly zenith a streak appeared, heading North East. At first I thought it was the ISS, it was just the right speed and brightness. But it seemed to be accelerating and just getting brighter and brighter. At about 45 degrees from zenith it turned orange/yellow/green and broke up into 6-7 pieces which carried on getting brighter until all finally exploding and extinguishing probably 10 degrees from horizon.

Quite the most spectacular such event I’ve ever seen, whether meteor or satellite I don’t know. Seemed to end up over Cork or thereabouts.

Magnus

Dave Hi that is a collimation-locking bolt. I also have a Skywatcher 12" cell, and I never use those locking bolts, actually: my springs are strong enough to hold everything in place as I move my scope around. Also, I am about to receive an Orion Optics 300mm mirror cell, so my SW cell will very soon be redundant anyway.

Consequently, for either of those reasons, I'd be very happy to send you my locking knobs. Otherwise It would ve going to metal recycyling soon anyway. I believe I still have your address in my PM inbox from the RDF you took off me.

Shall I post it? No charge obviously.

Cheers, Magnus

7 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

Im curious, how detectable are these with the 15x56mm bins? With my 7x50mm i admit i have seen at best kind of hallucinations of these. They are very small and something i could only call "perhaps seen" kind of objects. I am sure i have seen them, but just not sure at all how to describe the seen part as they are so ghostly. Just about detectable in SQM 21.2 skies.

I admit they have been handheld, and i think this is a major issue with bins.

They are very detectable indeed, especially M81/2 to the extent I can see one is round and the other is a sliver. M51 is a little less distinct, but a definite smudge and no doubt when you’ve got it. But I cannot get two cores through the bins. And that is handheld too, although sitting down, and with my 21.8 skies.

I’ll try through my 10x50s tonight which should also be clear.

M

A change in forecast caught me out, I had no time to set anything up so I took out my Kowa 88mm spotting scope with Tak 7.5 eyepiece giving 68x; and my 15x56 bins for a couple of hours. Jupiter had too much CA, sitting directly over a large house. Saturn much nicer further West, really quite sharp but 68x not really enough to get any real detail. Still stunning though. Mars rising with lots of CA and extremely red.

Then sitting in a chair with the bins I hunted down M51, M81/82, M52, M31, M33, M38, Pleiades, Kemble's Cascade, Coathanger, and a nice binoculars-friendly double in the head of Draco, I must look that up (Nu 1 & 2 Draconis aka Kuma). And a few shooting stars, mostly fairly dim.

Tomorrow's looking good too, so with forewarning I might get my 12" out.

Cheers, Magnus

58 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Are you going to fit a reticle? 

No probably not