Captain Scarlet

Well I have a decent Hb filter, and the next 2-3 nights' forecast may be clear enough to offer an opportunity just after astro-dark/Moonset before Orion has got too far round West. It'll probably be my last chance for HH this year. My house is basically 21.8 so no darkness excuses!

I've learnt that even a cursory amount of pre-planning makes all the difference. I had too many sessions when I'd done no planning, and simply cycled through what I could remember, which turned out to be the same things every time. So I'll make a quick list of what's about where I want to look, and I also keep an informal literally back-of-an-envelope dynamic list based on what I've seen in reports on here. Also I've just learned how to use the Nexus DSC "what's near me within x degrees" function in the field, which contributed to some of the more obscure galaxies this time around. The combination of those have transformed my sessions into being far more productive. Cheers, M

Yes it is an awkward shape, all the more so with eyepiece and illuminator attached! I considered using a fitted case for mine, I do have an old outgrown eyepiece case, but even that would involve "flattening out" the finder's diagonal and illuminator, and then re-confguring it when setting up a scope. Far too much bother. So for all my reasonably robust accessories I keep them in a deluxe shopping bag, with each item in its suitably-sized own food bag. Yes they're piled in there higgledy-piggledy, but there's no metal-on-metal contact, at least two layers of plastic separate everything. It started off as an interim solution to the problem, but I've found it works very well for me. Most of my adapters, cables, chargers and finders live in there when they're not attached to scopes. (Diagonals eyepieces and filters do have their separate more robust foam-filled waterproof case of course).

Sounds like a not-dissimilar session to mine a couple of nights ago, also with a 12”. Though Orion from now is too low in my worst direction (over Baltimore harbour) for any chance of the HH, which I still haven’t seen. Nice to have you back, I’m going up steal the face mask trick I think. I have a few cloth/silk ones that’ll do very nicely. Magnus

Very nice. I have the APM version of the same, very up-market finders! just an off-chance suggestion … could it be that the untapped hole is for one of those sprung bolts such as Skywatcher use in their brackets? If so it might be floating around in the packaging somewhere?

After a fortnight of either howling winds or heavy cloud and rain, or both, the weather conspired last night to be clear and not too windy. So I set up my OO/Helmerichs 12” Newt in the South-East facing area behind my house, intending to scour The Plough of Messier objects and move West from there through Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices to Virgo and Leo. My immediate topology precludes Orion from now on unfortunately, unless I hoik my stuff (5-6 awkward-load trips) an extra 50 metres further up the boreen. In the end, if you caught my brief “what did you see tonight” report, you’ll have seen that I collected quite a big haul, in fact the biggest bag I can recall from any session so far, so I was very well pleased. It may appear that I simply raced through a list going “tick! tick! tick!”, it wasn’t like that at all. I was actually doing quite a lot of staring. My last dark-sky-Moon-down 12” session 3-4 weeks ago started off similarly, “doing” Ursa Major and the Leo Triplet amongst others. This time I built on that and filled in some gaps, although the transparency wasn’t quite as good as then, I think. My SQM-L gave me 21.76 at the end of the session, but there was a slight milky sheen to everything which seemed to extinguish anything fuzzy below about mag 12-13. Certainly M108 and 109 for example were still obvious, but not quite as stark as I recall before. Beggars and choosers, though. Anyway, what did I see? Until towards the end, I, once again, couldn’t move beyond my Ethos 13 giving me 141x and 0.71 degrees (with Paracorr2). At the end, I revisited some objects with the Nagler 31 for 1.4 degrees FoV, but no other eyepieces or filters were harmed during this shoot. M51 was first up, and this was the exception of the evening. If anything, I could see MORE detail than my best-ever-by-miles view three weeks ago. Not only could I see spiral detail, but I fancied I could catch the “linking arm” between the cores as well. I can’t find the superlatives. When I finally get around to dobbing-up my currently unhitched 20” mirror, I can only imagine what M51 will look like. M101 was next, and although it was obvious when it came into view, it wasn’t as surprisingly bright as I recalled from last time. Tick and move on. M102 was a galaxy I’d never looked for before, or seen. It was a small tight and bright streak, very nice. Apparently M102’s identity is controversial. What I looked at was in fact NGC 5866 which it seems the majority think is what Messier observed as M102. It has a highly-defined sharp dust lane, which I’ll have to look out for next time with more magnification. I moved across to M63, which as a nearly face-on was a bright patch, much the same as I saw before. M94, though, was startlingly bright and very round! Last time I think I ticked it off and moved on, but it’s worth a stare. I looked it up and noticed it’s called the “Croc’s Eye Galaxy”. Although I couldn’t make out any “rings”, it is nonetheless strikingly circularly symmetric (i.e. round 😉 ) Whilst in the close neighborhood I quickly took in Cor Caroli, a lovely double. My next target should have been M106, also not seen before by me, but for some reason I overlooked it and selected instead M109: a face-on smudge. Tick. M108 next, not quite as mottled as I remember before but still obvious. M97 Owl nebula very nearby seemed also actually to be a better view than before: I could just make out the owl-eyes. Finally in that Ursa Major/Canes Venatici region I selected NGC 4036, a quite bright galaxy just “above” the open top of Uma’s saucepan, right where the steam would be if there were baked beans cooking. I should also have gone for NGC 4041 quite close by, but next time. I also skipped M81/82 as they were too high up for me to risk tripod-strike with the back of my tube. Time for Leo: I started off with the Leo triplet, again all very clear and bright. M65 and M66 I could get in the same field in the Ethos 13 but I had to pan away a little to find NGC 3628. Later I returned to them with the Nagler 31 and the Triplet all together in the same field at 59x magnification and 5mm exit pupil (my max) was something else! The “Other Leo Triplet”, M105, M95 and M96 were next: new I think, to me. Dimmer and a bit wider-spaced than the bigger cousin but none the less entrancing, especially in the Nagler 31. My plan was next to start at M98, a bright galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, and head South-East picking off galaxies and looking them up as I went along. I soon got lost of course, but managed to identify (using Nexus DSC’s “what’s here?” facility) NGC 4216: Silver Streak Galaxy, a rather bright, er, streak; NGC 4212 a dim mag 12 blob not very distinct; NGC 4237 not dissimilar to 4212; NGC 4262 even dimmer (12.5 lenticular). I saw others but didn’t try to look them up. They were being swallowed up by a background milkiness more than I was expecting and more than I’ve seen before in better transparency (in Markarian’s Chain for example where I recall multiple light patches on a dark background). I think there was a thin sheen of high cloud. Nonetheless, I was pleased. I shifted West now, with the Nagler 31, and quickly took in Auriga’s M36, M37 and M38. All lovely of course. Bright red star right at the centre of M38. A few times I’ve mentioned M38 one of you good readers (can’t recall who now, sorry! But thanks) has suggested I also look for a small but very cute oc quite close to M38 called NGC 1907. This time I remembered, and it was worth it! Very nice small collection of stars, at the scale I was viewing almost like a glob. I’ll have a look next time with more magnification. To finish off, I looked at one of our commonest targets of all but one which for some reason I almost always think “ach next time”. The Double Cluster. What a beauty. Obviously I have observed it many times but almost always through binoculars. Now, at 59x with the wide wide N31 and getting both clusters in the FoV, at this level of darkness it was simply exquisite. I shall return to it. What have I been missing? And finally to finish finish finish off, I looked at a rather nondescript yellowish star called Mebsuta, for a strange reason. I have a group of (Donegal and Northern Irish) friends who for a bit of a laugh (or whatever) will occasionally announce “don’t kick me in the Mebs!” or “I need to go and wash my Mebs” or similar, you get the picture. I leave to your imagination what “Mebs” refer to. These people are in their 50s and 60s, I feel I need to add. Naturally, I and others often ask where the term originates, but nobody has the slightest clue, they just know what Mebs are. Well I was perusing a star chart recently and came across this: Problem solved! Perhaps. They’re convinced and impressed, anyway. It would’ve been the crowning glory if Mebsuta had been an equal-brightness double star 😊 😊, alas no. Anyway, Thanks for reading, Cheers, Magnus.

Just back in from a hugely satisfying session with my 12". I used only my Ethos 13 (141x) and later on the Nagler 31 (59x). Just about everything went right for a change and no dew to speak of. I'll write it up for a proper report tomorrow, but I saw (again) all the main galaxies in or near the main Ursa Major asterism: M51, M101, M102 (first time), M63, M94, M1109, M108, M97neb, NGC 4036. Dammit going through my list I realized I missed out M106 (not viewed before) - next time, hopefully later this week. In Leo: the Triplet all very prominent: M65, M66, NGC 3628, also framed in one view later on with my Nagler 31. Similarly another triplet-lookalike nearby: M105, M95, M96 again also later framed beautifully together in the N31. Also M98. I then found myself trawling the Virgo Cluster (in Coma?), and managed to identify NGC 4216, 4212, 4237 and 4262, plus several others that I didn't look up. With the Nagler 31 in, I moved to Auriga where of course I saw M36, M37 M38 and finally remembered to look for the lovely little cluster NGC 1907 near M38. I finished off with the Double Cluster which for some reason I take for granted and never view. In the 12" with 1.6 degs FoV I actually gasped, what an amazing sight. Fantastic night.

I was going to say I’ve always found the easiest way to find M33 is with binoculars. Pan around the general area and suddenly you’ll ask yourself “ooh what’s that?” a faint bleary patch and there you are

Oh yes. Especially after a long break from observing, getting set up seems like such a huge effort. But if you set up say the day before, you realize it isn’t so much faff after all. M

this shoud work? (on a computer rather than phone I think): http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fcoo

I’ve just checked and yes the Parallizer is threaded for 2” filters. I also use mine now exclusively as my 2”-1.25” reducer. Ingenious and so simple design.

Returning from local restaurant the sky was unexpectedly clear. So I donned cold-weather observing gear: dry robe, Sorel Arctic boots, gloves and 15x56 bins and by the time I got out, clouds had arrived grrr. A few gaps allowed views of Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, M51, Leo, Bootes and that was about it. The only good news was as soon as I’d got back in, I heard the sound of heavy rain on the windows! Oh well some stars is better than no stars I guess! M

I had 2 Baader 2"/1.25" adapters at one stage, but sold them both. I discovered that with a 1.25" (Glatter) laser fitted (which has no undercuts) every time I released and re-locked the adapter the laser was pointing to a slightly different place. I tried the same on other makes of adapter as well, plus other units with built-in compression rings. I found the same behaviour on all my compression-rings, and have since removed the brass ring on everything and now where possible only use direct-contact grubscrews, and now never have that problem.

You can categorize “focusing” into two groups: 1. Those where the point of focus is fixed and you move the eyepiece forwards or backwards to meet it; and 2. those where the eyepiece stays fixed in position and you move an optical component of the scope to change the position of the scope’s focus. examples: A Newtonian has a fixed focus point, and you use a Crayford or rack and pinion mechanism to move the eyepiece’s focal point into the focus position. A Mak has a focus knob which changes the separation of the two internal mirrors thereby moving the focus-point into the focus of the eyepiece. Cheers, Magnus

It’s right to be lusted after. Lovely eyepiece.

Haha this is extent of our snow a little further south of you. Just getting a ski out.

It cost €300 but I think that included a “patience discount”, and no holes! I’ll be doing the perforating myself once I get the VX8 to Ireland

Yes @ONIKKINEN it is Helmerichs. I ordered a tube for my OO 300mm mirror in November 2020, and I think he got COVID just about that time and was out of action for quite a long time. It eventually arrived in March 2021, and I was (am) very pleased with it. On that basis I expressed interest in a 200mm tube but he said that he needed time to rest or something like that and was temporarily not taking orders. Suddenly out of the blue in february he emailed saying did I still want that 200mm tube, it was ready. So, the result is that it will still take time but he seems to be "back up and running". My strategy with him now is "order and wait", I'm quite patient. M

A few months ago I bought an Orion Optics VX8 from Grumpy Martian (whose account no longer seems to exist, I hope he’s OK). Although the mirror is their ultra grade, their tube is somewhat flexible. So this arrived today from Germany, it should be MUCH stiffer! ( @ONIKKINEN might be interested too as a further upgrade to his imaging setup) Starting off of course with the obligatory picture-of-cardboard-box. Cheers Magnus

In late 2020 I was about to sell my Panoptic 35mm eyepiece because the distorted "seagull" stars at around 50x magnification in my 12" newt when looking at Open Clusters were really bothering me. I attributed the distortions to the eyepiece. Then on reading some more I realized that perhaps I needed a coma corrector, so I bought a Paracorr2. What a difference! It completely transformed the stars from objectionable to entrancing. Magnus

Indeed. In my book, the positioning of the secondary mirror is not strictly part of collimation. It's merely a prelude to it, and getting the positioning wrong only affects illumination. As alacant says, get it somewhere near. To add some detail to that: when you place your eye at approximately the point of main focus (with a collimation cap or cheshire pinhole), if the secondary looks roughly circular, and you can see the whole primary mirror and some of its surroundings, you're good to start the "collimation proper" (i.e. lining up the optical axes of the focus-tube and the primary mirror). Put another way: if (from the focal point) you can see the whole primary mirror, the focal point (your eye) is receiving all on-axis rays reaching the primary (rather like "if you can't see my wing-mirrors, I can't see you!"). Seeing the whole primary mirror means the focal point is "fully illuminated". If, in addition, you can also see (from the focal point) a roughly circular area around the outside of the primary mirror's reflection, then the full converging light-cones from some off-axis rays also get fully reflected by the secondary, thereby providing an area rather than a point of full illumination at the centre of the image. If your view of the secondary is not perfectly circular, and/or the reflection of the primary and its surround are not concentric, (and the collimation proper has been done correctly), the worst you'll suffer is uneven illumination across the field which you simply won't notice unless the mis-positioning is gross. Collimation proper then simply involves using the Cheshire as a "gunsight", pinhole at one end, crosshairs (out of focus) at the other end, with fuzzy cross-hairs aimed at the central doughnut (aim by using the tilt screws on the secondary). Then adjust the primary to get the reflection of the bright rear of the cheshire to also coincide with the same point. Those last 2 steps, the collimation proper, are extremely easy and the only really important parts of the whole process. Cheers, Magnus

Phew! I was worried for a moment that Plan C might involve some damage to Ms Cajen!

That’s right I think because I think if you look really really carefully you find lots of the very small people can’t see through it the other way either!

If you look really closely you can just about make out some hexagonal mirrors burning up 🤣 😱

Courtesy of @bogdanbacila a nice Barlow all the way from Romania 🇷🇴