Marvin Jenkins

All set out ready for a bit more darkness for polar alignment. Note the three leg plastic table not the wobbly four leg version. Also note the supermarket brand cola! None of your Redbull Monster stuff here, too much adrenaline in the first place.

Second picture has Venus dead top. Great night I remember, stayed clear for six hours with greeting seeing.

Marv

I have been crippled by astronomy for three years now. I consider it an affliction, similar to a disease but I have no idea if it is physical, mental or both. I know now it is incurable, thankfully it can be treated by exposure to the night sky.

I started with a 130 newt, and have progressed a bit in kit and size. I missed the whole binocular bit and have recently dabbled in AP.

Just strolled outside with the dogs for evening walks and realised the moon is amazing after five days of constant rain. All my kit is locked away and covered due to house renovations so I grabbed the bird watching bins! 

Why have I never looked at the evening sky with such easy to use kit. Wobbly as hell, couldn’t see anything until I plonked them on the top of the washing line pole and jackpot.
Now, I know I cannot see rilles and crater wall detail but ‘just hand held binoculars’ I went running for the moon map.

My bins are now right by the front door. A weekend away (whenever that will be) they will be coming with me. Had a peak at Venus..... amazing view of the phase.

Marvin
 

Like a pile of diamonds on black velvet. 
Marv

Thank you very much for the info, I will look into it. Access to big scopes for the price of basic cable tv.... I would rather have big scopes than reality tv.

Cheers Marv

Hi OregonEEA, always good to hear from astronomers across the pond. What amazing observational sites you must have in your country.

Now I must admit I do not practice EEVA but I follow this section avidly, as it something I wish to pursue in the future.
 

I was also unaware of slooh Canary Islands #1, can you give me more info. I am of course aware that the Canary Islands are home to some amazing professional and amateurs scopes.

Marv

Welcome, Boxer owner. No greater more affectionate, loony, lovable companions in life. I count myself lucky to have had twelve years with a pair of those amazing creatures. Nearly ate my entire house though!

Marv

On 24/04/2020 at 23:07, John said:

I snapped this one last night through the eyepiece of my Tak 100. Fairly basic mobile phone shot really:

Does this mean you have moved into Astro photography John?????
Marv

Hang on a minute there Mikey0368. Did you really say ten minute exposures? What happened to the probable limit of touch more than 60 seconds? If the periodic error of the worm drive 638 seconds you should be seeing that effect in your images.

All I can say is you are doing a lot right from what I can see. Well aligned and calibrated equipment can get you results far in access of the norm.
Keep up the good work

Marv

Don’t you dare apologise, no such thing as a silly question. Problem is I have been reading through all the posts and in relation to your original question, what a lot of confusing info, which could be described as something else.

This is supposed to be in beginners and there is whole load of contradictions. How is this supposed to help? How did black holes get in here?

Just goes to show that the easiest questions are the hardest to answer. Sorry I don’t have an answer to your question as after this I am equally confused. Probably better off taking up AP, less confusion there😂
 

Marv

Absolutely ridiculous. Every time I read one of these reports I know the direction my future observing is heading. Feels like the cutting edge of observation.
Alan, you are a lucky man and I hope those skies are clear for you over the new moon.

Marv

5 hours ago, John said:

Thanks for that Geoff

It strikes me that comet observing is a bit like following the England football team in major tournaments. Lots of enthusiasm and initially optimistic predictions but, eventually, the inevitable sense of anti-climax

 

 

 

Don’t despair there is a 66 coming, I can feel it.

It’s almost like a time out thing. But I am not that tech so I haven’t changed anything at this end as far as I know.

I rushed it in case I got cut off.

I have no idea if this is the right forum for this but I have been through all the headings and forums and nothing matches.. so  the lounge.

Last couple of nights I have logged in. Seen a topic I have been interested in and written a reply. When I try to post nothing happens, try again, nothing. Then I realise that I have been logged out without notification! Everything I have written has been lost.

It has just happened again after only being logged in less than ten minutes! Never had this before and I cannot find a place on here to report this.

Is anyone else having this problem? Is it my tech at my end?
Marv

A bit jealous I have to say. I was on this for an hour and a half last night and all my subs are useless due to a backwards forwards teetering balance issue.

Yours is great and you captured the NGC on the right side. Lovely job.

Marvin

On 14/04/2020 at 00:35, John said:

Panstarrs is better than Y4 Atlas now. Larger as well.

 

Thank you John. Gave me the push to try for the ninth time for this comet and last night I was successful. After bagging Atlas two nights ago which was so hard, I cannot believe how easy this was.

Skyhound chart bang on the money, thank you. Short star hop and “Oh there it is”. No averted vision this time, direct in the ep.

Bigger and brighter than Atlas with some core brightness and what appeared to be a hint of elongation. Two new comets in three days and my fifth overall.

46P Wirtinen, Iwamoto, Africano, Atlas and T2 Panstarrs. Going to keep a track of it if I can and try for my first Comet picture.

Happy hunting Marvin

Super nova remnant discovered in 1987!

Hi mods. Feel free to move this observers report to wide field..... I started replying to Rocket Stars and forgot where I was. Apologies.

Marvin

1 minute ago, Littleguy80 said:

Congratulations, Marv. Great to hear of your success  It’s a tricky spot now it’s dimming too. 

I have been waiting for it t brighten enough so I can have a go with my gear, then the full moon turns up! At the same time the Comet disintegrated...... One last night of clear skies before bad weather for a week or more and I got my right eye ball on it, perhaps for the last time in history.

Marv

Had success yesterday night and I couldn’t be happier. I was all out of control and posted my report as a reply in Celestial Events Heads Up. Sorry.

I posted it as a reply to a member in that forum, and now realise it should probably be here... or in both. I will let others decided. 
Considering the comet may be no more soon, I am soooo happy. The star hop was the hardest I have ever done. 
Marv

10 hours ago, Rocket Stars said:

I did shoot it friday. Using a edge 8. You can catch it with youre sw150! 

Great minds.... I was out last night with the express desire to see this Comet. Conditions were not perfect with high wispy clouds around making alignment difficult.

I had printed a pdf of the comet from Skyhound (thank you) and attempted a star hop from NGC 2403. 45 minutes of effort with no luck, just kept getting lost. Sometimes the sky looks so different from the charts.

Decided on a reverse manoeuvre. IC445 is much closer to the mag 5 and 8 stars shown close together in the charts next to Atlas. Problem is I can’t see IC445 as my OTA does not have that kind of light grab.
Decided to trust Goto and see if I can recognise anything in the background star field and sure enough, even though I cannot see the IC galaxy the two 9th mag stars either side are visible.

From there it is a direct hop to my target mag 5 and 8 grouping. Small slew south and there is a diffuse blob where no other objects are listed. At this point my dark adaptation is terrible due to looking at charts, so after fifteen minutes without light.....

Clearly visible with averted vision. I can see a diffuse blob with direct vision but better averted. Slight hint of a brighter core. Maybe a hint of elongation, but I say maybe, absolutely no tail.

My Fourth Comet. I went back for five last looks.

Marvin

Now we know why the astronauts that landed on the moon had gold coated vizors. Not far off a welders mask on earth I would imagine.

And to think I am not observing tonight due to the overwhelming full moon as it appears to me on Earth!!!

Brilliant. I got my first Leo Triplet on the advice of a friend a month ago. Breathtaking what can be imaged by small aperture scopes, well done x10.

I have a question about the colour? The galaxies are very red. As a new comer to imaging why is this so? Not a criticism just a point of reference for newbies like me to learn from.

Marv

So what is the possible outcome of the current data? A disintegrating comet to a layman like myself could mean it seems to disappear before I get a chance to see it?
could it be the opposite and be more spectacular? Does anyone have more info. I was soooo looking forward to a great comet for smaller scope owners.

Marvin

Sorry for getting your name wrong but auto correct did it’s job. It’s going to happen again many times but my apologies.

Marvin