Marvin Jenkins

2 hours ago, The60mmKid said:

Thanks for the report! I agree that M22 is a lovely sight to behold. I think it gets overshadowed by M13, but I don't think that it should.

For sure M13 is a beast but I am thinking not just because of size or magnitude compared to M22 but simply because it is perfect and in high dark skies to us northern dwellers.

M22 must be its equal surely? Just it’s position in relation to the observer makes the difference.

Marv

Amazingly, clear skies for a few nights now but last night was the first night I could capitalise. 
I took out the 5” newt on the AZ5 which is my visual EP setup to track down comet E1 Atlas which according to the charts was racing past my old favourite summer constellation Cygnus.

Alas how I tried. But I couldn’t find it at all despite having observed it a while back with the same setup.

Despite having a virtually full 360 degree unimpeded view I rarely if ever look at low targets to my south. I am in a dark place but my southern horizon is not friendly due to distant large towns. 

However I kicked my north habits to the curb and headed south into Sagittarius. Lots of light glow so I was thinking it was a bust, then moving in a slow spiral pattern I was hit in the eye by M22 without any plan or star hopping.

What an amazing glob! So big I laughed. I didn’t know at the time it was M22 but I committed to memory the star field either side which is kind of triangular on one side and oblong on the other.

What a glob that would be if it were observable to me like a northern target. Best glob in the sky I would say.

Marvin

Brilliant. At least you didn’t have to let your tyres down to get out.

Marv

5 hours ago, Paul M said:

I've always held the belief that, so far as the general public and national press are concerned, the Perseid's are over hyped. 

In my own lifelong stargazing career, I've only had one positive experience with this shower. It was circa 2001/2002 and I was on a Scuba Diving trip to Oban during the Perseid's peak. As with all proper Scuba Diving trips, you dive in the day and drink all evening...

So my Buddy and I got back to our digs after lights out (oops!) and eventually got to our room. I was mindful of the meteor shower so hung out of the bedroom window to have a look. Boy, it was a good sky! And I remember seeing a number of great meteors. Perhaps it was a good year? Good sky? Both?

I probably saw more Perseid meteors in that one impromptu session than in all other years combined. 

Might have been the drink😂

41 minutes ago, Elp said:

I only saw around 6 in around 1.5h, 2 were quite bright but with short trails and at the periphery of vision. Need to check what my camera picked up.

Very much my experience. Small short zips far from the radiant.

2 hours ago, maw lod qan said:

If you only see 1, it's the time out there that matters!

I have found that laying back in a comfortable chair and sleeping bag is a very relaxing thing to do!

Another way to clear your thoughts and reboot your mind!

I know exacting what you mean. To be looking up without straining my neck and just taking most of the night to soak it up.

I saw close together starling chain heading east like a line cars bumper to bumper. A really good coloured bolid at 22:41 but didn’t have the camera running that early.

I saw a grand total of about 20 which is not a lot at all and no big bright ones. Caught three on the camera but they were very small. I dream of a real 100zhr shower one day.

Marv

Only seen three so far but plenty of time to go. As to the actual peak I have learned that meteor showers are suck it and see events.

The Milky Way above my bed is worth it on its own.

Marvin

I have decided to sleep out tonight in the bed chair and bag.
I cannot believe it is completely clear for the peak of this shower, my first time.

I have my EQ5 with DSLR and kit lense out to try and capture some of the action. The Mk1 eyeball for the thrills and a pair of binos for any lulls. Very happy and nice and warm.

Marv

Can’t take my eyes off the Chevy. Are you proposing to wrap that classic scope in some kind of pixel urban camo?

Can you not find a wrap that is like the original finish. I still think the best finish for anything metallic is Parkerisation.

That weird micro crinkly dull olive that was used on camera bodies in the fifties.

I f you wrap the scope in that then you have to wrap the Chevy to match.

M

It looks a lot like the Vulcan has rampant emotions and turned to religion.

1 minute ago, Sunshine said:

You mean Pleasure vs Pain.

Different people see pain and pleasure in different ways. I for one get great pleasure from observing DSOs through my eyeball.

some people like to do a similar thing with a computer and camera. I personally love the EP, like the camera, hate the computer.

Marv

I am certainly not here to try and get lovely moments of unison between visual and astrophotographers, I don’t think I need too as so many of us are both.

What I do want to point out if you want to compare posts between observing and AP, is the almost lack of astronomy in AP posts.

By the sheer complexity, effort and equipment battles, AP nearly always sounds like a roll call of everything that has been purchased with a mathematical layout of all the parameters and all the tools used to process the image.

I am in awe of what is posted in this forum for AP but people out there please understand that to a visual only astronomer the AP only route seems disconnected from the subject as a whole.

The flip side is reports of observations do not have the immediate impact of a picture. Having an amazing observing session and having the skills to put it to paper for other people are akin to processing of images.

I do a bit of both and enjoy it immensely. No one should say one is more worthy than the other. Just get out and do the best you can.

Marvin

2 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

At the moment CO says 43% cloud, BBC says clear. However, I've got a much better weather app. Hang on a minute...

...yep, just looked outside and it's sunny with about 10% cloud. Most accurate weather forecast ever 

There you go… get out there. It’s going to happen and you are going to be happy again.

I have not liked seeing a Spock down in the dumps. I didn’t think Vulcans had emotions?

Marv

3 hours ago, Stu said:

With modern day phones it is certainly possible to take some rewarding images. The latest Google Pixel Pro phones take longer exposures and stack them to get amazing results.

These two are the worst and best of my DSO imaging with a phone. One is a 1 second exposure on an iPhone 6 I think, the second a 4 minute exposure on an Google pixel 6 Pro. It’s amazing how technology has advanced and over the years.

 

I am at that crossroads that your pictures represent. I started Astro six years ago with a 5” newt on an eq2. Nothing wrong with the newt, everything wrong with the eq2.

I quickly upgraded to an EQ5 pro Synscan and chucked on a a dslr after racing through the messier list without really observing.

I got some nice images, M81/82, M31, Iris, Great Orion Nebula etc. But the more I added added to the kit  (60mm guide scope, 120mcs cam) laptop and learning the software I quickly fell away.

I look at the cost of Astro cameras, filters, mini computers and software and wonder if it is a lot of cost that will be totally obsolete in just a few years. My guide cam was once a good planetary camera! Probably still is.

All my small purchases since have been to build a good grab and go (at the heavier end of go) using that original 5” newt. 
I have added a home made Badder solar filter so g and g is daytime as well as night.

I know I will go back and do some AP in the future when it is convenient, but the G and G has me focusing on getting a 16” truss tube Dob with a couple of decent EPs so I can galaxy and comet hunt.

I think of it as my one big lifetime telescope purchase. One day hopefully a long time from now my eyesight will fail or I will not be here in which case I will have made provision for it to go to a much younger home.

Marvin

On 27/07/2023 at 19:23, Mr Spock said:

So, the last time I was outside I had an hour and a half on the moon looking at Aristarchus and Gassendi. That was it more or less for June. I have had nothing in July. Nothing but cloud every single night.

Oh look, we have dark skies again, well, light grey for here. Sadly all I will see of it is more cloud. Is this just becoming a pointless hobby and we are all better off doing something less frustrating?

You’re not allowed to quit, you’re a mod!!!! Man up and get a grip.🤣

Welcome back. Good to see you returning and in a better place.

Marvin

1 hour ago, Gonariu said:

I thought of buying the Herschel prism but I have had too much unforeseen exspenses  that I have put its purchase off sine die! 😥

Did you get married as well?

All my plans have been scuppered. A good friend has decided to have his wedding. Two friends from the UK are coming over to sponge a free holiday and my wife gave me “that” look.

I did some digging through the dark and muddled place that is my memory and after three days I worked out it is wedding anniversary.

So I can’t go, and I have to buy her a present! So that’s the money for the Badder Swan filter gone!!!! I would say I will go next year but I have been told wedding anniversaries happen every year without fail so it just got even worse.

After 22 years you would think I would know this by now.

Marvin

It has been a really poor year for me with regards to observing even though I started the year completing my ideal grab and go garden scope. 5” newt on an AZ5 on the 1.75” steel leg SW tripod that came with my EQ5.

The usual weather, work combo and only being clear on full moon has taken the wind out of my sales. Last night it was clear I got a grip!

All power to Skyhound and their comet pdf charts. Lowest power EP which is my 40mm plossl so I know from the finder I am in the general area between Draco and Cepheus boundary. A little difficult as there is a low mag array of stars without much to hop from or to.

Amazingly found it within two minutes. It has a magnitude of 9.8 but very low SB. It was larger than I anticipated but dim and diffuse, a bit like M81 crossed with M1.

I could discern no elongation or core concentration but with a 5” newt not a surprise. I spent more time working out if I had stumbled across a galaxy mistaking it for the comet but nothing on my star charts that size at that point in space.

My ninth Comet and the second this year, so very happy. As a bonus I got first light with my new Astronomic OIII filter on the Veil. Very good it is too.

Marvin

Multiple diffraction spikes is the only way to get one up on JWST. The more the merrier I say.

Marv

Did I see an Astrobuscuit video on YouTube where he was trying to get a large collaboration project up and running.

The most recent collaboration I can think of is the AP guys who claim to have found a huge oxygen target next to The Great Andromeda Spiral.

Marv

Oh Florent! What an awful situation you find yourself in!🤣 In other words you lucky duck, I hope you enjoy it.

Marv

If the old thread caused instability problems then I would say this mass cash injection will crash the whole thing in a week.

I must be in the wrong business. Is it possible to buy shares in FLO. A year from now it will be like Apple.

Marv

The best time is when the skies are clear. Sorry if I sound blunt but that has been my year so far with the exception of full moon of course. Made me super glad I bought some white light Solar film, it has saved the day, literally.

Marv

21 hours ago, IB20 said:

A night of two crescents. Seeing is really quite wobbly but there were still splendid lunar views on offer, particularly around Fabricius (looking a bit like a clown’s face!) and the large gouge of Vallis Rheita.
 

Venus getting ever slimmer but its hard to make out any cloud or contrast detail as it loses altitude and heads towards the rooftops. 

I was going to mention my first little outing in months but you did all the writing and photography for me, thanks. I hope I don’t owe you anything for your effort😂