Pixies

Got this today: I already had a Vixen Custom AltAz mount (with no tripod). However, although mechanically identical, these 2 mounts have different labels: Anyone know the difference between the two? Cheers.

Not the postman, but dropped off by a nice chap, nonetheless.

I could bring an AZ-GTi and a Manfrotto 55 down from Edinburgh, if the scopes aren't too heavy? Would be OK for visual.

Hi Martin, None of us are involved with the organising - just punters. If you are on Facebook, you could ask on the AstroCamp group. That's where most of the horse-trading for pitches occur. Neil.

Yep - I started with an 8" (Bresser) dob. I always wondered how things would have been with a 10" - but now the increase from 8 to 10 would probably not amount to a lot of difference visually. So probably advisable to start as big as you can afford/store/carry. The trouble is, you won't really know until you've had to live with them for a while. Whatever you get, though. It'll be a nice scope. Sorry - not much help!

From the other night.

It's a secret. @Franklin will like it, though!

The old cafe has closed now, but the pub is willing to provide breakfasts. However, they need numbers in order to plan things. The Astrocamp organisers are asking attendees for numbers wanting breakfasts on Sunday and Monday mornings - on the Facebook page. I know many here aren't on Facebook. If you want breakfasts, let me know and I'll pass the information on.

I'll be bringing the usual dob, for galaxy season. But I might be picking up a new (to me) scope on the way down!

The moment I went out and sat down at the scope, the high clouds started to come over! 🤬 Anyway, they were still pretty thin, so I went on. After @Zermelo's advice about Lynx doubles, I gave them a shot. I actually didn't have SGL to hand, so ran an observing plan on Sky Safari: picking doubles in Lynx with separation 1-9 arcseconds and magnitude <8 Using the Vixen A105M 12 Lyncis (STF 948) (1.7" and 8.7")- despite the thin high clouds, seeing was good. I managed to split the tight pair at 100x. It's a bit like an easier Tegmine. HR 2486 (STF 958) (4.5") - clean split at 50x. 2 very similar looking stars. Hard to make out any colour, perhaps due to the clouds, HR 2644 (STF 1009) (4.3") - again split at 50x. A star slightly brighter than B. Again - hard to see colours HD 75353 (STF 1282) (3.5") - split at 67x 38 Lyncis - (STF 1334) (2.6") dimmer B star not visible at less than 100x. At 167x the dimmer star appeared slightly grey/purple. Main star white HR 3686 (STF 1333) (1.9") - split at 100x, but seeing was getting worse now. Wind picking up and thicker clouds arriving - so headed in.

Nice and clear here so far. Scope out cooling. Mercury was obvious shining through the dusk. Got this phone pic out walking the dog. Visually it was easier to see.

Freehouse - good! What beers did they have on?

Hi, yes - I can see colour quite easily in an 8" dob. Both blue and yellow companions. My refractors are both achros - I can't recall the colour view with them. Cassiopeia is pretty low just now, plus you would have had the moon spoiling the party. Perhaps you just need clearer darker skies?

As mentioned here: I was trying to split Talitha (Iota UMa) last night, in a 4" (achro) refractor. No luck at all. The double star has components with magnitudes of +3.14 and +9.2 and a separation of 2.3 arcseconds. Is it possible in a scope like that? Is it worth trying in my 8" dob? I tried a search in SGL but it's hard to find anything as there was a very prolific poster called "Talitha" many years ago.

As I mentioned earlier, I had the scope set up to observe Venus yesterday evening. I don't often observe to the west from the back garden, due to light pollution from the city, houses and a tree. I had to set up the Vixen 105 in a spot with restricted views to other parts of the sky. So once everyone had settled down and the lights were off, I went back out to see what I could find in a patch of sky due west up to the zenith. The full moon was coming up, so I thought I'd try some doubles. I had no plans. Theta Aurigae first. I can often find the B star in my dob if the seeing is OK. I have less luck with the refractor and it was quite low and over the city by the time I was observing. However, I found it at 100x - it was popping in and out of view but I was taking that to mean the general seeing conditions were pretty good otherwise. I spent some time trying to find the open clusters in Auriga but it was no good, just too low and too much light pollution. Mars. I thought I'd give it a shot but it was just boiling away by then. The phase was obvious and at times I thought I might have caught some darker patches. Castor - nice and easy as always. I contemplated Lynx and had a quick look in SkySafari. Is there anything interesting and observable in Lynx? I couldn't find anything. Note - this morning I did a quick search and found 12 Lyncis (Struve 948) which sounds quite interesting. Maybe next time! Then I had a flash-back about a post from a few years ago where @Johnmentioned the "bear's paws". I had a quick check in SS and there were a few contenders - Nu and Xi Ursa Majoris (Alula Borealis and Alula Australis) at the back paws, and also Iota Ursa Majoris (Talitha) at the front. I wasn't going to stop to search SGL for the post, so just decided to go with these 3. (Note: the post was about the first 2, not Talitha) Alula Australis was quite easy at 83x and the seeing was reasonable close to the zenith. Both yellow. Alula Borealis was a much trickier customer with a greater separation but with and big magnitude difference of +3.49 and +10.10. I couldn't find the B star at first but decided to persevere. I didn't look up the angle of the companion, so I had to rely on observing it myself. Eventually, after many eyepiece swaps I found a tiny faint star nearby. I stopped the mount to confirm west (8 o'clock in the eyepiece). The faint star was at 4 o'clock: South East in the star diagonal. A quick check of SS showed 145° - so I had found it. 166x was the best magnification. I then went on to Talitha, with an apparent separation of 2.3 arcseconds and magnitudes of +3.14 and +9.2. Nope - Nada. I spent about 45 minutes fruitlessly trying to find the secondary. Is it possible? I might try the dob on it another night.

Caught it in binos earlier this evening. Later, when I was out walking the dog on the beach, I managed to see it naked eye for the first time ever! It's too low to observe from the garden with a scope but I was showing the kids Venus. However, the seeing over the local rooftops at that time of the evening was pretty bad. Could easily make out the gibbous phase, though.

After all these mighty purchases, this seems a little minor: Just need the 9mm now to complete the set.

Hi C, Will you be bringing the Morph to Cwmdu? Could I get a shot of it to compare?

On to a different tangent... The most intrusive light I suffer from in the back garden is from a neighbour's first floor room. It's a very bright unshaded bulb in a room with no curtains. There have ben nights where I've given up if I see this light on. Luckily it's normally off by the time I get going. I can't see how this could be covered by a law.

Ooh! Is that coming to AstroCamp next month?

Ironically I never got on with the 16mm Nirvana I had - it never seemed comfortable. However - the 2" 28mm Nirvana hand-grenade I have is probably my favourite eyepiece in my case(s) just now!

Thanks everyone. Lots to think about. I think I'll keep my eyes open for a secondhand 13mm Nagler T6 and add it to the collection and spend a little more time comparing them. I have the 13mm Vixen LVW too. I need to get some usage out of all of them from a decent dark site, too. Around 12mm gives me a 2mm exit pupil in the dob and often provides the best views for me with faint fuzzies (without filters).

Noted!

You might like the Delos, then! It has a very large eye lens and is built for long eye-relief. When closed down, the eye-lens is almost flush with the top (for spec-wearers), but you loosen the base and the top of the eyepiece can be pulled up . I'm short-sighted, but prefer to observe without specs.