josefk

Thats a nice resource John 👍

Hi @PatrickO - i remember this being posted by another SGL member on here last year re. a representative eyepiece view: When it was originally posted I checked M31, M33, M51 and M77 (extended galaxies) and i don't see them as well where i live as shown in this guide. On the other hand i checked M45 and M57 and i see them better so i guess it will all be a little bit +/- depending the aperture you are using and where you live. Cheers Visual_Guide_to_Messier-objects_HT-Vgy_2023_ENG.pdf

Is that 60Q, 76, 100 left to right @Stu or some other combination?

Absolutely jaw dropping. I just shake my head in awe at what you capture @Nigella Bryant. These are fantastic.

I have no idea why small scopes tickle my fancy - it's irrational - but they do very much and i've enjoyed reading this thread. That's a nice execution of a 'grab and enjoy' set-up @Mumia (& everyone else posting theirs 👍)

Received today from @Franklin - four mint heavyweights for my Astro shelf. I've been after the Uranometria atlas for a while, the deep sky field guide you can still purchase from FLO but i gather it only makes sense or makes most sense when you use it with its intended atlas and that is not sold new in the UK anymore. It is available from Sky & Telescope in the US and though i've had it in my online shopping basket a few times it is hellish expensive bought like that when shipping is added in. Anyway, i'm chuffed to have these new to me reference books and look forward to getting stuck-in.

for the purpose of quantifying sky quality for your own observing notes - not identifying a site to travel to obviously - you can also use Ursa Minor. This was a tip for Auto League observing notes where sky quality is a "required" metric. The sky quality you log is the first numeral. It doesn't add anything you don't know on the night instinctively but adds another "data point" into your log...

Hi @JOC there is indeed an app to take SQM readings. I'm not sure how absolutely accurate it can be but as a relative record i find it useful. I use an app called "Dark Sky Meter" on an iPhone and take several readings per night and average them for my observing log. Its definitely sensitive to moon phase and atmospheric moisture (sky glow) so its reading something...

...not worth a standalone post i don't think but here's Jupiter again almost exactly one month later - 24th February 2024 19:40 ish to about 20:10. No observations in the intervening period i.e sine the end of January. Good grief!!!. Binoviewer's again delivering detail beyond their nominal magnification, i could have watched Juipter for ages i think but it was surprisingly cold out Saturday. Iced scope case and dew shield after just two hours outside. Very steady conditions. NTZ was very prominent and NPR very "groovy". The scratchy dark detail on the NEB to the west is poor pencilling. It isn't real, i didn't see THAT well. The dark storm on the east of the NEB with a dark edge on its left as i saw it below is real.

...not that i get stuck on things and can't move on 🤣 but here's a digital version that captures the real view better...

Fantastic project @Niels11. I have absolutely nothing to contribute regarding similar projects 😔but i recommend you this resource if you haven't seen it. I really enjoy reading (and trying to keep up mentally) with the mapping and descriptions of this guy pursuing similar projects to yourself re large coherent/related structures: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/565226-classic-rich-field/

Indeed VERY nice then @mikeDnight👍🏼

Is that a wooden eye piece case in the chair in the pic above @mikeDnight? Looks nice.

A mix of both @SwiMatt I go in any/every art shop I find looking for the perfect white equivalent of a 0.003 fine liner. I’m not sure what it is about white ink but it seems to only come in brush pens like the Pitt art brush series (nice) and roller nibs (not nice).

Thanks John. I Seem to remember reading that faint diffraction rings are a signifier of throughput quality of the optical system because it means maximum light is going into the airy disk. I could be wrong or mis-remembering so now I’m going to look it up. When they’re steady I do like them myself too and as you say the diamond ring effect.

If anyone has any tips for sketching diffraction rings in a balanced way i'll gladly take them. Both of these sketches fail to capture the etched fabulousness of these two star systems last night with their associated super steady diffraction patterns really adding to the view. Seeing was fantastic and at an exit pupil of 0.5mm these two lovely systems were both exceptionally aesthetic. Sigma Orionis (w/ STF 761). "C" was as "present" in the Sigma Ori group as i think i've seen it. No patience or peering required. Alnitak. At the eyepiece this struck me like a black and white cross section of an eye with "B" like the cornea bulge on the wall of the eyeball. The separation at 2.1" was black and "wide". There were two steady diffraction rings, B was sitting on or just inside the first (with much more obvious contrast to it than i've shown here) and with the second ring much fainter than the first (and quite a bit fainter than this poor sketch). I think (but haven't checked yet) that this may be an Astro League double star (sketched) observation i didn't have before :-).

I recognise every word @Stu and feel the same with my AZ100, BB planet, and TOA. Just a super satisfying combo that while a bit heavy to get out and setup, is super rewarding and super pleasurable when I do. Everything gets out of the way of observing. I just wish I could use it 200 nights per year instead of …mmmh 20.

Alnitak looked wonderful last night Ed for me at an exit pupil of almost exactly 0.5mm with an 85mm scope. Perfect white marble primary with secondary sitting perfectly separated on the first quite faint diffraction ring with a second diffraction ring just outside of that and framing both components. Perfect seeing. You cant beat a small perfectly formed scope IMHO.

Sounds win/win to me @Knighty2112 The best of both. Scotland merited the win TBH so fair play.

Nice write up @Louis D - these side by side comparisons are always useful datapoints.

Short opportunistic GnG (85mm) session last night after watching Scotland retain the Calcutta Cup (boo) and before creeping cloud from the West (double boo). Jupiter looked great through binoviewers at ~x100. Big storm on the NEB with clear SEB, NEB, NTropZ, NTB and “grooved” NPR. Swapping out to mono at x169 I checked Sigma Orionis out because I really love this system and the faint companion this evening was as sharp and present as I’ve seen it I think. Guessing the seeing was particularly good I swung to Sirius and it was unbelievably steady and almost completely colour free. Steady white diffraction rings rather than colourful glitter ball scintillation. I could kid my self I could see the pup but I knew where to look and I think I really was kidding myself so I won’t count it this time. I can confirm the field stop of a 4mm TOE is sharp and almost completely free of distracting internal reflections though (I watched Sirius passed the field stop quite a bit to see if the pup would show). Rigel was incredible. Pure white steady diffraction rings and an obvious companion and Alnitak was also incredibly aesthetic, the companion sitting on or just inside the first diffraction ring. Amazing how familiar sights can be so “newly” lovely under the right conditions.

I was out about then Malcolm. I’m afraid I didn’t see a white oval but did see a dark “swhirly” storm on the eastern half of the NEB.

Fantastic Nikolai but you have to bring them all back when the skies cooperate to really make them say "wow". 🙂

i'm a visual-only-unpowered-mount-guy so can't help with the question but it sounds like you've jumped in pretty effectively. Welcome to SGL. I'm sure someone who knows what they're talking about vis-a-vis powering the AZ-EQ6 will be along shortly...😀

EXACTLY the kind of thing i enjoy here Joe, and @Nik271's similar NGC 604 in a small scope thread and some similar ones on Jupiter moon events - little bits and bobs that catch the imagination and to swap notes over the next day. Brings a little bit of a social dimension to an essentially loner hobby (in my case). Diverting and educational. I never saw Enceladus with 85mm but was smiling while trying and i still haven't seen NGC 604 but i learnt that star field at the edge of M33 really well so i'm genuinely better prepared next time i try!