The60mmKid

And yes... This is a bummer 😭

Cheers, Ed! An experience that planted this seed in my mind was observing at my previous club's dark site. I'd sometimes be joined by another observer who would come to use the club's 18" dob to seek out faint fuzzies. I think his goal was to log as many of the NGC galaxies as he possibly could. In any case, I realized that I was having as much fun--and a similar sort of fun--chasing down lesser-known double stars in my small refractor. He would spend the evening enjoying the process of finding/observing faint galaxies, with the occasional stunning view of a brighter galaxy, nebula, or cluster. And I'd spend the evening finding doubles that are hard to split (for my telescope), and/or faint, and/or that no one pays much attention to because they aren't as visually engaging. But then I'd get a view of some lovely showcase double that we all admire, or I'd "discover" a really captivating system that I hadn't seen mentioned elsewhere. So, it was interesting to notice the similarities between our processes. Of course, the views of DSOs through an 18" dob at a dark site... Heaven. Who would argue against that? But I'm equally entralled with the gorgeous, sharp views that my little refractor offers me of double stars and the such. As @Richard N said, we sometimes simplistically believe that bigger is always better. But I'm pleased that my experience indicates that there's just more to it than that!

I didn't even know that there are astroinfluencers on youtube. The only astroinfluencers I knew about are the fuddy-duddies at star parties who insist on telling me how to align my finderscope even though it's aligned. They're what I aspire to.

Wow. This is really beautiful, and the star colors are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing.

I used the word "refractor" a few times in my initial post under the assumption that there aren't many ~60mm reflectors out there, but that TAL is definitely invited to the party. What a cool little scope!

Yes, we're a proud yet inclusive group. Please join in 😎

To get this started, I'll post about one of my favorite 60mm doubles, STF 2816 in Cepheus. STF 2816 is actually a visual quadruple with three components that are easily visible/resolvable in a small telescope. There are a few things that I love about this system. It appears as a lovely little white/white/white triple amidst the rich open cluster Trumpler 37 in IC 1396, which is also home to the Elephant's Trunk Nebula. I haven't seen any nebulosity through the small scopes that I've used, but the cluster itself is gorgeous from a dark site. Because of its richness, it's easy to overlook STF 2816. But it's a joy when you notice this tiny triple sitting right at the heart of the open cluster. Panning over slightly, Herschel's Garnet Star enters the FOV, making the view all the more lovely.

A call to all the 60mm refractor double star extraordinaires... Over the years, I've spent many happy hours observing doubles with 60mm refractors. A while ago, I decided to set out on a quest that is equal parts ambitious, enjoyable, and unabashedly pointless—to observe and catalog every double star that can be observed with a 60mm refractor from my location (currently London). Here is the log that I am keeping of my observations: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18M8e2s9gzexgZFfJX9dTkQfAEbH5ahXds46rZTDF1bg/edit?usp=sharing If you click on the "Project Description" tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet, you'll see a key for the symbols, terms, and sources that I'm using. At this time, I have logged about 80 doubles in Leo Minor, Canes Venatici, Corona Borealis, and Bootes. This is just a starting point, and it goes to show that there are enough doubles to keep small telescope owners engaged for years. And so, I am inviting you intrepid 60mm observers to join the fun and post observations here. My hope is that this thread will serve as 1) a place for 60mm aficionados to enjoy sharing with each other and 2) a resource for those who wish to observe more doubles with their small telescopes. I'll keep updating my log and will also add posts here when I come across especially rewarding doubles. I invite other 60mm refractor observers (and admirers) to share their big enjoyment of their small scopes 😎 To close this introductory post, here's a picture of FOA-60Q dreaming about doubles in Bootes on a rainy London evening.

Something to look forward to 😎

I was going to reply with something similar. I think that the 152mm refractor will, of course, go deeper than the 120mm refractor. But a 250mm f/4 reflector will provide a rather similar FOV to the 6" achro and will go far deeper than either of the refractors. Plus, you can't eliminate the fast achro's CA, but you can eliminate the fast reflector's coma. I had a 10" f/4 dob that was a lovely, lovely rich field instrument. I've often considered one of the 6" achros but have never gone with one for these reasons.

Welcome! Nice video -- I appreciate how you explain things in a way that's accessible for beginners. Your location looks quite beautiful and rural. Are the skies nice and dark?

This looks lovely. Welcome! Observing planets before coffee and a dip in the sea... I think you've figured out how to live life! 😊

That... Or we can just take his word for it that he's enjoying his setup and share that joy... 😉

Awesome setup! Oberwerk is a great little outfit. I'd be losing money fast if I lived two hours from them 😉

Nice report! Those are some of my favorites, too. I especially love Mu Boo, Alkalurops, which you described so well. And Rasalgethi is so darn beautiful. I don't know about green as a star color, though. Blue, maybe? https://nightskypix.com/star-colors/

Welcome, @Xxjrhxx! If you search for "Celestron C6 dew shield," you can pick one of the ones that are available to you. Starting out, I'd recommend a "passive" (i.e., without an electric heating element) dew shield. It's basically a flexible piece of plastic that wraps around your telescope, attaching with velcro. They probably run ~$30-$50USD. I'd recommend searching these forums for "beginner eyepieces" and other relevant terms. You'll get many suggestions that you can read through. For example, here's a thread that provides exactly the sort of information you're seeking: There's a bit of a learning curve, but it will start to make more sense soon. I also recommend learning a little bit about thermal acclimation. It makes a huge difference if you're interested in looking at planets. The good news is that it isn't difficult or complicated with a C6. You can leave the telescope outside for ~90 minutes before you observe. Point the front of the telescope (i.e., corrector plate) downward, and point the eyepiece end of the telescope upward. Leave the diagonal off so that the telescope tube is open and the warm air can escape. Make sure not to leave the telescope in sunlight since that would warm it up, which is the opposite of what's needed. Hope that helps!

Behold: FOA-60Q in its natural habitat. I thank/blame @Franklin for convincing me to convert the Vixen AP into the APZ. It's a mount fit for a larger scope, but FOA-60Q considers itself a really big deal.

Mine, too ☺️

Nice 😎 I'm looking at this on Stelle Doppie and am not sure if I'm understanding correctly: https://www.stelledoppie.it/index2.php?cerca_database=16+cyg&azione=cerca_testo_database&nofilter=1&section=2&ricerca=+Search+ It seems A and B are mag 6 and 6.2, and then there is another (C?) visible member of the system that's ~13 mag and 6.6" from A? I imagine C is hard to detect due to the great magnitude difference with A... but I'm gonna try because this seems like a nice system and I like a good challenge.

Have you considered pouring a concrete pillar? That's what many people use as a permanent alternative to a tripod.

That looks and sounds like a lovely evening 😊

I didn't realize this is in the eyepieces forum. I thought we're talking about telescopes. I still feel better, though, and I'm still saving a pdf for my wife.

(This post has been edited to remove unnecessary snark.)

This is making me feel better. I will show it to my wife.

Thanks for the report! Have you tried Zet Her with your 8" scope? That's one of my favorite challenging (for medium-sized scopes) pairs.