IB20

Thanks! Did you get the 3/8” flat plate or the AZ100 plate for the tripod?

Very nice. I love my AZ75 and was thinking about thr UNI18 or UNI28. What’s it like to pick up sans OTAs? Does it weigh a tonne?

Seems there’s been plenty of solar action recently around the non-Earth facing side of the sun. Now a very large complex of sunspots looks to be rotating into view. I have poor solar access in Autumn and Winter due to its altitude being obscured by neighbouring houses but will aim for a few gaps if conditions permit.

Yeah quite breezy here but clear so out with the 8x and 15x bins. The Hyades, Pleiades and Melotte 20 looking spectacular. Transparency is good and it’s great just soaking up the thousands of stars on show. Jupiter’s moons are nicely spread and clearly visible at both magnifications. Have been thinking recently about purchasing some IS bins, nights like tonight are almost making that a certainty.

They’re ace. Very realistic. 👍🏻

Amazing to think you were capturing that detail at the same time I was trying to focus on any sort of phase with my binos. 😅

Oh don’t get me wrong, I love the image my Tak presents, particularly the colouration of the planets and star colours. When I have compared scopes the quality of the Tak has become apparent. The OP’s current triplet did sound pretty nice though when I quickly looked it up. Yet if it’s weight that is stopping them using it then getting a 100DC is easily the lightest and best 4” on the market so would recommend. The heavier DFs & DZs not so much, every kg saving helps! I know when I’m umming and ahhing about taking a scope out due to fatigue or conditions, it’s the lighter 7kg set up that goes out rather than the heavier instruments.

The 98 FLT sounds like a fine scope, I’d try and find a lighter set-up for that. Something like http://www.nohsmount.com/entry6.html with a Gitzo 5533S/LS. Expensive but cheaper than the Tak OTA. Don’t get me wrong I love Taks and Tak stuff but your triplet sounds great and has 53 glass, colour control must be excellent?

Observers with light buckets may get the chance to see asteroid 319 Leona pass close to or even occult Betelgeuse depending on location. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/asteroid-will-cover-betelgeuse-may-reveal-its-visible-surface/?utm_source=cc&utm_medium=newsletter SS has 319 Leona at mag 14.3 so a 10” in decent skies might bag it. Probably too faint for me but if it’s clear, there’s no harm in dragging the 200P out.

I have the More Blue microfocuser on my 76DCU. It’s very nice, an easy fit and has a finer gear reduction at 12:1 than the MEF3. Cheaper too!

They’ve both been purchased… phew!!

Stop it!!! Must… resist…

The 102ED f7 is a wonderful scope with exceptionally good optics. I’m having a great deal of fun with mine especially for planetary and doubles observing. It’s built incredibly well, I even quite like the rotating focuser now. It sits very nicely on an AZ4 but I have recently upgraded to the AZ75 which is a match made in heaven.

Wonderful. I had a look at M42 on Friday night through my 8” and was blown away by how it looked. Must’ve been the transparency of my skies because it appeared a lot brighter and greener than I can recall in the past. I do love Orion and Sirius season. 😁

How’s the Mewlon’s control of brightness, @JeremyS? Are you using any filters or aren’t they needed? I find with the 8” dob the brightness just swamps everything. Average seeing doesn’t support extra mag to kill the brightness and so tonight the 102ED-R gives miles more pleasing views. Maybe I’m just extra sensitive to brightness in the eyepiece? I am continually impressed by this 4” ED scope, it’s a wonderful instrument and showing me so much. It’s giving me no reason to think about replacing it with a DC or DZ. 😝

Jupiter looks fantastic tonight with the GRS front and centre. For the first time as well I’m fairly certain I can see a white oval storm in the NEB nearly in line with the GRS. I’ve been trying to spot one of those features for three years! Forgot it’s Diwali this weekend, it’s pretty wild and hazy out currently.

Yeah I should maybe rephrase as I’ve tried for M4 before and it’s a real tough one that I’m yet to bag. I’m fairly sure I won’t see the nebulous target from my current location.

Caught it tonight when at a much higher altitude. I have to say it’s a relatively tough spot in the 15x bins but luckily is easily to locate just south of Deneb al Okab. Mag 6.8 HD 176873 is just next to it and I’d say that’s probably a fair representation of its brightness despite being more diffuse! It’s certainly not the best comet I’ve seen that’s for sure.

Well that’s M2 in the bag. Globs are always a very easy spot. Only took the 15x bins out at an easy grab north of Sadalsuud. Whilst in the area I thought I’d get M15 too, save me waiting. A much brighter core than M2 and I’d bet it looks better in a big scope too! Will post in order as it’ll save my brain cells but will record it elsewhere. M2 11/11/23 - an easily detectable globular cluster (15x70 binoculars).

One of these is very high on my wish list currently. They look blummin’ awesome.

As I finally bagged M1 last night, I’m going to see how long it takes me to do all 110 from my back yard (B6-7). Maybe in numerical order but that might drive me crackers! Any that can’t be reached or that aren’t visible will be noted and skipped over until I’m in darker/or a more Southerly location. M2 should be gettable tonight so I’ll update as and when I bag it. Wish me luck! 😅 M1 10/11/2023 - a hard to see diffuse, grey smudge (scope 200P at 69x)

Sounds epic. I still remember those nights I spent at Undara National Park in QLD. Prestine and jaw-dropping views. I couldn’t identify anything!

Just finished the night on Orion. After thinking I much prefer my little fracs (which I still do), seeing the benefits of aperture on M42 still makes me realise I have room in the armoury for a large shaving mirror. 😁 It’s good to have the hunter back in my skies. Transparency has been wonderful tonight even if the seeing hasn’t. The 15x bins alongside the big light cannon have really held their own in these conditions.

THANK YOU!!! I’ve been trying to work out how to do that, it does my brains in when it keeps auto exposing.

Seeing your images, it’s the whites that I seem to struggle to promote in processing. So I’m either capturing at too low an exposure or tracking and stacking is making the difference.