dd999

I've seen the last thread post was two weeks ago - am I too late to the party on this one now?

I went out two nights ago at 4:30am. Venus, like usual, easy to see but even with my bins I still couldn't see the comet.

I had planned to go somewhere darker at 5am tomorrow morning just after it rises, but with the disappointing results had here - and 50% cloud coverage predicted - not sure I'll bother

Any updates on this comet from anyone? - I know clouds haven't been very favourable in the UK over the past couple of weeks anywhere

Shepherds Hut and Pods went within first few seconds - damn!

Booked!

2 hours ago, jetstream said:

In my wanderings through the sky I've noticed that if the Milky Way isn't prominent all DSO, espc M33 and M101 are more difficult. In dark skies with your 28mm EP it will be bright with your scope.

One thing that might show it to you is a higher power, wider TFOV EP- does your scope take 2" EPs?

Yes it does take 2" eyepieces - my 28mm is a 2"

My skies are probably not dark enough. But as John mentions the biggest challenge is knowing what you're looking for even if you have it in your FOV. I found the same with M101 and M51. I need to dust the cover off my copy of Turn Left at Orion.  

M31 is relatively easy as the 'smudge' is very apparent in the FOV - but others, not so much.

8 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

M33 is not only faint, it is also large and doesn't easily stand out in the field of a telescope even at low power.  Oddly, I find it easier to spot it initially in binoculars as there is more sky surrounding it such that the contrast seems better.       🙂

Nice tip - will take the bins out with me next time!

13 minutes ago, jetstream said:

What did the Milky Way look like when you tried to observe it?

I didn't really look or notice. Wasn't particularly visible from memory, as I didn't really notice it. 

12 minutes ago, John said:

M33 is a low surface brightness galaxy. It is a lot fainter and harder to see than M31. Your scope will be able to see it with a very low power eyepiece if the skies are dark and transparent.

M101 is in a similar category to M33 - harder to actually see than you might at first think from the published magnitude figures.

It is worth persevering with M33 on a dark night - there is a star forming nebula within the galaxy known as NGC 604 which can also be glimpsed with moderate aperture scopes.

To start with you will only see M33 as a vague patch of light between 4 stars - almost a subtle lightening of the background sky.

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/paradoxical-messier-33/

Thanks John

I've struggled with M101 too. I tried with averted gaze in the eyepiece, but couldn't see. I'll have a look through some images and diagrams to familiarize myself with the 'four star' pattern to help locate first.  I think I will try more with my dslr. Only managed a single shot before the clouds started rolling in.

Will give it another go the next clear night (whenever that may be atm!)

I had a relatively clear night last night, and was trying to find M33 using my goto mount.

I'm using a 5" SW 130PDS, and a 28mm EP but (and it's the 2nd or 3rd time I've tried) I can't see it. For something that's just about naked eye visible in the clearest of dark skies, I would have thought with this scope and low eyepiece I should have seen it. I attached my dslr to the scope, and with a 20sec sub I could see it (it was in the corner of the image), so assuming the dslr FOV is not greater than the 28mm EP (?) I thought I should have seen something.

I can see M31 quite clearly (although I know it's a lot brighter).

Or in Bortle 4 (probably nearer Bortle 5 skies) am I expecting too much of my 130pds, or would a better EP be more suitable?

I've just researched mine, and it is a cheaper sub £20 Barlow - so will take the plunge with the Star Guider.

Wish I had read this before.

Having had the same Barlow for about 10 years, after making a purchase to upgrade my eyepiece today to a BST Star Guider 8mm - I bought at the same time, what I considered to be, an upgraded 2x Barlow - the BST Starguider 2x Barlow ( https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces/bst-starguider-2x-short-barlow-lens.html)

Have I just wasted £50 that I could have spent on something else?

My existing Barlow is a Seben Achromatic Super Barlow 2x that I picked up with a 2nd hand scope a few years back.

Hi All,

Having spent the past 4 hours looking through videos and researching as much as I can about using the AZ GTi in EQ mode (after some disastrous attempts the last cloudless night) I 'think' I have every piece of info I need, apart from the answers to the following. Can anyone help me fill in the missing pieces of the jigsaw?

- In EQ mode should the Azimuth Clutch Knob be loose, or tight as it should be in AZ mode?

- If it should be tight, I can't see what benefit the counterweight is giving to it (?)

- In terms of polar aligning, is having Polaris in the FOV of the telescope and approximately the right 'position' from the NCP for that date and time of night sufficient? (as well as of course having the tripod level, counterweight pointing to towards the ground, telescope pointing North etc....) 

It wasn't necessarily the tracking I had an issue with (although it wasn't perfect as I could only get 40sec subs) but even after a 3 star alignment and using the Polar Alignment feature on the Synscan app - I couldn't get any DSOs in view on a goto, which made finding anything not visible a real challenge!

In AZ mode it works really well, so it's something I'm doing wrong in EQ mode.

Thanks 

22 minutes ago, DaveS said:

I'm at the dark end of Bortle 4, Andromeda is easy naked eye (I've even seen it through the double glazing late night / early morning), not sure about M33, but M13 is just about visible with averted vision. But then I'm 64 and my eyes aren't as good at night as they were in my teens / early twenties.

Haven't tried M33 - but I doubt I'd see the Hercules Cluster naked eye, even with averted gaze. 

Moonless night on Thursday - I'll give it a test run.

My town says Bortle 4 too on both Light Pollution Map and CO (maybe its just the same data). 

Although on a moonless night it can get reasonable dark but for all you other Bortle 4ers - what mag can you generally see down to with naked eye? 

I tested last night. With averted eyes I can just about make out Andromeda - and again with averted vision can just about see the two brightest stars within the Square of Pegusus (both Mag 4).

Looking though on Wiki at it says I should be able to see mag 4 objects in Bortle 9 skies!!

Only went to get my eyes tested last week, and they're pretty good lol

Is down to mag 4 reasonable in true Bortle 4 skies or are my skies not as dark as it claims? 

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Does this review on this link help you?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-star-adventurer/skywatcher-star-adventurer-equatorial-wedge-white.html

Perfect!!!!! - it answers why I need to have it nearer to 35 ...... thank you!

Last night I tried again. 

I pointed the scope due North, and set the wedge to 50 degrees as per my location. Unfortunately I wasnt even ballpark for Polaris. 

I had to set the wedge location to 35 degrees for Polaris to be in the FOV.

I started the wedge at 35 degrees instead. Unfortunately accuracy wasn't great. Ballpark but target not in a 25mm wide view FOV. Poor enough accuracy that I had to find DSOs using my red dot finder rather than the goto! 

I've added some photos of my setup but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong?! 

Original setting degree to match my location but Polaris no where near FOV (it was much higher in the sky)

My setup (this was at 50 degrees to match location but Polaris was much higher in the sky) :

Had to use nearer to 35-38 degrees for the telescope to point high enough in the sky to see Polaris in FOV:

20 hours ago, happy-kat said:

1 - Your latitude is set for your location on the wedge

When you did your try did you set the wedge for your location or 45° degrees?

If your wedge is correct and your telescope mounted correct and level then the eyepiece would in theory be with Polaris in FOV. I'm assuming for the az-gti that would be your start position before alignment when in eq mode

Perhaps this helps

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/312876-sky-watcher-az-gti-eq-mode/

When I tried I did have the wedge for my location (rather than 45 degrees) - I used a compass for due North.... I didnt check the FOV, but assume Polaris would have been in the FOV. 

Yes this was my starting position before starting alignment. 

Thanks for the link - will have to try again  

21 hours ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

to be honest, no.... at least it will tell you if you are in the right area, but that would be it.

You don't say which mount you have, but most have some form of alignment routine in their controller, which will probably get you quite close to accurate, so that when you slew you'll be close to the target..

The mount is the AZ GTi mount 

1 hour ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

1 - as part of polar aligning it will need to be adjusted for your location....

2 - doesn't have to be perfect....

3 - No Polaris, isn't true north its a little way off..

 

Thanks for the reply. 

As for 3 - if I did have Polaris in FOV is the 'close enough' as per 2?

I've used EQ mounts before, but never in the 'proper' way - meaning I've never polar aligned so never tracked an object. 

I have the AZ GTi mount and yesterday swapped everything over to EQ mode, but the accuracy I got last night was pretty appauling after alignment (a lot worse than the quite accurate AZ mode). It got me ballpark each time so I know I have the mount and scope the right way up etc.. but could be as far out as searching for Vega and it would position me closer to Deneb or even Altair (or as far out as the distance between Jupiter and Saturn at the moment) :

1. I am using the Star Adventurer wedge. Should this be set to 45 degrees, or should this be to my location (i.e. 50 degrees)? 

2. I point the mount and scope North before I start, but considering the AZ GTi goto and alignment functions, does this positioning have to be perfect North - or can it be 'roughly' North just like in AZ mode - because the mount corrects for any misalignment during the Synscan apps 2 star alignment for position? 

3. Should I position the telescope so that Polaris is in the FOV in the eyepiece before I start the Synscan alignment? (even if this contradicts the angle in question 1?)

Thanks in advance! 

Personally, I really like it.

I love looking at all photos of Andromeda, from small smudge glows taken on a mobile to some of the amazing shots I've seen some very talented people on here share. Very rarely in photography is the end photo the one that is originally captured - part reality, and part the interpretation of the person behind the lens (and often the mouse buttons).

In the end it always has to be pleasing to the eye of the beholder. Personally I don't really 'get' some art, such as abstract, it makes no sense to me and stirs nothing inside but to others it brings a welcome reaction and a want to look again. Nicolas Lefaudeux's end result certainly created this affect in me.  

Thanks for the links.

Living quite close to Herstmonceux, looking forward to the live astronomy events opening up again!

20 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

I can't be 100% certain but I think it's M8.

I took mine to hardware store so I could do direct comparison.

Yes just back from B&Q..... and it is an M8

Cheers

36 minutes ago, icpn said:

The autumn one always is. There is more chance at the Spring one.. Sometimes picthes come up on AstroBuySell

Thanks - I'll keep an eye out