skyhog

I'm watching it now, amazing to think what we are observing here. 

Great report Stu and well done. 

Clearly didn't do enough planning here, great that you got it Stu. It was cloudy then it suddenly cleared around 9pm. As I said I was using CdC to locate it but was sceptical about how accurate it was. I was trusting it to be evident in the field of view of a 30mm ep on the 12sct, if memory serves around 0.75 degrees. A 10th magnitude asteroid should have been obvious I imagined. By the time I'd started to look up the right coordinates and check against online sources it was getting lower and rapidly dipping below my obsy wall. Then the clouds rolled in... Planning is everything.. 🙄

Good stuff, nice to see the hobby portrayed like that. You came across really well. 

Nice try Stu, here up north it was around 7 degrees at transit so absolutely no chance from my location, which is a pity as the conditions were very good indeed. it was estimated around the 11th mag last night so you scopes should have bagged it relatively easily I would have thought. I'm looking at its path now and hopefully I'll get a window tonight to view this. The weather doesn't look great but there may be a window earlier in the night. Its very well placed over the coming days so we should get a chance to view it, though closest approach would be nice.

Just on the subject of software to find this, I used Cartes du ciel. You have to download the full asteroid data as the default is set to 5000.  it seems to be close to the various finder charts out there, but I will need to check against the current ephemeris. I can control the scope with CdC so that solves that problem.

Very nice image and a reminder that the humble refractor will, with the right amount of care, literally  last a lifetime. Very inspiring Neil. 

1 minute ago, ollypenrice said:

Various things can cause a gentlemen to bortle.  Too much ruby Port at his club, of an afternoon, particularly after Champagne with the fish, can bring it on. These ghastly, gassy foreign beers can cause one to bortle as well - and I'm sure that imbibing Coca-Cola would be a dead cert, though a gentleman wouldn't do that. I also remember one chap's 1932 Blower Bentley bortling at Balmoral after getting a partridge stuck in its fuel filter.

Olly

Are you sure you haven't had a crafty bortle before typing that Olly... 🤔

Yes, I very much ignore these scales. I find estimating light pollution a simple exercise. I have been under skies that are probably about as dark as its possible to get and looked up at the blazing skies in the world's major cities at the other end of the scale. I think being able to see the milky way is a good indicator, as mentioned, and faintest star magnitude in general says a lot. In truth we all know a good sky when we see one.😉

Just watched the anim there Neil. Very nice and certainly similar to how I found it in the binos. If the weather plays ball I'd like to catch this before dawn in the next few days, fingers crossed... 

I don't seem to be able to view those attachments🤔

Yes, planning is everything I'd agree. I think John's post sums up the techniques you mention perfectly. If you are unable to see 'easier' and 'brighter' objects at the start of the session moving on to more challenging targets is a waste of time. What to expect in terms of image scale Is crucial. With experience it falls into place. 

Hope you got something useful for your efforts Neil. I dragged myself out of bed this morning to bag this comet, I hate morning comets, particularly at this time of year! I went out at 3am and it was a lot lower in the sky than I was anticipating. There was a lot of haze and high clouds were feeding in from the North East. I used my 20x80 binos first and it was relatively easy to find not far from arcturus though not as bright as I anticipated. Tail was pretty obvious. I stayed out until 4 waiting for conditions to improve hoping I could get in the obsy and have a better look but sadly it was not to be. Hopefully get a day in the next few days. 

10 hours ago, scarp15 said:

Not necessarily, possessing the applicable observing equipment in the right circumstance and combining assertive intuition, will enable this target achievable. Just comprehending what to visually encounter and to apply averted vision. If B33 is revealed, then there are other threshold targets in the vicinity that can be equally as, or more visually challenging. Once resolved, the Horse Head Nebula becomes less elusive. 

I'm not sure what you mean by "assertive intuition" in an observing context. I would still argue that there is probably a sweet spot in terms of age when the eye is at its optimal condition. 

That's a great report on an iconic object few folk are ever going to see visually. I would love to have the right conditions to even attempt it. I also suspect my aging eyes would be the weak link in the chain too, there are accounts of it being invisible to experienced observes observing together. 

Building an observatory for me. If that is allowed to be considered equipment! The difference it makes to this hobby is everything. Being able to snatch those holes in the cloud at silly o'clock is worth it's weight in gold... 

That's a great record. I'm bracing myself for an early morning look at this. I let the dog out at 5am this morning and there was a lot of cloud around or I might have given the big binos a shot. It was very cold out there mind you. 

Very nice image of one of my favourite objects. I remember having one of those wow moments when it edged into view in a little Newt I had as a child. Never disappoints. 

 Very useful years ago when I started out. Haven't used one for an awful long time mind you. Technology has really moved on in that regard. 

Great report, and pics. Definitely on my bucket list. I've been reading about that scope for years. It's amazing to think that the very big scopes of that era, and Herschels scopes earlier, were all used in the same fixed manner. Hard to imagine planning the observations now, blessed with modern equipment that tracks as it does. 

I have a pair of steiner 20x80 which I use now and again. Normally to pick up a comet that has reached a reasonable brightness. I always mean to build a mount for them but never seem to get around to it. In my view this size of bino is a bit of a pain hand held. Probably not describe them as 'grab and go'. 

Nice catch, it appeared in a few news headlines this morning. 

There was a long running thread on this topic here on SGL which gave great experiences of trying for the pup. Always a great topic to reignite mind you. I've been attempting it for years but I'm a lot further north than your location. I'll be back at the eyepiece again this winter... 👍

Very nice. Great animation. 

15 hours ago, Stu said:

 

SCTs and Maks in particular soften in terms of planetary and lunar contrast and detail when out of collimation, something that is visible when observing as well as imaging. As John says, it’s important for doubles too. It is less obvious for low and mid power observing but it must still have an impact on contrast.

Totally agree and I hope I didn't give the impression its not worth taking the time to do as well as you can. It's always nice to know you have that base covered when those nights of exceptional seeing come along, however infrequent they are. I also think it's worth getting over the fear factor. It can be quite daunting at first but today's webcams, where you can see the results on the screen as you tweek the little screws, make the process very simple. 

31 minutes ago, John said:

The signs that you might need to pay attention to collimation are if you often read reports on forums from folks who have the same equipment as you do but seem to be able to regularly see more detail / tighter resolution on the moon / double stars / planets or if you look through a similar scope to yours at a star party or similar and the views seem noticeably better than your scope is delivering.

I've looked through 8 inch SCT's that have been struggling to split the "double double" epsilon lyrae, for example. Some collimation adjustment and this showpiece binary pair becomes a clear and easy split.

 

 

That's a very good point John. I have never been to a star party as I like to go off to my obsy and do this hobby on my own. I'm a sociable guy but I really enjoy the me time when I'm observing, it's how it's been for years. That said it would be interesting to observe through a variety of scopes under the same conditions, as you say, the definitive way of assessing the performance of your own scope. I may have to check out future get togethers😉

I think getting that perfect collimation only becomes an issue with planetary or lunar imaging. Vlaiv has a link to damian peach who wants all the boxes ticked and his results speak for themselves.