Stu

What I find frustrating is when you KNOW someone will need to refocus but they look through and say ‘no, that’s fine’ 🤬. An example would be if they do not wear glasses, and I have focused the scope using my short sighted eyes. To counter this, I sometimes try to focus wearing my glasses in the hope that this results in a focused view for someone with good vision.

47 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

You probably don't need me telling, but take care with the 140 / HW combo.

I have a very similar setup, and i read somewhere the recommended aperture limit for the HW is 120mm -/+

Above this, and especially with faster scopes, heat can build up inside.

This has been debated at length on the various forums, and Baader have tested themselves with apertures up to 8". 

I would have thought the 105 would have more than held its own on the sun, and find it interesting you think the 140 is that much better, but i guess aperture rules, especially if the seeing is decent enough for you.

I think from my own location maybe the seeing never fully supports using a bigger aperture.

 

MORE OF AN ISSUE is what i found out using a manual alt-az mount. If you let the sun 'drift' out of the field of view

the sides of the HW can get hot too. I found this out myself, after letting the sun drift across a couple of times after being distracted I noticed a little smoke coming out of the wedge,

and when i felt the body of the wedge it was overly hot.

I don't necessarily think there was any immediate danger of damage being done, it could have been a bit of debris or perhaps an insect remanent  burning.

But it unnerved me a bit, and i decided not to use my 140 with it and perhaps get a smaller refractor.

Current funds prohibited that, so if i use the HW now, i'll just have short looks at the sun and then move the scope away to avoid any heat build up and just take extra care.

 

You have a stunning location Magnus, i'm not at all jealous !! Love your Stellavue scope too. 

One last thing  : the Baader HW converts really well if you want to binoview. I can recommend it !

 

Magnus’ wedge is already converted to have a shorter light path and T2 direct connection for binoviewers if wanted. 

@AryaanHegde I was under similar skies with 15x50 binos on Saturday and saw a small handful of objects despite summer skies.

M13 is easy to find, 1/3 of the way along between ETA and Zeta Herc.

M92 is more tricky and it is smaller and a little further from the main four stars. In my case, with a 4.5 degree field, I placed Pi Herc at one edge of the fov and then carried on panning away from it. With a bit of panning around I found it fairly quickly.

M57 is tiny in binos, perhaps not worth trying in x10, but getting Sulafat and Shelia’s centred in the field of view allows you to find it just off the line between them.

M27 I find by extending a line from Alberio, perpendicular to the main line of Cygnus. This gets you in the right ball park to find it.

The Coathanger or Brocchi’s Cluster is a nice one and again I find it from Alberio.

Alberio itself is lovely, splitting at x15 and I imagine should just be possible at x10 but not sure

M81 and M82 are also possible, though trickier in these lighter skies. There is an easy star hop to them which takes you right there, shown in this image.

I find extending a line from Upsilon through h Ursa Majoris takes you straight to the triangle. Then extend a line from the base of the triangle and that gets you to the line, then you are there.

All that seen in binos, plenty of other lovely stuff too, open clusters in particular are great such as Melotte 111.

45 minutes ago, Stephenstargazer said:

Like the Gulf colours (even if they look better on an early 911 or 930). Do 2 " filters fit direct to the Canon? (My favourite astro bino too.)

Or even at GT40 👍

Not directly no. I bought 58mm to 48mm step down rings and they fit nicely to those.

I also bought 58mm solar filters which screw directly in. These maintain the 58mm thread at the front so you can add the step down rings and filters ahead of those which cuts down CA and boosts the detail a bit for solar. Could add two continuum filters if you wanted but I can’t justify buying more just for this.

I’ve just got back from a wonderful weekend at the National Kitcar exhibition at Malvern Three Counties Showground. The setting is beautiful, and the weather particularly today was lovely.

I drove up in convoy with eleven other Westfields, and there were around 85 parked up on the Westfield ‘Avenue’ as they call it.

I thought about taking my FS-60C, but in the end all I could fit in was the Canon 15x50IS binos, plus my solar filters and OIII/UHC filters. Last night was clear later on, so I had a nice mooch around once it got a bit darker. Despite being very rural, the usual annoying lights remained on the toilet blocks which prevented me seeing as much as I might have. I caught M81/82, M13 and 92, M57 and 27 aswell as the Coathanger and Alberio. I just about split Mizar which looked great will Alcor. Naked eye Alcor was very clear. I tried for the NAN with the filters but couldn’t claim to have seen it, but plenty of nebulosity in that area.

This morning I fitted my solar filters, plus the OIII and UHC, one on each channel and had some good views of the numerous sunspots, including, I believe, the return monster of Northern Lights fame. Detail is obviously limited at such low mag and aperture, but all the main ARs were seen, including one right on the limb. I could just about detect some faculae near one of the areas too.

So, nice to be able to have a quick fix of one hobby whilst enjoying the other. My biggest mistake is having two that require good weather to enjoy! Fortunately when the weather plays ball like this weekend, I get a double whammy.

I had a fab drive back down through Ross on Wye and back over the old Severn crossing. Great fun!

1 minute ago, JeremyS said:

No threads, Stu.

That’s a shame, but your solution seems good 👍 

34 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

You can also use them to observe sunspots. I made filters using another pair of objective covers and Baader solar film

Is there a thread in front of the objectives on these ones Jeremy? I found some screw in filters for my 15x50IS which work really well. 

4 hours ago, Deadlake said:

Genuine question, what advantage does the Vixen GP have over the AZ100 when used for tracking?

I guess because it’s lighter and quicker to setup; just plonk down level and North and turn the tracking on, no alignment necessary. Easier for solar and for quick lunar:planetary sessions. Plus it has a handset for easy slewing around the target, and yes I know Rowan are bringing one out but I don’t have that yet.

55 minutes ago, Giles_B said:

I'm also intrigued by the option of using an EQ platform for imaging having struggled (and failed) for about two hours last night to get my 10" newt plus an imaging train balance on an EQ6! I think I'll be trying this option come planet season.

Should work very well, and much more easily for planetary and is perfectly doable for DSO although I haven’t tried that. I think @PeterStudz is our resident expert on this topic 👍

28 minutes ago, Richard N said:

There are some who might suggest that a Newtonian scope on an equatorial mount is not a Dob at all. And I would suggest that because something can be done doesn’t mean it’s a good option for most. 

Ah, but as in this case, a dob on an Equatorial Platform (not mount) is still a dob!

1 hour ago, Chaz2b said:

I now have quite a few tripods with various heads for mounting my scopes, but I still feel a little frustrated with them, too heavy and bulky, not strong enough, incorrect fittings etc.

What have you found to be an ideal tripod and mount for visual use?

I'm leaning towards a gitzo tripod, really excellent construction and portable, but what head?

Chaz

Which scope is it for Chaz?

I use a Gitzo GT5542LS and a ScopeTech Zero mount as a lightweight grab and go for my FC100DC. Both of these are no longer available but the latest Gitzo equivalent is the GT5543LS.

There is now a Sightron Japan Alt-Az Mount which is similar to the old ScopeTech I believe.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth-astronomy-mounts/sightron-japan-alt-azimuth-mount.html
 

I don’t seem to be able to find the time for getting the scopes out currently, too much DIY and house/garden maintenance to do! Anyway, I managed to put our hammocks out at the weekend and have been enjoying a relax, looking up at the Moon and stars this evening. This is a 3 second shot from the hammock, handheld with an iPhone 15 Pro. Just shows the stabilisation works well!

I managed to unwittingly catch Mel 111 in the second on I believe.

I guess if you think what the little Seestar is capable of now, fast forward five years and….. 😱

I have a 16” dob in the garage but it hasn’t been used for a while…..

If just wanting to travel light, I would take  these with mine:

3 to 6 Nagler Zoom

     or

SvBony 3 to 8mm Zoom

Leica 8.9mm to 17.8mm Zoom

24mm Panoptic

I would likely choose the SvBony vs Nag as they are very similar quality and the Sv has the extra range, although eye relief is a consistent 10mm on the Nag which is nicer.

The Leica is pricey, but in my experience equals top notch eyepieces certainly over most of the fov, and it has between 60 and 80 degrees afov so doesn’t feel too constricted. Better than the Baader too from a limited side by side I did.

There is also the APM 7.7mm to 15.4mm Zoom which is highly rated, with a fairly consistent 66 degree afov. Cheaper than the Leica but range not quite as good.

It’s worth having the 24mm Pan along as it is one of the best eyepieces out there, a little gem in my book and the Baader Zoom at 24mm wouldn’t replace it.

16 hours ago, SwiMatt said:

Did you have the same passion with white light observing? I'm loving white light but I don't see it becoming my favorite type of observing, and I wonder if an Ha telescope is a completely different "game"...

As Roy says, they are completely different games, and alot depends on what kit you are using and the seeing conditions. With a good white light setup (well corrected 4” frac and a Herschel wedge), the views can be jaw dropping when conditions are right. The contrast and sharpness are amazing. It is generally static, but by watching carefully over 15 mins or so you can see changes in granulation patterns.

With Ha, it is less bright and lower contrast, but much more varied and dynamic. You can see proms changing over time, quite slowly but clearly happening. Occasionally you will see much faster moving features. On a couple of occasions I’ve seen plasma arcing down towards the surface, and watched little bombs of plasma (bright blobs) moving visibly from the top of the arc down to the surface. It doesn’t happen often but it’s amazing when it does.

Aperture counts for both, but seeing conditions are often limiting factor, so 100mm is often a sweet spot.

On 18/05/2024 at 07:08, 900SL said:

Thanks Stu.

 

The TS wedge 'Continuum' filter is fairly wide, I think 40nm from memory.

Would I see any improvement (for imaging) using my 4.5 nm Oiii narrowband filter?  

Worth trying I should think. May be a bit too narrow but I’ve not tried one so don’t know.

Gents, can we please play nicely and be courteous. There is clearly a difference of opinion here, but that is all it is. No need for an argument so please let’s drop the ‘is it an obsession copy or not’ debate and just enjoy seeing the build, in whatever form it takes. Members can see themselves how it is put together.

Cheers,

Stu

Nice shots @Nigella Bryant, similar views to me though I could only take 3s handheld shots.

I didn’t think I caught any of the crown, but going back through my images I do have two. They also show it near Arcturus, consistent with what others saw.

I am not bothered by what colour the Sun appears, just to see most detail so I use a Herschel Wedge, binoviewers and a Baader 7.5nm Continuum filter 👍

Interestingly Baader recommend the Continuum filter being closer to the scope and then the ND3.0, both on the eyepiece side of the wedge of course. This minimises reflections from the shiny Continuum.

The filter in my Mark II is a 7.5nm and I also have a polariser fitted which can vary brightness by moving the lever on the Wedge. I generally prefer it towards the brighter end of the scale, although sometimes granulation is easier to see with it a bit darker.

Stunning here, I drove just out of town and what a difference. Really clear, subtle pinks and greens visually but very strong on camera. Cant quite believe I’ve seen them from this far south. Amazing to see them change constantly, almost imperceptible but happening all the time.

Nothing visually here, but pointing the phone up and taking 3s exposures shows a lot of pink and hints of green…

I’m staying on the edge of Exmoor tomorrow night so would be great if this continues!

Can’t see anything visually, but my phone is picking up a lot of pink and hints of green, presume that is it????

3 hours ago, PeterStudz said:

Seeing dropped off too, plus transparency - there’s high level cloud giving the sky a milky haze. A few gaps though.

Those pics are good enough to give me a good idea. I’m wise enough to know that the actual views are far better. As I think I’ve said before:- it makes me want to invest in a similar setup! 

Yes, same here in terms of conditions.

Totally right in terms of the visual views being so much better. Visually in Ha there was plenty of fine flux lines arcing around the AR, bright plage areas which were so much brighter in reality. Well worth looking into, the views can be amazing.

16 hours ago, Leo S said:

Might have left it a bit late, but...

 

Can anyone recommend a good quality solar filter for the EF 800mm? It takes 52mm drop in filters. I'd prefer visible light, but not sure what is easily available.

Is the front threaded Leo?