Kon

The perks from working from home still.....the solar eclipse. Despite the cloudy weather I managed to get a break from the thick clouds and I saw the partial eclipse through my Dob between 11-1110. My wife and I were like little children with excitement. I have seen solar eclipses before but not through a telescope. Amazing feeling. I think I made the rough edges of the moon were it was crossing the sun. My cat also enjoyed it, the dog did not really care.😂 I attach a few photos of what I thought would be like my solar eclipse with the dark clouds but at the back a clear patch was coming! I hope you all managed at least a view of ☀️. A photo at prime focus. No sun spots but the moon in view.

Managed to see it with break in the clouds! Amazing that the moon ridges were obvious at the edges!

I think you are teasing the rest of us that we are completely clouded over! Dark ☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️. Where is the ☀️? I hope it stays clear for you!

As @Zermelosaid the BST EPs are pretty good for the price. I have the 15 and 8 mm for DSOs and planets and they are pretty excellent with my SK 8" Dob. The 25mm is not bad at all (I do not think i have used the box standard 10mm much, 1-2 times?) but I am looking to upgrade it and we had a good discussion here if you want to have a read (I am still getting my head around all the suggestions):

Very enjoyable report! Well done on all these targets. I have been blessed with clouds the past week or so.😂 I tend to leave my Dob and EPs open o/n to dry (in the winter if I have frost on the OTA or heavy dew before coming in or after, I run my dehumidifier in the same room o/n) and put the dust caps, lids etc in the morning. It is better to let them dry thoroughly than trapping moisture inside that could potentially lead to mildew. Others might advise differently.

Very nice list of targets. I have seen a few of those before and they are really nice. I bet your 12" is bringing more of the nebulosity out. Unfortunately, my skies have been rubbish the past few days with ☁️☁️☁️☁️.

Excellent report Joe and quite a list you managed! Due to my location I cannot see much below Alniyat at Scorpii so it is good to read what others can see below that point; I am jealous of several of your targets. For the IC 4604, did you observe any colour; in my eyes it had a yellowish hue. Next time have a go at IC 4592; it must look awesome in your 10" (in my 8" Dob it had a nice blue colour as of course the name suggests but rather diffuse without much structure to it). Well done on your Mag 12.1 planetary!

Thanks. Yes I am searching the ES and the EPs that Louis and you suggested including the Altair UFF 24.

I just did a quick google search on ES 24mm and I came across this site: https://www.boxallx.com/explore-scientific-68deg-ar-eyepiece-with-emd-multilayer-coating-and-argon-filling-various-sizes-p-888127.htm It cannot be a genuine one for the price can it? (another search shoed as fraudulent site), so avoid!

I had my first go at observing the sun this afternoon. I made a filter for the full aperture of my 8" Dob and one for the small dust cup. I was very worried to try the full aperture one so I opted for the smaller one. I put the 25mm EP in but I did not want to put my eye on it, I literally chickened out...and I felt that something will go wrong. I put my hand in front of the EP to make sure i do not feel a burn, but was I even pointing at the sun? Nope not good enough. I though I will stick my DSLR on prime focus, worst think it can happen is to fry it rather than my eye. I found the sun on live view, the camera survived and I took a couple of quick shots. Upon checking inside I spotted two sun spots, my first 'visual' ever from my own telescope!☀️ That was amazing and even my wife was amazed. Ok, I put the 25mm EP back on and I finally put my eye on it! Amazing, I could see the sun and the two sun spots; they appeared as two small black specs. Clouds kept coming in and out so I gave up on higher magnification. The full aperture will have to wait since I do not feel ready for it, I might use it for the 10th June with my DSLR, or play with it over the weekend.

When I thought I had made my mind.....I will see if any of these might come as second hand as well and if not, then make a decision which one to buy new.

Thank you all for the links, comparisons and personal experience with different EPs. After reading the links and careful consideration, I am thinking of going for the ES 24mm (68°) (ouch, that's a lot higher than my initial budget). Several of you suggested it. I realise that I use my 25mm EP quite a lot so getting an EP that will deliver hopefully sharper images is worth it. I will try see if anything might come on second hand market otherwise I will be placing an order soon.

@Mr Spock, @John and @scotty38 I still loved it and what's not to like, warm weather and seeing the sunrise later on. Saying that I would still have done it in the middle of winter. If viewing like that excites me, I am looking forward to seeing them when better placed!

I was up at 3am to have a look at Jupiter and Saturn. Seeing was terrible for the first 30min or so. I started with Saturn and it was a great sight as my first seeing. A grey banding was apparent but no much details on the disk. I then moved to Jupiter; it did not look sharp at all but orange/brown banding was apparent; the other night I could make the Great Red spot. and I noticed it's 3 moons and a glimpse of the 4th moon at around 2 o'clock (looking down the Dob EP). The 4th moon was Europa which was meant to be transitioning Saturn earlier in the morning, I think I got its glimpse of orbiting around. I made a sketch of what I was seeing at 330am. I revisited Saturn for a sketch and some obligatory photos that looked horrible even for me. I finally revisited Jupiter with Europa out of sight at 430am. It was a nice early morning viewing with the birds singing at the background. I have also made my first sketches of my observation at the EP (just some minor adjustments afterwards) so please be kind 😅.

I have the 200P. It is an excellent telescope for visual especially DSOs. Planetary has also been excellent so far but for photography not really. Yes I have taken photos of DSOs but I am limited to 0.5s exposures before star trailing but I am content with that since I just want to show them to my family in the morning; not even close to what you see in AP. For planets again I have taken crappy photos but it satisfied my curiosity and I made a record. Never say never, I have seen some nice photos from DOBs but you might need an equatorial platform for tracking. If your primary interest is AP, then you should not consider the 200P. If you are after an excellent visual telescope go for it. I think others have given you excellent advice on what might be better for AP.

Excellent report and very nice targets; I will have to borrow some of your nebula ones. The NGC 6572 sounds very exciting with its blue colour; what telescope were you using? I love your sketches of your targets. Are these done at the EP and do you use some red light when you draw (you seem to be using white pencil on black paper)?

Excellent report and a lot of nice targets! You forgot to mention that it is nice and warm to be out.

I got my Dob back in December and I have patiently waited for them to rise. If the weather holds this week, I may have a few early wake ups before work 🪐. I agree the sight and feeling is amazing. My son was talking about it today. Thanks for the pointer! I was probably too excited to think through that the 5th moon was a star. Ooops! It sounds you had a frustrating evening with DSOs. At least you saw the giants!

I am 6ft 1inch and I own a SW 200P Dob. I have no issues at all with viewing; I mostly do sitting viewing but standing is not an issue either for brief periods. You may want to consider a RACI since you can avoid awkward position trying to find your targets (I never used the straight finder in my telescope). I have seen other recommending to put it on a water butt base but I am not sure I would trust mine on it, but it would allow you to view standing.

Thanks for the correction! I got fooled to think it was Io. Nice to have your expertise here.

At around 430 the bands were clearly visible and the spot as well. It looked better on my 8mm EP and it did not barlow very well (I think still too low?).

@John absolutely the best advice from the SGL forum and best buy the OIII filter. It is already paying dividends! @Voyager 3 No I did not. I have seen other reports showing some faint nebulosity between them as you say.

After an excellent session looking at nebulas on the Milky Way, I took a quick nap between 2am-3am. I had never seen Jupiter or Neptune with a telescope so I was for yet another treat. Another OMG moment. At 330am Saturn was there with the rings and grey banding! It was the most amazing thing in front of my eyes! I spotted two moons but I think I was too excited to take careful note of their relative position. I then went for Jupiter. Amazing! I could see orange band colours and the 5 moons. What a sight! I went to wake up my wife and 6 year old son at 4am to show them. Luckily neither of them was grumpy at me but really happy. The overall seeing was not too bad. I agree with others that when you first see these two giants it is a memorable moment. I also took a few shots with my DSLR at the EP. Not the best but I love them.

Fantastic! I saw them for the first time last night as well. Like you I saw Jupiter with 4 moons on one side and 1 on the other, Io as you said.

In my last post I said I will not be viewing or writing another nebula report until later in the summer....well that did not last long!.....With the moon not rising until later and with clear warm skies I decided try the Milky Way; I know that it is a late summer viewing area but I could not wait. I mostly used my 25mm with the OIII and occasionally the 15mm. Waiting for the MW to rise, I revisited some old favourites to test the viewing; I started with M57 followed by the Veil. Both East and West Veil looked great with clear filaments (it gave me confidence viewing was good). I then had a look at the N America nebula and I think seeing was much better than last time. I then visited Scorpio and I saw the Blue Horsehead nebula again. Last time I struggled with the conditions to see the IC 4604 (Oph Nebula). This time nebulosity around the three stars was obvious (I used my 15mm EP without filter here). M4 and M80 looked great and some individual stars could be made but the core was mostly unresolved. Finally, the MW was rising. I struggled to star hop with the amount of stars there but using my Rigel and a bit of scanning the area with my finder scope I came across the Eagle Nebula (I had to reassure myself with the Stellarium). Some weak nebulosity could be seen around the stars. I got so excited and I spent a few minutes taking it in, but I was not prepared for my next target. The Swan nebula. OMG OMG!!! A swan in my EP! Unbelievable. I found myself doing a little dance at the EP. A bright nebula with nice delicate features. I tried without the filter; it was obvious but not as well defined. I was panning between the Eagle and Swan due to their close proximity. Next, I moved to the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas. Again another WOW moment. The Lagoon was fairly bright in the EP and some darker lane was visible in the middle of it. Trifid was more diffuse. Interestingly both the Swan and Lagoon were 'visible' in my finder scope; they appeared as smudges of light. I finally could not help myself to hop between these nebulas within the same area. For somebody who loves seeing nebulas that was one of my best nights with the telescope! Looking forward to observing more of the Milky Way.