Astro_Dad

Sadly couldn’t see them from my corner of Yorkshire  - I have been looking out for them! Great images. 

20th June into 21st early morning. 
Celestron 10” Dob. 25mm X-cel and 15mm BST Starguider. (Also 32mm GSO Plossl). 
Clear warm evening , clearly limited by extended twilight, seeing was good by my estimation. Observed a fairly eclectic mix…

First observation of M11 (Wild Duck Cluster) in Scutum-  indeed very globular like as the books and guides note, but actually a very striking open star cluster. Obvious cube-like central region. Stunning view. 
 

M39 loose open star cluster - covers a large area in the eyepiece. I attempted to view this through my 32 mm Plossl to gain a wider field perspective, looked good, very attractive scattering of blue/white looking stars - exit pupil creeping up for me here (6.8) so may be having effect of stopping down the aperture slightly? (though not sure how much less than 7mm my pupil dilation is, not that it matters particularly). 
 

M5 - another stunning globular I haven’t observed for about a year or so. Lots of structural detail and stars resolved, though not as bright or clear as M3. 
 

Coathanger asterism  (part of Collinder 399) within the Summer Triangle. 

M3, M13, Albireo and a very nice view of Arcturus - I was able to follow its drift Westwards low in the sky just above some hills in the distance. Attempted but failed to find M4. 

Finished at around 01.30, definitely enjoying the warmer night time observing again, despite the obvious challenges in June! 

This is an interesting thread and congrats on your new ‘scope @Stu1smartcookie  Look forward to hearing more about it. 
Those Nirvana eyepieces look tempting, and it’s encouraging they work well in f/4.7 ‘scopes. Quite tempted myself. I’ve mainly used BST Starguiders (and recently a Celestron Xcel), with a 10” f/4.7 ‘scope, as they were recommended my many on here. They do indeed perform well in my experience. 
The Hyperion zoom 8-24mm is well liked with this set up too. 
AD

13 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

So this time it was a collection as I reckon the postie would  not have got this on his bike …  a 10” flex tube dob … after a bit of tidying up this evening the scope looks in fantastic condition .. had to put two extensions on to achieve focus  with a 1 1/4” EP ( not sure if that’s normal but it seemed to work on close targets maybe on stars ( when I will see one god only knows due to cloud zzz) I can achieve focus easier ? 
Anyway I am really pleased with my catch . 

Excellent, will look forward to hearing how you get on with this. 

5 hours ago, Sunshine said:

This is all interesting as I have the 8” in my sights, just about to hit the buy now tab on this, I need a manageable deep sky scope.

I find that the 10” is certainly manageable size/weight wise, (that integrated handle really does help) but the 8” would be even more so, and would be an excellent deep sky instrument. 

5 hours ago, bosun21 said:

I have found that it’s a lot easier to use counterweights when the accessories and eyepiece weight starts to increase. With my starsense and phone along with my 8x50 RACI, Rigel Quickfinder and a heavy 2” Explore Scientific eyepiece. It takes me seconds to find the balance by moving my magnet weights up and down the tube. This means I don’t have to tighten the altitude tension adjustment much which allows smooth movements when keeping the target centered in the eyepiece..

Great point @bosun21 - haven’t tried this ‘scope with counterweights yet but can see would be very convenient when needing to keep a target centred. 

Clear night last night/early morning today  so nice opportunity to try some more deep sky with the Celestron Dob - as challenging as that can be with the limited darkness in June. 

Started out in the constellation of Ophiuchus, a patch of sky I haven’t explored before. With the Push To assistance on hand it was still useful to be able to anchor myself around Cebalrai to get my bearings as I moved around the sky. 

First target IC4665 - a pleasant open cluster that presented a sprinkling of blue/white stars well in the 25mm Xcel. 

I then attempted globular NGC6426, a challenging target I failed to spot even assisted by the StarSense system unfortunately- I don’t think the overall conditions - (not ideal seeing and extended twilight) were helping here!

I was able to spot the very famous Barnard’s Star though (HIP IC4665) shining brightly at a mere 6 ly away. 

I then attempted globular M14 just a nudge SW of of Cebalrai, and duly  located I really couldn’t see much if any structure in what is clearly a large apparent target in the eyepiece. Moving in with a 12mm eyepiece I could just about see some granularity but couldn’t resolve any stars, even on the outer edge and essentially presented as a fairly amorphous blob. Still intriguing to know what this fuzzy patch actually is though, even with no detail to discern. 

To finish on a high or three, I quickly swung around to M3 for a good look at a globular that resolves brilliantly with a 250mm scope (interestingly at this point around midnight, I noticed how dewed up the Starpointer pro finder had become - to see the dual circles properly against the semi dark sky I really had to ramp up the brightness).

I then decided somewhat randomly that M57 the Ring Nebula would be worth a look. It really didn’t disappoint - particularly with the 12mm eyepiece and a Baader OIII filter. The ghostly well defined planetary nebula looked superb without the filter, but the background darkening and contrast boosting effect of the OIII really made the target pop. Lovely to see this again after about a year or so. 

Getting late I finished with M13, always a brilliant target to end with before packing up. I’d set out to stay up to catch the dawn planets, but getting past 1am I was tired and knew I’d be up early for Father’s Day, so called it a day there. An excellent, relaxing observing session. 

I’ve assembled and attached the Celestron USB cooling fan accessory - not essential perhaps but reasonably priced so worth a look. 

(https://www.celestron.com/products/usb-cooling-fan-for-dobsonian-telescopes) 

Easy to put together with the supplied screws, and securely slots into the rear of the OTA. Works with the Celestron Powertank (or any USB power source) but the integrated cable is short and I think would benefit from a USB A extension cable to enhance ease of use. I think this is where the GSO/Stellalyra design has an edge in that it is conveniently AA battery powered, but not a deal breaker. Not tried in the field yet but looking forward to testing soon. 
 

Well I can’t think of better timing than this being delivered today - you couldn’t have planned it better @FLO given the hottest day of the year so far - all I needed was a fan! (And a cold beer maybe👍!)

5 minutes ago, DavieH said:

Hi all, I'm relatively new so apologies if I'm breaking any rules, but who is Alan and what is the name of his website - I think I need to spend some money with him!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/skysthelimitastroandoptical?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5337487965&customid=&toolid=10001
 

And 

https://skysthelimit.org.uk

On 15/10/2021 at 15:26, Franklin said:

That's one heck of an eyepiece!

Ha! Only just spotted this error! 😂

Again referencing BBC Sky at night magazine, the May 2022 issue featured a good balanced review of some of the key apps and their differences, pros/cons  with pricing options. 

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/top-astronomy-kit/best-astronomy-stargazing-apps/

I enjoy SS pro on iOS primarily - previously enjoyed Luminos too. But that’s now a subs model… SS works well controlling the Syn Scan Heritage 150p. I’ve never found the cloud based observing and sync feature as handy as using a notebook app like Day One with  an Astronomy section, but maybe I need to try that more to get into it? 

On desktop I’ve always preferred using Stellarium to SS - it is a “desktop first” application vs SS which is “mobile first” . (Info from Simulation Curriculum). 

What do people think of of Starry Night? 

There’s a useful beginners guide to planetary eyepiece selection here:

https://pachycephalosaurus.weebly.com/blog/planetary-eyepieces

13 hours ago, McQ said:

I also have a 6" Dob and most nights last year, my skies couldn't handle 10mm. I tried the TMB 7mm and it was a complete no-go. I had better luck with a 25mm plossl and 2x barlow. Since then I've purchased a good quality 19mm, and have a 25mm Xcel on the way. That should cover a good range for most nights. I'd like to get a zoom but not sure I want to splurge on the Baader. The Celestron is $52 on ebay or aliexpress. The Orion zoom was mentioned above and this is the first I've heard of it so might check it out. 

The higher quality Orion as noted above is essentially the same as the SL version from FLO and very similar price. Haven’t compared shipping charges though (as the Orion will ship from the US?)

https://uk.telescope.com/mobileProduct/Orion-8-24mm-Pro-Lanthanum-Zoom-Eyepiece/131522.uts?keyword=Zoom
 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-eyepieces/stellalyra-8-24mm-1-25-inch-lanthanum-zoom-eyepiece.html
 

The Baader is £88 or so more - most of the expertise here will confirm it is better quality (one of the best available it seems) but perhaps unless you have a lot of observing experience may not be as noticeable a step up from the SL/Orion as say from the SvBony - which is good for the price but clearly a different beast. The Baader has better AFOV also. I’ve seen good reports of the Celestron zoom but don’t have first hand experience. Speaking to long time experienced users though it’s clear the Baader is in a different league here. 

FYI Just received the July addition of Sky at Night magazine through the post and coincidentally features a first light review of the StarSense Explorer 130DX! May be of interest as relevant in part even if you go for the SCT version. 

@Orange Smartie makes a good point - detail along the terminator was striking last week but Is vastly different this. Having said that you’d still expect sharp views and images now, just without the contrast and shadow detail. Have a look at some of the images of even the full moon in this forum to see what is possible. 
 

Don’t worry, sure there is a way around this. 130mm reflectors can produce very sharp views of the moon and it’s craters. The theoretical upper limit of magnification in your ‘scope by the usual 2x aperture in mm convention would be 260x. I think your ‘scope has a focal length of 650 mm, so this upper limit would be achieved using a 2.5 mm eyepiece. However that’s quite an extreme focal length, particular for you ‘scope design so you’d probably be better off  with lower mag. 130x would be more than reasonable and could be achieved using your 25mm (is that your “wide field” focal length?)  and the 5 x Barlow. I wonder though if you are referring to zooming in with your phone/camera - do you see good crater detail visually at the eyepiece? Maybe it’s the photography side of things that is adding to the lack of clarity. Have you come across collimation at all? This is the term that refers to alignment of the mirrors/ optical path to  ensure sharp views - it could be that it is that that needs paying attention to also. A few variables here - would be helpful to have some more information before recommending eyepieces - although it is certainly the case that a reasonable fairly low cost upgrade to the standard supplied eyepieces would make a significant difference to you. 

11 minutes ago, M40 said:

When I manage to get a picture, I tend to share them with family; Today this surprise turned up from the sister-in-law.....

M81, looks better on the cushion than on the laptop 

 

What a brilliant thoughtful gift! 

On 12/06/2022 at 14:54, Mike Q said:

I have had the chance to compare the Celestron, Orion and Baader 8 to 24s.  The Celestron is a hundred dollar eyepiece, the Orion is a 200 dollar eyepiece and the Baader is a 300 dollar eyepiece.  Price is directly related to quality and performance in this case.  I will say I preferred the way the variable twist feature works on the Orion to the Baader, which is why I bought that one, but the Baader did have the edge in light transmission

I’ve had the opportunity to test the Baader 8-24 mm and the Stellalyra 8-24 mm - the latter I think is the same as the Orion Pro Lanthanum zoom equivalent. I’ve also tested a budget SvBony SV135 7-21mm The most refined and satisfying variable twist action was in the most expensive Baader - no doubt there. The SvBony and the SL both had a slightly “scratchy” feel to the zoom rotation action but these may have just been my sample units. All these options suffer from narrower FOV at the longer focal  lengths, but the value of them to achieve the correct magnification level on planets, the moon or even nebulae is well worth it. I think that more experienced observers than I would appreciate the incremental optical performance quality of the Baader, but frankly for most, the SL with it’s lanthanum glass and CA control,  and even the SvBony would be a decent addition to their collections. They are convenient and intuitive to use. 

Welcome on board! - a great place to hang out and learn from real experts as I have.  

Currently in discussions with my local councillors and MP on this issue - live in an astro friendly Bortle 4 area but some of the local lighting decisions seem out of kilter with the recent local dark sky reserve designation - this issue needs greater attention, but suffers from lack of knowledge and appreciation.

9 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Just a second Lithium LT as I was fed up with swapping my existing one scope to scope. Great little power packs

 

And brilliant on camping trips for phone charging I’ve found! 👍

8 hours ago, Starwatcher2001 said:

Postie brough me this new toy, courtesy of @Jim Smith. Looks in lovely condition and nicely packed. Thanks Jim!

Looking forward to trying this out on the moon as soon as I get chance. It will be nice to give my non-dominant eye a piece of the action for a change.
 

Well “bagged”! I was interested but spotted it way too late. Will be very interesting to test on the moon at the moment. Let us know how you get on. 

Nothing extraordinary to report tonight but still worth a very quick view of a 94% waxing gibbous moon on a clear night to round off the weekend. Interestingly testing the Rigel Quickfinder magnetically attached to the OTA base of the Heritage 150p - works surprisingly well so long as the table is sufficiently high to make finding comfortable through the RQ. Cor Caroli just about visible despite the moon brightness and with a clear Arcturus as usual couldn’t resist a quick look at favourite M3. Unexpectedly not a lot of discernible structure in the globular tonight though given lunar brightness and in the absence of fully dark adapted eyes (plus low power eyepiece, 25mm) but with clear skies at a premium just good to see anything!

Enjoy making your final choice @Lemonadex - you’ll be fine with any in your shortlist and I’m sure will enjoy the hobby hugely. There’s quite an interesting article here talking about various ‘scope designs for interest:

https://supercooper.jimdofree.com/choosing-telescopes-complete-essentials/

And some further detail on the C5 class here: 

http://www.scopeviews.co.uk/CelestronC5XLT.htm

It would be remiss of me to not remind that for significantly less outlay you could have a 6 inch reflector in the form of the Heritage 150p - granted no guidance support but you will see more at the eyepiece overall, and even without tracking you’ll have better overall views of moon and planets, plus greater reach for DSO’s and with a brighter image and wider field of view. It has its cons as well though of course - more basic focuser, need for DIY light shroud etc. but it’s  my most used ‘scope, and the most grab and go! 
Do let us know how you get on and what you decide!

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