Astro_Dad

Nice report @Ratlet and well done finding M33 - I struggled on that one this week but very motivated to have another go 👍🏻 Really enjoying your sketches - impressive, and they add so much to the observing report.

Reposting details of this here as a new thread (on suggestion from @Stu ) for those interested. It doesn’t quite fit the observing report section in the usual sense but there is some astronomical observation involved! Something a bit different last Saturday (19th Nov) - a Dark Skies event at nearby Stump Cross Caverns (a limestone cave system between Wharfedale and Nidderdale in North Yorkshire, England) Combining astronomy with geology - another interest of mine, this was the first of two such events il be attending in Nov/Dec. Astronomers Chris Higgins and Martin Whipp, from the Lime Tree Observatory gave an excellent general presentation on astronomy overlooking the splendid North Yorkshire Dales (in December 2020, we were designated an International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association). Sadly no clear skies were on offer - quite the opposite with thick fog descending, but did see and get hands on with some interesting astronomy related objects. Notably a fascinating collection of meteorite fragments. The most interesting was undoubtedly a piece of the Allende meteorite, which broke up in the atmosphere at Chihuahua, Mexico near the village of Pueblito de Allende, in 1969. The main interest here is that inclusions in Allende (and other carbonaceous chondrites) are thought to be the earliest-formed solids in the solar nebula. The experts were keen to point out for example the c7 billion year old nanodiamonds within the material - these have been well studied and form a remarkable story. The evening concluded with an exploration of the cave system - which I’ve visited before, but this was the first time I’ve experienced it illuminated with a UV torch only, highlighting quite spectacularly the features in the limestone and calcite structures. So an interesting and unusual Saturday night despite the very unclear skies! My next Astronomy meet up at the caverns is December 7th so a second opportunity to enjoy the views, both above and below ground. Well recommended day and night for visitors to this part of the country.

Agree - very impressive shot 👍🏻

You’re right @Stu- I’ll post it up as a separate new thread - observing reports?

I’m still buzzing from the views I had of Mars this week - Tuesday night (22nd) provided my best ever view. Until now I’ve seen just blurry albedo features and “hints of “, but after several years trying I finally saw what I might call a “photorealistic” or textbook view of Syrtis Major at 150x. Amazing. 😀

22/11 An excellent night out with the Stellalyra 8” Dob. A planetary focus but with a selection of deep sky objects also. Jupiter was wonderful - conditions steady providing fine colour detail and showing good contrast between the belts and zones. Mars was a revelation - so often it can be overly bright and so hard to discern detail but this was a milestrone for me - beating anything I saw at the 2020 opposition. Also took in M45 (Pleiades), M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), NGC 752 (open cluster), the Double Cluster (NGC 884/869) and M34 (open cluster). A brilliant evening with a more in depth report here:

22/11. 20:00 UT A crisp clear November evening provided a prime opportunity to take the Stellalyra 8” Dobsonian out for a good session targeting both deep sky and planets. The session was first light for the bundled 2” 30mm eyepiece, and also provided me with the chance to compare this ocular with a 32mm OVL Panaview I currently have on loan. This report isn’t going to cover the differences and my thoughts on the two in comparison though - I need to do more testing before concluding on this. A DSO entrée… Starting with an easy target- M45, The Pleiades always impresses and really demands the wider fields offered by the 2” eyepieces. A good straightforward target to test all in order alignment wise - RACI finderscope and Rigel Quickfinder. Next The stunning Double cluster in Perseus. An easy target as was visible by naked eye and clearly signposted by Cassiopeia - NGC 884 and NGC 869 both framed well in the 32mm. NGC 869’s more concentrated core was obvious as was its difference in brightness (brighter than NGC 884). Both showed the hallmark attractive range of stars varying in colour and brightness. A few distinctive orange/yellow stars could be seen amongst the multitude white/blue. A frequently visited site over the years but always impressive. M31 - always harder than I’d like to admit to find, perhaps due to the high position in the sky presently. But once Mirach is located I can effectively triangulate using the sharp V of Cassiopeia (Shedar pointing the way). I’ll no doubt get quicker at this. Good at 37.5x, with bright central oval core and the fainter outer glow extending nicely across the full diameter of the eyepiece. Unfortunately failed to find M33 (Triangulum Galaxy. I located Triangulum and tried to orientate in relation to Mirach using the Rigel circles (John Read’s book my field guide tonight) but no joy. Possibly a stretch in Bortle 4 and 203mm of aperture. I think on another occasion this should be possible though. EDIT - addition of open cluster NGC 752 in Andromeda. I happened upon this one accidentally but couldn’t identify at the time. Sky Safari has confirmed. Attractive relatively large OC. M34 next, a lovely open cluster in Perseus - again at 40x power. Located finding the approximate mid point between Algol and Almach, a relatively straightforward find revealing an attractive scattering of stars. Then on to the planetary main course… Jupiter - a fantastic site and a welcome one after the DSO challenges! The GRS view much earlier in the evening would have been a treat but I was still rewarded with pristine sharp views of the planet at around 100x - seeing conditions were good and the disc was mostly steady, helping to reveal a range of subtle hues in the belts and zones. The clarity and contrast in the colours showing through were up there with the best I’ve seen. The four Galilean moons were well positioned - Io through to Callisto flowing to the NE of the disc. Hot tea break before heading back outside to view planet of the moment- Mars. Mars was an absolute delight to behold! This was BY FAR the best view I’ve had - albedo features showing clearly, the dark surface markings contrasting clearly with the rusty red background. Studying the Mars Mapper and Profiler earlier showed that Syrtis Major would be well placed, and this feature popped into view sharply at the eyepiece - the colour and defined shape was almost textbook at around 150x power. I upped the power to 200x using an 8mm BST and Barlow combination and although still good, lost a little sharpness. I had been reading some of the recent research reports on Martian geological findings earlier in the day - such as the higher silica context found in certain regions, pointing to a more complex than purely basaltic crust (Iowa University) and I love the extra “depth” that is gained when observing and having this this recent knowledge front of mind. I’m aiming to try and capture Mars photographically this season to preserve the record, but for now, observationally it just keeps on improving. One of the best astro sessions I’ve had so far.

As an aside It’s interesting how these threads can stimulate thought processes and memories - setting up for a normal Monday morning and just checking in here your post there @ollypenrice took me straight back to reading Children of Prometheus. Thanks for that - I read that book during my PhD years - time flies and thinking moves on…

Good opportunity to observe Mars tonight - the forecasts were correct, clear enough to get some god observing in, a stark contrast to last nights dense fog. I had a brief, enjoyable session with my Heritage 150p Virtuoso GTi. Using a simple 2- star alignment and GOTO to speed things up I quickly swept up the usual suspects M81, M82, M31, M45. I revisited the attractive open cluster NGC 1664 (in Auriga) - it’s kite like form distinctive and as good as I recalled from my first visit here with my 8”. Also tried another recommendation from @paulastro - NGC 6871, a very nice open cluster in Cygnus. I’ll be returning here. Then a quick look at Jupiter which was appearing impressively sharp in my SvBony 7-21 zoom eyepiece before finishing on Mars. It was Mars that really stole the show for me tonight - the clearest view I’ve had by far with impressive albedo features showing more clearly than I’ve seen previously, sticking to 150x power using the zoom. Quite a contrast to last nights foggy trip to the caves looking at meteorite samples with the local astronomers! Tonight’s session rounded off a great weekend of Astronomy for me.

I certainly hope not, and thats not what was implied as it’s hopefully the expected standard given the subject area- there are not many places where debates in astro can meander in this way (clearly) but my comment was really in response to anothers suggesting indulgence or over thinking in this particular thread - surely that wouldn’t happen !

I suppose there aren’t many corners of the internet where this sort of intellectual indulgence can happen - it’s certainly been a welcome background distraction checking in periodically to see the developments as the day to day of kids, jobs and everything else goes on in parallel…although has become a bit serious on the intellectual sparring side at times. I wonder if the OP @goddasgirl2021 has been following? and more importantly is any closer to enlightenment on her original question, or more fundamentally slightly the wiser on the varying perspectives on this rather profound question. I am currently taking a class online, in Astronomy, it is on confronting the Big Question???. Our we alone in the universe?

The situation looks to be improving…

It can perhaps be a case of mixed feelings seeing others moon images as a newcomer to the hobby, as it can make you feel like you have too much too learn, but honestly on balance it hopefully will inspire. I have the Celestron NexYZ phone adapter which is great, and would recommend, but I think @Sunshine ‘s example of using nothing but the phone held to the eyepiece shows just what is possible here. I took this one of the “Buck Moon” in July this year using my iPhone simply held over the eyepiece in a 6” Newt. It didn’t win the SGL mobile phone imaging competition 😂, but have a look there to see what else is possible ! It will certainly inspire even more. You’ve made a great start already by the way - keep going!

19/11 Stump Cross Caverns (Yorkshire Dales) Dark Skies Event Something a bit different tonight - a Dark Skies event at nearby Stump Cross Caverns, combining astronomy with geology - another interest of mine. Astronomers Chris Higgins and Martin Whipp, from the Lime Tree Observatory gave a presentation overlooking the splendid North Yorkshire Dales (in December 2020, we were designated an International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association). Sadly no clear skies tonight though - quite the opposite with thick fog descending, but still (in the spirit of this thread) did see and get hands on with some interesting astronomy related objects. Notably a fascinating collection of meteorite fragments. The most interesting was undoubtedly a piece of the Allende meteorite, which broke up in the atmosphere at Chihuahua, Mexico near the village of Pueblito de Allende, in 1969. The main interest here is that inclusions in Allende (and other carbonaceous chondrites) are thought to be the earliest-formed solids in the solar nebula. The experts were keen to point out for example the c7 billion year old nanodiamonds within the material - these have been well studied and form a remarkable story. The evening concluded with an exploration of the cave system - which I’ve visited before, but this was the first time I’ve experienced it illuminated with a UV torch only, highlighting quite spectacularly the features in the limestone and calcite structures. So an interesting and unusual Saturday night despite the very unclear skies!

It’s a good debate, and of course if you subscribe to Popper’s philosophy of science a hypothesis can never be proven.

It’s a good way of putting it @Mandy D. This quote is emblazoned on a wall at our office which you’d appreciate as an engineer 😀 “Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that has never been” -Theodore von Karman

Excellent report @PeterC65, 150mm reflectors are very impressive instruments - you had a good night there!

Unexpectedly clear Friday night / early morning Saturday. Much better than the usual forecast apps were predicting - so a quick impromptu session with the Heritage 150p. Had it not been the end of a very busy week at work I’d have had a longer session exploring new targets, but tiredness kicking in I opted for simplicity - a nice view of M42, M45 and of course nearby Mars. Beautifully clear in the Southern sky but not so good in the North. Struggled to locate M81/82 this time as clouds became a problem in the Northerly direction, but good to be outside nonetheless!

Very true @Mr Spock and I think you must be quoting astrobiologist Dr Louisa Preston who said the same or similar I think earlier this month? Thanks for finally changing the title of this thread - I encouraged the OP to do that weeks ago!

It’s one of the key points I think. I’m sure many have watched the recent BBC programme First Contact - designed to be light entertainment but blending science fact (using interview and archive footage of astrobiologists, astronomers and others) with fiction. Touched on similar ideas - in particular the idea that any “alien“ interstellar debris may well be from long since extinct civilisations - thus we’d perhaps need to be more archaeologists than astrobiologists. It’s a fascinating area to ruminate on. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001ctnr/first-contact-an-alien-encounter

Looks like a neat job there, good work @That Bear Guy. It’s an interesting modification, and one I’m researching having been used to using Celestron’s StarSense technology. Without doing the drilling mod, how did it work relying on just one clutch tensioner? - obviously not well enough hence your DIY job, but interested to understand more. Was it hard to achieve balance with heavier eyepieces for example ? How did you find removal of the OTA from the Dob base with the Asterion kit fitted (minus your tensioner mod)? Haven’t come across many reviews of the system but sounds like it works well.

You’ll love using it - It’s a super eyepiece - excellent value for money and great performance. Don’t worry about comparisons to more expensive eyepieces - they are not relevant here. Just enjoy it. It’s probably my most used eyepiece for grab and go observing opportunities!

A little off topic but I read your comment here @900SL just shortly before seeing this article pop up in my Paper.li feed. There’s a link of sorts when considering the philosophical aspects of consciousness etc. but if too tangential feel free to ignore! https://www.iflscience.com/if-we-re-living-in-a-simulation-a-computer-scientist-has-a-plan-to-escape-66235

This one came through the feeds - may be of interest for newer SGL members or new members of your local societies? Looking to prioritise those who don’t have their own telescopes. https://www.exoclock.space/remote_observing “Here's a new citizen science project you might like to get involved in: ExoClock, observing exoplanet transits. You'd work with remote telescopes, supported by professional astronomers”.

Welcome to the Lounge - nice set up for the moon and planets - will look forward to seeing how you progress!