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NGC 1502

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NGC 1502 last won the day on October 25 2013

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  1. I’ve tried visually with my 10” Dob from a dark site, sadly without success. Having found Neptune’s tiny disc I upped the mag to 300x with a 4mm eyepiece but no joy. High power darkens the background sky to increase the contrast between the object and sky. In preparation it’s best to find out the position angle from Neptune on the date in question. Then make sure you’re aware how the orientation of the view according to scope type changes the view…. Maybe I’ll try again sometime. Ed.
  2. Yes I’ve been to several as I’m a Webb Society member. But you don’t have to be a member to attend, just turn up on the day. There’s usually a few trade stands and other displays. Most years there’s a tour of the various telescopes in the domes. The lecture theatre is everything such a place should be, steeply tiered seating giving unobstructed views of the screen and speaker. There’s usually food available and as with almost all astronomy events, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Thoroughly recommended for a great day out. Ed.
  3. Excellent review of Southend Planetarium, just 15 minutes walk from where I live. When you first enter the planetarium it seems disappointingly small. But when the lights go down and the stars “come out” all that changes and it seems so much larger. The current chair of Castle Point Astronomy club once worked there, as did several other members. It’s well worth a visit and it’s only 5 minutes walk from the Odeon multi screen cinema and the High Street. And about 20 minutes walk from Southend’s most famous landmark, the longest pleasure pier in the world. The pier has Adventure Island at the shore end. And no, I’m not getting paid for promoting where I live 😊 Ed.
  4. World Patents Pending. Imitators WILL be prosecuted😁
  5. Pictures added😊 Some explanations- Close up shows 1 of 3 Allen head screws to secure lens cell to tube. Removing all 3 allows lens cell to be removed. When replacing, the cell can be tipped in any direction for collimation. DIY dovetail has 2 pegs and a “dimple” to locate onto mount. “Dimple” allows securing screw to engage more positively. Therefore the dovetail only fits in one position but does so VERY securely. All eyepieces are a similar weight with the use of the TV bronze adapter shown with the 11t6 Nagler, so no balance issues. Safety line between diagonal and focuser. Pristine objective satisfies my OCD😊 Alt-Az mount is TeleOptics mini Giro on wooden surveyor’s tripod. Mount lives just inside my back door to south facing garden….. …….questions welcome……. Ed.
  6. TV 102……I have the S&T magazine review of that model…..sounds like a great traditional scope……enjoy😊
  7. Indeed, you won’t find Imperial allen keys in most High Street locations. But an online search or dedicated tool shop should bring success.
  8. My TeleVue Pronto objective was a bit grubby and in need of a clean. This included the rearmost lens surface, inaccessible without removing the lens cell. Some folk worry about removing a TV refractor lens cell but it’s really no problem. I don’t know if it matters, but I placed small stickers on the tube and adjacent lens cell to enable the cell to be replaced in the original orientation. All TV refractor lens cells are secured to the tube with 3 hex head screws filled with a semi-hard substance. It’s not difficult to clean out the hex heads to enable removal with an allen key. As I’d done this years ago, it was a 2 minute job to remove the screws and separate lens cell from the tube. Note- the lens cell complete with elements remain intact as a unit. My preferred lens cleaner is Lens Bright as supplied by Specsaver opticians. Used with a clean micro fibre cloth I’ve found it works better than any other lens cleaner I’ve used. This includes 99% pure IPA. Having used a bulb type puffer to remove any dust I carefully cleaned the rearmost and front optical surface. A couple of tries left pristine optical surfaces. I refitted the cell to tube with the 3 allen head screws. Before tightening, the cell can be adjusted for collimation. However I have previously found that if I pull the cell back onto the tube, then tighten the screws, collimation is spot on. Presumably that’s because everything was accurately and squarely constructed. So, a 2 minute job to replace the cell. Last evening was unexpectedly clear at my location, so I set up the Pronto at dusk. First up was Jupiter as darkness fell. Nice and crisp at up to 120x, although 96x was even crisper. 150x and above was too much as I’ve always found with the Pronto. My test object for collimation was Zeta Orionis- Alnitak, the easternmost belt star. At 120x split suspected, 150x split confirmed. I tried my 2.5mm Vixen LV for 192x. In the not great seeing split definitely observed in steady moments. I’d estimate the secondary star was seen about 30% of the time in steady moments, but a blur most of the time. Castor. Using 150x, Castor A & B were 2 hard Airy disks with perfectly concentric first diffraction rings, beautiful sight😊 Now, I fully realise that my objective cleaning hardly improved the view. But it did satisfy my OCD with a pristine objective lens! Ed. Note- All allen heads on my Pronto accept Imperial allen keys. I don’t know if that applies to all TV refractors.
  9. Yes that’s an ideal test object for scope comparison. I have an 80mm f11.4 Vixen achromat, it will split Tegmine as a double but the third component eludes it. It will be interesting to hear if the extra aperture is successful😊 Let us know what you see!
  10. Wishing you all the very best with the Vixen. My only comment is to be cautious about selling the Tal. It will take several sessions with the Vixen to fully evaluate. Best is if you can use both scopes at each session on a variety of objects. But it’s a great “problem” to have😊 Ed.
  11. Whilst I value the Sky at Night program and the excellent presenters, for me it’s nowhere as good as when Patrick Moore was around. Call me a dinosaur if you wish I have a fine armour of protective scales😁
  12. I’ve been using my smallest scope recently, my TeleVue Pronto. That’s because it’s not seen much starlight recently and it sets up in a jiffy just like its name suggests. Double stars are one of my favourite objects. The whole sky is stuffed with them at all seasons. They show up well in our light polluted skies and when there’s a full moon around as last night. Started off with one of my favourite triples, Beta Mon, east of Orion’s Belt. Suspected double at 18x…..at 44x double confirmed, triple suspected……at 80x and up triple confirmed a lovely sight. On to Alnitak, easternmost star in Orion’s Belt. My ED80 splits the A/B components if the seeing is half decent. But for some reason I’ve never tried it with the Pronto until last night. I got a suspected split at I20x. Put in my 2.5mm Vixen LV for 192x. I was delighted when the split was confirmed 😊 Unlike some I’m fortunate not to be hampered by eye floaters at tiny exit pupil sizes. I was out with the Pronto the previous night too, that’s 2 clear nights in succession, not had that for a very long time! Ed.
  13. Indood I Dee, oops I meant Indeed I do😊
  14. Definitely agree, this is very often overlooked.
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