NGC 1502

Great buy for little money👍
 

What’s wrong with the focuser?   Up to you of course but a bit of fettling may sort it, strip and clean, small amounts of lubricant, reassemble and adjust, could be all it needs, worth a try.

Late to the party here but in response to the opening post-

I’m further south in Essex so that will help a bit with a slightly darker sky.  But for me it’s well worth observing from my back yard in a large town.  As mentioned there’s lots of worthwhile objects as long as I’m patient to wait until late evening. 2 nights ago I was out with my 10” Dob.  From 10.30pm BST lots of great double stars were seen.  Obviously if there had been any bright planets they would have been observed. By 11.30 lots of DSOs, similar to the opening post.

My final objects at around midnight was M13 and M92.  Almost overhead, and in the haze free transparent sky they were fabulous.  Globular clusters take high power well, I used 200/240/300x to good effect, a ball of pinpoint stsrs.

The message is get out there, no need for 6 layers, just a light woolly as the temperature dropped. And yes I did have a pair of jeans on too😁

The knurled brass wheel does not affect focus, that’s the tilt tuner that can sometimes enhance the view. My 12 year old Lunt 35 is the same.  Most of the time the tilt tuner can be left in the home position (not tilted). In your first pic it looks like it’s on maximum tilt, the gap can be seen.

I think it’s very likely that you only see a red disc because you haven’t achieved focus using the focus wheel at the eyepiece end.

Not sure what you mean by the “filter cap” could you clarify?   Or do you mean the dust cap at the front end of the scope? Of course the dust cap must be removed for observing.

Ed.

7 hours ago, Taraobservatory said:

Hello, 

 

Thanks for the information Need to look into this. Is it normal for people to travel to other countries for this ? 

Clear skies 

A local clubmate of mine once traveled from the UK to the Texas Star Party……and he was fortunate enough to get clear skies👍

I don’t think there’s a set of rules, so much depends on circumstances.

A few points to consider-

Safety must be a priority. Ideally a place as free from light pollution as possible, secure beyond a locked gate with land owners permission.  A bunch of like minded people aware of using as few lights as possible. Someone to organise and make the arrangements and give a go/no go according to forecasts.

The above and lots more.  It’s actually quite tough to find somewhere ideal.

All the best in your endeavours.

Just a suggestion-   If it were me I’d ask for help in one of the more specific sections that deals with equipment, rather than this general section.

Hope you sort it, Ed.

Just read with interest 👍

Looks like you have a nice work shop, former garage?   The floor looks remarkably clean, is it always as pristine as that?  Mine sure isn’t, usually a dog’s dinner after several jobs without a proper tidy….!!

Ed.

Indeed I understand balance problems. A top mate with a very nice Vixen 103ED has struggled with that issue.

And the 41 Pan is a heavy job, my own 35 Pan is heavy enough😳.     A while back I considered a 31 Nag going for a great price, resisted (just!!).

18 minutes ago, badhex said:

Realised I didn't post an update to my 2" case since getting the Lacerta 40mm ED. Considering that the space it occupies had a 2" diagonal in it for like ten years the foam has sprung back surprisingly well, although there's an OCD-inducing offset to the layout now! 

Just an enquiry as to why you have the Lacerta 40mm eyepiece when you also have the 41mm Panoptic?

One reason I can think of-  You could keep a nebula filter on one of them, it’s an avoidable way to reduce hassle in the dark, finding the filter, attaching it carefully without dropping or cross threads, then removing it afterwards.

Just wondering if that applies to yourself?

Good idea having adapters on the 1.25” eyepieces, saves fiddling around in the dark👍

Nice enthusiastic report a pleasure to read👍
 

My main scope is a 10” Dob, I also own an ED80 and TeleVue Pronto.  Before I owned the ED80, one year I deliberately just took the Pronto and a simple alt-az mount to Kelling star party in north Norfolk.

Somehow the freedom of simplicity ticked so many boxes I didn’t regret the decision. Had an absolute ball and was shocked at what I saw under a good sky.

The ED80 has a bit more aperture and better glass so delivers more.  It’s a bit clunky compared to the TV but if you can get yours under a good sky I’m quite certain it will deliver.

It’s the old “horses for courses” argument.  If you want to see globular clusters as a blizzard of stars or Stephan’s Quintet you need more aperture.  If you want to see a low power wide field view of NGC 7000, get a modest aperture short focus refractor plus nebula filter under a good sky and it will blow your proverbial socks off!!

Comparing different eyepieces, zoom or fixed focal length, is a complex evaluation to make definite conclusions.

Factors include-  type of telescope used, long or short focal length, well corrected or otherwise, atmospheric conditions, the users eyesight, if the tester wears glasses, whether you’re tired or not…..etc.

The NP101 from TeleVue is a superbly corrected instrument so unlikely to be a problem, assuming good condition.  The fact that TeleVue have long discontinued the TV 8-24 zoom (Vixen made) and currently only have the wonderful 3-6 zoom  tells us something, they think that in general fixed focal length delivers best performance.

Having said that the obvious convenience of a zoom leads many observers to be happy using one, any deficiencies acceptable.

If it works for you, that’s what really matters 😊

The start of a great thread👍
 

The above says it all.  Dobs are almost always a project scope.  That’s absolutely not to put them down, for me it’s all part of the fun, the tweaks and mods that make a good scope into a great scope.

Collimation springs- when choosing new ones if you can compress them with your fingers they’re too weak.  Big Dobs have used car engine valve springs for that purpose.  Probably ones from a small car or motorbike engine would be good.

If the mount is made from compressed particle board the raw edges can be sealed with a couple of coats of PVA (wood glue) allowed to dry before assembly.  Stops water ingress on those cold damp nights.

18 minutes ago, davidc135 said:

But I wonder what the diffraction effects of this beam is?  David

Not ideal, ok for the faint stuff, not good for bright planets.  But if you’re into DIY easy fix compared to mirror making😊

On the other hand, that thick bar tends to hold collimation well👍

25 minutes ago, RobertI said:

Nice report. 👍 Zeta Hercules can be very tricky. I had a look on Wednesday evening with my 102ED when the seeing was amazingly good. The best I could manage was a clear and unmistakeable brightening of the first diffraction ring in the right place - it almost looked like a separate companion, but not quite - it took a power of 320x to get this!! I looked back on my previous reports and found that, with my 6” F8, I had to go to a ridiculous 500x before the companion was clearly defined from the diffraction ring - I suspect the seeing was not so good then. So well done on your split with your lovely David Hinds optics. 🙂

I love the way refractors show double stars.  A nicely defined Airy disc with diffraction ring(s).  Just beautiful 👍

My ED80 does that, but your ED102 will be better!

Airy -  Sir George Biddell Airy

I’ve not used my old 6” Dob for a while, so with a clear sky forecast I set it up in the garden.   I bought the 6” f6 David Hinds mirror set in 1994.  It was built into a Dob and saw good use.  It’s seen use in many places, my club’s dark site and also public events, Wales, north Norfolk, but mostly in my back yard.  The mirror is superb, David Hinds was a true craftsman.

Back to tonight.  I started observing at 11.00pm BST.  First up, our old friend Epsilon Lyrae, beautifully resolved into 4 components at 150x, but cranking up the power it got even better, just fabulous.  I looked towards the west to see a cloud bank ominously approaching……maybe time to grab one more.  I recalled my 10” Dob would split tight double Zeta Herc, brightest star in the Hercules keystone.  So hoping for success I tried the 6”.  At 200x I suspected a split.  I’ve always found that doubles take high power so much better than other types of object.  So I tried 300x.  That’s very high power for a 6” but I was rewarded with a definite split that came and went with the variable seeing.

As the dratted cloud bank reduced the clear sky, the only bit left was Cygnus, so I spent a few minutes there with familiar objects.  Then the sky was gone so packed up 

Sadly a truncated session, but what I did see was great, especially Zeta Herc.

Ed.

On 31/05/2022 at 21:03, Earl said:

bought them that way

 

Erm…..sorry to rain on your parade…..but…..this is supposed to be a DIY section😡😡therefore you will need to make those round bits yourself, the bits that you UNASHAMEDLY AND DELIBERATELY bought ready made. Best thing, post them to me (free of charge) so I can use them for a DIY project of my own, is that ok😁

19 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

It’s getting a lot of use, the wife uses it as a foot rest 😱🤣

Well at least she’s not using YOU as a footrest……😁

17 hours ago, NGC 1502 said:

Hi Joe, give me 24 hours, I’ll dig around and see what I can find, and get back to you…..

Hi again Joe.  Here’s what I found, don’t know if it’s of any use but here goes.

My Vixen catalogue is not dated, but looking at the list of camera adapters, best guess early 1990s, front cover below. Included is a page with Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes, pic below. Eyepieces page, pic below.

Also the front page of “Frank’s book of the telescope” plus inside another pic, is that Charles Frank himself, anyone on here know?

If you’d like further pics from the Vixen/Celestron catalogue or the Charles Frank book, just ask.

Unashamed “nostalgia trip” 😁

Cheers, Ed.

15 hours ago, badhex said:What year is your catalogue? Maybe I can find a PDF version of that and work from there. 

Hi Joe, give me 24 hours, I’ll dig around and see what I can find, and get back to you…..

I’ve no specific info on that exact eyepiece, but as you’ve had no other replies….

In decades past, Vixen and Celestron were closely involved in manufacturing astronomy kit.  Some otherwise identical refractors were made, the only difference was the paint job and badge.  I have an old Vixen catalogue that includes Celestron kit.

The “Japan” and “double circle v” is the same as on my early model Vixen 22mm LVW eyepiece.

Some of those old 0.96” eyepieces were excellent.

You’ve already done some research.  Have you tried Cloudy Nights, the US based forum?  There’s sections on there that deal with vintage/classic astronomy kit.  You could sign up to CN, and post questions.

Your Charles Frank scope is a classic, solidly made. Charles Frank of Glasgow was very well known and respected in the astronomy world.  Enjoy your classic kit👍

Ed.

Update to opening post.  Didn’t think I’d get another chance so soon, last session I tried but failed to find M14.  This time I made a determined effort.  Using my 10” at 44x with a 1.5 degree field I swept the whole area.  On the third sweep a hazy spot slid into view….Messier 14.    At higher power it didn’t resolve into stars, stubbornly it remained a hazy spot, looking much like a galaxy.  But no bright galaxy is shown on my charts at that location, so globular cluster M14 it is.

I expect a larger aperture plus better skies is needed to resolve it into stars. But nice to at least observe it once more.

Ed.

1 hour ago, Ali87 said:

So see some reviews and stuff can you actually see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's weather bands with this spotting scope

Welcome to SGL👍
 

It depends what you mean by “can you actually see Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s weather bands”.  At very low power you can “see them” but how well you can see them is a different question.

A spotting scope used for astronomy will be a compromise.  This could work for a “one scope does it all” solution, depending on your needs.

Best to tread carefully, do lots of research.  Perhaps you may be better off with a 2 scope solution, one dedicated to astronomy, the other a daytime spotter.

Only you can decide what’s best for your needs.  It’s quite tough to make decisions for others.

All the best in your choice, Ed.

12 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

My favourite objects. It's that time of year for globulars and I'm looking forward to getting the 12" on them.

When you can many of us I’m sure would like a report on the StellaLyra 12”👍

On Friday night just gone, the skies cleared late evening.  With the moon not up until the small hours it was a good opportunity to grab some deep sky before June skies mean that it does not get fully dark at my latitude.

With my 10” Dob set up in the garden at 23.00 BST the sky looked ok even though full astronomical darkness was still an hour away.  I’d not viewed M10 / M12 for ages, took a few moments to find M10.  At 44x it was obviously a globular cluster, a hazy patch with a sprinkling of stars apparent. Some much more obvious stars around the periphery, guessing those are foreground stars.  Best view was 150x.  A short star hop to M12, at 44x obviously brighter than M10, no obvious foreground stars as with M10, best view, again 150x. Decided to wait until M14 was a bit higher later on.

M3 followed, apparently so much brighter at 44x, best view was 240x. GCs always seem to look better with the power pumped up👍
Could not resist M13/92.  After their dimmer cousins they both looked great.  M13 a very obvious ball of stars with those streams of stars radiating out, a digression was galaxy NGC 6207 just half degree away, a dim hazy spot borderline averted/direct vision.

Failed to find M14, maybe next time, didn’t try for GC M56 as I was keen to try my new-to-me Lumicon 2” UHC, that’s another story, a comparison with my Ultrablock.  But M27 sure looked great…….

Thoroughly enjoyed my globular cluster fest!!