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NGC 1502

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  1. Nice report, thanks for sharing. My Vixen 80 f11.4 won’t split Tegmine as a triple, just a double, even in good seeing. The extra 22mm your 102 has would be most welcome. But my 80 will show Beta Mon as a triple, one of my favourites.
  2. Good advice from scarp15. I use a low power wide field eyepiece to find objects first. If that eyepiece shows a 1.5 to 2 degree true field then that greatly increases your chances. Using Telrad, Rigel Quikfinder or RDF, point the scope as best you can then take a look, pan around a bit. Some use an optical finder as well as RDF. The optical finder will give several degrees true field. That gives an even better chance of success. With the Auriga clusters I find them that way. Having found them I increase the power to 100x or so, that darkens the sky background and gives a great view, even from light polluted towns. Good luck with your next sessions 👍
  3. I live in Southend Essex and it’s not nearly as bad as you may think. One excellent night, with averted vision, I think I saw the full moon. 😁
  4. Prepare for a shock when the bill arrives 😳
  5. Our sponsors First Light Optics have plastic caps for 1.25” and 2” eyepiece nosecaps, the chrome barrel that fits into the focuser. On their website search for “plastic nosecaps”. Finding caps for the other end will be much more tricky, there’s no industry standard for those. An alternative could be plastic bolt cases, two ends that screw together to protect the eyepiece. Or you could use those small plastic bags with a sealable top.
  6. Pic required to add to your poetry attempt😊 Looks like the Poet Laureate will be out of a job soon😁
  7. Late post….. I have a Vixen GP, I can confirm that plastic disc is glued in place. The one on the other side is too, that one has the altitude scale for adjusting to where you are, so if that one needs reattaching, you need to be careful to fix it precisely.
  8. Hi and a warm welcome to SGL👍 As mentioned an 8” Dob is a great starting point, but also could easily be a lifetime’s scope without need to upgrade, apart from the eyepieces. And these days there’s many not so expensive eyepieces that are fabulous value for money compared to years ago. Although the best deep sky observing is out of town away from light pollution there’s many deep sky objects available from town. Double and multiple stars can be well observed and the whole sky is stuffed with them at all seasons. Many open and globular clusters, planetary nebulae well within the capability of an 8” Dob. And please don’t neglect the fainter objects like galaxies, just don’t expect anything but a smudge of light…..but what a truly fabulous smudge when you consider the distance and time involved! To make the best of a light polluted sky if you can find a place in your backyard that’s free of direct lighting that’s good. Are there any astronomy clubs near you? There’s much to be gained by joining one. All the astronomy clubs I’ve met have been welcoming and happy to help. It’s very likely they will know the best places out of town to better observe the fainter deep sky objects. All the best with your astronomy journey the biggest hobby there is! Cheers from Ed in the UK👍
  9. A warm welcome to the Dob club, they are the simplest way to get into observing the night sky. As for eyepieces, these days so many choices. Depends on your budget but for medium to high power the 12/8/5mm BST Starguiders can’t be beaten for value for money. BTW, don’t get rid of the Astroscan, I love mine to bits for a quick look at what’s up😊
  10. The above sketches should be pinned for all to see…. Fabulous, inspiring, congratulations…… Ed.
  11. Tough question to adequately answer….but I’ll try……. For me visual observing is king. I’ve been doing that since buying my first scope in 1979, a used 4.5” reflector on an EQ mount. Back then manually finding objects was the only way it was done. Therefore it’s long been second nature and most of the popular targets and many more obscure ones are easy to find if you’ve been doing that for decades. I realise that imaging gives many folk a buzz, but not for me. If I want an image I just do an online search and there it is. For me an image is second hand, even if it shows much more than visual. I’m afraid I don’t agree with those that say not many objects are visually inspiring, just the opposite for me. Nowadays almost all my observing is from my back garden in a large town. The convenience of setting up at a moment’s notice trumps the frustration of second guessing cloud cover and traveling. Been there done that so many frustrating times to find the wonderful forecast of clear skies did not happen. My nighttime scopes vary from my 70mm TV Pronto to my 10” Dob. The 10” is an old OO UK that’s been much modified over the years. Its got excellent optics that hold collimation very well, is easily set up in a jiffy, no hassle just great views. Back in 2012 I deliberately just used my 70mm Pronto for a whole year to see how much a modest aperture would reveal from a town back yard. I sketched everything I saw and have the results compiled in a folder. It’s a thick folder full of visual delights, including Barnard’s Star that I first found many years earlier in a much larger scope. From my back yard I observe all types of object whatever is there. Solar system planets, the moon, comets, asteroids. Deep-sky, galaxies, open and globular clusters, double/multiple stars, planetary nebulae……. All inspire me to observe the fabulous magnificence of the universe I am privileged to be part of…. We are “starstuff” with the comprehension to understand our place. Did I mention I love my observing? 😁
  12. Polar alignment accuracy requirement depends on whether or not you want to image. For visual observing just set your latitude on the mount and point the polar axis south. That will be fine for visual. If you want to image much greater accuracy is needed, I’ll leave that to others to explain. Enjoy your NZ skies 😊
  13. I think the reply from malc-c is worth taking note of. Perhaps the suggestion of a scooter alarm might help. If the alarm sounds when your kit is moved the villains might clear off.
  14. There used to be the “Astronomy Resource Centre” at a nursery on Main Road Hawkwell run by Roy Dean. Don’t know if it still operates as a club. (It’s not far from Clements Sports Centre)
  15. No worries. Several clubs in Essex but an unbiased opinion is that Castle Point AC is clearly the BEST😁
  16. Welcome to SGL👍 If you’re interested in joining a club you have several choices in Essex. Your nearest 2 are the N.Essex Society or my own club near Rayleigh- Castle Point AC.
  17. Your best bet is to move much closer to the book😁 Perhaps a more useful answer- The best definition at the lowest price will be given by a Newtonian reflector. A 6” or 8” Dobsonian reflector is stunningly good value. If it’s to be your only scope then it’s worth paying the extra for the 8”.
  18. Thanks for this, indeed great value compared with what was available many years ago. It’s easy to overlook what a small scope can do especially if the user is determined. (Deliberate repeat- if the user is determined!). My main scope is a 10” Dob. And yet my 105mm f4.2 Edmund Astroscan is a very useful little scope. With my 22mm Vixen LVW it gives a nice 3 degree view at 20x. Even from my light polluted back yard it’s a delight to scan the skies. Areas of the sky that reveal nothing to the unaided eye come alive with star filled views. Many brighter Messiers can be seen, wide double stars, a few galaxies, one or two planetary nebulae…… And with my 6mm Vixen LV at 74x Jupiter with the main cloud belts and 4 moons, a tiny Saturn, the globe with faint cloud bands, the ring system resolved from the globe and the shadow of the globe on the rings just discernible…and Titan too… Either of those 2 scopes from FLO could provide years of fun, such great value. Thanks to Steve for posting 👍
  19. Enjoyed your report👍 Whilst viewing M103 there’s a curious open cluster a very short star hop away. This object is Trumpler 1. Visually it’s tiny and appears as a line of faint stars. It’s recognisable at low power but looks better at medium and even high power 150-200x. Definitely worth checking out😊
  20. I just love Sheringham. I am not envious. I am VERY envious😊
  21. I used to attend Kelling star party, between Holt and Sheringham. One of my most memorable nights was viewing through a clubmates TeleVue NP101 with a 31mm Nagler. Under the dark transparent sky I was blown away by the views. I could hardly believe the fabulous view was given by a premium 4 inch scope. So with your Tak FC-100 I would get a very low power wide field eyepiece. I’d also want a good nebula filter. A top refractor is very versatile, very low power wide field, to high power planetary and double stars. Enjoy your excellent scope under those excellent skies that Norfolk can offer👍 Ed.
  22. I use Vixen/Synta dovetails myself. I’ve never been entirely happy with them, but not had the misfortune to have a disaster. It’s not difficult to fit a stop bolt protruding from the dovetail immediately above where it clamps onto the mount. Whilst not a complete solution it does add a bit of extra security to stop the dovetail sliding out. I’ve seen 12” Newtonians just held by a basic dovetail, it works but is a big ask.
  23. At first I misread the title- “INSULTING A DOBSONIAN” It felt personal 😡😡 then I reread it and calmed down😊😊
  24. Whatever binoculars are used they will gather much more light than unaided eyes. I fully agree with the idea of using binoculars with a smaller aperture than is traditionally recommended. Smaller binoculars are far less tiring to use, can often have a wider field of view. It’s a bit like telescopes- a smaller telescope is often much more convenient than a larger one and therefore is more likely to be used. It will show you more than a larger scope because its used more often. That’s definitely not putting down larger binoculars or scopes. When you do drag out the big guns the views are very rewarding. I can recall several sessions when viewing through a clubmates 20” Dob at Kelling Heath star party. An especial highlight was MI3. The view was fabulous, totally mesmerising, fondly recalled. But my 10” Dob from home “shows me more” because I can use it on any clear night. Ed.
  25. When the door jammed on the EQ mount could it have been shifted away from polar alignment? It wouldn’t take much to cause tracking errors. You’ve said the mount was clicking. Is it possible that cogs have been moved out of line? Can they be adjusted? Hoping you sort it.
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