NGC 1502

On 02/03/2023 at 10:09, Samop said:

 

Now waiting for my copy of Turn Left at Orion.. hopefully, between the two I'll have enough to start me off.

Not heard of that first book….sounds good, enjoy.

”Turn Left” as it’s often abbreviated to is just brilliant. Expanded over the many years of production and deserving of a place on any astronomer’s bookshelf.

Please don’t think of Turn Left as only for beginners, even years down the line it remains useful.

Welcome to SGL from another Essex member.

Lots of folk here to help👍

It’s a mystery to me why an Orion UltraBlock should not be excellent.  The one I had for years gave wonderful views when used on the right object.  This was even with very modest apertures like my 70mm TV Pronto, although that was under an excellent sky at Kelling Heath in Norfolk.

The only issue I had with the UltraBlock was thread compatibility.

I replaced it when a friend was selling off equipment and I bought his Lumicon UHC.  Direct comparison did show the Lumicon was marginally better, depending on the object in view. And zero compatibility issues, it fits any eyepiece or accessory I’ve tried it on.

2 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Vixen also made a 30mm Version of the LV line, and if you can find one (they are quite old now), I think that would be a better choice than this one.

 

Hi Dave, it was me that bought your original version Vixen LV 30mm from you.  For those not familiar with that one, it has a 60 degree apparent field and 20mm ER.  In use the 60degree field looks much larger than expected and the ultra easy eye placement a delight. In my 10” f4.8 Dob the off axis aberrations are surprisingly well controlled.

It’s become one of my low power favourites, rivalling my 27mm Panoptic.  The Pan is a bit  better off axis but it’s a close run thing.

I’ve looked through a 30mm NLVW and was not impressed. Bit of a mystery that one, definitely not Vixen’s finest hour. All of Vixen’s LVW range are superb. My only LVW is the 22mm, and I regret selling the others.

I agree Dave, the original 30mm LV is a better choice than the much later 30mm NLVW.

Just one downside to the original 30LV (apart from being hard to find) it needs a lot of infocus travel.

Ed.

This will be SUPERBLY engineered.  I bought items from Phil Stone in the 90s. Top stuff😊

“Sharp to the edge” is valuable for the way myself and many others use their scope.  

For me, using non driven scopes, I use low power wide field to find the object.  Many faint open clusters would  be invisible near the edge of field in low quality eyepieces.  In a better eyepiece the object becomes visible near edge of field when searching. Having found my target I can centre it, then increase power for a better view. The same will apply for faint fuzzies.

Having found the object I could live with less good eyepieces for studying it. Thats because I can keep the object away from the edge.

Plus of course “sharp to the edge” is subjective. What for one person is ok, may not be for another. I’m fussy but try not to be over fussy.  “Fussy” and “Over fussy”…..two more subjective descriptions😊

From Southend Essex there’s one train per hour into Liverpool Street, TFL is said to be unaffected so giving it a go.

Hopefully there’s return trains too😳

What you describe is normal, no cause for concern.

Finders, including red dot, Telrad, Rigel, regular optical types are not always in a convenient position. Some fit extra finders or reposition existing ones.

Or learn to live with the issues.

Ed.

Edit- BTW, welcome to SGL👍

5 hours ago, gamermole said:

Do you have a link to the dobsonian you mentioned?

If you click on First Light Optics at the top of this page, then on telescopes you will have 3 options for an 8” Dob. These are from- Stellalyra, Ursa Major, and Skywatcher.  They are all the same optically- 8” or 203mm primary mirror with 1200mm focal length. The differences are in the accessories included, like eyepieces and finders, and the colour.

Happy to help further, I’ll check back this evening.

Ed.

It’s always tough giving advice.  The scope you mention is no doubt useful and in general wouldn’t be a mistake. When properly set up it will find objects for you and the tracking will keep it in view. So if that’s what you want, then read up about it all you can, consider things then perhaps go ahead.

Having said that there are alternatives that will give a better view. The popular and much recommended 8” Dobsonian is a very capable scope that can give a lifetimes use. The downside is of course you have to learn the sky, find stuff yourself and hand track to keep it in view. For many of us on SGL it’s second nature, poses no problems and is what we love.

There’s no way anyone can make your mind up for you, only you can do that.

All the best in your decision.

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.

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 👍

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.

😁

Prepare for a shock when the bill arrives 😳

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.

16 hours ago, Philip R said:

Three TeleVue Plossl's
Two TeleVue Radian's
Two TeleVue Nagler's
and a TeleVue Nagler zoom!

😅😂

Pic required to add to your poetry attempt😊

Looks like the Poet Laureate will be out of a job soon😁

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.

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👍
 

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😊

The above sketches should be pinned for all to see….

Fabulous, inspiring, congratulations……

Ed.

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? 😁

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 😊

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.

12 hours ago, Andy ES said:

Obviously! 😂😁

just out of interest, on the way to Benfleet, near Clements hall sport centre, I think there is a great square of conifers that have been planted on the bend in the road as a light pollution screen for an astronomy club, not sure if it is still used by a club??

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)

3 minutes ago, Andy ES said:

Welcome, this is a great place to learn👍

Also  thanks for posting the Essex AC choices above👍

No worries. Several clubs in Essex but an unbiased opinion is that Castle Point AC is clearly the BEST😁