PeterStudz

Moon Last Night on the 7/07/22. After having a BBQ the moon, looking good, was too hard to resist even thought it was low in the sky. Had some fun scanning up and down the terminator. Before packing up I tried for some snaps. 10:15pm - the moon looked to be around 20deg and at this magnification, x200, my small Newtonian was at its very limit. Skywatcher Skyhawk 1145p, iPhone 12, cheap no-name smartphone holder, BST StarGuider 5mm plus x2 Ostara Barlow. Single snap using stock camera app, rotated, cropped with some basic editing using the camera app.

Had a very quick session between 10 and 11am this morning. Earlier would have been better I’m sure. Seeing wasn’t bad (certainly better than recently) but there was quite a bit of rising heat haze from my urban location. There are some nice sunspots at the moment and visually I could make out some good detail. The snaps don’t do it justice although the larger region 3053 stood out well. Skywatcher Skyhawk 1145p, Baader solar film filter, BST StarGuider 5mm, no-name smartphone holder, iPhone 12, single snap with stock camera app, basic editing with camera app/Camera +.

After having a BBQ the moon, looking good, was too hard to resist even thought it was low in the sky. So, I quickly did a grab-and-go and got our small telescope out so that me and my daughter could have a look before she went to bed. Had some fun scanning up and down the terminator. Before packing up I tried for some snaps. The one along the terminator actually turned out OK especially considering that by this time - 10:15pm - the moon looked to be around 20deg and at this magnification, x200, the telescope was at its very limit. Skywatcher Skyhawk 1145p, iPhone 12, cheap no-name smartphone holder, BST StarGuider 5mm plus x2 Ostara Barlow. Single snap using stock camera app, rotated, cropped with some basic editing using the camera app.

Hi Stu, although I didn’t get it for this task my Skyhawk was mounted on your tripod. It required a little DIY “skills” (don’t worry, the tripod is unharmed) but it’s now like a rock! And light enough to easily carry the whole thing outside. I might post something in the DIY section. It might be useful for someone.

I was observing the sun this morning. Apart from the rising heat haze from my urban environment seeing has definitely improved. There are some stunning sunspots at the moment and I could get good details even though I was using a small and basic Skywstcher Skyhawk 1145p. Hopefully this weekend will be an improvement on the gas giants too.

Looking at the specs they do seem to be made by Astronomik. But I guess that doesn’t mean that they are exactly the same. Mind, if I’m going to spend £89 I’m not going to notice another £10 😀

Thanks for the suggestions. Although I have a list of once in a lifetime astronomy purchases I’m a little strapped for cash at the moment! But I’ll definitely add it to the list. I do have an LP filter but it doesn’t help much, if at all with LP. However, strangely it does help for solar. Turns the sun a shade of blue but it definitely improves contrast, brings out the granulation and sunspot details. I guess that could just be because it’s deceasing brightness but the improvement is obvious.

I have a cheap Svbony UHC filter. Despite what some say I’ve been surprised by this especially on the Dumbbell. Even on my little 4.5 inch reflector (I didn’t expect it to work on this at all) it transforms the Dumbbell from an Ill defined smudge that’s barely visible to something with structure. Obviously better in my 200p. The Ring is also improved especially in the 200p. With this filter plus 200p on the Ring my daughter described it as “bright”. If you could recommend something better I would be interested.

I wish that I could see the Milky Way from my garden even with astro darkness! Mind, about 10 days ago, whilst testing out yet another DIY addition, I was surprised how well the ring and dumbbell nebula stood out. Probably helped by being high in the sky and (for my location) the “dark” area of my sky.

M13, that is actually very good for a smartphone snap! Please can you also post it in the “Imaging - Smartphone/Tablet” section of the forum. Right, I’m going to start on making one. I already have the motor from my old EQ1 which I’m not using now anyway.

Southampton. Skywatcher Skyliner 200p Dob. Morning of 5/07/22. I started observing at about 3am. Saturn first as it was in a good position. Seeing was OK but I’d hoped for better. Certainly not as good as June 15th. I could just make out the Cassini division and some subtle banding on the planet. Plus a couple of moons. Spent some time observing, seeing improved a little. Jupiter - could easily make out banding with the GRS just visible although disappearing towards the limb. Galilean moons strung out in a line. Then, at about 4:20am I noticed a shadow transit - Europa - which was unexpected and a nice surprise. Looked like a hole had been punched into the planet. Sunrise was rapidly approaching and Mars just clearing the trees. First look at Mars was disappointing as it was really just a small tiny blob with little detail. However, as sunrise approached seeing improved. I could make out the southern polar ice cap but it seemed smaller than when I saw it on June 15th. Certainly less pronounced. And there was some darker markings near the middle. After sunrise I went back and forth between Mars and Jupiter. Even at 5pm the shadow of Europa was well defined. With some sunlight the view of Mars seemed to improve a little. To end the morning I took a look at Venus which was very low and just approaching those annoying trees. Not much more than a blob with a slight phase but definitely worth a look. Finally packed up at about 5:30am. Still, quite a good morning and four planets observed. Worth getting up for. PS - almost forgot. I got a very good view and pass of the ISS too!

I learnt this method by trial and error. I’ve said it before but I wish I’d known/been told about it earlier. I last collimated my Skywatcher Skyliner Dob in April. And all that has is rubber washers - no springs at all. I use this telescope very regularly and I haven’t needed to fiddle with the primary adjustments since then. Mind, I just take it in/out to my garden. Travelling by car might then mean it needs attention.

I’ve used craft foam for various telescope DIY applications. If you don’t want to use glue then double-sided sticky tape sticks it well. You can also use Gorilla Double-Sided Mounting Tape (as has been suggested which in itself is thick and rubbery.

You could also have a look here (although it says it’s down for maintenance): https://nipon-scope.com/index.php?main_page=down_for_maintenance And here: https://mocap.co.uk/cat-caps-friction.html

It reminds me of something that happened at about this time last year. I can’t remember if the jetstream was about but I’d been looking at Jupiter & Saturn with my daughter. The views weren’t great and my daughter had gone to bed. At that time my DIY Dob base was only part done, still bare wood, and I decided to use the time to fiddle with any stiction, try to improve the movement at high magnification. So I upped the magnification to x300 and looked at Jupiter. The GRS was there but not surprisingly the whole planet was a blurry mess. Suddenly, as I was nudging the Dob, Jupiter snapped into view. Then went to a blur again. It did this many times for a period of about 10-12mins, each clear view lasting 2-3 seconds. But in those brief periods I could make out swirls and details around the GRS. It’s was the best view I got of Jupiter all last year. If I hadn’t upped the magnification, or gone in for a coffee etc I would have missed/not noticed the whole thing. After that period I continued viewing until the sun came up hoping I’d see similar again. But I didn’t, just the blurred views I was getting before.

I do enjoy observing the sun in white light. Sunspot activity is on the up so you should get some good views soon. The Velcro safety strap is a good idea. I’ve never been comfortable with relying a few bolts & friction alone.

I thought of getting up early for visual but the threat of clouds and the jetstream being right overhead and at full bore made me decide to stay in bed. However, I know that it’s good to get the practice in and a night out is rarely a waste. I’ve never tried taking “proper” shots of the planets or the ISS (haven’t got the gear) but if I’d taken those I’d be well pleased. Out of interest. The forecast is for the jetstream to get well out of the way in about a week (maybe less), so hopefully an improvement soon.

How do you know it’s not reliable? There could well be strong-ish high level winds that aren’t the jet. I also think that there’s more to good/bad seeing than just the jet. The atmosphere is rather complex to say the least. It’s also a forecast and by definition it’s a “prediction or estimate”. So of course it could be wrong. That’s one reason we go out and have a look when we get a clear night.

Looking at the weather forecast I initially thought that Friday night/Saturday morning might be good for observing the gas giants. But the Jet-Stream forecast says a big fat no!

I work outside and often have very grubby hands. But when I cleaned my mirror I used the finger method. However, I started cleaning my hands and fingers the day before. I also took the opportunity to have a long bath & clean my hands until they were wrinkly. Then washed them well the next day before I started on the mirror. My hands have never been so baby soft 😀 Although I didn’t spend too long on the actual cleaning (fist time I’ve tried) I didn’t have any issues.

I’ve never owned a PC. The last computer I had was a Mac too! If/when I get another it’ll probably be a Mac. One of the problems with DIY is the time it takes. You also need tools and if you don’t own those already it obviously costs money, but of course they can then be used for other projects.

These are great! Almost makes me want to buy a camera but I’d also need a PC as I went “PC free” a few years ago. So for the time being I’ll stick to visual with the occasional smartphone snap. Maybe an equatorial platform would be handy? I’m about to make one.

Although I’ve got a lot via the postman and some of my things I’ve got delivered for astronomy have been unusual (eg a hat box) this is my first post here. A steel EQ5 type tripod from @Stu1smartcookie. Hopefully I’ll now have reduced wobbles compared to the old aluminium affair which this will replace. Thanks again Stu!

I’m still very much a beginning but I think the advice on here has been good. And I’d agree that a 200p Dob is a great bit of kit that should last anyone many years. It’s also a great all-rounder and that’s import too. One bit of advice on “what you want to see” and/or “what can I expect to see”. I’d read all of these things before I started and I thought I’d be interested in DSO the most. My daughter was also very interested in getting a telescope (the main reason for me getting started) but she was young and didn’t really know what to expect. What I didn’t quite appreciate is that living in an urban environment with significant light pollution DSO are not the best targets. Most are best viewed when it’s truly dark and this is during winter. Now in winter it’s cold. Even as late as the beginning of May 2021 the telescope was coming back inside covered in ice. Moreover, getting a young child to sit outside, get their eyes use to the dark, when it’s below freezing isn’t easy nor fun, although I found ways to make it more fun for her. When Jupiter and Saturn came around in the summer it was obvious that Alice was more interested in the planets. Something I did not realise at the beginning. And with the planets there’s no need to get eyes use to the dark and being summer some nights were actually warm. I found that I liked just about everything - planets and DSO, but still have a soft spot for DSO. Then there’s the sun, simple viewing with a white light filter. To begin with I had zero interest in this. It wasn’t until I got a solar filter in order to view the partial eclipse (of course it was cloudy all day 🙁 and we saw nothing) that I found out that looking at sunspots was very interesting. And my daughter enjoyed it too. No need to get eyes use to the dark and it’s often actually warm. On occasions we’ve had a few of Alice’s friends over for a BBQ the kids have loved looking at sunspots. Of course the sun isn’t always spotty but that’s part of what makes it so interesting - every time is different. What I’m trying to say is that it’s very difficult to tell what you want to see/prefer looking at until you’ve spent time looking. That’s why getting a telescope that can do a bit of everything reasonably well is a good idea. And that’s without mentioning astrophotography - lots more money - of which I have no interest. Or maybe I do!

Thanks for asking. She had Monday & Tuesday off school but is fine now and back at school. Nice report too. I’ve really got to make the effort and go somewhere darker. I don’t actually need to go that far. Although will leave it until the nights get a little longer.