CKP_82

12 hours ago, wulfrun said:

Luckily my vision remains excellent, so far - especially night vision. I can easily make out Kochab and Pherkad too. On a good night, maybe a couple in the handle but not often. I can still see Alcor and Mizar and just make out Epsilon Lyra as a double, naked-eye (as 2 not 4!)

One saving grace is that we're on the edge of the West Midlands conurbation so we don't have to traipse halfway across it to darker skies. Pretty much anywhere west-ish brings improvements!

I can make out mizar but not epsilon lyra. Driving half way to bridgenorth (20 minutes) is like having dark skies compared to my back garden!

2 hours ago, wulfrun said:

Yes, the name's a bit of a giveaway eh. I'm pretty close to the racecourse, makes the light pollution even worse when the floodlights are on. I'd imagine Bilston would be marginally worse than here but not much to choose.

Its not the best is it. I can only make out polaris in the little dipper, my eyes probably don't help.

It's amazing how zooming in on a couple of stars that just look like 2 stars can actually look like something totally different! I liked the coathanger but this one is my new favourite.

@wulfrun with a name like that I could tell you were from Wolverhampton. What part you from? I'm in Bilston myself.

I found it!

I fluked it but I found it. It looks nothing like an owl but sure does look like E.T.

Once I got Ruchbah in the 25mm eyepiece I was pushing down and to the left thinking that was where I needed to be when really all I needed to do was just pull it to the left. I couldn't see anything that resembled ET but could see 2 bright stars close together. I centred them and put in the 8mm and there he was looking straight back at me!

5 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I came across it purely by accident when scanning that area with a 16mm eyepiece in my heritage 150 ( 47x magnification) , so you should be able to see it in the 130, it might be that the orientation or scale hampered you in recognising it ...

I am sure other versions of stellarium can do this, as can other programs and apps, but I am only familiar with the downloaded version of stellarium, so this is how I use that to help find/recognise such things when the dob turns them around and confuses me

Stellarium has a 'plug in' called 'ocular view' . To find it, go  to the left hand menu, click 'configuration window' (the spanner icon) . A pop up menu offers a tab called 'plug ins' .click it, select 'oculars' from  the list, and 'load at startup' . Restart stellarium, and there should be a new bar, top right, for ocular view. On that bar, click the spanner icon, to access a menu where you set up  your telescope statistics and the way it flips the image, and the statistics of each of your eyepieces. Once that's done you can leave ocular view, select your target on the main screen, click ocular view, and see a simulation of approximately how it will  look  through your specific setup, clicking through the eyepieces to see the different views.

It sounds complicated, but once you  set up ocular view it is saved, there, and ready to use any time you open stellarium.

Heather

 

Thanks, I will have to look into doing this on my laptop, it ain't the same on mobile 

Thanks for all the advice.

I do actually have turn left at orion. I totally forgot to look in there, it's all apps nowadays (stellarium).

I will have to remember the inverted compass points, I did actually rotate my phone 180 degrees!

What magnification would be best to find it and view it in?

Hi, I could really do with some help please.

I have a sw heritage 130p with 25mm 10mm and 8mm eyepieces along with a 2x Barlow. 

To start with I know North is South in a reflector, but is east and west still the same?

I'm looking to find the E.T cluster. A couple of nights ago I tried with my 10x50's and last night I tried with my telescope. I'm just not grasping where it is. I'm using stellarium as a guide but it don't list most the stars I see through the scope. I can't really find a starhop guide to it. All I pretty much know is it is south east of Rucbar using naked eye or binoculars.

Any help would be much appreciated.

17 hours ago, Astro_Dad said:

Hi CKP_82 , 

I followed the mods described by Chris on the DIY Astro channel (currently “Astro La Vista”). 
It’s a simple black craft foam cut to a calculated size (56x36 cm approx). I bought a stick on Velcro reel (VELCRO Brand) to cut strips to size, securing the shroud.  I found it difficult to semi permanently leave in place so I just pull mine up from within the tube cylinder when needed. Works well. 

 

Thanks for the link @Astro_Dad looks reasonably straight forward.

Can eaa/video astronomy be done using the new virtuoso gti or do you have to use a goto eq mount?

Many thanks.

7 hours ago, moriniboy said:

This was my solution on my Heritage 150, works really well.

What kind of finderscope do you have on it? Does it not interfere with the balance when attached? 

9 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

You can see it in one of the photos in the thread below.When the 'scope is closed up, the RACI stands slightly behind and tucked neatly between, the focuser and the original RDF, which I still use . That RACI is the same as Zermelo's 9x50 , I have a 6x30 one as well which lives on my maksutov . I'd have been OK with another 6x30 for the dob, but I couldn't find one for sale anywhere.

 

Thanks for the link. It was an interesting read. Your diy skills are great by the way. 

@Alan64 mine is probably placed around the same area as yours. That being said when I did mine I only thought of the 6x30. I'm guessing all 9x50 racis would be of an average weight?

@Tiny Clanger where is your 9x50 raci placed on your scope?

On 02/08/2021 at 17:34, Astro_Dad said:

I decided to follow through with this and now have the Virtuoso addition. I’m very impressed - the build quality and stability / smoothness of the Azimuth movement on my limited experience seems to very much improved. It just feels solid and has the correct amount of friction - maybe just the comparison between my specific units, but no complaints. You lose the carrying handle but otherwise much gained in terms of the Syn Scan set up, tracking facility etc. I was concerned about too much extra weight, defeating the object of convenient grab and go system, but it it really isn’t noticeably heavier. The recommended mods are in place and now looking forward to trying some basic Astrophotography - Saturn looking good presently!

Clear Skies,

AD

 

 

Hey astrodad,

I like the shroud mod you have done. May I ask what materials you used and did you work to any template or just made it up as you made it? 

Thanks.

Sorry to go off topic ☺

If I want to use the circle as a finderscope in the ocular section, do I set the circle at 5 degrees and then also zoom in to 5 degrees?

Thanks.

@Tiny Clanger fortunately the findersscope isn't glued on. I will get a slotted design shoe to line up the holes I've already drilled.

4 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Have you fitted a standard finder shoe to your heritage , or is the cheap 7x30 finder you have one of the sort with a built in foot you fix directly to the tube ?

If the latter, you might need to drill some new holes or buy a finder shoe with slots to re-use any existing holes.

Heather

The cheap finder was an all in one design so I will need to buy a shoe for the new finderscope

Thanks for the advice. It seems a no brainer, a 9x50 raci it is.

The scope is a heritage 130p by the way.

I have a cheap 7x30 finderscope on my telescope that I have trouble seeing even the brightest of stars in. I use my red dot finder and then 25mm eyepiece to make sure I'm on target.

I want to start star hopping and have been watching a few videos which use both methods stated in the title. Which way would be the best to get started?

Still being a newbie to the hobby I don't want to pick one and then realise I should have picked the other!

I'm guessing it comes down to personal preference but I would like to hear different opinions if I may?

Many thanks.

Nice job!

I also spent some time looking at Jupiter last night. I can't draw so I appreciate the great details in your sketch.

Thanks @John I guess the more time I'm at the telescope, the better my eyes will become at seeing the finer details.

I know it's a full moon, but it's also very clear outside. I dusted off my little heritage 130p which hasn't been out for what seems like an eternity! 

Jupiter was conveniently positioned above my neighbours house with the moon still below it and out of sight.

I decided I was going to observe Jupiter and only Jupiter to see if I could get my eyes readjusted to looking through a telescope again.

My scope was cooled and my eyes had adapted to the night sky so I popped in the standard 25mm eyepiece. I could see Jupiter as a white disc and one of its moons far over to the left. I couldn't pull any other details with this eyepiece so I changed to an 8mm bst. This time I caught sight of another moon to the right hand side but still Jupiter seemed like a white disc. At this point I thought the moon had completely washed out any surface details. Lastly I put the 8mm into a 2x Barlow and instantly saw a third moon just to the left hand side. A few minutes later I managed to see Jupiters band and then finally the fourth moon sitting happily in the middle of it. I then realised that was my limit as the full moon was creeping above the my neighbours roof.

Hopefully without the brightness of the moon I can pull out a bit more of Jupiters finer details.

Really good thread to read, especially as it has changed hands and relocated a number of times. A short term build that keeps going and going. 

Good work all round!!!

Hi all,

I love looking up at the sky on a clear night and even have binoculars and a telescope. I haven't really used them much. I've now decided to learn more about the night sky and unlock the ability these optics have to offer.