MalcolmM

Got another quick go at the moon this morning with the 60CB and WO Binoviewers with Tak LE 7.5mm eyepieces before work. Was concentrating on Hyginus Rille (also saw one feint scar of the Triesnecker Rilles). But I saw one of the most beautiful sights I've seen yet on the moon and just had to try and do a quick sketch for @mikeDnight and @JeremyS It's not that I'm not taking your advice Mike about staying away from the terminator but I just had to give this a go. I could make excuses about how little time I had but at this point this is probably the best I can do no matter how much time I had! So here goes ... the first of many I hope! I could see a dark line of the Ariadaeus Rille, but also, just, a thin bright line of it continuing into the dark beyond the terminator ending in a small bright pearl! Needless to say, the sketch does not do the visual justice. An absolutely beautiful sight, and in a 60mm scope! Now to work Malcolm

Coming from you Mike that's no pressure at all 🙂 My primary school stick person to your Leonardo da Vinci 😂

I got a quick session this morning on the moon before work. FS60CB + WO Binoviewers and 10LE's. I spent a little while fiddling with the eyepieces, getting good focus and a merged image. It always surprises me when I think I have good focus, everything is sharp, and then I tweak the main focus or one of the eyepiece adjusters and suddenly the focus sharpens even more and 'things' appear as the contrast jumps out! I was looking for the Hyginus Rille, not immediately obvious, so I crater hopped starting at Hipparchus. Took me flipping ages to find Hipparchus in the first place! I had convinced myself that Ptolemaeus was Hipparchus and of course from there, nothing seemed to correlate! Eventually found it, Horrocks on it's limb giving it away. Then to Pickering, Lade, Godin and Agrippa. Across to Triesnecker (no rilles visible) and then used a kite shape of Triesnecker, Ukert, Chladni and Hyginus to figure where the rille was. Hyginus itself was not really visible as such but the shallow V of the rille was discernable. It was then that I noticed a very thin, very bright line coming in from the terminator. I poured over my lunar atlas trying to figure out what this 'very obvious ' feature was. I could see Theophilus and from there the elongated Torricelli and then Maskelyne with it's little crater just beside it (Maskelyne B). Sinas and Sinas E then put my bright line where the Cauchy Fault was. Now I had looked for the Cauchy Fault a number of times with bigger scopes in various phases but had never seen it and had come to the conclusion, in true 'Jaws' fashion, "Malcolm, we need a bigger scope" 🙂 So I was very pleased and surprised to have seen this feature so easily in the little 60CB. If I had had more time I would have tried a simple sketch, it really was a lovely sight! Speaking of time, I handed in my resignation last week for early retirement, so in 3 weeks time I'll have no excuses! Sketch away! Malcolm

This is a natural mechanism, according to "Observing The Sun" by Jamey L. Jenkins (now there's a coincidence!) The 'bands' start towards the poles at solar minima and move towards the equator as the maximum approaches if I remember correctly. 'Butterfly' diagrams are used to show this. As to the 'why' ... I'm afraid I can't remember if the book explained this. Malcolm

I love binoviewing but those must take it to a whole new level! Fabulous (very envious 🙂 ) I'm sure deep sky stuff will look amazing too, particularly open star clusters. Malcolm

Thanks @Mr Spock and a bit of maths too ... fantastic 🙂 Malcolm

I'm standing corrected in my new 'toe rocker' shoes but they make me walk like a Thunderbird's puppet! Malcolm

Hi @Stu that looks a great job. Could you share your technique/process please? Every time I look at my objective it seems to get dirtier! Malcolm

Thanks for the replies. This was definitely a full continuous halo. No obvious bright spots.

I was out walking this evening, light cloud and a fairly full moon up quite high. There was a large bright halo round the moon. It was roughly the thickness of the moon, maybe a bit more and it's radius was about twenty degrees (thumb nail to little finger nail of spread hand at arms length). Anyone know what this is, what causes it and how common it is? Thanks, Malcolm

Potentially our definitions of detail for Hadley's Rill are different My novice expectations against your seasoned ones 🙂 Malcolm

I too had a good session on the moon last night. I saw at least one easy craterlet in Plato and was convinced others were occasionally discernible. Hadley's Rill was very evident to the South of Hadley, but nothing to the North. At lower magnifications it appeared as a curved line. At higher magnifications I was sure I was able to see/sense the jagged turns. Strange how simple things can fascinate but I loved the sharp triangular shadow of what must be a large mountain at Promontorium Laplace. Like @mikeDnight, I spent a bit of time 'touring' the landscape. There was so much detail I really didn't know where to start or stop or go to next! I always mean to observe with more discipline but generally just get carried away! I was mostly using the 100DC + Maxbrights + 1.25 GPC + 7.5mm Tak LEs which must give about x125 but seemed higher. The big wow moment for me though was replacing the 7.5 LEs with Tak 12.5 Abbes. The decrease in magnification may have had something to do with it but wow! Never have I seen such contrast and sharpness. The moon was like an etching! Quite breathtaking. I agree with @Stu, the Maxbrights are excellent and a joy to use. @F15Rules, I took a couple of phone pics through the eyepiece last night. I was very pleased with them. Then I saw yours above. If you get a new phone, send me your old one 🙂 Great pic! Interestingly I also had the Mewlon out last night and even though I think it had properly cooled, the views were not as good as with the 100DC. Other times it has provided much better views; not sure if it was the atmospherics or eyepiece/binoviewer combinations. Malcolm

A curved ball! Does it have to be a refractor? And I fully understand if it does. I chose a Mewlon in order to get more photons. It's a stunning scope, but gotta admit it does not do pinpoint stars like a refractor. What it does have is portability and ease of use (thanks to the finder @JeremyS handle ) and definitely a step up in planetary/lunar detail from 100mm. The extra light gathering is also very obvious. It's also less of an outlay than a 5" refractor. But it's not a refractor 🙁 Malcolm

The above has pretty well covered everything that inspires me (the hunt, the understanding of what you are looking at, the beauty of an open cluster, the peacefulness, the understanding of the scale of what you are looking at, the jaw dropping views of the moon and gas giants). The only thing I'd add is that I get a real buzz at what one can see with something as low tech as a couple of bits of glass and no electronics and, hallelujah, no software. @mikeDnight's sketches inspire me. I'd love to have his talent, but I don't, but I still enjoy giving it a go occasionally. @Ratlet, your sketches are fabulous too, I would be very happy to produce something half as good! Malcolm

I love a list like this. Thanks for posting. I'll be checking all these out! Malcolm

I think if I were going again that's the one I would get. Malcolm

I have a UNI 8. It is rock solid. Not very high but if I want a bit of extra height I have a pillar I attach to it. What I really like about it is the ease with which I can carry it outside. When the legs are retracted (with the tray in place), it fits easily through doors. When outside, extending the legs is an easy 10 second job! If I were to buy again though I think I would be very tempted to get the taller version and do away with the pillar - assuming it retracted down to a similar small size Malcolm

Great report; really enjoyed reading it. Love the enthusiasm a Tak brings out Call me deranged but there is 'something' about a Tak ... they have a personality Malcolm

One is a thing of infinite beauty, the other is ... a clicklock Malcolm

Just goes to show! The trick for me very often was to completely loosen the right eyepiece and let it 'float'. Despite really liking the WO Binoviewers, I recently bought some Maxbrights. They 'fix' all the foibles of the WO and I have never had any issues merging with them. I think they are brilliant. As for eyepieces; I already had a number of pairs but I love binoviewing so much I've doubled up on my Tak Abbes. I'm looking for some light wider FOV ones now too. My partner groans every time the door bell goes and another package appears At least it's only eyepieces now and not telescopes Malcolm

Nah, it's definitely a crab claw Malcolm

Wow, what a fabulous scope. I'm drooling at the thought of it! I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to use, a pleasure to look at, a pleasure to own and that's all before looking through it Malcolm

I have had nothing extra to pay on delivery so far. The most expensive order included a Giro Ercole so was quite heavy, total cost just over £400. This was in June last year and no extra tax then. Last order was June this year for about £150ish, again, no extra duty on delivery. Delivery was pretty quick too I think, in the order of about a week. Malcolm

Fabulous! I especially like the wide field of Cassiopeia with all the star clusters. Brilliant! Malcolm

Like @JeremyS, I use Tak LEs and find them very good. Also 28mm Tak Erfles which I find very comfortable to use. Unfortunately the above are no longer in production 🙁 My general approach is to keep the eyepieces light! I have always found the magnification with Binoviewers to be more than one would expect given the respective focal lengths. Some say this is an effect of using two eyes. I think it also depends on where the GPC is placed. With my 100DC and Williams Optics Binoviewers, I have to place the 1.6 WO GPC onto the telescope side of the diagonal. I have always felt this seemed more like x2 and a bit rather than x1.6 I have recently got a pair of Maxbrights and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Much easier to use, a pleasure in fact and no merging issues. I know this is not really what your original post was about but the Maxbrights for me have transformed my binoviewing! And that's despite having really liked the WO ones in the first place. I should caveat all the above by admitting I have not yet tried binoviewing with the 76DCU Regardless, good luck! Malcolm