Splitting the double double

[Stu]

Don't wait too long Jules, those pesky clouds will roll in before you know it!

Stu

[nightfisher]

still no luck, maybe to much light pollution

[Stu]

I would think that seeing conditions would have more impact than light pollution, plus scope cooling/collimation.

Which scope are you using?

Cheers

Stu

[nightfisher]

using the 100RS, just the tool for the job, yet again i think i was looking slightly wrong area , had Vega in the field of view but should have been looking at the stars a bit lower, better luck next time

[Stu]

So have you found it yet and not been able to split it, or do you not think you've found it yet?

It is actually quite easy to find, can see it naked eye next to Vega, and the pair are obvious in the scope at lower power. Better luck next time, you'll get there.

Stu

[nightfisher]

After trying last night, i came in, packed up just ready for bed and had a look in a star chart, now i see where i went wrong!.............next time i should be able to bag it!

[James]

I've managed a few times at 90x and I think my personal best was 60x a few years back. Unfortunately not only do I have to battle the seeing but my eyesight in my good eye is very gradually worsening - I'm sure I'm finding it harder to split nowadays!

James

[Hals]

I can just about split it at 66x, though as to whether I'm actually seeing it split or just the fact I know what it looks like from previous higher powered views I don't know !

It's a definate split at 120x though and at 200x very easy.

I use the double-double as a guide to the atmospheric seeing conditions in Summer\Autumn, and also use M57 as a guide to the transparency.

[alan potts]

Im a little shocked to see some members fail to split this with a 6 inch Dob, I find this a very easy object with the 115mm refractor, is it really down to conditions, if so mine must be good.

Alan

[Stu]

It is alot to do with seeing conditions and collimation. I would think refractors have an easier time with it than reflectors/sct's etc due to their tighter star images. I've seen it regularly with a 66mm refractor, but if the seeing is dodgy then it is much more difficult.

Stu

[bullettooth]

just had about an hour's gap in the clouds so decided to try this. got it nicely with my new 17mm sterling plossl barlowed (x2) so then tried it with my 10mm stock ep and got it again, that was 100x. was very supprised and very happy tried it with my 25mm barlowed, 80x, but could not get it as my collimation is slightly out. plus my barlow is a bit Rubbish lol. still happy at 100x with my scope tho

[Astralstroll]

Im somewhat eyepiece limited at present, but I will have to give this a go sometime soon.

Dave.

[Donkeiller]

I'm sure that doing the split is a combination scope type and seeing.

I can get a clear split at x61, regardless of conditions (not cloud!)

with my Kson 1026ED. Best I have ever done is x51.

However with my 8SE- which should have much better resolution- the best

I have done is x81- any lower and there is too much light!

On the other hand the 8SE is very seeing "sensitive". So much so I use

the double double as a seeing test- if I can't split at less than x100

with the 8SE I can forget about anything other than DSOs. Sometimes I will

just swap the 8SE for the Kson.

[Solar_observer]

Just split these with an 8mm vixen npl in a 130 sw. Seeing OK and transparency decent. I'm well chuffed. Oh @ x112

tony

[Marki]

My best so far is x75 with my TAL125R in good steady seeing a month or so ago, and x83 ish with my TAL100RS in good seeing in spring. Often struggle to get much under x100, but I generally put that down to seeing. Never tried in my 8SE yet, may give that a go soon.

[alan potts]

Going back to my previous comment about a 6 inch having a difficult time with the DD, I put my 6 inch RC on it the night befor last and had to go up to x180 before I could see a split, then it wasn't that good. So without a doubt it's conditions, the same scope can do it most times at x100 or less.

Alan.

[Moonshane]

it's very easy in my 6" f11 dob.

[alan potts]

Shane,

I had said how easy it was in my 6 inch then someone posted that they had problems so I double checked the situation only to find I was stuggling the other night. Proving only that conditions indeed play a large part, even when the sky looks almost the same.

Alan.

[cotterless45]

Had a shot last night. In poor seeing , split in 10" Lightbridge with a 25mm Bst Explorer. That's x48 and yet another reason to buy these eyepieces, neat,

Nick.

[Mr Spock]

I can't get below x56 with the C9.25. I will have a go with the 80mm though, I can get x48 with a 12mm and x46 with a 13mm.

[Merlin66]

Nick,

Well done!

It's a bit like running a 4min mile...once the record is established it can be broken.

Training the eye to see is an important part of this exercise.

[Damo636]

I managed to split them last night at 71x, well off the pace but was still fairly pleased. My previous best was 115x.

[Qualia]

Out with the Moonshane 10" last night and had a fascinating time with many of Lyra's doubles.

[Andrew*]

I've always found the Double Double quite difficult TBH. I failed to split it cleanly in my 16" Lightbridge, and in no scope have I ever found it easy... It's been my nemesis up until last night.

I took delivery of a new scope yesterday, a 90mm Teleskop Service triplet. It had been doing very well on a few other targets, including Saturn's Cassini division and averted vision resolution on M13. Star test looked very good, but with perhaps a hair of miscollimation.

So it was with some trepidation that I turned its sharply defined carbon fibre frame towards Epsilon Lyrae. Oh, no, I thought. Here we go again for another fail. With my ES82 6.7mm eyepiece at 93x, both pairs were perfectly defined with a *black* space between them! Oh, Joy! Easy-peasy!!

I wanted to see how low I could go, so I backed off the magnification with my Baader Hyperion zoom at 24mm (26x). As hard as I tried, it couldn't be done. Likewise at 31x, but the orientation was starting to show. At 39x the elongation was becoming clear, and at 52x with the zoom at 12mm they showed separation. What a thrill! I am going to go back at the next opportunity and see if my 16mm Zeiss ortho can do it at 39x.

This 90mm is something else. It performs like a 4", and a very good one at that!

Andrew

[Moonshane]

I find relatively tight doubles much harder with a full aperture newt. it was hard to split last night with 12" (showed in clear spells) but when I put in my aperture mask to reduce to a clear aperture of 115mm, it was very easy.