Getting to know all this stuff - a full moon report

[Andrew*]

Seeing: 9/10 --- Transparency: 4/10 (full moon) --- Dew: none! --- Strong winds

Ironically enough, the first clear night since last full moon was…. Full moon! At 11pm I tried viewing with binos through the window but got a quadruple image so I decided to go outside quickly and see what I can see. Screw it, I thought – Mars is out and so is Orion :D Oh Man! I’ve been missing that boy – I’ve got to get the scope out!! What with the dual mounting system to try out and so on, I did the full thing and spent a good 20 minutes properly setting up. Rough polar alignment, two OTAs, three counterweights, quick balance, power, eyepieces, two finders aligned – the whole lot.

I must say that was so satisfying to actually get it all properly set-up. Before I put the counterweights on, the wind was getting very high indeed and I got paranoid that it would capsize the whole set up :shock:

But it didn’t and I was up and running. First to Mars with the ED80. IIRC used the 20mm Meade to centre it, then plonked in the 3-6mm zoom. Focussed at 6mm and went right up to 200x. Seeing was very steady indeed. What wasn’t was the set-up. For now, I’m going to put it down to the home made guide rings. I’ll get some metal bolts and see if that sorts the problem. Just touching the diagonal lightly caused Jordan’s washing machine to go onto full spin, and I had to wait for gusts of wind to cease before it was worth viewing. But the mount tracked wonderfully and I got a good long view at Mars, just to make sure there really wasn’t anything worth seeing on there At one point I might have seen a polar cap. The ED80’s optics, and of course the Nagler’s coped wonderfully at 200x.

I then spun around to M42 with the Meade and did a quick eyepiece test in the ED80 (see results in other thread). Despite a very bright moon I could make out some nebulosity, but this was where I needed the big scope. What I did enjoy here was the Trapezium (THANKS, L48!!!) and at just 30x I saw 3 stars clearly.

In the 8” newt, I saw a lot more nebulosity, but I used this opportunity to give the three eyepieces a thorough evaluation at f/5. I also used a UHC-S which vaguely improved the image. Finally it was time to look at the actual thing causing all this %*@#*% light! For some reason Luna blew me away. I find full moon is the best time to view the seas, and the subtle colours. I enjoyed the wide field most, but I put in the Nagler zoom and explored the limb at 333x. Seeing was very good indeed and I had no problems at this magnification. I can also give credit to the M³ system and the HEQ5 for holding the set-up very well (at least visually). Viewing the moon with the Nagler, I noticed slight yellow fringing at the edges, but not enough to bother me.

I kept the Nagler in and spun round to Mars. I realised now that my finder alignment was spot on – Mars was in the FOV at 333x! I tried out the UHC-S on Mars, just for experiment, but I still got no surface detail. All I could see was that the disc wasn’t fully illuminated. My very rough alignment kept Mars in the FOV at 333x for at least 10 minutes, which was immensely satisfying!

And that was it! There was nothing else worth viewing, so I packed up (about 15 minutes) and just relished the refreshing feeling of a truly satisfying session, where it wasn’t so much about what I was viewing, but rather getting to know all this stuff I’ve been splashing out on! Although it took longer to set up, and it’s more generally physically demanding, it was all much more rewarding somehow. I could choose which scope to use, the mount tracked perfectly, the eyepieces are a dream, Maplins power pack did the job …. Lovely!

I’m very sorry – that was a ridiculously long post!! I was trying to give an observing report, but ended up half-reviewing 5 different things as well!

Thanks for reading (if you actually did!)

Andrew

[The Warthog]

Don't apologize, it was fun to read. You can get 200x comfortably with that 80mm scope?

Sounds like a great night! I'll have to see what I can do, soon.

[Andrew*]

Yes WH, I think the scope coped fine at 200x. The strong wind made the seeing very steady, but the scope not...

I'm glad someone bothered to read the whole thing...

Andrew

[supernova]

Well, I read it , and I can say the work is worth it.

Its hard for me to lug the cannon outside but if you get a good view thats what its all about, most of my best views are in my memory.

Bernie.