Eyepieces and Antares, You can never have too many, can you?

[alan potts]

Now I think it is fair to say if I had a pound for ever minute I had spent over the last 5 years alone looking to see the double of Antares, then I would be rich. Well not rich but with enough money to buy all the regular reader on site a dam good eyepiece.

Antares, I have tried, and this is only from memory, the following collection: Meade SWA 24mm, 20mm, 16mm, Meade UWA 14mm, Pentax 14mm, Televue, 20mm N, 16mm N, 17mm E, 13mm E and Meade Super Plossl, 14mm and 20mm. and maybe a few I have forgotten.

This is only with the 12 inch scope and not the others. Last night on an evening of clear skies and very good seeing I saw the double of Antares with an 18mm Kasai orthoscopic eyepiece. It only goes to show how we need different tools for different jobs, I bought this little gem for only this reason and it delivered.

The odd thing, give or take all the other eyepieces cost more money, some much more.

The most expensive of the bunch was called into bat, and it was a bit like Geoff Boycott, slow off the mark but in the end did deliver. I can say it was not as clear to see with the Ethos but it was there, without a doubt it was there.

This is a difficult double for sure.

Alan.

[faulksy]

congrats alan, all you need to split now as you have tried is Sirius and the pup. I imagine your a happy bunny now

[Damo636]

Well done Alan! Unfortunately I don't think I'll ever split Antares from my location. I managed Sirius and the "pup" on a couple of occasions, but unfortunately Antares never climbs high enough to see anthing other than a shimmering disco ball :-(

[Naemeth]

Congrats on Antares, but I am surprised you don't have any mid length TV plossls

In terms of having too many eyepieces, my personal opinion is that you can't have too many. I'm on 12 and am soon adding:

10.5mm TV Plossl (in the post), 25mm TV Plossl, 3-6mm Nagler Zoom, 9mm LV, 12mm LV.

17 probably still isn't enough

[michael24]

I have the Antares 17mm not a bad eyepiece, but I have 19 eyepiece up to now but haven't as of yet added any televue ones..but soon enough i'll have a few.

[alan potts]

Without trying to sound smug Sirius is not that difficult for me from this location. TV Plossls, not sure I need them with some of the glass I have and the spread of orthos from 6mm-18mm, but I will give them some thought.

Alan.

[John]

Sounds like a similar experience that I had with Sirius Alan. The Ethos 6 and the XW 5 would show the Pup but the 6mm Baader GO showed it more easily and more consistently. So I've kept a Baader GO in my eyepiece case now for this sort of challenge. The Baader Classic 6mm matched the XW 5mm for this target, which was an interesting result.

Antares is just too awkwardly placed for me to try for it unfortunately. I can barely glimpse it between houses and trees let alone get the 12" dob onto it

[Qualia]

In terms of having too many eyepieces, my personal opinion is that you can't have too many. I'm on 12 and am soon adding

I'm of the lazy school . If I don't include solar system viewing and splitting double stars, 90% of all my sketches and observations are conducted with just two eyepieces, a 24mm giving about 1.36º true field of view and a 10mm giving about 0.5º. I might on occasion go for the 14mm but hardly as much. To date I haven't run into any problems or desire to purchase more.

[alan potts]

To pick up on Johns point about it being difficult for him. I am not sure what the differences are but where he lives and where I used to up in Hull, Antares is bearly above the far away houses, I bet it is only 8-9 degrees above the horizon. Even here it is only 21 degrees, which is not that much.

The 18mm Kasai seems to be up there with the BGO quality though, Saturn looked stunning through it too.

Alan

[ddufresne50]

I have a Rare Antares 12.5mm flat top orthoscopic really nice sharp no ghosting no scattered Light With a 43 fov Tack sharp on details on the planets

[John]

I have a Rare Antares 12.5mm flat top orthoscopic really nice sharp no ghosting no scattered Light With a 43 fov Tack sharp on details on the planets

I think the Antares mentioned in this thread is the star rather than the equipment brand but thanks for the feedback on the Antares 12.5mm ortho

[ddufresne50]

Oh ok Thanks John I got even another rare UO OPS 9mm volcano top ortho It has a special filter built into the lens of the eyepiece

[stev74]

Sounds like a similar experience that I had with Sirius Alan. The Ethos 6 and the XW 5 would show the Pup but the 6mm Baader GO showed it more easily and more consistently. So I've kept a Baader GO in my eyepiece case now for this sort of challenge. The Baader Classic 6mm matched the XW 5mm for this target, which was an interesting result.

Antares is just too awkwardly placed for me to try for it unfortunately. I can barely glimpse it between houses and trees let alone get the 12" dob onto it

Well done Alan.... I'm not sure I'll ever be able to split Antares at home in Scotland as it barely gets above 7 degrees for me but I have like John split Sirius with my trusty 6mm BGO in my 12" dob, it's an EP I don't think I'll ever part with, that and my 13mm Ethos!!

[alan potts]

Stev 74,

That was the infomation I was looking for and sort of confirms my worst thoughts, it must be impossible at only 7 degrees with the amount of atmostphere you are looking through, you have done well on Sirius, very well. Without being over head it gets fairly high here. I guess the other thing that you have to battle is the weatther, such a beautiful Country but with more than a fair share of rain.

Alan

[RT65CB-SWL]

Another excellent eyepice report Alan.

I read your 6mm report a few months ago and I thought of doing a comparison of my 6mm eyepieces too.

I have 2x Orthoscpic, 1x Radian & 1x 3-6mm Nagler zoom.

I find the night sky and climate in Varna district better for astronomy than those in Wokingham district!

[alan potts]

I am sure Varna will get more clear nights than around Wokingham. I as I am sure you can imagine go to the sea at least once a year and I find the sky is not so transparent there as it is here in the Centre of the Country. It is also not as hot though that is not a good point, 38 degrees Yeaterday.

Last night, clear sky, looked the same as the other night, no double visible with any eyepiece. Just goes to show how much seeing plays a part in our hobby.

Alan.

[alan potts]

This is just a little bit of a follow up for anyone interested. They say that the Antares double can be seen with a scope of 150mm or more under good conditions. I first saw it a few weeks back with the 190mm which is a bit shy of 8 inches in old money. This was done at a magnification of X200 using a Pentax XW 5mm, the only one I have now.

Two nights back I tried to repeat the LX200 sighting of the night before and failed, I had a go last night with a scope that should be able to see it, the 180mm Mak, a double specalist. Using a range of Televue glass and on a clear night with good seeing was sadly unable to see the second part of the system. The closest was with the 14mm Delos but I would not claim it as bagged with this scope. After an hour of failed viewing I just had to lick my wounds and move on, yes I do mean wounds, the flying insects around here seem to love biting me for fun. Some take a beer out to the scope some a cup of tea, me it's a can of fly spray.

Funny how after I put the scope away wondered why didn't I try an orthoscopic, the 12.5mm would have been just right, silly me.

Alan

[stev74]

Stev 74,

That was the infomation I was looking for and sort of confirms my worst thoughts, it must be impossible at only 7 degrees with the amount of atmostphere you are looking through, you have done well on Sirius, very well. Without being over head it gets fairly high here. I guess the other thing that you have to battle is the weatther, such a beautiful Country but with more than a fair share of rain.

Alan

Yeah your right about the weather but saying that in the middle of winter on a clear night you can get some amazing seeing and transparency and really dark skies are less than an hour away for me. I'm heading down to Cumbria for a couple of nights with the scope this week to an area that has really low horizons so I might just give Antares a go. Ok it's not that much further south but worth a go, you never know I might get lucky.

[alan potts]

Steve,

Good luck on the weather. I love Cumbria, spent a lot of time there when I was married to the first, used to go to the Lakes twice a month.

Alan.

[faulksy]

have you tried the 12.5 yet alan

[alan potts]

Faulksy,

No not yet, it will be next week I would think. I am trying to get some serious work on the 24mm UWA and 26mm Nagler down on paper, I like to do plenty of obsservations with each scope.

Sadly with the neighbours cows I never really get a lay in, so most mornings it's 5.30 - 6.00, one of the downsides of rural life here. I have to limit myself to about 90mins of a night at tha moment, but things are getting better now. I feel for members in Scotland I bet it don't get dark.

Alan.