Tomorrow 6am Hampshire, UK

[Nigele2]

Will be dragging my reflecter 130/1000 up the hill tomorrow morning.  Trusty 9,10 and 25mm in pocket.  Weather forecast looks hopfull.

Thinking goes:  track down Jupiter (shouldn't be tough even for a beginner like me).  From there try to find M35, M36 and M37.  By looking west on top of a small hill with little manmade light I'll have a good chance ???  Sun behind me when it starts to arrive.

Or Great Cluster of Hercules which although to the East is higher in the sky ?

Or am I over planning and is it best just to look at the darkest bit of sky when I get there?

Won't be using goto as haven't got it up and running yet.  But motorised if 8 AA batteries hold out so can do grid searches. 

On that basis as this is my first trip other than patio viewing the moon and Jupiter I'd welcome any helpfull hints that might give me a good chance of finding a DSO. 

Cheers

[Nigele2]

Sorry back again.  Just noticed M3 really high - is that a better bet?

However the word 'fog' has now appeared on the forecast.  But being optimistic on top of a little hill might remove the threat,  he says hopefully

[rory]

Hope the fog stays away for you . Let us know how you get on. . M3 is always worth searching out if it's favourable.

[Stu]

Yep, have fun. Maybe go a little earlier if it looks clear so you've got more time before sunrise and some more objects to see. M42 is well placed currently.

M3 definitely worth a go, try for M44 and M67 too. M81 and 82 will be nice and high at that time so maybe give them a go.

Good luck,

Stu

[Nigele2]

Thanks guys.  Well fingers crossed even more so as my step daughter is going to join me.  Great to share.  And being two of us we can take the laptop and shove the webcam in if we get anything good.  You never know

That M44 looks a good shout Stu.  If we just got that I'd be happy.  Hasta manana

[Stu]

Good stuff. Maybe take some binos too if you have them. M44 is quite big so use a low power ep.

Stu

[Nigele2]

Ha ha best laid plans of mice and men but useful.  Set up in garden at 05:30 as step daughter not really moving. No sign of promised fog. Nice load of stars in the sky.  For first time had the scope set up so I could sit down on convenient bench - comfy.  Wandered around the sky and then lesson one:  if you wander around the sky a lot the batteries run out    New ones in and we're off again.  Obvious step daughter still in bed  .

Then got the hand control so positioned the arrows moved in the logical direction for what I could see.  Up down movement was a little violent so getting centered using motor quite tricky.

Got better at focussing the old eye (mine) on the stars hiding away.  There are a lot of them up there you know - some of them very tiny 

Then a satelite went across my view.  Why don't they fly those things slower.  I couldn't chase it.

Couldn't get the red dot to find anything obvious - I'll use the excuse that by now there was a bit of ambient light and the houses blocked quite a bit.  But I need to practise with that in the day I think.

Then it started to get light!!!!    How time flies when you are enjoying yourself.  And still no step daughter!!

But got a lot of organisation things sorted like changing eyepieces in the dark and remembering where my mug of tea was.  So M44 and friends will have to wait for another day but I'm sure there will be plenty of those 

[rory]

Ah well , at least you got to play about with it.

Them celestial objects arnt going Anywhere soon .

[Nigele2]

Them celestial objects arnt going Anywhere soon .

Rory are you sure???    If they disappear before I get to see them on your head be it

And another request for help:  Having reviewed progress using the old red spot is proving tricky for me (having a wonky eye doesn't help and he sighter seems not to be in a comfortable place to me).  So I thought why not get a big FoV lens so I can more easily find my way roaming the skies through an EP.  Now there are lots of threads here and from them I appreciate there is a maximum FoV due to my 1.25".  But beyond that there seems a wide variety of opinion on value and if it is worth buying lower cost items.

What I'd really like is the max FoV to wander the sky with a eye cup for comfort for less than £50.   Any suggestions?  Cheers Nigel

[Stu]

A 32mm Plossl (ie 50 degree afov) gives the widest view in a 1.25" eyepiece. I'm not too sure of the best budget ones to recommend so someone else would have to advise on this.

You could consider these two options as well, which give nearly as wide a field of view. Actually the second one maybe the better option, it shows the same amount of sky but at higher magnification so the sky background will be darker. The only disadvantage that I can see is that it has 13mm eye relief ( vs 24mm for the NPL) so would be difficult if you wear glasses.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=161144826675&cmd=VIDESC

Cheers,

Stu

[cotterless45]

Early morning is a great time to observe M13 and M3 are nice and high just now. The one to target is comet Lovejoy, very bright and easy in x8 binoculars, was in Hercules this very morning,

Nick.

[rwilkey]

Hi Nigel, well done for getting up early and getting out, you have now made the first step.  The next thing is to track down some of those first targets.  On the widefield eyepiece, I too would recommend the 32mm plossl, if possible go for the Tele Vue if you can afford it, perhaps second-hand.  Good luck and clear skies!

[Nigele2]

Hi Nigel, well done for getting up early and getting out, you have now made the first step.  The next thing is to track down some of those first targets.  On the widefield eyepiece, I too would recommend the 32mm plossl, if possible go for the Tele Vue if you can afford it, perhaps second-hand.  Good luck and clear skies!

Robin would this be the one?  TeleVue Plossl 32 mm Eyepiece

Product code: EPL-32.0

Manufacturer: TeleVue£120.00 £107.00 from www.widescreen-centre.co.uk

It would be breaking my budget but it is Christmas.  I was homing in on Stu's suggested BST (£49) but based on the fact I've used my Meade 25mm 95% of the time so far, and not the 9 and 10, this fellow would get a lot of use.  If it is going to be my main eye piece I can justify it.

O No!!! I've got the stargazers illness already 

[rwilkey]

Hi Nigel, yes, that is the one, and a good price too at £107!  Stu's suggestion is also a good one, the BST's are a great ep for the price.  But I think the TV 32mm plossl will be the best choice, incredibly good ep and a keeper.

[rory]

Meade 4000 series , Gso , revelation plossls are good value second hand if budget is tight . I paid £20 for a 26mm and again for a 32mm. . There often available on the flea bay and astro buy and sell.

[Nigele2]

Tx Rory but I've gone and blown my budget on that Tele Vue.   I could wait for secondhand but they do seem few and far between.  And enthusiasm is getting the best of me.  I found a meade 17 mm for less than a tenner including p&p so this balances it out.

Bigmakstutof I don't wear glases for the scope but my mate Barry will I think, so I just hope I can find something that will work or have some success with the webcam.  If not I can see our bottle of wine per session going all in one direction 

Thanks Robin for all the help.  Now all I need are clear moonless nights, not that old moonie is such a bad subject.  Might even see a robot roll out a big chinese flag

[Astro Imp]

To go slightly off thread I notice you mention you have problems with the red dot finder.

Two things I would point out:-

    (i) Make sure that the finder is properly aligned with the scope (this applies to any finder you may use in the future)

   (ii) When using a red dot or straight through finder keep both eyes open. I know this seems wrong but the idea is to look at the sky with one eye and use the other through the finder, then move the scope until the view through the finder is superimposed on the point in the sky you want to observe.

HTH and good luck.

[Nigele2]

To go slightly off thread I notice you mention you have problems with the red dot finder.

   (ii) When using a red dot or straight through finder keep both eyes open. I know this seems wrong but the idea is to look at the sky with one eye and use the other through the finder, then move the scope until the view through the finder is superimposed on the point in the sky you want to observe.

HTH and good luck.

Tx Astro Imp you may have put your finger on my problem.  I have a squint (lazy eye) so the two do not focus/target the same point.  So from what you say the finder will be of little use to me - beyond a rough guide.  I wondered why I wasn't having success with what seems in everyday use.  

Well onwards and upwards 

[rory]

Congrats on a quality e/p.

[Stu]

Tx Astro Imp you may have put your finger on my problem. I have a squint (lazy eye) so the two do not focus/target the same point. So from what you say the finder will be of little use to me - beyond a rough guide. I wondered why I wasn't having success with what seems in everyday use.

Well onwards and upwards

A proper Right Angle Correct Image (RACI) 6x30 finder, or even 9x50 would probably make things easier for you if the RDF is tricky.

Stu