12" GSO (my) First Light

[RCompassi]

Hello folks!

Last night my new dob got (my) first light!

My first light, because it's second hand, bought from my friend Astroavani!

He is with me for about three weeks now, but only tonight I managed to use it (without being ridiculously humid, raining, moon in the sky). I thought the cloud curse occurred only once with each scope.... apparently when changing owner too!

Well, after a day of heavy rain (as the last 10 days...), high humidity (to the point of saturating the atmosphere, falling like a fine mist), by 22pm I've lost hope for the night. What was my surprise to look out the window at midnight and see a very clear sky! Let's haul it outside!

In addition to the dob, I broke first light on other items (I think it was the accumulation of astro gear that caused almost 3 weeks of heavy rain and flooding in southern Brazil):

2" Meade 5000 24mm UWA 82° Eyepiece

Skywatcher 15mm 66° EP

Orion Sirius Plössl 10mm EP

Baader 2" UHC

Baader 2" OIII

Local: Eimer Sternen ObservatoryPresidente Lucena - Rio Grande do Sul State - Brazil (29° south) Eimer Sternen Observatory

Seeing 3/5

Transparency 7/10

Limiting Mag. 5.5 to 6.0 (bah L.P. to the south, none to the north)

My first object was something that many would say it would be madness to try, for being so faint, and at my place rises only 25° above the horizon (15° actually, there is some nearby hills): the Veil Nebula.

Finding the correct spot was easy, jut center 52Cyg in the finder.

Using the 24mm EP, wich gives me an AFOV of 1.31° I can see the star... but no nebula. Using averted view, something, perhaps something is in the field of vier, probably just the desire to see something.

Screwed the UCH filter in!

Yes, one barely discernible fine gauze is seen. Very weak, visible only with averted view.... but it's something!

Allrigh, if it's only that.... but let try the OIII.

Aw YES!

The Veils in not only visible as a contrasting band, but it is HUGE! The nebulosity passes over the star, and is cleanly visible with direct vision as a mottled grey-white ribbon. The entire field is dotted with tiny nebula shreds, in great contrast with the very black background!

Circling the area, I've found two other big nebula ribbons. The middle one is much wider than the one over 52Cyg, but somewhat fainter. It is fan-shaped in one end. The third big part looks like a fish hook, and it is brighter than the previous two.

I honestly did not believed that those filters could make such difference! Using the OIII filter, the Veil gets a look "almost" like of an astrophoto, with lots of nebulosities, lots of surface brightness variation, clumps, knots.... Only shame it was light gray (and very faded green stars, but I didn't care about the last one).

The next target was M57

It was visible in the wide field EP right off as a small brigh oval of grey light. There is a proeminent star right at the edge of the ring. I was unable to see the faint central star, I'll try another night.

Using filters the contrast increases significantly, allowing easy view of the central hole (wich appears as a bright region too, only slightly less than the ring). I did not notice any color (but I can see cyan-green in the ghost of Jupiter).

Next was M27

The first thing that struck me was the size, it is big! Some four times the size of M57 easy. Whitout filters it really looks like a dumbbell! With the UHC, the side lobes grows larger, and with the OIII it looks like a giant butterfly, with a very brigh bar at the center and two bright wings. Looks very mottled, with some kind of filaments on its surface, easier seen with the OIII.

Coathanger cluster

It's a very interesting and seen with naked eye cluster. Really looks like a hanger!

Helix Nebula

This thing is HUGE. Easily seen in the 24mm EP without filters with direct vision, but somewhat faint and best seen with averted view. It gets very much brighter with the filters, and the OIII really makes it shine, making it take an (mono) astrophoto, with it's large central hole and two concentric overlaping rings. One of the most beautiful objects i've ever seen.

47 Tucanae

Astrophoto quality. Simple as that. Huge! Chains of stars emanate from the very, very condensed nucleus. It literally appears as a pile of sugar on black velvet, incredibly amazing!

M17 Omega Nebula

The nebula is clearly visible in the 24mm EP, resembling a swan floating on a lake. With the UHC filter, some thin nebulosity appears around it, but it really transforms when the OIII filter is screwed on. Now it dowsn't looks like a swan in a lake, but a flying swan with spreaded wings above and below it. Really a showpiece! (and yes, I forgot about the eagle nebula very close). Those objects where at the zenith, and all the dark bands of the milky way very easily visible! I could trace half of the pipe nebula and a dark stream going almost to antares, with the naked eye.

I'm very happy with this scope! Soon I will start to build a ROR observatory to put it in, let's hope the weather permits!

Cheers!

[avtaram]

Great report.

I saw M13 and M57 for the first time a couple of weeks ago in my 12" Revelation Dob which I believe is the same as your 12" GSO.

The weather has not been the best for astronomy here although we are having a really nice summer.

Next chance I get I will try and sketch some of these deep sky wonders.

Avtar

[FenlandPaul]

Lovely report. Hope you enjoy many more nights with it!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[swamp thing]

Great report thanks for sharing.

The omega nebula at the zenith...wow! That must be quite something, lucky you.

[RCompassi]

Thanks avtaram!

Well, I guess they are clones? Bigh white metal tube, smooth 1:10 crayford focuser, built in mirror fan?

If the weather permits, I'll try my hand at sketching too (first time... lets see how it goes).

Thanks FenlandPaul!

Thanks Steve!

Yes, it is pretty amazing really! You can see a lot of small clumps of nebulosities with the naked eye. Lagoon, trifid, omega, the great rift! 

Cheers