Sunday evening/Monday morning

[MattJenko]

Much as work looms tomorrow morning, a clear sky is a clear sky!

Set up a little imaging run in the garden with the refractor, but this is an observing report, so here goes. Managed to get the 250px out and took my brand new (to me anyway - thanks Simonfromsussex!) Televue Radian 10mm for a spin. I almost had a first light on Saturday, but clouds quite literally snuck in just as I was focusing. No such frustration tonight though.

Started off simple. Albireo. Even had my wife taking a look. The image was clean and crisp and very very clear. M13 quickly followed. I decided to go for a few doubles to test it out once I was left to my own devices. The head of Delphinus was split easily, Mizar also, so went for the double double. I do believe that despite my wine addled eyes, that I could see the right hand vertical double and the left hand horizontal double. I decided to try out the Baader barlow with it as well, as if this works well. this gives me a good range with this EP and the 28mm MaxVision I have recently got as well for my Dob, as the Hyperion Zoom struggles in this scope. I tried out the globular cluster M15, and after a while adjusting and spending time at the eyepiece, I managed my best view of it so far, although it did take a while to adjust.

By the time I had messed around, swapping 2'' EPs and 1.25'' EPs etc on various Cygnus star fields (I do love the Cooling Tower - loos like a top hat to me), the moon was starting to rise in the east. My imaging run was curtailed by an empty battery issue (doh!) so I decided to try using the 80ED as a visual scope for a change so put the 10mm radian + barlow in and slewed over to the moon. I also managed to organize things so that rather than kneel and nudge as per Dob, I could sit in a chair and casually view with the moon sitting nice and pretty in the EP. Much as I love the Dob, this method was a proper luxury, and one I totally intend to repeat. The view was swimming in atmospheric turbulence, but the views were gloriously sharp and clear in brief moments. I spent much much too long strolling up and down the shadows and before I knew it, Monday is looking more and more of a struggle.

What a silly, nocturnal, sleep depriving and satisfying hobby this can be at times...

[cotterless45]

Well done ! We had nothing but cloud here in middle Earth,

Nick.

[Paul73]

Sounds like a good night.

I'm a sitting down observer. Might even invest in one of those adjustable jobbies at some stage!

Jealous of the new eyepiece. How do you find the eye relief?

Paul

[MattJenko]

Eye relief is the key thing for me as a badly astigmatic glasses wearer, and after quite a bit of research and advice from these forums, I decided on a Radian as one of the possibilities (Vixen's as the other main contender), and as luck would have it, one popped up on ABS uk - fate. It is actually really nice to use as 20mm eye relief with an adjustable hood makes it easy to find a comfortable position to wedge my specs. The field of view is very generous compared to what I am used to at this magnitude and it is really crisp all the way across. I struggle with the really big FoV eyepieces, so this and the MV 68'' is perfect for me, larger FoV would be wasted. I don't think I would want to go too much narrower now though at higher magnitudes, so I might have ruined some other decent eyepieces for myself in future by getting this high quality one!

I needed something in the 10mm range as the Hyperion Zoom, struggles a bit in the 250px (I have the solid tube version) and the MV 28'' is all I had other than that, so managed to convince myself that this new EP was absolutely essential

[Paul73]

I needed something in the 10mm range as the Hyperion Zoom, struggles a bit in the 250px (I have the solid tube version) and the MV 28'' is all I had other than that, so managed to convince myself that this new EP was absolutely essential

I had discounted the Naglers on eye relief grounds. Although I observe naked eyed now, there will come a time where the specs will need to stay on... So i went the Delos 12mm route. A lovely eyepiece. Similar in image quality to the Nagler I believe.

I've gone for:

Vixen SLV for the short (only 50° but can't justify TV outlay for 5&6mm)

Delos 72° for the Mediums

MaxVision 68° for the Longer

Paul

[Paul73]

Sorry. Way off thread.

[MattJenko]

Chasing tangents is an engine of creativity...