New scopes 2nd outing - Houston, we have a problem!

[dlockyer]

So it was an interesting and frustrating night all rolled into one.

The Synscan GOTO appears dead on arrival which isnt good. I hope its just the handset that needs sending back and not the whole thing!

That aside is was a lovely night. The clouds broke up at around 11pm and I had a mostly clear view. It wasn't the darkest of nights but at times the Milky Way could be seen with the naked eye quite clearly streaking through Cygnus.

Due to the broken GOTO and less than ideal seeing conditions, I concentrated more on trying to locate double stars than Messier objects. Mizar and Alcor were an easy find and helped me to align my finderscope for the evening, then onto Albireo which I adore with its large red star and small blue companion.The double double in Lyra was easily viewable as a double, but I don't think it was dark enough to resolve the doubles in the doubles! Finally, I think I found the double in Delphinus, which were really, really close together.

My highlight for the evening was my first observation of M13 in Hercules. First through my 25mm, and then through the 10mm. Absolutely stunning and the more i kept it in view, the more it changed from a blur to seeing individual stars in it. With the tracking not working on the scope it was really difficult to keep it in view with the 10mm, as my mount isn't as smooth as a manual dobsonian as it has the motors on it.

I also did the, in my view, compulsory viewing of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. I couldn't make out any structure due to the conditions. I started waiting until it rose higher in the sky but then more clouds starting coming in and the dreaded dew was starting to affect the scope, so I packed up and came home.

The other good news is that my idea for a dark spot was fantastic. Lovely and quiet, easy access for vehicles, and very little light pollution compared to my usual spot which is only about 1/2 mile outside of a town centre.

[laudropb]

Nice report. Hope you solve your go to problems. Try it today in daylight and make sure it's not just a power problem.

[xtreemchaos]

lovely report mate,thanks for posting.darn goto.charl.

[dlockyer]

Thanks guys.

I'll be trying it using the car cigarette lighter later today before I get onto the retailer.

[dlockyer]

Another thought, sorry cant edit posts yet.......Could I try and connect it up to the laptop via the RS232? I've thought about it but the manual says that the first time it is turned on, it should be plugged into the mount pointing true north, which is why I keep waiting for the rare clear nights.

[MarsG76]

Good report.... Taking the conditions into consideration it sounds like you had quite a good night...

Bummer with the synscan... Just a suggestion... Are you giving it enough power? I had a issue with my NexGuide when I tried to power it with a power supply that did not deliver enough current... I used a 5V 250mA power pack I had lying around it wasn't enough, I thought that the unit was dead, just the LCD lit up but no text on it... Using a 500mA did the trick, using it to this day.

[dlockyer]

I'm using the Skywatcher 12v 7aH power tank, which is what was recommended to me. My budget couldn't quite stretch to the 17aH version.

I get nothing, no LEDs (apart from on the cable going from tank to mount), no signs of life at all.

[Tzitzis]

Dark adaptation is a major factor in what you expect to see. Also you should observe (as you did with M13) as the eye adapts and adapts and starts getting more detail in the EP. 

Nice report, I don't really like GOTO systems and I don't encourage people to buy them. I am an old school fan and I like so so much the fact that I know my way around the night sky. I also know by heart the locations of many DSO's for example M13, M57, M31, M33, M7, M5, M4, M8 and M20. I have only seen M31 and M8-M20 just once in a really dark sky site but I know where to look to find those I found the coathanger quite easy too.

Keep observing mate! Clear skies!

Cheers from Greece

Tzitzis