Mixed Bag

[Size9Hex]

A mixed bag in terms of targets and levels of (in)competence.

Started well with 27 Euterpe (asteroid, Taurus). Nicely placed in the evening sky, and not too hard to spot.

W Ursae Majoris (contact binary star). Wasn't much to see, but nice to contemplate two stars hurtling round each other so closely that their atmosphere touches.

AR Cassiopeia (septuplet star system). Wasn't sure what to expect, but just wanted to see a septuplet star system with my own eyes. One of only two such systems known, with none known at octuple or beyond (from Wikipedia). I'm not sure why it qualifies as an amazing star system, rather than a really rubbish cluster. I'm happy to call it the former though, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing it. Having researched it later, I think I saw AB, CD and FG as a nice triangle, with F and G themselves not hard to split. E was off to one side if I recall correctly. 5 out of 7 spotted I think :-)

With night vision established, I tried for 81P/Wild 2 (comet, Taurus). My wife sabotaged the attempt by turning on the kitchen light directly in front of me. Second attempt, and the view seemed a lot stripier than usual, with the bathroom light to blame this time. The level of glare from this had me wonder about the value of flocking or shielding the scope given the number of lights around my garden. Third attempt, in good conditions, but still nothing. The target lay across a few faint stars which I think were an averted vision distraction. I don't know whether the comet was simply too faint, or the stars made it too hard to pick out from the noise. Has anyone else had any luck?

M45 Pleiades (open cluster, Taurus). Purely to see something easy and awesome after the missing comet. Failed to spot the Merope nebula however. I swapped for my wide angled eyepiece for a better view and fumbled the lens cover onto the lawn, which landed butter side down of course. I briefly put the other (also uncovered) eyepiece on the base of the Dob for a moment while I hunted for this missing cover.

I had a few targets in mind in Monoceros; A light polluted part of the sky that I've never explored. Realising it was largely below roof level, I picked up the Dob, heard the other eyepiece start to roll off, felt it hit my foot and almost sensed the splosh as it landed in the wet grass. I recomposed myself, moved over to the fence, got blinded by a street light and realised I still couldn't reach the target. Moved to the back of the garden, and planted myself more or less in the hedge, this time to be dazzled by next door's upstairs lights.

My thanks to Nick (if you're reading). Hagrid's Dragon! NGC 2301 (open cluster, Monoceros) which completely restored morale. Delightful stuff.

NGC 2264 (open cluster, Monoceros, aka the Christmas Tree Cluster) followed, and to my dismay I realised it needed a wider view and another eyepiece swap. I swapped the eyepiece competently this time, but also managed to combine it with both a 2" and a 1.25" adapter. Nothing came to focus. I sorted it out, and pushed the scope well off target in doing so. It was worth persevering though; Turned out to be a terrific cluster

NGC 2244 (open cluster, Monoceros, aka Caldwell 50, inside the Rosette nebula). The Rosette was invisible, although the sky to one side did seem blacker. Probably a conundrum to solve from a darker location rather than through closer scrutiny, so I moved quickly on.

Also M50 (open cluster, Monoceros) which seemed pleasant enough. There seem to be plenty of non-Messier objects that trump a lot of the Messier objects.

While I was still in the hedge, it was a good chance to pick off Rigel (double star, Orion). Neat little asymmetric double, but barely above my roof top. I'm learning that a north facing garden is not ideal.

Back out of the hedge, Mintaka (star, Orion). I just wanted to have a look at a benchmark example of a blue star. Also Sigma Orionis, a great quadruple.

M42 and M43 (nebalae, Orion) for more easy and pleasing viewing. Tremendous view at 80x. Trapezium visible to F. I think this is the first time I've caught E or F below 100x. E was easy, but only with prior knowledge of exactly where to look. F came and went. All were easy at 180x. Played with and without a UHC filter, with the best view at 80x + UHC. A couple of really nice streamers to the east, the brighter of which looked like a curved scimitar sword. Putting the trapezium out of view revealed a huge bright extent washing away to the south.

Third viewing of M78 (nebula, Orion). A faint wisp. Does it need much darker skies? I've never been inspired enough to pause for long on this one.

M44 (open cluster, Cancer, aka the Beehive). Another terrific one. Even when I got the binoculars out, it was still easily more impressive then many of the more subtle clusters as seen through the scope.

Down to pick up M67 (open cluster, Cancer), another new one.

IC 2149 (planetary nebula, Auriga). Danced around the scope a few times to star hop to it right at the zenith. Tried 80x and 180x, with and without Oiii. In all cases, it looked like a star, and even picking the right one took some sleuthing. The wisdom elsewhere on the internet suggests good results are to be had in an 18" at 270 to 430x! I'm not even sure how this one even found its way onto my list!

Jupiter. Such tremendous colours last night! Nice contrast at 80x showing a dark south polar region, southern belt, equatorial belts, one or two northern belts. Less contrast at 180x causing some fainter areas to degrade somewhat, but bringing out some terrific knotted texture in the equatorial belts. They looked like two orange towels being twisted into tight ropes to wring the water out. A couple of cheeky grey wisps sweeping towards the equator too.

Subsequently failed to find various galaxies in Leo and Ursa Major that I felt should have been easier, and decided to call it a day. A nice little session though. Great to read that a lot of other folks were out enjoying it too.

[cotterless45]

Delightful reading ! The a Dragon is quite something. If you get some washing line poles, stick them in the ground and clip old throws or blankets between them you can have alight proof tempory obsy. There's always someone with lights here until the early hours.

That includes me with a red torch in the kitchen, opens fridge, doh !

clear skies !

Nick.

[YKSE]

Very nice report, Paul

I would suggest that you throw a jacket over your head next time, it'll help a great deal to shield you from stray light.

[Piero]

What a terrific report Paul!

The only way I managed to spot the Rosette Nebula was using 4mm exit pupil and an OIII filter, under a decent sky. It is not impossible, but certainly not shocking as M42 can be. Worth a few attempts though. Regarding M78, I cannot help agree with you. Unless it requires very dark skies and large apertures, I also feel quite disappointed when I look at that target.

[laudropb]

Lovely report. It has given me a very enjoyable read on a cloudy evening.

[Size9Hex]

4 hours ago, cotterless45 said:

Delightful reading ! The a Dragon is quite something. If you get some washing line poles, stick them in the ground and clip old throws or blankets between them you can have alight proof tempory obsy. There's always someone with lights here until the early hours.

That includes me with a red torch in the kitchen, opens fridge, doh !

clear skies !

Nick.

 

3 hours ago, YKSE said:

Very nice report, Paul

I would suggest that you throw a jacket over your head next time, it'll help a great deal to shield you from stray light.

The neighbours no doubt already think I'm mad sitting outside getting covered in frost! This would definitely confirm it! Good ideas though... :-)

[Size9Hex]

2 hours ago, Piero said:

What a terrific report Paul!

The only way I managed to spot the Rosette Nebula was using 4mm exit pupil and an OIII filter, under a decent sky. It is not impossible, but certainly not shocking as M42 can be. Worth a few attempts though. Regarding M78, I cannot help agree with you. Unless it requires very dark skies and large apertures, I also feel quite disappointed when I look at that target.

Thanks Piero!

Really appreciate the tips too. Food for thought. It makes a big difference for those of us still learning the ropes. I've read some excellent posts recently about using certain exit pupils for certain targets. Seems to be a lot of experienced folks including yourself backing this. So far, I've been choosing EPs based on other aspects such as the field of view for framing the target nicely, or magnification based on the quality of the seeing, or dimming the background to improve contrast (maybe this last one is actually another way of saying "exit pupil"). I use a 5mm exit pupil on my star hopper EP, and the next step down for me is a 3mm. I'll let my wife know that the internet has recommended to me that I need a(nother) new eyepiece... :-)

Interesting you mention OIII too. I had perhaps wrongly got it in my head that this was mainly going to see action on planetary nebulae, and it didn't even occur to me to try it on the Rosette! In fairness, I was in a hedge at the time...

[John]

Great report Paul - loads of stuff seen and sometimes the ones we don't see are worth mentioning as well as food for thought.

 

[Size9Hex]

13 minutes ago, John said:

Great report Paul - loads of stuff seen and sometimes the ones we don't see are worth mentioning as well as food for thought.

 

Thanks, and that's a good point. As well as the comet and Rosette, the "various galaxies" I missed were an eyepiece width from Algieba in Leo (not sure of the NGC numbers), M109 in UMa, and the Cocoon in CVn. Leo was a failure I think partly due to light pollution, but I think getting cold and impatient played the main part in all of them - I'd had my fill by that point! M109 and the Cocoon were striking when I saw them nearer the zenith before dawn last year. I'm really looking forward to Leo rising a bit higher as I've never explored it.

[Piero]

1 hour ago, Size9Hex said:

Thanks Piero!

Really appreciate the tips too. Food for thought. It makes a big difference for those of us still learning the ropes. I've read some excellent posts recently about using certain exit pupils for certain targets. Seems to be a lot of experienced folks including yourself backing this. So far, I've been choosing EPs based on other aspects such as the field of view for framing the target nicely, or magnification based on the quality of the seeing, or dimming the background to improve contrast (maybe this last one is actually another way of saying "exit pupil"). I use a 5mm exit pupil on my star hopper EP, and the next step down for me is a 3mm. I'll let my wife know that the internet has recommended to me that I need a(nother) new eyepiece... :-)

Interesting you mention OIII too. I had perhaps wrongly got it in my head that this was mainly going to see action on planetary nebulae, and it didn't even occur to me to try it on the Rosette! In fairness, I was in a hedge at the time...

I am still learning and far from being referred to as 'experienced'. 

From my standpoint, the exit pupil is a good indicator for choosing / using eyepieces as the image brightness is independent of the telescope you are using. For instance an exit pupil of 4mm in my TV60 shows the same image brightness of an exit pupil of 4mm in a Dobson 300. Of course, the corresponding magnification will be much higher in the Dobson 300. Exit pupil and magnification are related though. The higher the magnification the smaller the exit pupil. Personally I find it easier to think in terms of exit pupil because an idea of image brightness is more intuitive to me. Broadly I have a feeling of what 4mm or 2mm or 1mm exit pupils are. This is not the same for the magnification. A view at 200x in my TV60 is incredibly dimmer compared to a view at 200x using a 12" telescope. Other people prefer the 'inch per aperture' measure. This is also independent of the telescope, like the exit pupil, but is directly proportional to the magnification. 

Said this, the exit pupil is an indicator not the holy grail. In fact you might find that an eyepiece with shorter focal length can show a slightly brighter image than an eyepiece with longer focal length. This can happen for instance if the former has a higher light transmission than the latter. As a thumb rule, you would expect that faint low surface brightness targets (e.g. extended nebulae like the Veil or the Rosette) are accessible with larger exit pupils. You would expect the same for galaxies and potentially planetary nebulae. Sometimes this can be true, other times a shorter exit pupil (-> higher magnification) does the trick for you. 

So, in my opinion (and others here) the exit pupil is a good indicator, a starting point, but eventually you have to follow your instinct, your eye, the sky conditions (seeing, transparency, darkness) and the telescope you are using. 

 

Just a comment on your text. When you increase magnification (or reduce the exit pupil) the contrast between the background and the target broadly remains the same. Their brightness is reduced proportionally. The fact that you think to perceive a higher contrast is due to our eye. It is easier to see a bit of grey on a black surface rather than a bit of light grey on a darker grey surface. If you go to a darker location, this contrast is increased meaning that you can observe the target at even lower power. That's why many folks use even 7mm exit pupils under dark skies.

[Astro Imp]

What a great report Paul, felt like I was beside you at the eyepiece.

Good luck.

[alan potts]

Another great report Paul, I only posted yesterday how good this report area has become with some absolutely fabulous pieces from members like yourself, it is about my favouite reading area on the site. I like you often get ideas from Nick who is just a mine of information, I wish I had a quarter of his doubles knowledge.

Alan

[chiltonstar]

A very interesting read and contribution Paul!

Chris

[Piero]

5 hours ago, alan potts said:

Another great report Paul, I only posted yesterday how good this report area has become with some absolutely fabulous pieces from members like yourself, it is about my favouite reading area on the site. I like you often get ideas from Nick who is just a mine of information, I wish I had a quarter of his doubles knowledge.

Alan

+1 for each point in here

I haven't seen a report area as good as this one on SGL in other forums. 

[Size9Hex]

5 hours ago, alan potts said:

Another great report Paul, I only posted yesterday how good this report area has become with some absolutely fabulous pieces from members like yourself, it is about my favouite reading area on the site. I like you often get ideas from Nick who is just a mine of information, I wish I had a quarter of his doubles knowledge.

Alan

Thanks Alan. Very kind words. I'm quite touched in fact. I think this is a great part of the forum too. So many folks, new and experienced, posting great stuff that's enjoyable to read, inspiring in terms of new targets, and informative in terms of learning what works and what doesn't. I'm glad I can contribute something back to the forum (although I enjoy making notes regardless to solidify what I saw); I've benefited hugely from everyone else's postings elsewhere on the site on subjects that I simply can't contribute anything useful towards!

[alan potts]

Just a little sidestep type of story with regards to notes. I used to make longhand notes about eyepieces I had tested and even some that were loaned to me and tested. A few years back I was lighting the wood burner and the bulb had gone in the basement room where it is, I asked my sone to pass me some paper. He very kindly passed me tests on 8-10 eyepieces compiled over many hours at the scopes that I had yet to write up and now never will. That will teach me not to be lazy and change a bulb. When I looked back at the bar top in the basement with the woodburner roaring away there was the pile of rubbish from the printer that i thought I had just burnt.

Alan

[Piero]

I hope your son understood that it wasn't his fault but just something that unfortunately happened. At the time I was a child, if I had done something like that my father would have wrongly been furious at me. 

Talking about notes thrown in the fire, some time ago I read about the last theorem by Fermat and the story that he wrote his solution on a paper which was later thrown into the fire by his house cleaner by mistake. For centuries nobody proved that theorem. The 'positive thing' behind this story is that it is quite unlikely that his solution was right as one of the last proposed proofs is increadibly long and based on concepts far more advanced that those known at the time Fermat lived.

In any case, better not to leave important notes near a fire!

[StarSapling]

Awesome report!  Great read.  Post more, please.

I can definitely relate to the "Other" ruining night vision, mine with her incessant turning on of the bathroom light!  For the life of me, I cannot understand why she cannot honor my reasonable request that she use the bathroom in the dark! - LOL