Meade Infinity 102

[Ray of LIght]

1 hour ago, Mak the Night said:

The fairies must be on holiday as the sun's out. I've just checked my EQ 2 mount/tripod as I've been leaving it at the bottom of the garden the past few days as it really helps setting up time if I only have to carry the OTA out. The RA slo mo worm drive needed a spot of 3 in 1 and isn't stiff any more. You may as well try the No.12 on Mars, you never know. I'd observe it for a bit with the neodymium first though so you know what features to expect. I've been told the UHC-S can be useful for Venus, but I haven't tried this myself. I'm itching to try the UHC-S with the Bazooka on something with a 17mm Plossl, giving me a 2.4mm exit pupil for 53x.

As my OCD is getting the better of me, these are all (more or less) of my Wratten filters in order. The second ND filter under the Celestron 0.9 is the Baader equivalent. Of these, the only two too aggressive for apertures below 150mm are the No.25 Red and No58 Green IMO. The No.25 and No.58 transmit only 14% and 24% respectively. By comparison, the No.56 Light Green transmits 53%.

I will follow your advice Mak. I received the GSO  yellow-green filter and the Baader UHC-S so that's good and the no. 8 is coming next week. I was also thinking of setting up my telescope early and rest a little before dark. In my case the ecliptic is in front of my condo so the telescope will be in my driveway. I'm sure it will be ok and would make my life easier. My deck in the rear of my condo is darker and is better for DSO's on good nights. Too many trees of course ?! Pretty sure my 102 can sit in the setting sun for couple hours?

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Ray of LIght said:

Thanks Stu, I appreciate it! Hope to be out soon. Mars is in a good position and I have a lot of new gear that needs first light!

Crikey, yes you must be champing at the bit now for some sky! Have you managed to look through the scope at all yet, or is it just the new kit which is waiting first light?

[Mak the Night]

1 hour ago, Ray of LIght said:

I will follow your advice Mak. I received the GSO  yellow-green filter and the Baader UHC-S so that's good and the no. 8 is coming next week. I was also thinking of setting up my telescope early and rest a little before dark. In my case the ecliptic is in front of my condo so the telescope will be in my driveway. I'm sure it will be ok and would make my life easier. My deck in the rear of my condo is darker and is better for DSO's on good nights. Too many trees of course ?! Pretty sure my 102 can sit in the setting sun for couple hours?

The Yellow-Green looks interesting to me, I think it might be good for Saturn with the Bazooka. I don't know what it will be like with a 0.52mm exit pupil though.  The scope should be alright outside for a bit, in fact, a couple of hours of acclimatisation or 'cool down' can be highly beneficial. Last year I set the Bazooka up at about 5pm in the blazing sun as an experiment to see if I could put it together one-handed. I left it there five hours waiting for a setting Jupiter and Venus! It's difficult to damage the Bazooka though, it's just an aluminium tube with a couple of mirrors lol.

[Ray of LIght]

Hopefully my Meade is as tough!

[Mak the Night]

I was wondering whether it was worth setting up tonight or wait until tomorrow. It looks like it may clear but it's rained a bit earlier and everything is damp.

[Stu]

5 minutes ago, Mak the Night said:

I was wondering whether it was worth setting up tonight or wait until tomorrow. It looks like it may clear but it's rained a bit earlier and everything is damp.

I was thinking the same thing! There are some clear spells forecast, but a lot of heavy looking cloud around too!

[Ray of LIght]

44 minutes ago, Stu said:

I was thinking the same thing! There are some clear spells forecast, but a lot of heavy looking cloud around too!

I am waiting until tomorrow. Saying clear all weekend!

[Ray of LIght]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

Crikey, yes you must be champing at the bit now for some sky! Have you managed to look through the scope at all yet, or is it just the new kit which is waiting first light?

I have had the scope out quite a few times, but I have a lot of new kit, eyepieces and a new TV 3x Barlow, a WO helical diagonal, Baader filters etc, that need testing and first light. Mak has contributed immensely to my knowledge and I feel that, at this point, I have upgraded my scope to where it is a much better instrument than when I bought it. It has been frustrating for me having physical difficulties, as Mak knows full well. I have also had a reoccurance of Shingles, very painful, and I hope that soon I can get past these issues and persue this great past time/learning experience.

[Mak the Night]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

I was thinking the same thing! There are some clear spells forecast, but a lot of heavy looking cloud around too!

Go for it Stu! 'Who Dares Views'

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Ray of LIght said:

I have had the scope out quite a few times, but I have a lot of new kit, eyepieces and a new TV 3x Barlow, a WO helical diagonal, Baader filters etc, that need testing and first light. Mak has contributed immensely to my knowledge and I feel that, at this point, I have upgraded my scope to where it is a much better instrument than when I bought it. It has been frustrating for me having physical difficulties, as Mak knows full well. I have also had a reoccurance of Shingles, very painful, and I hope that soon I can get past these issues and persue this great past time/learning experience.

Great stuff. Yes, I've been following the thread so know of the kit you've been adding. I hope you recover quickly and get a chance to try them all out. I've heard Shingles is very nasty so you have my sympathies.

[Stu]

26 minutes ago, Mak the Night said:

Go for it Stu! 'Who Dares Views'

Fortune favoured the brave tonight ?. I put the C9.25 out to try a few things out, and had some nice views of the Moon and Mars. Packed up when it clouded over (and Mars went behind a tree!), and about 10 minutes later it was pouring down ??

[Mak the Night]

Well, I took the plunge and set up in twilight and was observing the Moon by around 21:45. I decided to compare the Moon (250x) with the Baader Neodymium and #8 Light Yellow filter. In the twilight the No.8 turned the surrounding sky black and did seem to give a nice contrast to features such as Schroter's Valley, Schickard and Aristarchus.

The seeing wasn't brilliant but Schroter's Valley seemed outstandingly clear and well defined and I could quite easily see the central mountain in Aristarchus. Some ghost craters were quite apparent. I think the #8 had the edge over the neodymium in twilight but as it got darker I changed back to neodymium. I also thought the 80A Blue was particularly effective on the bright regions away from the Terminator.

Mars was quite interesting and the #8 and #11 filters seemed to darken and define the maria as is often reported. In fact, I don't think the neodymium was any real improvement. The seeing wasn't particularly good with a fair bit of atmospheric boiling but I could make out the dark mass of the Syrtis Major Planum.

I got a glimpse of Jupiter when the clouds allowed and saw the GRS but not Ganymede, the other three moons could be seen, again, the seeing was below average.

The real surprise was Saturn. I compared the #11 Green-Yellow filter with the neodymium and discovered that it does indeed make the Cassini Division much more distinct. I usually have no trouble seeing it, but it was very easily defined with the #11 filter. Cloud detail was also far more readily apparent. The neodymium doesn't seem to be that effective on Saturn, but the #11 definitely revealed more detail. I could also see Titan.

[Mak the Night]

2 minutes ago, Stu said:

Fortune favoured the brave tonight ?. I put the C9.25 out to try a few things out, and had some nice views of the Moon and Mars. Packed up when it clouded over (and Mars went behind a tree!), and about 10 minutes later it was pouring down ??

I got a good couple of hours before the clouds came. Fortunately it didn't rain on me.

[Ray of LIght]

1 hour ago, Mak the Night said:

I got a good couple of hours before the clouds came. Fortunately it didn't rain on me.

Glad you got some very good observing in Mak! I will hope for the best tomorrow. It sure looks like I bought the right filters! Too bad I won't get the #8 until next week, but I can try the neodymium and the #11, especially on Saturn, and see how it performs with the 102. The Baader UHC-S is a very nicely made filter, I hope I get the oppurtunity to use it soon! Talk in a bit.

[Dave In Vermont]

I was just treated to a lovely round of "How Fast Can YOU Run!"

I was all set up for some clear skies and what was to be perfect weather. Had my equipment ready to race - eyepieces, filters, tables, chair... Everything! And I'll bet you can guess.....

A thunderstorm came racing down - down - from the North!! Straight-line right for me. Here's what just popped-up on my computer:

Special Weather Statement - 06-17-2016.pdf

I was rather amazed at how quickly I was able to tear down my gear and port it inside. Inbetwwen the brilliant flashes of lightning strikes walking towards me at a healthy pace.

They never come in from the North. West - yes. South - yes. But never North!

Oy Vey -

Dave

[Ray of LIght]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Great stuff. Yes, I've been following the thread so know of the kit you've been adding. I hope you recover quickly and get a chance to try them all out. I've heard Shingles is very nasty so you have my sympathies.

Thanks Stu, I appreciate the kind words! I had the same illness about three years ago and it is indeed a nasty virus and takes quite a bit of time to resolve. Thanks again. 

[Mak the Night]

44 minutes ago, Ray of LIght said:

Glad you got some very good observing in Mak! I will hope for the best tomorrow. It sure looks like I bought the right filters! Too bad I won't get the #8 until next week, but I can try the neodymium and the #11, especially on Saturn, and see how it performs with the 102. The Baader UHC-S is a very nicely made filter, I hope I get the oppurtunity to use it soon! Talk in a bit.

I could see Ursa Major high in the north, I was tempted to fetch the UHC-S and look for the Whirlpool Galaxy, but looking up near the zenith isn't easy for me with the Bazooka. The trolley arrived but it's been so wet I haven't had chance to properly unpack it yet.

Meanwhile, I have new software!

[Mak the Night]

35 minutes ago, Dave In Vermont said:

I was just treated to a lovely round of "How Fast Can YOU Run!"

I was all set up for some clear skies and what was to be perfect weather. Had my equipment ready to race - eyepieces, filters, tables, chair... Everything! And I'll bet you can guess.....

A thunderstorm came racing down - down - from the North!! Straight-line right for me. Here's what just popped-up on my computer:

Special Weather Statement - 06-17-2016.pdf

I was rather amazed at how quickly I was able to tear down my gear and port it inside. Inbetwwen the brilliant flashes of lightning strikes walking towards me at a healthy pace.

They never come in from the North. West - yes. South - yes. But never North!

Oy Vey -

Dave

And I thought it was bad here .... lol.

[Ray of LIght]

I guess you had your running shoes on Dave? 

[Ray of LIght]

10 hours ago, Mak the Night said:

I could see Ursa Major high in the north, I was tempted to fetch the UHC-S and look for the Whirlpool Galaxy, but looking up near the zenith isn't easy for me with the Bazooka. The trolley arrived but it's been so wet I haven't had chance to properly unpack it yet.

Meanwhile, I have new software!

Mak, you said the trolley hadn't been assembled yet, I assume you took out the big Cat in pieces? Once the trolley is complete I'm sure transporting it will be much easier. I may set up earlier, like we were discussing, if my arm and Shingles cooperate. The skies may not be as clear as first advertised but should still be ok, I hope. Back in a bit.

[Mak the Night]

16 minutes ago, Ray of LIght said:

Mak, you said the trolley hadn't been assembled yet, I assume you took out the big Cat in pieces? Once the trolley is complete I'm sure transporting it will be much easier. I may set up earlier, like we were discussing, if my arm and Shingles cooperate. The skies may not be as clear as first advertised but should still be ok, I hope. Back in a bit.

The plan is to transport the Big Cat in its tripartite constituents, OTA, mount, tripod plus eyepiece cases and other stuff in journeys with the trolley. Assemble it on the second back lawn and go from there. Once assembled and running I should be able to just sit and observe. I need to assemble the trolley outside though and it's been damp and raining quite a bit. Plus, I'm a bit knackered now lol.

[Ray of LIght]

I see, said the blind man! I was curious what you did yesterday, I doubt I could handle it myself. My 102 is about my limit but since I turned it into an APO I am good to go! Just kidding! Will see how it goes later. Talk in a bit. Knackered is tired, right?

[Mak the Night]

56 minutes ago, Ray of LIght said:

I see, said the blind man! I was curious what you did yesterday, I doubt I could handle it myself. My 102 is about my limit but since I turned it into an APO I am good to go! Just kidding! Will see how it goes later. Talk in a bit. Knackered is tired, right?

Yeah, I'm a bit tired/knackered/shagged out after last night's observing. I forget how tiring it can be. I'm pretty content to use the Bazooka for a bit for planetary as it is now easier for me to use in the plane of the ecliptic. It's simple and it doesn't dew up. It has limitations, but I can easily get 250x even in less than perfect transparency. Schroter's Valley was quite stunning last night. The Big Cat will soon enough have its day/night lol. The biggest surprise for me though was how much a relatively inexpensive TS Optics/GSO Wratten No.11 Yellow-Green filter improved Saturn. The No. 56 Light Green is supposedly good for the Martian polar caps, dust storms, Jupiter's belts and very good for lunar observing. Of course, Sod's Law came into play and I forgot to take it out with me lol.

[Ray of LIght]

9 hours ago, Mak the Night said:

Yeah, I'm a bit tired/knackered/shagged out after last night's observing. I forget how tiring it can be. I'm pretty content to use the Bazooka for a bit for planetary as it is now easier for me to use in the plane of the ecliptic. It's simple and it doesn't dew up. It has limitations, but I can easily get 250x even in less than perfect transparency. Schroter's Valley was quite stunning last night. The Big Cat will soon enough have its day/night lol. The biggest surprise for me though was how much a relatively inexpensive TS Optics/GSO Wratten No.11 Yellow-Green filter improved Saturn. The No. 56 Light Green is supposedly good for the Martian polar caps, dust storms, Jupiter's belts and very good for lunar observing. Of course, Sod's Law came into play and I forgot to take it out with me lol.

You got me thinking. Right now, as far as color filters, I have the 80A, the #11, the #8 (on the way), the #12 (kind of useless) as well as a couple of others you mentioned that are fairly useless also. Would you have any suggestions for any other filters that may work well with my scope? Some of them are pretty inexpensive. Possibly an ND filter too?

[Dave In Vermont]

Have you ever considered going (gently) in spectroscopy - seeing what elements are present in different stars? It's really not terribly expensive, and the stars are beautiful with a rainbow of the elements  laid out like a rainbow next to the star in your chosen eyepiece?

It's worth a look, maybe?

http://www.starspectroscope.com/

I'm not really on a mission to drive you to the 'Poor-House!'

I find it great fun myself! Seeing what makes a huge fusion-reactor tick.

Dave