Planning a session with the family tomorrow

[BeerMe]

Myself, the missus, our 2 sons and our 6yo Grandson.

Clear Outside is predicting an 8 hour window of 0 clouds from 8pm to 4am Sunday night.  We've been hoping for an opportunity like this since I got the scope, so we're going to make the most of it!  Flask, warm clothes, sandwiches etc are all accounted for.  Now all we need is a plan of attack when it comes to the skies.  

We will be getting to our starting site up the Campsies,  North of Glasgow.  From a car park close to the top, we should get a good view of the ISS which is due to make a 5 minute appearance around 9:20pm across the southern skies.  After this we might make a 20 minutes drive to a dark skies site at Mugdock CountryPark, depending on whether the car park at the Campsies, and the road close to it, are busy.  I've never been up there at night lol...

Anyway, after the ISS, Jupiter will be a must again and some viewings of the shadows on the moon (carefully as I don't have a moon filter).  I also want to try to see a galaxy, can anyone give me any tips on what is likely to be the most visible, and easy to find?  

Any other good targets that could keep us entertained for a few hours at least?

 

[Mak the Night]

If you have an Android phone Celestron SkyPortal will tell you everything that can be visible for your location.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.celestron.skyportal

[Stu]

No need to be careful avoiding the moon without a moon filter, you can't damage your eyes looking at it. The full moon might dazzle you a bit, but the current phase is quite dim. One thing to try to catch is the occultation of a new mover of stars in Taurus by the moon. The stars should just disappear behind the unilluminated limb of the moon, quite cool to see. This is happening soon after 9pm.

Best bets for galaxies would be M81 & M82, followed by the Leo Triplet M65, M66 and NGC3628.

Globulars M13, M92, M3 & M5 are well worth a look

[Joe12345]

M44 in cancer is a nice open cluster. Then there're quite a few galaxies in Leo - ngc2903, 3384+m105, m95, m96, the Leo triplet, then loads in ursa major - m81+82, m51, m101.

[rockystar]

I'd also add M67 (another open cluster in cancer - personally think it is better than M44) and the whirlpool galaxy is pretty easy from a dark site and is very impressive.

[popeye85]

M81 and 82 are a must I would say-  plus the beehive cluster is amazing.

[Astro Imp]

Well you've had plenty of ideas, just leaves it for me to wish you good luck and hope the weather plays ball.

[BeerMe]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, plenty for us to try to seek out.  Can't wait to get up there in an hour

[popeye85]

Enjoy!  

[laudropb]

Hope it went well for you. The sky is clear here in Lenzie, but the seeing is not too good.

[g30rg313]

Just completely clouded over here  and I so wanted another go at m82 and m81 

[popeye85]

Soooo........how'd it go? ??????

[rockystar]

looking forward to the report

 

[BeerMe]

Had a great few hours up the hills before the Grandson got too tired to continue.  He lasted til after 11pm so it was pretty good going!

After we got the scope set up, we left it out to cool while we waited for the space station to pass.  As we had never seen it before, and Glasgow Airport is in the same area that it was to appear from, there was a few false alarms in the lead up to it.  Then just when it was due, a plane took off from the airport.  We seen the plane climb and it looked like it was going to collide with a "plane" that was already in the air, which of course turned out to be the space station.  The sheer size of it completely shocked us - I did not expect that at all.  Just with the naked eye, and as the last of he sun was setting, it lit it up as it headed eastwards and we could easily make out parts of the structure glinting in the sun.  The banks of solar panels were clearly visible and looked like big strips of light!  I wish I had the presence of mind to grab a look in the scope when it was close but we were just so captured by it all.  We did get to see it as it went away from us again as it just stayed as a point in the sky for a few minutes but the detail wasn't great by then.

 

As the last of the sun was still grabbing on to the horizon, hiding most of the stars from view for now, we switched our attention to the moon which was now also making its way down to the western horizon.  This was our first chance to check out the moon through the scope, and we were not disappointed.  First with the 25mm, the moon filled almost the whole view and just looked amazing.  The detail even from this low magnification, 32x, was stunning and had everyone excited for a good while as we all took turns viewing, and switching between the 25mm and 10mm EPs.  The detail with the 10mm was just breathtaking and certainly my favourite of the two but my wife preferred the wide view afforded by the 25mm, which gave a nice backdrop of stars in the little space left in the view.

By now, the sun was completely down although it was not quite completely dark.  The stars just leapt in to the sky from every direction, the North east being particularly crowded.  We sat just staring up for 10 minutes while I pointed out some of the obvious ones that I now know straight away.  By now the cold had crept through our warm clothes so we retired to the warm car for a bit to heat up and eat up.

Nicely warmed, I ventured back out to the cold 10 minutes later with the promise to the others that within 5 minutes, I'd have Jupiter lined up on the scope for them to marvel at.  True to my word, first my son then the rest came out of within a few minutes as I easily found Jupiter in the scope.  The RDF isn't quite so exact yet that I can line up Jupiter then just pop in the 10mm to get that close up view, so I have to use the 25mm EP first then switch to the 10mm once I have it centered.  Painless really, although I should really get the RDF refined more.

This was my son's first look (only my stepson and his friend had seen it before) and, being a spectacle wearer, it proved a little difficult for him but he was able to get a clear view once he got comfortable, and was able to see all 3 moons that were visible, as well as 1 of the 2 bands.  The Grandson was up next ... for a 6yo he was very attentive to what he was being told to do, and after a few tries we were able to get him looking in the scope properly and at the right time for Jupiter to be passing through the centre of the eyepiece.  Once he caught his first look, he was hooked and just wanted to look more and more.  The wife also loved it although she had already seen it a few nights before.  She had a little trouble seeing the bands and she thought the seeing was better from our own garden, however she managed to get a good long look before she retired to the car with the Grandson, leaving me and my son to scan the skies for a bit.

Despite around an hour of searching, we were unable to see anything resembling a cloud that could have been a galaxy.  We searched all around the area of the plough that we know they inhabit but to no avail.  I wasn't too disappointed with this, I'm not expecting miracles as it was my first time doing some serious searching and we got to see some stunning clusters as we traversed aimlessly.  My son retired to the car just in time for my Grandson to catch sight of a shooting star that my wife and son also got a look at before it flamed out close to the area of the moon.  They were all buzzing when I got back in to the car 10 minutes later for a heat.  It was now around 10:30pm and the Southern sky was covered with dark clouds but we hung on for a bit, hoping to catch a 2nd sight of the ISS as it was due to reappear at 11pm.  Unfortunately we weren't able to see anything, so me and my son had another quick look at the moon (just can't get enough of that to be honest) before we packed everything away at half 11 and headed home, cold but happy

All in all, we had a good night and seen enough to keep everyone happy and wanting more so it augurs well for my hopes of this becoming a regular family thing, rather than something I have to do on my lonesome lol.

Thanks once again everyone for all your help

[rockystar]

glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Keep hunting for those galaxies, it will get easier, maybe invest in a star map and practice some star hopping

[Joe12345]

Yes, those galaxies take a bit of hunting around. When I first saw a galaxy (m81+82), I was quite surprised at how faint it was. In fact, I remember thinking that it was just by chance that I noticed it out of the corner of my eye - I still do with some! When you were trying, were you looking for any particular one, or just scanning the area? I would suggest aiming for one, as a lot of those galaxies are extremely faint.

Anyway, great report and glad to hear you and your family are enjoying it so much already!

[bomberbaz]

Excellent report. Just so you know that the way to use the finder is exactly as you did. In conjuction with a larger eyepiece, in this case the 25 then move it up to the 10 after for a closer view once you find what you are looking for. 

[laudropb]

Great report and so nice to see the family involved. Don't worry to much about the galaxies. With a bit more practice you will find them. I was observing not that far from you in Lenzie and the seeing last night was pretty poor. You lasted better than me in that cold wind. I gave up after about an hour. So well done.

[BeerMe]

2 hours ago, Joe12345 said:

Yes, those galaxies take a bit of hunting around. When I first saw a galaxy (m81+82), I was quite surprised at how faint it was. In fact, I remember thinking that it was just by chance that I noticed it out of the corner of my eye - I still do with some! When you were trying, were you looking for any particular one, or just scanning the area? I would suggest aiming for one, as a lot of those galaxies are extremely faint.

Anyway, great report and glad to hear you and your family are enjoying it so much already!

Thanks Joe  I only tried for M101 and M81/M82 as they are close to the top of the handle of the plough.  I tried for M101 first, as it appears to be part of a perfect triangle with the last 2 stars in the plough so I know for sure that I am looking in the vicinity - I'm just not sure how it should appear in my 130mm scope.  I appreciate they will be faint...are they so faint as to be the case that you need to peer at one area for a while before satisfying yourself that there's nothing there and moving on to a neighbouring patch of sky?  Or if I slowly scan an area, should I be able to spot a faint haze?

Either way, I really need to get a star map and start trying to plot my way to targets.  For M81/M82, I used a map I have saved on my phone to try to work out roughly where it is but again, no luck.  

The search continues

Edit:  It was M101 and M51 (Whirlpool galaxy) I was searching for.  I just realised M81 is at the other end of the plough.  I have some star charts from the Messier app on my phone so I'll see if I can get some use from them next time the skies are clear.

Edited April 11, 2016 by BeerMe

[happy-kat]

Lovely report.

Turn left at Orion really is a good read and sets out to describe star hoping between objects to find the one being written about. The second are laid out seasonally so easy to find what would be relevant to look at for the month and direction of sky and indicated what it will appear like in 4 different telescope including binoculars.

[Stu]

9 hours ago, BeerMe said:

Thanks Joe  I only tried for M101 and M81/M82 as they are close to the top of the handle of the plough.  I tried for M101 first, as it appears to be part of a perfect triangle with the last 2 stars in the plough so I know for sure that I am looking in the vicinity - I'm just not sure how it should appear in my 130mm scope.  I appreciate they will be faint...are they so faint as to be the case that you need to peer at one area for a while before satisfying yourself that there's nothing there and moving on to a neighbouring patch of sky?  Or if I slowly scan an area, should I be able to spot a faint haze?

Either way, I really need to get a star map and start trying to plot my way to targets.  For M81/M82, I used a map I have saved on my phone to try to work out roughly where it is but again, no luck.  

The search continues

Edit:  It was M101 and M51 (Whirlpool galaxy) I was searching for.  I just realised M81 is at the other end of the plough.  I have some star charts from the Messier app on my phone so I'll see if I can get some use from them next time the skies are clear.

Sounds like a great evening, nice to have the family around to share it too.

M101 is a tricky little blighter. It is relatively large but very spread out and faint so it can easily get washed out by Light pollution. If your conditions are good then it just appears as a subtle oval glow, brightening towards the centre.

M81 and M82 are easier because they are smaller and their light is more concentrated (the term is surface brightness, well worth understanding). There is a good star hop to these two which I will try to link to in a minute. Have you tried a pair of binoculars? It is often much easier to find the brighter targets in binos first, then you know where you need to point the scope. M81/82 are visible in binoculars from a reasonably dark site so maybe give that a go?

[Stu]

This is one thread which describes the star hop

There are more I know, if you type 'M81 star hop' into the forum search bar you will find them

[Linda]

For finding galaxies, you don't just scroll around, unless you have a very wide field scope perhaps. Normally I use a good star chart. I have an atlas with gives a nice overview of several constellations per page, plus the brightest objects. And a very detailed atlas that shows part of a constellation per page. With those 2 together I first find a route from a finder star towards the object, e.g. a path of recognizable stars that will be visible in a finder. Then I use the red dot finder to put the scope on the finder star that is visible with the naked eye. Then I use the finder to see the pattern of stars that I want to follow. When I need to move up or down, left or rights, I must remember that left = right and use the red dot finder to check whether I move in the right direction. I also try to follow along the lines in the atlas, which are easy to follow on an EQ mount. Then in the finder, I try to find the correct spot. Then I look in the scope with the 25mm eyepiece if I see the object. If not, I carefully scroll a bit around. That also moves the scope and makes galaxies a bit easier to find.

Don't forget that some galaxies are quite faint. Practice helps finding them. For some objects you need to use averted version to see them and what you then see is a grey blob, round or oval, that is distinguishable from the rest of the view. If you then look longer, you will see a bit more. Other objects are so bright, that they are very easy to see.

Which objects are easy or not, depends on how dark the skies are.

On next occasion, maybe even from home, you could try to find M3 or M5. Those objects are very bright. M101 is very difficult. I saw it only once in a very dark place and then it was big. Filled about half my eyepiece, I think. At home I have looked for it many times, but never seen it.

Very nice that you can do this with your family. Is it an idea to make a camping trip of it? Then you don't need to drive back directly after the observing session.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Linda

[BeerMe]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

This is one thread which describes the star hop

There are more I know, if you type 'M81 star hop' into the forum search bar you will find them

 

Thanks Stu, that helps a lot.  Might be a few days before I get a chance to try it out, the forecast is bad for the next few days. 

 

2 hours ago, Linda said:

For finding galaxies, you don't just scroll around, unless you have a very wide field scope perhaps. Normally I use a good star chart. I have an atlas with gives a nice overview of several constellations per page, plus the brightest objects. And a very detailed atlas that shows part of a constellation per page. With those 2 together I first find a route from a finder star towards the object, e.g. a path of recognizable stars that will be visible in a finder. Then I use the red dot finder to put the scope on the finder star that is visible with the naked eye. Then I use the finder to see the pattern of stars that I want to follow. When I need to move up or down, left or rights, I must remember that left = right and use the red dot finder to check whether I move in the right direction. I also try to follow along the lines in the atlas, which are easy to follow on an EQ mount. Then in the finder, I try to find the correct spot. Then I look in the scope with the 25mm eyepiece if I see the object. If not, I carefully scroll a bit around. That also moves the scope and makes galaxies a bit easier to find.

Don't forget that some galaxies are quite faint. Practice helps finding them. For some objects you need to use averted version to see them and what you then see is a grey blob, round or oval, that is distinguishable from the rest of the view. If you then look longer, you will see a bit more. Other objects are so bright, that they are very easy to see.

Which objects are easy or not, depends on how dark the skies are.

On next occasion, maybe even from home, you could try to find M3 or M5. Those objects are very bright. M101 is very difficult. I saw it only once in a very dark place and then it was big. Filled about half my eyepiece, I think. At home I have looked for it many times, but never seen it.

Very nice that you can do this with your family. Is it an idea to make a camping trip of it? Then you don't need to drive back directly after the observing session.

 

Thanks Linda, some great tips and info there!  Agreed about the left=right thing, it takes a lot of getting used to and I can just imagine the "fun" I'm going to have when I begin to try star-hopping lol

[Linda]

I might also help to bring along a pair of binoculars. Those have a wide view and some galaxies can be spot with binoculars. You can then try to find a star pattern in the binos that you can follow with the scope.

A lot of people replace their finder scope with a raci finder, that shows left/right the correct way.