Double cluster yum!

[Ags]

I got the telescope out for the first time in over a month tonight, after a long run of cloud. The conditions were not promising with the Amsterdam night sky looking pretty white and even bright groups like the Cassiopeia W being hard to make out. The Pleiades normally look pretty obvious even from my garden, but I did not see them until my partner pointed the cluster out - and could only see the fuzziness with averted vision. Looking directly at the cluster all I could see was a single star!

The first target was the Pleiades of course, but even my 24mm/68deg eyepiece could barely fit it in, and overall it felt disappointing. Somehow I have never had a wow! moment with the Pleiades in a telescope... Then we panned over to Almach which is of course a very pretty double, and then down a few degrees to M34 which looked OK but a bit dim in the 24mm EP at an exit pupil of 5mm. Changing the eyepiece to 9mm (1.8mm exit pupil) vastly improved things and the cluster was bright and well defined. M34 was found without Goto, so I felt good about that - I'm still learning my way around having ditched Goto.

Then we moved on to the double cluster, which I found pretty easy without the "help" of Goto - in fact my old goto mount typically refused to find this cluster, so I'm pleased to have replaced electronics with a bit of common sense :). The extra aperture I have now really helps and the cluster looked rich and glorious in the 24 and 9mm EPs, a truly spectacular sight. I'm really looking forward to Auriga and its clusters getting a bit higher in the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

[Stu]

A good night for you Ags, great to get some targets under your belt without the goto. Sounds like to conditions were quite challenging too! Can you get the scope to a darker site?

[MarsG76]

5 hours ago, Ags said:

I have never had a wow! moment with the Pleiades in a telescope

You would change your mind if you have a look at the Pleiades through the 31mm Terminagler, in a 14" f4.6 telescope.... the number of stars in it is mind boggling.

 

Having a bright sky is never a good thing, but looks like you still had some nice views... better than a cloudy night inside..

[Ags]

I don't have a car and even if I did the skies are orange across the whole north of Holland. But I enjoy what I can see!