Galileo vs SCT (just a little fun)

[Knighty2112]

After watching the exciting Germany V Sweden match last night, although the skies weren’t great for astronomy really with some high altitude cloud filling most of the sky, I decided to get my C8 SCT out to at least observe the moon a little, along with Jupiter and Venus too (Saturn too later on). So after a quick set up and a solar system align completed OK on my 8SE goto mount I managed to see the said three objects OK (the sky was still bright at this time with the sun only just not long gone down). Jupiter showed OK in my scope, if a little washed out in the bright sky, but I could just begin to see the moons just starting to show. The phase of Venus was very distinct to see with both an 18mm and 10mm EP in place. 

After this I then had the idea of observing all these three objects too with my Astromedia replica of a refractor telescope built by Galileo back in the early days of optics and astronomy (I’d built this replica from Astromedia about 6 months or so back,and mostly it just sits on a table in my astronomy room). So fitting the cardboard replica on to my photo tripod I aimed first off for the easier target of the moon, which after about 20 seconds I got in view. This replica gives correct image view, but with a very narrow FOV, so to look at the whole moon of the moon one has to move your eye in the eyepiece left, right, up, down etc to get the full view of the moon to show by doing this. With the conditions the moon was looking very good, given that the magnification of this scope is about binocular magnification level of 12x. Even so a large amount of detail was showing, with seas standing out extremely well, along with larger craters etc. I then went for Jupiter in the ‘frac which took a little longer to get in the extremely narrow FOV, but once there I could make out that Jupiter definitely wasn’t a star, although there were no details visible except when later on when it got a little darker I could see all four Galilean moons quite easy (at least when no high level crud got in the way). Next up I turned my attention to Venus, which again took a little time (30 seconds or so) to get into the FOV. One has to aim this replica ‘frac like a gun, sighting from the back end of the scope to the front end to get in the right area of sky. After that just careful movements eventually get the object in view. Venus just showed as extremely bright as the low magnification was not enough to show any of its phases, but it was nice to see. Later on I looked in my front garden to see if Saturn was in view (not expecting it to have cleared the rooftop skyline yet), but was presently surprised with the help of my 7x50 Marine binos to just be showing above the roof line, in between some of the shrubbery in that area of the garden. I quickly carried the ‘frac from the back garden to the front, and managed to find it in the Galilaen ‘frac too. I could just make out the shape of the rings which made Saturn look egg shaped, so again quiet easy to see that this was no star.

It was just a little fun observing session really, and nothing too serious. When I went in at 11pm Jupiter was just starting to darken up and show some details in the SCT, with the GRS just creeping in to view on the edge. I’m sure Galileo would have marvelled at the view through the C8 SCT, and especially the goto mount too which makes life so much easier when acquiring any targets. I never viewed Saturn with the SCT as it really wasn’t worth dragging the SCT to the front garden to view it as there was too much crud around low down where it was. I’m hoping for better skies tonight so I can do a little more serious session with the SCT and my ASI 120 mc camera fingers crossed. A few images below of the two scopes side by side in action in my back garden, a quick iPhone video of the moon through the old ‘frac to try to give an impression of the narrow field of view), with the other iPhone video shot through the SCT to show the much easier view we enjoy these days in our scopes (thankfully), along with an iPhone shot of Venus over my next door neighbors roof top!  

[cloudsweeper]

Good account of something rather different, Gus!

Doug.

[Stu]

Great fun. I love messing around with various kit just to see what it can do, made a scope out of a 50mm binocular objective and a tooth paste dispenser once , probably gave similar results to the Galilean one you were using.

It is amazing just how far things have come on in a relatively short space of time.

[Knighty2112]

1 hour ago, cloudsweeper said:

Good account of something rather different, Gus!

Doug.

Thanks Doug. Wasn’t really in Astro mode last night after a week away for work, and the high altitude clouds didn’t help if I was anyway, but just fancied a quick Astro fix and this one fitted the bill well.  

[Knighty2112]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Great fun. I love messing around with various kit just to see what it can do, made a scope out of a 50mm binocular objective and a tooth paste dispenser once , probably gave similar results to the Galilean one you were using.

It is amazing just how far things have come on in a relatively short space of time.

Like it Stu! Great recycling of a toilet roll tube there! I wonder what kind of telescopes people in 400years time will be looking through (if him sapiens are still around of course)? Will they look back to us in the same way as we look back to the first telescopes that we’re used? Pretty sure by then they have holographic telescopes or something similar that will make ours look just as old and lowly as Galileo’s do to us!  

[Stu]

33 minutes ago, Knighty2112 said:

Like it Stu! Great recycling of a toilet roll tube there! I wonder what kind of telescopes people in 400years time will be looking through (if him sapiens are still around of course)? Will they look back to us in the same way as we look back to the first telescopes that we’re used? Pretty sure by then they have holographic telescopes or something similar that will make ours look just as old and lowly as Galileo’s do to us!  

Here it is

 

 

[cloudsweeper]

1 hour ago, Knighty2112 said:

Thanks Doug. Wasn’t really in Astro mode last night after a week away for work, and the high altitude clouds didn’t help if I was anyway, but just fancied a quick Astro fix and this one fitted the bill well.  

Know what you mean - sometimes just getting behind (and now with the Dob, alongside) a 'scope will do, no matter how limited the view!

Doug.