Modest aperture performance in a true dark sky site.

[Guest]

Well I have just arrived in Swanage for a short break. A quick unloading of baggage. Then setup the 80 mm Equinox with a 22 mm Nagler. A quick twenty minute raid of an observing session. But without any trouble located the double cluster, Pleiades, M81 & M82 plus a number of other star clusters. What impressed me most was how bright M81 & M82 were in such a modest aperture telescope. Some detail was evident. Back home in South Hertfordshire these objects are barely visible anymore,even in a much larger telescope. Hope it's clear tomorrow night. I'll setup my eight inch Newtonian. 

My advice to those like me suffering light polluted skies is to book an evening out to a dark sky site to reinvigorate your interest. 

Clear skies to all. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Guest
Spelling mistake.

[Froeng]

Well done! Nice little report.

it is quite true. The last time I was thinking of a bigger scope, I said yo myself: “I don’t need a bigger scope - I need darker, less cloudy skies!” AND “ If I had a bigger scope, I would use it less under dark skies due to the inconveniences of transporting it”.

under a bortle 2-3 sky an 8” is a wonderful instrument which will show more objects than one will ever have the time to observe. Of course a bigger aperture under dark skies will show even more... Aaaaah 🤪

[Saganite]

2 hours ago, Grumpy Martian said:

Well I have just arrived in Swanage for a short break. A quick unloading of baggage. Then setup the 80 mm Equinox with a 22 mm Nagler. A quick twenty minute raid of an observing session. But without any trouble located the double cluster, Pleiades, M81 & M82 plus a number of other star clusters. What impressed me most was how bright M81 & M82 were in such a modest apature telescope. Some detail was evident. Back home in South Hertfordshire these objects are barely visible anymore,even in a much larger telescope. Hope it's clear tomorrow night. I'll setup my eight inch Newtonian. 

My advice to those like me suffering light polluted skies is to book an evening out to a dark sky site to reinvigorate your interest. 

Clear skies to all. 

Spot on. I had the same revelation on my first visit to Kelling Heath.

[Stu]

I've had some of my best sessions with a 4" scope down on the Purbeck peninsula whilst on holiday; the Milky Way can be spectacular in late summer. When the skies are transparent and you find a good sea horizon, it is a great place to observe Sagittarius and all the southern treasures.

Durlston Head is a good place, and I also remember a fab session near St Aldhelm's Chapel.

Have fun!

[Barry-W-Fenner]

The more I read about dark sites the more I want to get out to one. I am struggling to locate DSO objects from my location and when I do they are rather underwhelming. I am fascinated to know how much more rewarding it is to view under much better conditions. Timing a dark site trip with a new moon on a clear night must be as difficult and rewarding as winning the lottery 🙂

[bish]

8 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

The more I read about dark sites the more I want to get out to one. I am struggling to locate DSO objects from my location and when I do they are rather underwhelming. I am fascinated to know how much more rewarding it is to view under much better conditions. Timing a dark site trip with a new moon on a clear night must be as difficult and rewarding as winning the lottery 🙂

A dark sky changes everything. I would rather  be at a dark sky with my bins than home with my 250px. You still need aperture to see much detail, but it is very rewarding with bins or a small scope.

[Barry-W-Fenner]

2 minutes ago, bish said:

A dark sky changes everything. I would rather  be at a dark sky with my bins than home with my 250px. You still need aperture to see much detail, but it is very rewarding with bins or a small scope.

Looks like I need to find my nearest dark site and take the 8" dob on a road trip. 🙂

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, bish said:

A dark sky changes everything. I would rather  be at a dark sky with my bins than home with my 250px. You still need aperture to see much detail, but it is very rewarding with bins or a small scope.

It's true bish. Larger apature plus darker skies are heaven. I have an Orion Optics UK eight inch Newtonian F4. 5. I leave it here at Swanage. It gives magical views and is manageable. 

[bish]

3 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Looks like I need to find my nearest dark site and take the 8" dob on a road trip. 🙂

 

You wont regret it! Even if you only get a couple of hours of clear sky.

[RobertI]

Thanks for the reminder about the benefits of dark skies - I often forget the huge difference this makes. Like you i often take my smaller scopes on trips to Cornwall and France and am amazed at what they show, but I should make more of an effort to take the C8 to really go deep.

[mikeDnight]

To make the best of a bad job, it's possible to enhance any telescopes deep sky performance by using a blackout hood or blanket. Much of the stray light that hinders dark adaption strikes the eye from the side, so by shielding the eyes from the surroundings, you can greatly increase your light sensitivity. Just to prove that it works, all the attached sketches were made using a 100mm refractor from the suburbs of a Lancashire town. Not exactly a "dark site!"

The Dumbbell nebula M27 

M42 The Orion Nebula.

[RobertI]

57 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Just to prove that it works, all the attached sketches were made using a 100mm refractor from the suburbs of a Lancashire town. Not exactly a "dark site!"

I don’t like to overuse the word ‘wow’ .......but WOW! Impressive stuff, this is motivation for me to develop my observing skills and have more patience at the eyepiece.  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

To make the best of a bad job, it's possible to enhance any telescopes deep sky performance by using a blackout hood or blanket. Much of the stray light that hinders dark adaption strikes the eye from the side, so by shielding the eyes from the surroundings, you can greatly increase your light sensitivity. Just to prove that it works, all the attached sketches were made using a 100mm refractor from the suburbs of a Lancashire town. Not exactly a "dark site!"

The Dumbbell nebula M27 

M42 The Orion Nebula.

Superb drawings. Thankyou for posting. A great exercise. 

I am also hoping to buy a smaller alt/az goto/tracking mount when funds are available. Just thinking that by not having to keep pushing the telescope manually may enhance the viewing experience. 

But the point you make is well received. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Guest
Spelling mistake.

[mikeDnight]

Thanks guy's. Comfort is important. Anything that improves you comfort and removes unnecessary distractions will increase your observing experience, and you'll see more. The attached sketch of IC474 took me an hour at the eyepiece.  It is currently the most difficult object I've seen in my 100mm scope. If I'd have been uncomfortable I'd have given up after a few minutes, convincing myself the nebula is beyond my scopes ability.

 

flipping the sketch below you can now compare the visual with the accompanying image.

notice the flame nebula next to Alnitak! see sketch below:

Edited February 19, 2020 by mikeDnight

[paulastro]

Mike, I thought you told me you were now doing your drawings with that ten inch dob you have on loan from The Astronomy Centre?  😀

Only joking!  Better drawings than I could do - even if I did use a ten inch dob 👍.

[mikeDnight]

The last time I used the 10" Newtonian Paul, was to observe Mars when it was around 5" arc, and despite the greater resolution of the 10", the 100mm Takahashi gave a better defined view of the albedo features. Others may feel differently but I know what works best for me.