My first report

[Jasonb]

Hi all...

I'm one of those newbies who was asking about Telescopes a month ago and then was lucky to find one and now am trying to learn how to use it! So please be patient with my first attempt to write about it.

I've used it a couple of times, at the usual targets (Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) and each time I've got a little better, more used to the scope and to adjusting it, using an RDF and also getting used to Skysafari on my mobile, trying to figure out exactly what I'm looking at.

I didn't hold out much hope for the weather tonight, though Met Eireann mentioned 'clear spells', so I was happy to see a good clear sky at around 10:30 or so. I tried not to get too excited and brought out the scope and left it to cool, telling myself if it was still clear at 11 I'd be in luck. And thankfully it was!

I had a few ideas of what I wanted to see. First up was Orion, my favourite constellation, and I wanted a look at the belt and the sword. I was absolutely delighted to focus in with my 25x eyepiece and see a lovely clear M42, a distinctly 'fuzzy cloud'. My first nebula, I started with a good one. Using my 65x (after looking at Theta2 Orionis and getting my bearings) and some patient viewing, I could clearly see the four largest Trapezium, and slowly getting used to Skysafari I was not only able to identify them, but also note that I had observed them, thus making all this easier to remember later!

I then decide to look at some known Double Stars to see if I could see them. I started with Pollux, but while I found it easily enough (it's hard to miss it, and I'm finding the RDF very useful!) I couldn't see it as a double with 65x. I've no idea if I should be able to or not though to be honest.

Some clouds started appear, so I started looking for clearer spots. Sirius was just peeking above a house, so I gave that a go. I found the image to be all over the place, very colourful and hard to focus. I'm tempted to say that its proximity to the horizon, and the house roof I was looking over, might have been affecting the view, but I'm only guessing.

Back to Orion's belt, I had a look at Alnitak for a bit, trying to see the nebula around there, but I realise now that they're much fainter and I had no luck.

With the clouds getting worse, I gave the Pleiades a go. I got a good view, not as clear as I would have liked, and getting the orientation right with Skysafari, was able to focus in on Alcyone and also identify 24 Tauri, V647 Tau and HD 23608, each one fainter than the last. I do love the feeling of getting some stars in your scope, figuring out the shape/layout of them, and then getting them on Skysafari and orientating it until suddenly it matches and you know exactly where you are!

With a final gap in the clouds I swung across to Castor to have a look, and convinced myself at 65x that I could just make out Castor A and B. I'm not 100% sure this wasn't just my brain telling my eyes what to see, but I do feel like it was more than one pin prick of light.

At that the clouds won, and I packed away my stuff. A short enough session, so I felt the need to squeeze things in a bit, but at this stage of the hobby for me it's hard not to be impressed each time I use the telescope!  M42 was the definite highlight, and finding out that Theta2 Orionis is 1546 light years away, that's far in the past! I also learned a bit more about observing and using the equipment (and learned to hate my neighbour's high-powered security light just a bit more too!). I do feel like my scope isn't giving the clearest images, especially off centre in the eyepiece. But I'm not really experienced enough yet to know what to expect from it. I'll be getting a Cheshire soon, which I'll use to check collimation properly. 

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Jasonb

[Sunshine]

I enjoyed reading your first report, you may as well have written a hundred as it was a great report! M42 is always a blast to see especially your first time. You are well on your way my friend, when you mentioned you put your scope out to cool I knew right then you are an official amateur astronomer. Welcome aboard and, we look forward to more great reports from you, it feels great to discover the sky for yourself, clear skies!.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Sunshine

[Nik271]

Great report! M42 is amazing isn't it? I still remember my first look of it, its like gull wing among the stars. 

I also tried in vain to find the Flame and the Horsehead nebulas near Alnitak and this is when I realised the difference between visual astronomy and astrophotography  At least for people with small scopes in light polluted skies. 

By the way I don't think Pollux is a real double star but an optical one and the 'companion' is really dim: mag 14, so very hard to see even with big scopes.

Another (much easier) double star to try is Mizar (Zeta Ursae Majoris). At x65 you should have no trouble separating the pair.

Clear skies!

 

[Stu]

Great report @Jasonb, sounds like a pretty successful session. The Trapezium is always good to see, one I never tire of.

As has been said, Pollux is quite a wide paced double but the secondary is very faint. Doable with a larger scope and decent skies but not one I’ve managed myself. Castor is much easier and more obvious, looks like two slightly unequal eyes, both white. They are reasonably tight but still quite achievable so I suspect you did see it. Perhaps try higher power next time? Seeing conditions always play a part is splitting tight doubles too.

Have a look out for Sigma Orionis next time out, a lovely multiple star system. There are three which are quite easy, the fourth is fainter and can be tricky if conditions aren’t great. They is also another triangle of stars close by which makes a wonderful grouping in the eyepiece. A firm favourite of mine.

I love SkySafari too! 👍👍

Images courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy(TM)

[Mr Spock]

Great report - your enthusiasm really shines through 👍

[Jasonb]

Thanks for your encouragement!

It's hard not to be enthusiastic when it's all so new!  But it being new also means I'm learning as I go. It's one thing to spot 'Double Star' or 'Nebula' in Skysafari and think I'll give it a go, it's another when you get into the detail and find out that you're never gonna see it because, like you say, Pollux needs a big scope to spot the smaller one, or I need less light pollution to see the Flame Nebula etc.. But that's ok, it's how I learn. Thanks for the suggestions, I'm definitely gonna look for Mizar and Sigma Orionis next time, clouds permitting, and I've also downloaded the Moore Winter's Marathon (as recommended on here) to give me more targets to go for!

Unfortunately 65x is the most I can do right now with the stock eyepieces I have. I do have an upgrade path in mind, a 2.25x Barlow and a 8mm BST StarGuider, but that'll be in the next few weeks/months. First up is a Cheshire; my take on it is there's no point throwing more magnification at the scope if I'm not sure if it's currently working at its best anyhow! So I'll get the collimation nailed down (I've done a bit with a home made eyecap, but clearly a Cheshire will be more exact) and then I'll see where I am with higher magnifications. The 8mm with the 2.25x Barlow gets me to 183x, from what I've read on here I doubt there's much need for anything more than that really with a 130P scope.

[Tiny Clanger]

Nice report, I'm pleased you had a gap in the clouds over there... we did too, but annoyingly it came in the daytime , and the grey curtains rolled inexorably in as the Sun set .

I think those of us beginners who start with non go-to set ups probably get more out of using our modest 'scopes because we can't simply dial something in, have a quick look at it, then move on : we have to navigate our way and learn the sky, and once we manage to actually locate something we feel a sense of achievement as well as wanting to spend some time studying what we found to make the effort worthwhile.

Patience and experience are, I suspect, the best upgrades available after the best one (dark skies), so wise to take time getting used to handling the gear you have and getting the best possible out of it . I've kept a hand-scribbled log book with notes on what I saw at specific dates and times, and included any details of how the kit fell short of what I'd like , what went wrong, or how new stuff functioned. I write it up as soon as I come indoors, and it makes interesting reading to reflect on : back in July when I started keeping it (after a few days of simply getting the hang of using the 'scope and eyepieces and mount in the dark) most of what I recorded is about the kit, but as that became second nature the equipment info part has reduced and the 'what I saw' record has expanded. I suppose it's like learning to drive : to begin with it's all about the right pedal to push and gear to be in, get the hang of those then a whole different learning curve needs negotiating  ...

By the way, I'll second Mizar as an easy target to go for , even I knew where to find it ! https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/mizar-and-alcor-the-horse-and-rider ,

it features in my most recent log entry , which was 1-2am on the night of 30th November/!st December, and was the only thing that wasn't drowned out by the searchlight - like Moon ! Since then, no  chance of seeing anything  but the underside of clouds .

[orions_boot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epsilon_Lyrae

 

Worth a look if you want more doubles for your money

[Jasonb]

One thing I'm definitely struggling with is not knowing what to expect. Is what I'm seeing (in terms of quality of image) what I should expect from this scope/EPs, or should it be better with some adjustments or something. It's hard to know, and hard to find out as I can't get pictures of what I'm seeing to share. I do think you're right about learning something new Tiny Clanger, my first time using it was all about just trying to use the scope at all, and already I feel more confident about getting it lined up properly. I'm still using the mount in Alt-Az mode, and while I look forward to giving the EQ mode a go, I'm enjoying how easy it is to use this way for the moment.

I had another look at collimation today using my cap, deciding that the secondary mirror wasn't quite presenting the perfect circle. Some adjustments later and I was happier, but then when I checked the alignment with the Primary it was all off completely! So I did my best to get it right again. I really need to leave it alone, at least until I have a proper piece of equipment to check it with.

Thanks for the suggest for Epsilon_Lyrae, I'm actually getting my hopes up here as it's a really clear afternoon, and while it's meant to rain a lot tonight, I *think* I might some some clear skies this evening first!

[orions_boot]

1 hour ago, Jasonb said:

One thing I'm definitely struggling with is not knowing what to expect. Is what I'm seeing (in terms of quality of image) what I should expect from this scope/EPs, or should it be better with some adjustments or something.

 

 

Speaking as another newbie this is the key bit.  It took me a few sessions to be able to have some certainty that I had seen my target.

In order to assist I found you need planning and prep with research.  Set out a list of a couple of objects to find.  Plan how to find them.  Research written/sketch/photographic sources of what the object looks like.  Find it and take a good look, then come back and have another read about the object.

The problem is until you look through a telescope you haven't looked through a telescope.  Photographs are a different kettle of fish.  Looking at sketches is more helpful.  Read observing reports and how people described something and what EPs they used.  If you look at my post history it might give ideas of simple plans to look at a few objects, from the POV of a newbie.

If you want more doubles have a look at Andromeda quite a few kicking around.  

Edited December 12, 2020 by orions_boot

[Jasonb]

Thanks! I'm am slowly getting better at navigating my way around and figuring out which star is which, and adjusting to the view in the scope being a different orientation to in binoculars or the naked eye.

What I was actually referring to is not knowing what quality of image I should be getting. Should it be sharper/clearer, is there something I'm not doing that would improve the quality of whatever I'm looking at!

[Tiny Clanger]

1 hour ago, orions_boot said:

The problem is until you look through a telescope you haven't looked through a telescope. 

 

A true, succinct, and very Zen statement which could usefully be on every new telescope, just under the bit about not looking at the Sun ...

[orions_boot]

4 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

A true, succinct, and very Zen statement which could usefully be on every new telescope, just under the bit about not looking at the Sun ...

When you look at the ring nebula and all you get is a very small dim grey circle with a hole in it, yes it isn't bright green and red but

you are looking at something as it was 2500 years ago at an inconceivable distance that you can only see because it is so massive 

Taking all that in to account there is only so much tweaking and sharpness you can get before you have to settle for what you have as a fuzzy grey blob with a hole in it.

[Tiny Clanger]

31 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

What I was actually referring to is not knowing what quality of image I should be getting. Should it be sharper/clearer, is there something I'm not doing that would improve the quality of whatever I'm looking at!

I think there are probably only two ways to be sure about this for visual astronomy, unfortunately the quicker way is off limits at the moment, i.e. going to a club meet and  talking to others who can look through your 'scope , and let you look through theirs, and can give an experienced opinion on both your 'scope and the 'seeing' conditions right then and there.

The other way is to just keep observing and hope for really good seeing one night , to  show you a steady view and find the limits of the 'scope.

On which note, I'm off outside to see if it's still clear !

Heather

[Jasonb]

1 hour ago, orions_boot said:

Taking all that in to account there is only so much tweaking and sharpness you can get before you have to settle for what you have as a fuzzy grey blob with a hole in it.

I completely agree! But sometimes I have trouble getting stars to focus sharply, and I'm pretty sure I should be able to get them to a decent sharp pinpoint. But it's all a learning curve.

1 hour ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I think there are probably only two ways to be sure about this for visual astronomy, unfortunately the quicker way is off limits at the moment, i.e. going to a club meet and  talking to others who can look through your 'scope , and let you look through theirs, and can give an experienced opinion on both your 'scope and the 'seeing' conditions right then and there.

Yes, this would be very helpful alright! Someone knowledgeable looking down my scope and saying 'that's a nice image' or 'we need to fix that a bit' would help hone in what I should expect from it.

 

I did manage to get out earlier this evening, I had the scope out at around 4:30 cooling down, and started viewing a little after 5 or so. After looking at Mars for a couple of minutes, I moved over to Epsilon 1 Lyr, the double double. I managed the first split easily, but couldn't see the second ones.

There was some cloud moving about, and I spent a while looking for Uranus. I've tried this a few times but never managed it. I think the issue is it's basically in a fairly non-descript part of the sky right now, so there just isn't a killer star or shape of stars I can use to nail it down. Light cloud getting involved didn't help either! I can use Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim as a guide, and then go down towards Xi1 Ceti and Xi2 Ceti, but so far, while I probably have looked at it, I don't know for sure that I did.

Next up was Mizar, which came out from behind the clouds. With the 25x I could easily see Mizar, Alcor and HD 116798 between them, and once I went to 65x I could split Mizar into A and B as well, so that was cool. 

I had a quick look at the Pleiades and used them to find the Hyades. I focused in on Aldebaran and that lead me to a nice little pair, Sigma1 Tauri and Sigma2 Tauri, to the south of it.

Finally, as I was rather cold and more clouds were coming in, I had a look at Capella, nice and bright! Skysafari mentioned a small triangle of stars to its southwest called 'The Kids' or baby goats, but I couldn't see them, and Skysafari itself doesn't list them!

Unfortunately Orion hadn't risen yet, so Sigma Orionis will have to wait for another night, especially as the clouds are here to stay now and rain is on the way.

The cold got to me more tonight than last night for some reason (maybe it's just colder!) and I was having some focus issues with the scope. I think it was due to dew (I could definitely see some on the RDF) but I'm not sure if it was on the EP or the Secondary (the Primary looked fine). Occasional thin cloud didn't help with focusing for a clear sharp image either. Not sure if a dew shield would help much on a 5" Newtonian or not?

Still, I got out two nights in a row so that's excellent, and my knowledge of what's out there, and how to see it, continues to increase!

Edited December 12, 2020 by Jasonb

[Nyctimene]

Another vivid report, showing your enthusiasm; thank you - and keep on posting, please!

Seems you are on the right track with planning and observing. The two close pairs of the Double Double will probably demand a slightly higher magnification than 65x to be separated; so give it a try with the 2.25x Barlow (-the Baader Turret? - an excellent barlow!) you are planning to buy. And the collimation, regarding your description of the Trapezium, seems to be quite good. I guess, it's just the seeing/transparency problem, that affects your views. Have patience; better nights will come.

Dew is sometimes a problem with the unshielded 130 P. Have a look at the shield builds here, page 1 and 10; (the huge One Sky Newtonian (= Skywatcher 130 P Flextube) thread on CloudyNights):

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/463109-onesky-newtonian-astronomers-without-borders/page-187

Clear Skies, and enjoy the journey - and keep a (paper) logbook, as suggested by Tiny Clanger above; she's spot on!

Stephan

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Jasonb said:

I completely agree! But sometimes I have trouble getting stars to focus sharply, and I'm pretty sure I should be able to get them to a decent sharp pinpoint. But it's all a learning curve.

Yes, this would be very helpful alright! Someone knowledgeable looking down my scope and saying 'that's a nice image' or 'we need to fix that a bit' would help hone in what I should expect from it.

 

I did manage to get out earlier this evening, I had the scope out at around 4:30 cooling down, and started viewing a little after 5 or so. After looking at Mars for a couple of minutes, I moved over to Epsilon 1 Lyr, the double double. I managed the first split easily, but couldn't see the second ones.

There was some cloud moving about, and I spent a while looking for Uranus. I've tried this a few times but never managed it. I think the issue is it's basically in a fairly non-descript part of the sky right now, so there just isn't a killer star or shape of stars I can use to nail it down. Light cloud getting involved didn't help either! I can use Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim as a guide, and then go down towards Xi1 Ceti and Xi2 Ceti, but so far, while I probably have looked at it, I don't know for sure that I did.

Next up was Mizar, which came out from behind the clouds. With the 25x I could easily see Mizar, Alcor and HD 116798 between them, and once I went to 65x I could split Mizar into A and B as well, so that was cool. 

I had a quick look at the Pleiades and used them to find the Hyades. I focused in on Aldebaran and that lead me to a nice little pair, Sigma1 Tauri and Sigma2 Tauri, to the south of it.

Finally, as I was rather cold and more clouds were coming in, I had a look at Capella, nice and bright! Skysafari mentioned a small triangle of stars to its southwest called 'The Kids' or baby goats, but I couldn't see them, and Skysafari itself doesn't list them!

Unfortunately Orion hadn't risen yet, so Sigma Orionis will have to wait for another night, especially as the clouds are here to stay now and rain is on the way.

The cold got to me more tonight than last night for some reason (maybe it's just colder!) and I was having some focus issues with the scope. I think it was due to dew (I could definitely see some on the RDF) but I'm not sure if it was on the EP or the Secondary (the Primary looked fine). Occasional thin cloud didn't help with focusing for a clear sharp image either. Not sure if a dew shield would help much on a 5" Newtonian or not?

Still, I got out two nights in a row so that's excellent, and my knowledge of what's out there, and how to see it, continues to increase!

More great progress 👍👍

I have a 130p and a 150p and both will split the Double Double when collimated well and conditions are good. Likely not with the standard eyepiece at only x65 though, so as Stephan suggests, give the barlow a try.

The Kids are shown in this snap from SkySafari but are quite a large asterism so better suited to binoculars or even just naked eye under a good sky.

Dew can be a challenge at this time of year in particular, making a dew shield may help although it is more likely that your eyepieces will suffer more than the scope; refractors and SCTs/make tend to suffer more. A shroud is an excellent addition too!

[Jasonb]

Thanks again for your encouragement, I'm aware that I'm reporting on stuff that is nothing new to nearly everyone on here, so it's hardly interesting!

Yep, it is the Baader Q-Turret Barlow that I have my eye on (Da dum... Tish!), it was of course recommended to me on here. That'll be my second purchase, after the Cheshire. That said, a box with my wife's name on it, and also a First Light Optics sticker, arrived recently, so I may already have one of them, I just have to wait 'til Christmas to find out!

That's a great link, I'll enjoy reading through all that, I do love learning things!

Am also thinking that I may try to visit a darker site soon, now that I don't feel completely useless when setting up the scope. Though there will still be some self-consciousness (is that a word - Heather will know!  ) with setting up in public. I'm in a Bortle 5 area, but there are some Bortle 4 areas within 10-15 mins so that would be easy to get to. Even better, my Sister has a house in the middle of the countryside, in a Bortle 3 area, so when lockdowns etc. ease a little I can see a trip being arranged. Though it's an hour and a half away, so I'd want to be fairly certain of the weather!

[Jasonb]

6 minutes ago, Stu said:

More great progress 👍👍

I have a 130p and a 150p and both will split the Double Double when collimated well and conditions are good. Likely not with the standard eyepiece at only x65 though, so as Stephan suggests, give the barlow a try.

The Kids are shown in this snap from SkySafari but are quite a large asterism so better suited to binoculars or even just naked eye under a good sky.

Dew can be a challenge at this time of year in particular, making a dew shield may help although it is more likely that your eyepieces will suffer more than the scope; refractors and SCTs/make tend to suffer more. A shroud is an excellent addition too!

Thanks for the tips. I actually have the StarQuest 130p with a closed tube, so a shroud isn't needed (if I'm right in what you mean by it!). I tend to keep my eyepieces (all two of them) in my pocket and take one out at a time, so I'm thinking that should help keep them dew free? Am I right in thinking that the longer I stay outside, the more chance of Dew as the telescope temp drops more and more?

[Tiny Clanger]

32 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

Am also thinking that I may try to visit a darker site soon, now that I don't feel completely useless when setting up the scope. Though there will still be some self-consciousness (is that a word - Heather will know!  ) with setting up in public. I'm in a Bortle 5 area, but there are some Bortle 4 areas within 10-15 mins so that would be easy to get to. Even better, my Sister has a house in the middle of the countryside, in a Bortle 3 area, so when lockdowns etc. ease a little I can see a trip being arranged. Though it's an hour and a half away, so I'd want to be fairly certain of the weather!

I believe it to be a word, but then I agree with Humpty Dumpty about words 😀  as long as they get your meaning across.

However, I don't think you need feel embarrassed about setting up in public , as the public won't see you in that lovely dark ...

I've made foam dew shields for my 'scopes , partly because being from a photo background a 'lens hood' seems a natural addition , partly because I had plenty of foam left over from the stuff I ordered to make a shroud for the heritage 150 , partly because a dew shield can't hurt, but might help, and partly because I just enjoy tinkering with stuff. My initial efforts were made from a cheap, bright blue camping mat ( also sometimes sold as yoga mats) which is closed cell foam maybe 6mm thick , it was fine for dew shields but too thick to slide inside the heritage tube and had to be taken off between uses, so I bought some sober black 3mm closed cell foam which works well, and looks rather classier !

The 3mm foam is sufficiently rigid to make decent dew shields, including a dinky one for the 6x30 RACI which has never had a dew problem yet . The 150 heritage has stayed dew free too, but the 127 mak with a big lump of glass at the front is a dew magnet, and despite the shield it has had me curtailing sessions with it a few times.  If it gets annoying, I do have an extension cable and an old hairdryer ...

Keeping the eyepieces warm will keep the dew off them, I used to use pockets , but on getting a slightly nicer EP or two I decided better to have a less biscuit crumb and tissue fragment place for them than my pockets, so recycled some of the camping mat foam dew shield to make internal dividers for a little padded pouch I use on a belt I put on over whatever jacket. I stole the idea from some wildly expensive 'bum bag' style  waist packs I saw which are sold specifically for EPs 😀  Mine cost nothing being a ramshackle aggregation of stuff I already had .

PS, it was clear,and I spent over an hour just looking at Mars. Mare Cimmerium and Syrtis Minor quite clear, but couldn't see the S.polar ice cap, which I've read has shrunk since the summer. Then some patchy cloud, so I came in for a bit.

[Captain Scarlet]

As a fairly recent newbie myself I can totally relate to your enthusiasm and relive the experiences. And the scope you have is very capable. I only recently used the same scope  to see the Veil for the very first time, by all accounts a rather difficult target! But I was (am) at a dark site, in Ireland as it happens.

Whereabouts in Ireland are you? I’m near Baltimore West Cork. If you say you’re 20 minutes from bortle 3 ... that’s a total luxury for most of Europe and UK!

cheers, Magnus

[Jasonb]

21 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

The 3mm foam is sufficiently rigid to make decent dew shields, including a dinky one for the 6x30 RACI which has never had a dew problem yet . The 150 heritage has stayed dew free too, but the 127 mak with a big lump of glass at the front is a dew magnet, and despite the shield it has had me curtailing sessions with it a few times.  If it gets annoying, I do have an extension cable and an old hairdryer ...

PS, it was clear,and I spent over an hour just looking at Mars. Mare Cimmerium and Syrtis Minor quite clear, but couldn't see the S.polar ice cap, which I've read has shrunk since the summer. Then some patchy cloud, so I came in for a bit.

Any chance you have a pic of your 150 with the Dew Shield, just want to get an idea of how it looks, how long it is etc.?

That sounds excellent about Mars, were you using the 150 or the Mak? What kind of magnification were you using? How do you find following a planet like that for an hour, lots of adjustments to keep it in the EP?

20 hours ago, Captain Magenta said:

As a fairly recent newbie myself I can totally relate to your enthusiasm and relive the experiences. And the scope you have is very capable. I only recently used the same scope  to see the Veil for the very first time, by all accounts a rather difficult target! But I was (am) at a dark site, in Ireland as it happens.

Whereabouts in Ireland are you? I’m near Baltimore West Cork. If you say you’re 20 minutes from bortle 3 ... that’s a total luxury for most of Europe and UK!

cheers, Magnus

Thanks Magnus, I'm in Naas. Baltimore is lovely, was there a good few years ago now, I'd say it's pretty dark there. I'm actually 10/15 minutes from Bortle 4 (either towards the Curragh in Kildare, or between here and Blessington), the Bortle 3 area is where my sister lives, west of Mullingar, so about an hour and a half away.

Nothing but rain and clouds here tonight, but I have all 50 of Moore's Marathon printed off (thanks for the link Heather!) so that's my next task...

[Tiago Ferreira]

Nice report. I too love M42. It never fails! And has something that i just can't take my eye out of the eyepiece, some kind of magic. It was the 1st nebula i saw with a telescope.

[Jasonb]

You and me both @astrocanito!

[Tiny Clanger]

14 minutes ago, Jasonb said:

Any chance you have a pic of your 150 with the Dew Shield, just want to get an idea of how it looks, how long it is etc.?

That sounds excellent about Mars, were you using the 150 or the Mak? What kind of magnification were you using? How do you find following a planet like that for an hour, lots of adjustments to keep it in the EP?

Thanks Magnus, I'm in Naas. Baltimore is lovely, was there a good few years ago now, I'd say it's pretty dark there. I'm actually 10/15 minutes from Bortle 4 (either towards the Curragh in Kildare, or between here and Blessington), the Bortle 3 area is where my sister lives, west of Mullingar, so about an hour and a half away.

Nothing but rain and clouds here tonight, but I have all 50 of Moore's Marathon printed off (thanks for the link Heather!) so that's my next task...

I'll get around to taking & posting a photo of the 150+dew shield  when I can take it outdoors without drowning ... All it is is a sheet of foam slightly longer than the circumference of the 'scope, with some velcro glued on (hot melt glue gun worked fine, to my surprise ... I thought it would melt the foam !) The protruding part I made as deep as I could given the lack of rigidity of the foam, and initially I only put velcro at the tube end, so if it was too long and intruded into the view (vignetting in photographer speak) I could just cut a strip off to shorten it . It didn't.

I was using the 127 mak for Mars last night, I bought it specifically for planet & moon watching, it has a focal length of 1500mm vs the heritages 750mm but obviously a smaller aperture. I had the 8mm BST starguider in it (giving a view like the 8mm with 2x barlow in the heritage) Last night adding the 2x barlow in the mak was pushing conditions too much. The mak is on an alt/az  (one of these https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/sky-watcher-az5-deluxe-alt-azimuth-mount.html)  atop a hefty Manfrotto photo tripod I've owned for years.

I'd initially thought I might get away with using the mak on the heavy duty pan/tilt head I use with that tripod for photography, but the lack of slow motion controls made it too difficult. So more money evaporated from my savings and appeared in FLO's account ! With the alt/az  slo mo cables it wasn't hard to get in the rhythm of twiddling the control as Mars was on the point of exiting left (mirror image , right way up but L/R swapped : I wasn't aware of how my reflexes had adjusted to Newtonian view until everything was suddenly , weirdly, the right way up ... )

It helped that the apparent path of Mars' orbit when I was watching only needed frequent adjustment in the horizontal , so only one control to twiddle. I spent so much time watching Mars as it's  true what everyone says , you really do get random moments of better clarity when you can suddenly see more detail. I can't quite get over having viewed something on Mars a while back which was, on the next day, identified by folk on here with more idea than me as a dust storm . That was on Nov.19th  with a 17mm skywatcher basic plossl in the mak, as the BST was too much for the seeing by the way , so within your grasp with an 8mm BST in your 'scope when you get one.

Don't imagine I'm neglecting the dob though, it's just that the planets are up there for viewing at the moment.

Heather