March 17, 2021: first light for the ES 17mm 92°

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Got the Meade SN6 6" F/5 Schmidt-Newton out tonight, mainly to get some data on NGC 3718 and its neighbour NGC 3729, but first to put the new ES 17mm 92° eyepiece through its paces. First target was the crescent moon. The view was absolutely stunning. The detail along the terminator was crisp, and the earthshine showed beautifully against the dark sky background. No hints of internal reflections or glare. It is definitely a bit easier to use than the 12mm.

I then turned to the Pleiades, which filled most of the FOV. Stars were crisp throughout the FOV, as far I could tell. Next up was M42, which was a lovely sight, again the entire FOV looked crisp. 

Finally, I turned to NGC 3718 and NGC 3729. The skies weren't perfectly dark yet, but I could definitely pick out two faint hazy patches, which showed up a bit better in the 12 mm. 

All in all very pleased with the performance, and bagging two new galaxies at first light isn't bad either.