Former Imaging Scope Seeks Employment

[Luke]

“Shall we sell the Equinox 120?” I asked my wife Sarah. “I’m not using it for solar imaging any more, and I really like using the ED100 for visual h-alpha anyway.”

“You can sell your cameras, but the Equinox stays!”

So out came the ED120 last night, looking for a new purpose in life, rather like I am at the mo and perhaps some of my fellow stargazers are too. The first bit of good news was that my giro dual mount didn’t tip over when I put the 120 on it for the first time – the Equinox lives on the HEQ5 normally. Phew! My wife would be suspicious were I to come back with the Equinox in pieces! And since it can indeed go on the giro, maybe the scope can do some solar white light visual for me too this year, with the Baader Herschel wedge. My default is ED100 and Lunt 1.25" wedge, but let's up the resolution while still enjoying the low-tech giro!

And the next bit of good news: I’d forgotten that I had a posh red dot finder, a Baader Sky Surfer V. And the battery still worked! I set the Sky Surfer to “Stun” and aimed its ominous red dot at Alberio. Initial focus was way out, but that big ball just had to be Alberio. Sharpening confirmed the kill. No need to adjust the finder, I must have used it in the Equinox before. Off we go to M51! Gulp! This first view has a lot to live up to... I’d had a spellbinding view of the Whirlpool recently in my 10" dob. And then I was rewarded for giving some TLC to my 8" SCT, which seemed to show me some spiral structure in M51! Or was it down to two Curly Whirlys I’d eaten earlier?

The Whirlpool was dim but nice (as my wife likes to think of me) with my 17.3mm Delos, not as bright as with the dob and SCT, though it could do with more mag. So I go to fetch my 10mm Delos, and as I come out, possibly the best meteor I have seen catches my eye! Below the big dipper, burning up in a calm, graceful manner, it’s there for about 2 to 3 seconds of glory. Surely I am not in for another special night? But I only have until 11pm! I’m teaching my son Matthew to program in the morning, though sometimes it feels the other way round.

In goes the 10mm Delos – we have a complete set of Delosses, or is it Deloi, Delli? And we are very happy with them. I’m hoping to get away without using the mighty 21mm Ethos tonight, just to be lazy and use 1.25" eyepieces only. The view of M51 is much more pleasing to me at 90x mag. Very satisfying! I’m using a chunky Baader diagonal with two click-locks. I could probably play a mean beat with it. The click lock is working well – as I change over eyepieces through the night, the scope stays on target.

I spy with my little eye, H. I head to M13 in Hercules. The view is sweet. Not as bright as with the fatter telescopes, but I can resolve many stars. This could do with more mag! I go to 200x with the 4.5mm. And the view is really lovely with a bit of averted vision. Off to M36, M37 and M38. Though I think I might only have viewed two of the three! My navigation was wonky, with Alnath I think having dipped behind our roof. And I must see the Owl Cluster! I’m not sure the view of the Owl was quite up there with the SCT the other night, but it’s a fine view. The stars are nice and sharp, and I enjoy using my poshest focuser of all, a FeatherTouch 2.5” rack and pinion.

So howz about trying to split a double? Theta Aurigae is conveniently placed, and my dog-eared Collins gem Stars book from 2004 tells me I need at least 100mm of aperture and high magnification to distinguish this tight double. I fiddle around with the FeatherTouch for a few minutes at 200x mag. No joy. Pfffft! The M92 globular cluster near M13 looks nice at 10mm, and is much nicer with the 4.5mm! The minutes whizz by, I need to finish up soon! But I have to split something with the frac first! Nothing too taxing. Castor proves easy peasy at 200x – two nice white stars. Success!

And I wanna see M3 as well before I pack up. But to a novice explorer like me, the globular cluster looks like it's in the middle of nowhere. Here goes, let’s point the deadly dot at about 45% between the rather far apart Arcturus and Cor Caroli... It’s been a lovely night so far and I’m a bit tired and time is ticking. I don’t suppose there is any chance the M3 glob will be in the view first time? Gosh, it is! And the view is good with the 10mm, and fab with the 4.5mm again coming out to play. I’m really enjoying the 4.5 tonight! I can get the stars decently sharp and don't feel like pushing it higher tonight. I have to tear myself away from the view. The globs have been so fantastic this month.

Yikes, 11.15pm! I’ll need two coffees first thing in the morning at this rate! Just one last target, I promise. What will it bee? I switch to the 17.3mm Delos and M44 the Beehive Cluster looks very good. I could do with a wider view, though. Looks like the 21mm Ethos is coming out tonight after all! Accustomed to my Delos eyepieces, I try to twist and extend the 21mm Ethos! As if it isn’t big enough already!

The giro mount doesn’t seem to groan as the Ethos lands. And the Beehive is majestic. A sparkly hive of activity, the stars seem to have a bit more buzz, but it could be I am just getting carried away by the wider view of one of my favourite clusters. The 10" dob can’t take in its full glory. I stay on the Beehive a minute longer than I should, and it’s been another brilliant night. A much shorter one than recently, but I am buzzing.

It's been so nice to get out with different scopes this month. It reminds me of being able to look through various scopes at star parties that fellow stargazers kindly let us do, it’s so nice to see these jewels in different ways. It felt like it freshened things up. It also reminded me of something that seems to be an all-to-frequent occurrence. My wife was right again. The Equinox stays!

Edited April 14, 2021 by Luke