First proper session for over 8 weeks!

[F15Rules]

Well, last night was the first proper session I've had for some time, and having started with low expectations at 11pm with 50% cloud cover, the skies gradually improved and I ended up staying out til 1.30am👍.

Conditions: light breeze, warm, with 50% cloud cover to begin with and moderate seeing (good transparency though), improving steadily to good seeing between c midnight and 1.30am. By midnight I could see structure in the Milky Way with the naked eye, and by session close the visible M Way arc extended over 50% of the way to each horizon.

Equipment used:

Tak FS128 F8.1 apo and (briefly) Vixen102m F10 achromat

Celestron Axiom LX 31mm 82 deg

Celestron Axiom LX 23mm 82 deg

Nagler T2 12mm

Morpheus 9mm

Vixen LV 10mm and 5mm

Baader Zoom Barlow 2.25X

I should say that this was not at all a planned session, and so I just decided to firstly look at Jupiter and Saturn, fully expecting the skies to cloud over soon after I got set up.

At 11pm both planets were fairly low down (we sit at the bottom of a steep lane), and seeing was only moderate at best to begin with.

Jupiter was very bright, but as is so often the case, the view became quite mushy at much over 100x, such that anything more actually diminished the details visible: however, Io's disk was clearly visible close to the planet. 

Saturn, although much fainter to the naked eye, looked sharper, and I got an early glimpse of the Cassini Division and I think 3 moons (Titan of course, plus 2 others).

I then decided to use my relatively new to me UWA Celestron Axiom 31mm 82 degree for its' first extended session. This is by some margin the largest eyepiece I've ever seen and weighs in (I kid you not!) at 1.4kg! Fortunately the 2.7" Tak focuser is very robust and once I'd rebalanced the OTA I had no issues and the rig worked flawlessly. For a good 20 minutes I just cruised around Cygnus, starting with Albireo (beautifully defined colours against a sparkling sea of innumerable stars as the Milky Way readily resolved in all directions). The Axiom is extremely sharp right from the centre of the FOV, right out to a good 97/98% of the 82deg FOV - and, thanks to the very smooth and solid rotating eyecup, very comfortable in use. I could see the sharp field stop and whole FOV very readily: I think that for me, 82 degrees is as wide as I'd want to go, but there's no denying that for low power widefield views, this eyepiece delivers wonderful views. In the FS128 it provides a 2.45deg FOV and magnification of 33X, lovely.

I moved along the Northern Cross, to Sadr, perhaps the "densest" part of the Northern Sky Milky Way in terms of individual stars, and I just enjoyed the classic "diamonds on velvet" effect. 

Switching soon after to my (again new to me) Axiom LX 23mm, again 82 degrees, so delivering a respectable 1.82 deg FOV, I was really reminded of my much missed Vixen LVW 22mm 68 degree unit, just as sharp, but with a noticeably wider FOV than the c1.51 degrees of the Vixen.. the latter gave me my best ever views of M42, bar none, and I am quite excited to see if the Axiom can match or exceed the LVW in a couple of months when Orion returns 🙂.

Dropping down from Cygnus through Vulpecula, I was delighted to chance upon the Dumbbell nebula, and was very pleased at how bright it looked in my modest 5" aperture (it's quite bright at c mag.7.9).

I then turned to Lyra, such a small but rich group. I love to checkout Vega as it was one of the first stars I ever observed back in the 1970s as a teenager: like many others, I used a 60mm F15 achromat at that time, so to see a bluish tinged Vega was quite normal, and rather attractive. Seeing it now though, as it really is, through an apochromat, as a flawless white diamond, is almost a spiritual experience..I immediately looked for Vega's mag 10.5 optical double companion, and there it was, very clear in the Tak with direct vision, in the c.7 - 8 o'clock position (refractor view with diagonal). It's readily seen in a 4" scope, but may take a moment to "pop out", until the observing eye adjusts to the overwhelming brightness of Vega herself.

From Vega on, inevitably, to the double double, Epsilon Lyrae. As soon as I aligned them in the Axiom I popped in the Nagler T2 12mm..this is a cracking eyepiece, useable in both 1.25" and 2" focusers, and it has wonderful contrast. At 86x I was presented with two lovely pairs of small, but distinct "bullseye's" each pair at right angle to the other, and perfectly white mini "headlights"..adding the Baader zoom Barlow to the Nagler ramped up the magnification to 195x. This pair will really reward higher powers on a good night, the extra power increases contrast, and you see very clear, black space between each pair, wonderful!

Before leaving Lyra I had to check out M57, The Ring Nebula. As I know just where to find it, I left the Barlow in the Nagler, aligned the scopes' finder with the expected position of the Ring (I always struggle to see it directly at c mag 9 in my RACI 9x50 finder) and there it was, actually quite a bright and large "ring donut" object, with a clearly visible (with averted vision) faint star to the 3 o'clock position, outside of the Ring. I estimate this star to be between mag 11.5 and 12 - does that sound about right? I've never seen the central star of this planetary nebula, I believe it's mag 13 or fainter, so probably visually beyond the Tak (and my ageing eyes!).

I find that M57 eats up the magnification, and have used 300x on excellent nights with little deterioration in the image.

I couldn't go back to the planets before first checking out M13 in Hercules: easy to spot in my finder scope, I went straight in at 195x..at this power, and even with an 82deg fov, the object appeared large, and unmistakably as a large ball of individual stars..I'd estimate that between at least 30 and 50 individual points of light were resolved, quite a few directly and many more with averted vision, stunning. I am one of those, however, who just cannot see the Propeller asterism -even in photos with it outlined, I struggle with it. What's your experience at 4-6" aperture?

Finally, and by now getting tired but also elated at the views I'd been seeing, I spent the last 20-25 minutes of the session on Saturn and Jupiter. I'd put up my recently restored Vixen 102M F10 achromat next to the Tak (see photo below), and I was keen to see how it would be on the gas Giants. I started with Saturn and was delighted to get a nice clear view of Saturn and Titan close by..by now, Saturn was well past due south, and partly affected by a nearby streetlight overspill, but I could see, partially, the Cassini Division, and a very nice, sharply defined creamy coloured main disk of Saturn itself.

I then turned the FS128 to Saturn for comparison, and the difference was startling..don't let anyone tell you there isn't much difference between a 4" and a 5" objective - especially when the 5" is a fluorite doublet! I could clearly see the sharply defined Cassini division all the way around the ring, as well as a darkish band on the planet itself, and at times I suspected the shadow of the rings on the planet but couldn't be completely sure..the dual focuser of the Tak did make fine focus easier, and the Tak took 195x magnification no problem - and might have taken more if time had allowed.

Finally, to Jupiter (with the Tak only, I was getting tired, and with the last ten minutes or so I wanted all that time with the better scope).

I went straight in with the Morpheus 9mm at 115x..the view was pin sharp, and almost too bright, but I could immediately see the shadow of Io to the far "right" (west, I think, refractor view with diagonal) at c 4 o'clock position and approximately 10% of the way across the planets' disk, just stunning. I could also see at least 5 bands. I tried the Morpheus with the zoom barlow at 260x..the image actually held up quite well, but I did start to see floaters, which I found rather distracting..a hazard of getting older, sadly.

But all in all, a most enjoyable, even exhilarating night, and I feel very much more motivated to welcome the autumn and winter, knowing my scopes are at their best and raring to to go!😊.

Thanks for reading..

Dave

Edited August 14, 2021 by F15Rules
Additional text info

[jock1958]

Excellent and very detailed write up Dave, like you have never seen the propeller in M13 🤔

[John]

Great report and photo Dave

Re: "The Propeller", I used to think I was seeing it as an asterism created by the star chains that appear to spread outwards from the core of the cluster but then I realised that the feature is actually created by dark lanes, ie: slightly sparser areas of the cluster and is rather off centre.

I find it a lot easier to pick out with my 12 inch dob where the contrast and resolution of the cluster is that much richer and brighter.

 

[wookie1965]

Wow great read and session some lovely targets there so nice to compare scopes I need another mount so I can do that. 

I was out until 3am the sky was amazing after 1am here. 

I love those wooden tripods they look a lot more appealing than the metal ones. 

I to cannot see the propeller in M13 never have even in a 8" reflector. 

The "Blue Snowball" NGC 7662 put a bit of mag on it and it shows its lovely blue colour. 

Paul 

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by wookie1965

[Captain Scarlet]

What a great read. I didn’t want it to end. It’s maintained my motivation to get out properly after a couple of recent for-various-reasons frustrating sessions.

Magnus

[F15Rules]

Thanks Magnus..your reaction made it worth writing down my thoughts from last night's session, as I had been feeling rather frustrated myself about my recent lack of  "skytime".

As I locked up last night, the last thing I saw, peeping up to my east, was the Pleiades..much as I love the summer and it's constellations, I always find the first glimpse of the Pleiades very exciting as a portent of the arrival of mighty Orion, most magnificent of all IMHO..now that's worth getting excited about!👍😊

Dave

[RobertI]

Lovely report Dave. A great night out with the Tak by the sound of it. Vega a double? I had to check this but you’re right!  Not sure whether I could get this in the 4” frac but will try for sure. Can’t say I’ve seen the propellor visually, though I have caught it clearly with EAA. I think my C8 would probably be the best bet. Nice to see your Vixen making an appearance - comparing views in different scopes can add an interesting angle to observing. 

[cotterless45]

Brilliant report , wish that books on stargazing read like that !

I've only seen the propellor once . That was on Skye with a 10" Dob. The Vixen 102 is just a lovely scope to enjoy , matched with a Nagler gives dreamy views,

clear skies ,Nick.

[F15Rules]

13 hours ago, RobertI said:

Vega a double? I had to check this but you’re right!  Not sure whether I could get this in the 4” frac but will try for sure

Thanks Robert..

I've often seen Vega's optical companion with a 4" refractor..

If you look at the position angle graphic above ( courtesy Wikipedia), I think the companion is at a position angle (PA) of about 220 degrees..however, with a refractor and diagonal, north is at the top but east and west are reversed, so looking at the graphic above, if Vega is at the centre, the faint companion would be at about the 8 o'clock or 140 degrees position..( I hope that makes sense!). 

Jock, Nick,

Thanks for your kind remarks🙂..and I'm quite relieved that I'm not alone in struggling to see the Propeller!

Dave

Edited August 14, 2021 by F15Rules

[RobertI]

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

Thanks Robert..

I've often seen Vega's optical companion with a 4" refractor..

Thanks for the information Dave, I will definitely sniff this one out next time. The diagram is helpful, despite many years observing, I still cannot memorise the orientations in my different scopes. I know Fracs and SCTs with diagonals are the same orientation and Newts different, but I have to refer to refresh my memory on the actual orientations each time. I think I may end up having to sellotape a little graphic onto each of my OTAs!.

Edited August 14, 2021 by RobertI

[Kon]

Thanks for your report. I really enjoyed reading it and it felt as if I were observing.

[JeremyS]

Super write-up Dave 👍🏻

[Whistlin Bob]

Terrific report- it's a couple of months since my last really good session and this just makes me hunger for it.