Saganite Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 57 minutes ago, markse68 said: I didn’t get out till late unfortunately but the seeing was excellent from here in London too. Mars was beautifully clear- some mottling apparent in the lighter region and it looked like a proper world rather than a glowing ball. Having read through posts here and lazy to look through my lists, Steve’s 32 and 52 Ori were lovely splits at 250x with my Tal barlowed 6mm CZJ ortho. Wasat was a new one too and very nice with its tiny faint pinprick b star. Unfortunately I didn’t have Steve’s success on Sirius- it was a bit too fiery and I forgot to check the Trapezium. Thin high clouds rolled in and it was very cold so only about an hour or so but very enjoyable. Forecast is clear tonight too which is super exciting as I’m off to view mars through a 28” f12 refractor 😀🤞 Mark A good worthwhile session Mark, and you may not have got Sirius B this time, but I did not and still have not split Ori 52 thanks to the rapidly spreading cloud, but it looks like every night this week is going to be clear so, hopefully there will be chances for both of us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 4 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said: I’m glad FLO have sent the focuser to you Ian( so they should ) I think we are due a few clear nights this week . Can’t wait to see the report on the scopes mate . I am looking at dobs as mrs smart cookie has said I can keep one by the patio doors ( happy days … I must have been good the last few days lol) .. just wondering what one to buy … 8” or 10” or be really naughty and go for the 12” , although I have to be realistic (ish clear skies mate Oh and I also got the 8” dew heater ring and dew shield which are a must in these Arctic conditions. If I were you Stu I would probably opt for the 8” or the 10” in view of your health. That is if the imp on your shoulder can be ignored ( which is difficult IMO). Good luck with whatever you happen to choose(succumb) to 😂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu1smartcookie Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 2 minutes ago, bosun21 said: Oh and I also got the 8” dew heater ring and dew shield which are a must in these Arctic conditions. If I were you Stu I would probably opt for the 8” or the 10” just ordered the 8" , Ian . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 1 minute ago, Stu1smartcookie said: just ordered the 8" , Ian . Which model? The Stella Lyra or another ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saganite Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Froeng said: Reading all these posts I am starting to regret not observing last night! Thankfully the forecast is clear for tonight as well - fingers crossed! You are not a million miles away from me, and every night this week is predicted clear, so you should be ok...🤞 Edited January 17, 2023 by Saganite 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 3 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said: just ordered the 8" , Ian . Forgot to mention Paul is picking up the AZ EQ6 this afternoon 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieDvd Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 (edited) A good session for me too last night. If just EAA was my interest then I'd be happy as I saw/captured M31, M81 and a fresh set of M42 now I have an Optolong L-Pro filter fitted. I only took lights for the moment until my processing improves but the raw data looks good. PA with the ZWO AM5 & Asiair Plus was a breeze, mounted the AM5 on my pier this time and the PA was almost good enough to use just as mounted. I set North up using compass app on iphone (True North) and the locked Alt position on only needed a tiny change. Spent most of the time sitting in the garage using my Android pad - and setup and dismantle was a 'cool' 10 minutes for each. When I get enough confidence in the setup I should do most of it from indoors (warmer) but the clouds were rolling in so the indoor session was curtailed. M31 Just the lights, stacked & colour calibrated in SiriL, base stretch in PixInsight (30 x 60seconds) - my best image ever and only a few mins of processing. M42 with filter - Needs work. M81 Bad data - has blurry interference lines Still not too bad based on my past sessions. Edited January 17, 2023 by StevieDvd Added M42 & M81 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobbyisbest Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Anyone daring to have a go at Round 2 tonight? 😆 If I’m up for the task, I definitely need a better hand warming strategy; perhaps I should switch eyepieces less frequently and just push the dob with gloves on, and then see if prolonged staring at a DSO really makes it present better. I will definitely mot be going the multiscope route again tonight! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saganite Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Yep, all set up ready to go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froeng Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 9 minutes ago, Saganite said: Yep, all set up ready to go. Ditto! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telescope40 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Cloud 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Spock Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 It's been clear all day but there's a bank of cloud to the West. Forecast isn't good. I'll give tonight a miss and try again tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rojay Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 I was out in the cold too yesterday. Early on, to look at the GRS transit on Jupiter, although my best view was about half an hour after transit, when the scope had cooled down properly. It definitely repaid time at the eyepiece - I really wasn't sure I could see it initially, but it got quite easy with some patient attention. After a break, I had a go at R Lep, but no luck. I'm sure I was looking in the right place, but maybe my eyes aren't red-sensitive enough.... But M42 (with and without filters) and Sigma Ori were a joy to see. And today the frozen lawn still shows my tracks 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuburbanMak Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Got in another garden session with the ST80 & Stella Lyra 30mm UFF pairing last night and made myself look at a few objects outside of my normal "greatest hits". Sky in Winchester was superb for a time and I could just about make out the Auriga Messiers naked eye, not something I've seen from the heavily locally light polluted garden before - although have seen them on occasion from town in the local park. Took in Kemble's cascade & NGC 1502, lovely wide field view & noted the various star colours in the cascade. A first visit for me to NGC 752 (C28) in Andromeda - a fainter but ethereal wide cluster of yellow stars in Andromeda - has some fascinating science and apparently an old cluster which is being pulled apart by outside gravitational forces, I'll definitely be back. The Alpha Persei cluster is a favourite with bins and shows incredibly well in this 5.25 degree field - Mirfak notably yellow. A region of NGC's in Cassiopeia - NGC 663, 659, 654 and the Owl/ET/Dragonfly NGC 457 in the same field (this last just showing its fainter members in AV amid the garden lights). A good look again at Collinder 70, the Orion's belt region with skeins of silvery stars weaving in and out of the piercingly bright main belt stars - stunning field. A look at the beautiful group around Meissa in the head of Orion. Checked in on M52, M103, M34, M35, M36, M37. Finished up with some favourites Orion sword area with M42 billowing in AV at its heart, M45 - jewell-like, the Double Cluster against its surrounding field - can't wait to look at this with this rig from a darker site and finally the Hyades - studies in orange of pairs & triangles. All fab but a very cold couple of hours. Weather & jetstream forecasts look good here from about 9 pm, I have the Mak cooling, notes prepped and planning an excursion up on to the downs hoping to track down some elusive remaining Messiers! 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froeng Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 ...just came in for a break. Jupiter was good but too low unfortunately. I could still see quite some detail in the banding. Mars however is - although small - spectacular! Tonight it was as sharp as on the 2nd January, but noticeably smaller. The polar cap and a blue-ish haze on the opposite side of the planet clearly visible at 335x in the C8 with bino-viewer. I even tried a 4mm eyepiece (500x!). As I only have one, I had to look with one eye only. This meant the size of the planet looked about the same as with two eyes at 335x... Maybe I need another 4mm for these RARE occasions! Mars was still sharp in the C8 at 500x. I slewed across to Betelgeuse and the collimation was spot on. Clear Airy disk with diffraction rings. The air is indeed VERY still tonight... Now going out again into the COLD🥶 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterStudz Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 The night started off with high cloud here in Southampton. And after a successful night last night I was less keen. But looking outside now it’s crystal clear. Cold of course. Now I kind of wish I’d made the effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gweedo Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Cloud now coming in. Tonight I've tried imaging for the first time with Andromeda as my target. Processing tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froeng Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 I just packed up. The sky has turned milky. After the planets, I observed some doubles. Tegmine being the “star”! I saw three components at 335x. The air still being very steady. Off to bed - busy day tomorrow. Some sketches from earlier: 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xgaze Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 (edited) @FroengLovely sketches! Glad I didn't bother warming up the scope earlier. About half an hour later the high cloud rolled in - somtimes laziness pays! Edited January 17, 2023 by Xgaze 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalcolmM Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 'Heat' with Robert De Nero and Al Pacino. I had the scope all set up and ready to go, and kept looking outside, but am ashamed to say, for once I was really happy to keep seeing total cloud cover! Great film though, even for the second or third time Malcolm 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosun21 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 I was all set to give both of my new scopes their first light tonight, when 15 minutes before I was to get set up my doorbell rang! VISITORS! I hope I didn’t seem offish to them as I was continually glancing at the clock. They departed at 10.30pm. I ain’t going out now to set up two scopes. Not too perturbed as tomorrow night is supposed to be even better. Warning! I am not answering my door to visitors 😂. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuburbanMak Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 (edited) Super session tonight on the South Downs with Mak 127 & 10x50s. Got a couple of the more elusive Messiers I went after then cherry picked many favourites. Best views yet of M42 & the naked eye winter Milky Way was stunning. Sky was pristine from around 9 through to about 11.30 then got a little high haze drift in. M31, Beehive & Double Cluster all visible naked eye. Too cold and tired to type more now but will post an obs report tomorrow. Memorable evening. [EDIT: Full report here:] Edited January 18, 2023 by SuburbanMak Added link to write-up. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 It was a cracking night here, seemingly similar to the previous night for others. Seeing was pretty good, and transparency excellent. I used the AZ100 Goto and FC100, probably should have grabbed the 130mm f6, but didn’t have too long so stuck with the smaller scope. I do enjoy Goto, whizzed around quite a few favourites just to enjoy the skies, nothing too exotic. Then played around with a Pixel 6 Pro phone I picked up used, and managed to grab this image of M42. My processing skills leave something to be desired, particularly the sky background, but otherwise I’m chuffed with it. Even caught the Running Man 🏃👍 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalcolmM Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 1 hour ago, Stu said: It was a cracking night here, seemingly similar to the previous night for others. Seeing was pretty good, and transparency excellent. I used the AZ100 Goto and FC100, probably should have grabbed the 130mm f6, but didn’t have too long so stuck with the smaller scope. I do enjoy Goto, whizzed around quite a few favourites just to enjoy the skies, nothing too exotic. Then played around with a Pixel 6 Pro phone I picked up used, and managed to grab this image of M42. My processing skills leave something to be desired, particularly the sky background, but otherwise I’m chuffed with it. Even caught the Running Man 🏃👍 Fantastic pics, particularly M42! Love the colours. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froeng Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 1 hour ago, Stu said: It was a cracking night here, seemingly similar to the previous night for others. Seeing was pretty good, and transparency excellent. I used the AZ100 Goto and FC100, probably should have grabbed the 130mm f6, but didn’t have too long so stuck with the smaller scope. I do enjoy Goto, whizzed around quite a few favourites just to enjoy the skies, nothing too exotic. Then played around with a Pixel 6 Pro phone I picked up used, and managed to grab this image of M42. My processing skills leave something to be desired, particularly the sky background, but otherwise I’m chuffed with it. Even caught the Running Man 🏃👍 Are these single shots with a phone through an eyepiece??? They are amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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