What did you see tonight?

[PeterStudz]

I’ve had an off and in session this evening with the Skywatcher 200p Dob plus EQ platform in Southampton. Mostly off as I have somehow acquired an unpleasant chest infection. 

Started off looking for Comet ZTF. Found it but it was very faint. The moon was up by now and the neighbours had their back garden lights on at full blast

Them had a look at Mars for what I thought was going to be a quick look and go. Mars is now obviously getting small and not a full disc so I thought I’d had my lot. But to my surprise seeing was excellent. Put in the BST StarGuider 5mm and I could make out the North Polar Hood plus surface details, especially Syrtis Major. Then put in a 4mm for 300x and still sharp. So I got out my secret weapon which up until now had been far too much fir anything useful and I was thinking of selling - the BST StarGuider 3.2mm for 375x - still sharp which is a first so maybe this is a keeper!

I then played around with my new phone and took some videos of Mars. Didn’t expect much but just playing around with the camera settings actually showed more detail in the live view than what I could see visually. Surprising, these phone cameras are getting good. I’ve posted a single frame from the video that’s had some very basic and crude editing. I reckon I can get more out of that with a bit of a play.

High clouds and a little fog started rolling in which acted as a red filter and occasionally changed the colour of Mars. At that point I called it a night. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by PeterStudz

[Mr Spock]

It's clear again here, so, the big lad is back out for some lunar. Given my garden faces west and the observing area is on the patio next to the house, I've about an hour to wait until it comes into view. 
Thankfully I don't have to get up for work he he 

I think one of the jobs for the summer in celebration of my upcoming retirement is to create a patio at the top of the garden with shed so the big lad has a better all round view.

[Mr Spock]

1 minute ago, PeterStudz said:

High clouds and a little fog started rolling in which acted as a red filter and occasionally changed the colour of Mars. At that point I called it a night. 

Nice view of Mars. I was getting a bit more detail in the 12" earlier with a distinct white bit at the top which I can't see on your image. I've read before that the cap doesn't always show on images. I wonder why 

[PeterStudz]

40 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

Nice view of Mars. I was getting a bit more detail in the 12" earlier with a distinct white bit at the top which I can't see on your image. I've read before that the cap doesn't always show on images. I wonder why 

Yes, I’ve heard that mentioned but don’t know why.

I could see a very small dot of white at the South Pole too. I’m no imaging guru but if I look at the video I can very occasionally see it there as well. Looks like it’s coming and going with the seeing. But it’s more than that. Eg Anything white in colour isn’t nearly as obvious in the video or images. The North Polar Hood is in the image but it’s far less obvious. While the albedo features have more contrast. Of course I haven’t done any stacking but I’d put money on that having some sort of effect. 

PS - I also fiddled with camera settings so maybe that didn’t help. It’s also a smartphone camera so you can expect too much!

Edited February 7, 2023 by PeterStudz

[bosun21]

47 minutes ago, PeterStudz said:

I’ve had an off and in session this evening with the Skywatcher 200p Dob plus EQ platform in Southampton. Mostly off as I have somehow acquired an unpleasant chest infection. 

Started off looking for Comet ZTF. Found it but it was very faint. The moon was up by now and the neighbours had their back garden lights on at full blast

Them had a look at Mars for what I thought was going to be a quick look and go. Mars is now obviously getting small and not a full disc so I thought I’d had my lot. But to my surprise seeing was excellent. Put in the BST StarGuider 5mm and I could make out the North Polar Hood plus surface details, especially Syrtis Major. Then put in a 4mm for 300x and still sharp. So I got out my secret weapon which up until now had been far too much fir anything useful and I was thinking of selling - the BST StarGuider 3.2mm for 375x - still sharp which is a first so maybe this is a keeper!

I then played around with my new phone and took some videos of Mars. Didn’t expect much but just playing around with the camera settings actually showed more detail in the live view than what I could see visually. Surprising, these phone cameras are getting good. I’ve posted a single frame from the video that’s had some very basic and crude editing. I reckon I can get more out of that with a bit of a play.

High clouds and a little fog started rolling in which acted as a red filter and occasionally changed the colour of Mars. At that point I called it a night. 

Exactly what I was seeing tonight also.

[Mr Spock]

Lunar session didn't last long. Seeing is dreadful. At x217 (7mm Nirvana) and x211 (18mm Ortho + 2.5x Powermate) I was trying to observe the bands on the face of Alhazen α. I thought the fine shadings would be a good decider as to which is the better combination for lunar. The image was constantly vibrating in that multiple image you get with poor seeing. Even worse, every so often, there's a wave of complete blurredness moving across the view. Bleh!

[PeterStudz]

6 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Lunar session didn't last long. Seeing is dreadful. At x217 (7mm Nirvana) and x211 (18mm Ortho + 2.5x Powermate) I was trying to observe the bands on the face of Alhazen α. I thought the fine shadings would be a good decider as to which is the better combination for lunar. The image was constantly vibrating in that multiple image you get with poor seeing. Even worse, every so often, there's a wave of complete blurredness moving across the view. Bleh!

Interesting how it can change (after seeing being good) so quickly. 

[Mr Spock]

6 minutes ago, PeterStudz said:

Interesting how it can change (after seeing being good) so quickly. 

Indeed. 6 hours earlier I'd been looking at Mars through cloud at x380 (although a little unsteady) and then later just junk 

[IB20]

Last night’s moon was punching through some amazing cloud formation. 

[wulfrun]

Last night I managed (finally) to bag "the comet", nearly overhead. So faint I couldn't see it in the finder but I popped a 32mm Plössl in the Heritage 150P and found it after a bit of sweeping around. Just a faint fuzz with a slightly denser centre, I wasn't sure if I'd not landed on a galaxy in error so I went and checked on Skeye. Nope, no galaxy there but it's reporting the comet exactly where I was aiming. Result - just!

I spent a bit of time on M42 (has to be done, eh), just 4 stars of the Trap visible, then had a play on the moon with the new Svbony 8-3mm zoom. Things looked good down to 5mm but deteriorated after that. In fairness, the seeing was quite poor so I can't say it was the EP's fault. Tried it on Castor too, easy split at 7-6mm (a bit over x100), barely split at 8mm but again the seeing wasn't cooperating. Hardly a fair test.

Edited February 7, 2023 by wulfrun
clarification

[bosun21]

9 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Lunar session didn't last long. Seeing is dreadful. At x217 (7mm Nirvana) and x211 (18mm Ortho + 2.5x Powermate) I was trying to observe the bands on the face of Alhazen α. I thought the fine shadings would be a good decider as to which is the better combination for lunar. The image was constantly vibrating in that multiple image you get with poor seeing. Even worse, every so often, there's a wave of complete blurredness moving across the view. Bleh!

Also exactly what I was seeing when observing the moon. The surface of the moon was awash with a blurry image throughout. To my eye it looked like a sea of condensed floaters. But with an Explore Scientific 24mm 68 degrees that’s not likely. This was straight after viewing Mars with a relatively clean image 🤔

[PeterStudz]

16 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Also exactly what I was seeing when observing the moon. The surface of the moon was awash with a blurry image throughout. To my eye it looked like a sea of condensed floaters. But with an Explore Scientific 24mm 68 degrees that’s not likely. This was straight after viewing Mars with a relatively clean image 🤔

Must be something to do with height/position in the sky. I didn’t look at the moon but at times I had a combination of drifting high cloud and developing mist. As I mentioned at one point it turned Mars very red, so much so that I took the eyepiece out to make sure I hadn’t left a filter on it. Of course I’m not in the same location.

[bosun21]

1 minute ago, PeterStudz said:

Must be something to do with height/position in the sky. I didn’t look at the moon but at times I had a combination of drifting high cloud and developing mist. As I mentioned at one point it turned Mars very red, so much so that I took the eyepiece out to make sure I hadn’t left a filter on it. Of course I’m not in the same location.

Yes the moon was still relatively low in the sky at the time, whereas Mars was high.

[wesdon1]

I saw c/2022 ZTF on two consecutive nights, the 5th and the 6th. On the 5th, it was right next to the bright named star Capella. It was very dim, I needed telescope to get anywhere near a decent view. I even tried imaging it, but the results were awful lol. I don't care, I was just grateful to have seen it and attempted to image it. Every night I have practicing my polar alignment ( which i'm now getting good at ) and practicing imaging etc is a win in my book.

[Telescope40]

4 hours ago, IB20 said:

Last night’s moon was punching through some amazing cloud formation. 

Sorry @IB20but I’m really struggling with “ amazing cloud formations “ 

Any cloud after dark is a pain in the you know where or maybe I’m just being a bit of a grump. 
Probably the latter ??!! 🤔🤔🤔

John 

Edited February 7, 2023 by Telescope40

[AstroNebulee]

After imaging the comet for the past 2 nights and having a sketching workshop tonight by Mary McIntyre I just grabbed the Skymax 90mm on the AZ5 for a little trip on the visual side. 

I managed to find the C2022 E3 ZTF by locating the kids firstly in the Rigel Qf then the 9x50 raci then just using the slo mo controls to get in the rough area and there it was. So settled in with the 32mm plossl and could definitely make out some structure and the core. Tried in the 20mm plossl but not as good as it was in the 32mm. As the moon rose higher you could definitely see how much the comet faded. 

A quick tour then of some doubles old favourites of mine, Castor, Mintaka, Regulus and now Ursa Major is clearing the roofs a steady view of Mizar (my first for the year on this) both through the 32 and 20mm then a look at M42 the 4 stars of the trapezium looking nice and the nebula looked good, even in the moonlight. Then finally to the moon for a quick pan around the terminator. 

Just a quick outing tonight. The Skymax 90mm whilst it doesn't let in much light does a stirling job on many targets. Next time hoping to get some clusters in the bag. 

A disjointed and probably wrong in some aspects of visual, but tonight was about fun for me and it was. 

Lee 

Edited February 7, 2023 by AstroNebulee
Spelling

[Epick Crom]

I saw Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF last night on my second attempt, this time with my 10 inch dobsonian. 

Even from my bortle 6 backyard and at an elevation of 18° in Auriga this comet appeared bright in my eyepiece at 70x. It's coma appearing greenish. At 343x magnification it's coma appeared slightly elongated. It was very close to the double star HD 277311, a fantastic sight! Its tail was visible with averted vision.

While in the area I took the opportunity to split the double stars 5 Aurigae, Omega Auriga and HD 277309. Returning to ZTF showed it had already moved appreciably in the couple of minutes I was observing the double stars. This comet is truly flying! 

A beautiful comet and I'm happy to have finally seen it. Wishing you all clear skies!

Joe

[Stu1smartcookie]

4 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

After imaging the comet for the past 2 nights and having a sketching workshop tonight by Mary McIntyre I just grabbed the Skymax 90mm on the AZ5 for a little trip on the visual side. 

I managed to find the C2022 E3 ZTF by locating the kids in the 9x50 raci then just using the slo mo controls to get in the rough area and there it was. So settled in with the 32mm plossl and could definitely make out some structure and the core. Tried in the 20mm plossl but not as good as it was in the 32mm. As the moon rose higher you could definitely see how much the comet faded. 

A quick tour then of some doubles old favourites of mine, Castor, Mintaka, Regulus and now Ursa Major is clearing the roofs now a steady view of Mizar (my first for the year on this) both through the 32 and 20mm then a look at M42 the 4 stars of the trapezium looking nice and the nebula looked good, even in the moonlight. Then finally to the moon for a quick pan around the terminator. 

Just a quick outing tonight. The Skymax 90mm whilst it doesn't let in much light does a stirling job on many targets. Next time hoping to get some clusters in the bag. 

A disjointed and probably wrong in some aspects of visual, but tonight was about fun for me and it was. 

Lee 

There is something very satisfying just putting a scope an a mount and relaxing ,taking in the views 

[AstroNebulee]

4 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

There is something very satisfying just putting a scope an a mount and relaxing ,taking in the views 

Definitely Stu. I do generally image but sometimes it's faff to get everything down from my first floor flat and trail power out the window, even my az gti eq set up is chunky to carry and after the 2 nights and working, I wanted a quick bit of lightweight visual. So quickly setting up the mak after cooling it which doesn't take long for the 90mm. It's rewarding finding the targets manually with the Rigel, raci and sky safari on my phone for checking in the right area to hop. 

Doesn't have to be a long session just grab what you want to view if possible and be happy you've actually seen something with your eyes. 

Lee 

[Kon]

Moon is looking very stable tonight even at very high magnification. Some nice riles inside Petavious. 

[scotty1]

The seeing was poor this evening before moonrise and quite hazy. Picked up comet E3 ZTF again in the binoculars, it's certainly not as bright, but the haze didn't help. So many satellites crossing the sky too. 

[Captain Scarlet]

Unexpected gaps in cloud cover allowed me finally to give my latest several modifications to my Orion-Helmerichs 200 a proper First Light tonight. I now love this scope. Rigel, Comet, Mars, Luna, Capella (for star test), were all I really looked at. Luna was mesmerizing at 286x and could have taken so much more.

Fuller report tomorrow hopefully with some pics and a question about what I was actually looking at on the Moon.

M

[Nakedgun]

~

Clear skies forecast with improved seeing around 2100, so I had everything set up before dark. Went outside 1830 to have a look at the Green Comet before Moonrise. It was pretty much straight overhead, easy to find. Used 6.5x32s, then 16x mounted, then the scope. After a few minutes I then sat with a double star catalog to plan my next move, looked up to find the sky half filled with fast-moving thin cloud! Within 30 minutes the whole sky was a mess.

What a gyp!

 

. 

[josefk]

A grab 'n' go sat in the grounds of a ~10th century priory last night - my normal local haunt has been closed these last two nights.

There was some tree dodging involved in this spot so a few lazy doubles in the gaps - sp. having another look at Struve 752 to satisfy myself i had seen C properly a few nights ago (i had) and Struve 762 because i like to check if can see C here as the faintest component. New doubles for me were Epsilon Monocerotis (Struve 900) and Gamma Leporis. in a right way up right way round view STF 900 puts me in mind of the gable end of a house (this double is more or less the ridge tile) and i've used this shape to navigate through this area before.

Then the moon was up so time for another sketch  - i only started having a go at sketching the moon on Sunday and now i realise i had made an easy start while it was full. Trying to capture detail on the terminator is super fun but challenging too. Absorbing stuff.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/406188-first-time-lunar/#comment-4347799

 

[SuburbanMak]

17 hours ago, Epick Crom said:

A beautiful comet and I'm happy to have finally seen it. Wishing you all clear skies!

Glad you were able to catch it down under Joe!