These things are meant to try us....

[Space Bat]

OK so after only a few hours observing in the past few weeks - was really excited to try out my new purchases...

So scope out to cool from the conservatory....

30 mins later take out my kit and then set up the mount 2 star auto-align...done.

Inside for a cup of warm stuff and get myself all wrapped up and warm.....ready to sit outside and get dark adapted....

OK I am cold but happy....so its up to Capella lets see how the scope is doing and check collimation - bang on still no need for tweeking...but will need a few more minutes to cool so have a tinker with my kit getting it all set out ready - quick trip down to Rigel again collimation spot on and yep seeing is as I feared not as good as I had hoped.

It looks like a great nights viewing ahead....albeit not great seeing.

So quick stop off the shops to pick up some steak, salad and ciabatta to make a nice steak sandwich with fried mushrooms...

This 40 minute delay should now mean the scope has reached temp and is ready to go...check corrector no dew - perfect.

So with the focal reducer on and 2" setup look at M42 with 20mm Nagler - lovely really clear,sharp and crisp - straight away I notice how much darker the background is compared to the 32mm plossl. But notice slight vignetting and distortion right at the fringe of the FOV...Hmmmmm

So pop in the 13mm Nagler - and great the image is perfect all around the FOV...

I figured that maybe the Focal Reducer was causing this so off it comes and scope is back to F10 and yep the 20mm is perfect across the FOV - stunning...and of course larger...the trapezium stars are sharp and the nebula rift regions were amazing pull in the running man which is just visible - but was clearer with the focal reducer prior.

Off to M45 want to see how many stars I can get in - gob smacked at how bright a crystal like the image appears...then it died...yep clouded over.

Luckily the cloud cover was not that bad just passing blobs of it lots of dark sky - so as planned I wanted to check some objects in Ursa Major...so set the scope off in that direction stopping at mars along the way...quick look with the 13mm and although some surface detail visible and polar cap prominent - Mars was dancing like a dog on lino...not worth dwelling with the seeing as it is.

Getting rather cold so up on the old chair and checked the corrector - needs a quick blast to remove the condensation that had started to form...

Now set the scope to go find M97 and again with the 20mm Nagler great and quickly my eye fell on this little nebula...I resist the temptation of putting in the reducer to see whether this could improve..albeit with the problems right at the edges however couldn't get long views as now the clouds were comming more frequently - its getting a little frustrating now.

Tried to ****** some glimpses of M101 and M81 and early showing looked promissing but still fighting the clouds...

OK image not quite as I would expect on M81 - so need to see whats going on and as I feared condensation inside was starting to form......now see it on the secondary and patches on the main mirror..how long has it been on the secondary I wander - as this was the fist time I used my minature torch to peer around the optics..

Damn - I knew I should have brought the scope in from the conservatory into the house to avoid this as it had been in there for too long - but I use the conservatory as a kind of half way cool house....to speed up cool down...and usually put there after the scope has been inside in the warm after a damp night..

OK must press on i figure to get some more objects...its becoming harder now as the cloud is thickening up....and bam snow pebbles come down - thumbling for the remote I point the tube down as quick as I can - but too late looking at the corrector its now got lots of water spots and ice that had slid down the face of the corrector as I had moved the scope...shower lasted less than a minute..

10:45pm I have to reluctantly concede defeat...

So in with all my gear...take the scope in and take it off its mount and put the scope inside...

As per instructions leave the rear cell open and point down - tuck the scope away somewhere out the way....

This morning - I check the scope - ready to put the covers on and I see a black spot looks like on the mirror - but looking closer I see its on the corrector - looks like black fluff 2-3mm in size, god knows where from...so guess tonight when I get in its off with the corrector quick blast of air and back on it goes - shouldn't need too much re-setup and collimation...

So 3 lessons were learned...

1 Nagler eyepieces are as good as everyone claims.

2 Weather god always wins so if it looks like something will fall from the sky chances are it will.

3 Scope shouldn't and won't be left in the conservatory for long periods.

Astronomy is frustrating - but the first 20 minutes more than made up for the disapointment and somewhat frustrating nights viewing.

I may need to add another lesson when I figure what this fluffy like object is on the inside of the corrector and where it came from

Chris

[brantuk]

4. Losen the clutch and point down immediately instead of fumbling for handset keys?

lol

[Space Bat]

4. Losen the clutch and point down immediately instead of fumbling for handset keys?

lol

I should have yes - but didn't want to re-set the mount as it will lose its alignment....schoolboy error - next time I will do that and re-align..

[Space Bat]

Turned out the fluff was in fact plastic swarf - I can only figure this has come from the baffle where the primary has scraped a fine sliver off and it must have dropped down on the corrector..