Seeing double...

[Mak One]

After feeling like I'd been hibernating under cloud since Christmas, I managed to get everything nicely set up late afternoon yesterday. Nice 2-hour cool down, nice alignment. Jupiter's gone missing, no Moon 'til the wee small hours so what to do until Saturn's up?

Brainwave, I'll give the optics a good post-hibernation shakedown (the scope's and mine) and try to split some doubles. Let's see what this "planetary" scope can do with the twinkly things.

Ended up running through the Nexstar handset database list of doubles available to me. Managed to split a good deal of them with the 28mm e/p and all bar a few with the 20mm.

Highlights were getting the companion star out from beneath the glow of Rigel - great, Cor Caroli - lovely, but the best was Iota Cancri. Stunning, contrasting colours. If only I'd known I'd have hunted it down sooner. Ho hum...

Anyway, this little exercise killed the two hour wait for Saturn to extricate itself from the orange glow. Gave the Neximage a crack at it but the seeing was (I think) poor. The resulting image pushed through Registax is a smudge. Very recognisable as Saturn, but a smudge, nonetheless. Still, there's always next time...

[philj]

Nice one Ash, I too bagged a few doubles last night as well. Rigel is a good test for scope and observer the Mak should be a good performer on doubles. I bagged a few lesser known doubles in Leo last night as well as some more well known ones. If you enjoyed Iota Canci try 54 Leo this pair is a bluish white and greenish white couple, lovely sight

Philj

[Slangers]

You can't beat Albeiro- just love the orange and blue.

[Mak One]

You can't beat Albeiro- just love the orange and blue.

Agreed, but not really visible from where I am at present. Might have to try imaging a few doubles next time.

[Mak One]

Nice one Ash, I too bagged a few doubles last night as well. Rigel is a good test for scope and observer the Mak should be a good performer on doubles. I bagged a few lesser known doubles in Leo last night as well as some more well known ones. If you enjoyed Iota Canci try 54 Leo this pair is a bluish white and greenish white couple, lovely sight

Philj

54 Leo? - Sounds like a plan Phil, provided the streetlights don't get in the way. Waiting for a reply from the Council at the moment to see if they might save some cash and turn a few of them off. Otherwise it's pack it all in the car and find somewhere dark that isn't frequented by those with "other interests"...

[Nexus 6]

Hi ash, check out Castor as well, its nicely placed at the moment and cetainly worth a look

[Mak One]

Hi ash, check out Castor as well, its nicely placed at the moment and cetainly worth a look

Alan.

Indeed. After diving into Stellarium to check what I'd looked at and a quick flick through some constellation guides, I'd decided that the 6 stars making up Castor would be a real test. So, guess what I'll be up to for my next session...

[DarkerSky]

Excellent Ash!

Always a good call to get out and see some doubles. Like Phil I've been in Leo recently bagging some lesser known doubles, including a couple of Struves. I'd def recommend Castor. The primary is a gorgeous double sparkling diamond. C is a little further out and has an orange hue to it. Well worth a look.

[cathalferris]

Last night I finally got some reasonably steady skies, and I was trawling through the constellations one by one trying to identify each of the items listed in my book .

One of my favourtite sights last night was Gamma Sextantis, clearly resolved at ~1.0" seperation. It was sa little easier than expected but that's most likely as I'm used to **** seeing"