Hard to nail Cassini this season....

[Rob]

Just thought I'd throw this one open for coment.. I'm struggling this season to nailing Cassini in the 200P. the scope is collimated with in an inch of its life, and I tend to use a 10mm / 8.8mm in 2 x barlow giving me 250x ish!.. nice disc details are coming through with subtle colour.

I'm guessing its down to poor seeing on the nights I've been out.. are others finding this a challenge?. More power needed?.

Regards

Rob

[Ben Ritchie]

I think you're right about needing better seeing, it hasn't been great down here recently - i've had the 5mm radian out a couple of times over the last couple of nights (208x in my AP130) and put it away again.

250x should be fine, if you have the skies to support it.

[Stu]

Hi Rob

I'm with you there. Haven't managed to see it yet but also haven't had a good clear night with steady seeing.

Tried again on Tuesday but by the time Saturn was visible, it was so murky I couldn't see it with the naked eye!! Still managed a quick view in the scope but pretty hopeless.

I've just invested in some BGO's, 18mm and 12.5mm so hopefully these will show it. One thing I did find out in tuesday is that my mak needs collimating, a rare thing indeed but hopefully once I sort this I will nail Cassini :-)

[Rob]

Its frustrating to say the least.. Tuesday was my last outing till 1.30am.. as I said nice disc details, but it was like trying to look through heat shimmer from a bonfire!!

Never seen seeing this bad on what looked to be a fair night..

[John]

I've also been finding Cassini very challenging this time around. The best I've managed are some glimpses of it at the ansae of the rings in moments of good seeing with a 6" refractor.

I'm hoping that the observing conditions are more favourable at SGL6 - at home I have to wait for Saturn to rise above the roof of my neighbours house and I'm bound to be observing through some heat plumes coming from their home

[dweller25]

Try dropping the power down - 29th January, 5" refractor x173.

[Moonshane]

it's been more challenging this time so far for sure but I have seen it most times I have observed Saturn - although that's with the 12"

[John]

Try dropping the power down - 29th January, 5" refractor x173.

Nice sketch David

[dweller25]

Ta - got the Dragon storm too - top left.

[John]

Ta - got the Dragon storm too - top left.

I noticed that

Despite not getting a good view of Cassini yet, that storm system (or at least a brighter patch) was detectable with my 6" refractor a few night back.

Can I ask which 5" refractor you use ?.

[dweller25]

Yes all I could see was a brighter patch. The scope is a Takahashi FS128.

[spaceboy]

I was testing out my nagler zoom the other week and while messing around 2x barlowing it (666.7x) I managed a glorious view of the cassini divide and also made out some shading on the inner rings in fleeting seconds of perfect stability. I found the seeing exceptional but even so I still couldn't make out the storm ?

SPACEBOY

[John]

I was testing out my nagler zoom the other week and while messing around 2x barlowing it (666.7x) I managed a glorious view of the cassini divide and also made out some shading on the inner rings in fleeting seconds of perfect stability. I found the seeing exceptional but even so I still couldn't make out the storm ?

SPACEBOY

Great stuff

What scope was that with SPACEBOY ?

[Nexus 6]

same here, I have had only 2 chance's at it and although the condtions were very good the 1st time, 13mm Nagler giving 180x, I had some superb views when seeing steadied for the odd second I could not make it out, am waiting to try out the 7mm BGO I now have but will be lucky to get a stable image at 335x I guess but will hope I get lucky with the conditions.

was still great to get such a decent view on that 1st morning

[LukeSkywatcher]

I have in the past seen the Cassini with a 90mm refractor. I cant spot it of late with my 130mm reflector.

Must be down to poor seeing.

[spaceboy]

Great stuff

What scope was that with SPACEBOY ?

Hi John, It was in my Explorer 200 on a CG-5GT. TBH the magnifications I was using were way beyond the recommended max for the scope but the seeing was the best I've known since September and the air was so still. It turned out to be one of those nights when your really grateful you have a selection of short f/l EP's.

[Rob]

Hi John, It was in my Explorer 200 on a CG-5GT. TBH the magnifications I was using were way beyond the recommended max for the scope but the seeing was the best I've known since September and the air was so still. It turned out to be one of those nights when your really grateful you have a selection of short f/l EP's.

Nice going.. I will persist until I manage it. May try a lower mag, but it becomes very small in the ep.

[John]

Nice going.. I will persist until I manage it. May try a lower mag, but it becomes very small in the ep.

For me, it's going to get a little easier as Saturn rises earlier and earlier so that it gets a respectable distance above the surrounding houses at a more reasonable hour.

I waited up later for my last session on Saturn and that's when I started to get hints of the Cassini Division - if only I could bulldoze all my neighbours houses things would be much easier

Might dent my relationship with the folks around us slightly though ...

[LukeSkywatcher]

For me, it's going to get a little easier as Saturn rises earlier and earlier so that it gets a respectable distance above the surrounding houses at a more reasonable hour.

I waited up later for my last session on Saturn and that's when I started to get hints of the Cassini Division - if only I could bulldoze all my neighbours houses things would be much easier

Might dent my relationship with the folks around us slightly though ...

I'm in the same boat. In a few weeks i am having 12ft cut off of the trees in my garden. It will give me a bit more time with Saturn but i'll still only be seeing it that bit earlier, over the roofs of the houses behind.

I'm leaving the trees just high enough (15ft) as to block out any light from the houses behind.

[John]

Yippee

Saturn is looking great tonight and Cassini is showing nicely in the ring ansae with my 6" maksutov-newtonian @ 150x (6mm Ethos). I think I've just glimpsed Enceladus as well but I need to check it's position as this will be right on the limit for a 6" aperture for me.

This is the best Saturnian session I've had this season by far

[Nexus 6]

Tried my BGO 335x this evening/morning 11:00pm-2:00am, would not focus using the Moonlite, it would travel far enough to let me "tune the image in"!, so had to use the main focuser, Saturn was certainly impressive size wise but I could not make out very much detail or colour, the image seemed washed out, sure the Moon was still promenant but I think at that power I was really pushing my luck so fell back to the 9mm Nagler 261x, although improved I still felt the conditions would not allow that much even with a Nagler at that mag, third time lucky? Yes, 13mm Nagler 180x, superb!, even with a prominant Moon, detail was evident some very faint banding with some nice hues of faint yellows/magnolia like tones at times, the Cassini division was detectable and when using averted vision was very much more obvious to me.

As to the BGO, I went back to observe the Moon, no trouble focusing here, I now have a brilliant high power ep!. I have only used such a high power ep once before, 6.3 plossl 373x, no contest, with the plossl I had terrible trouble getting any decent views, granted I did not own the Moonlite then so mirror shift when using the focuser was a problem but in comparisson the BGO was marvellous! A great many craters were obvoius and I was happy with the views I was able to observe, key to that impression was sitting and waiting for the turbulance to settle and I was then able to see some very fine detail with a strong realization of the shadows being cast across many of the craters, brilliant views were also obtained along the limb.

The scope had dewed up after 4 hours, plenty long enough to evaluate this Ortho, my 1st chance to have used one.They are excellent vfm and I see now why they are so highly rated,. I will need a different planetary ep though I feel, just a week ago I had a look through a 7mm Nagler which came to focus with the Moonlite so it will probably be one of those. The BGO is going to be great for the Moon so overall I am very pleased with it.

sorry did'nt mean to take over this thread but thought some of you may like to read this report. Saturn through the 13mm Nagler was great, what a brilliant ep

[russ]

Yippee

Saturn is looking great tonight and Cassini is showing nicely in the ring ansae with my 6" maksutov-newtonian @ 150x (6mm Ethos). I think I've just glimpsed Enceladus as well but I need to check it's position as this will be right on the limit for a 6" aperture for me.

This is the best Saturnian session I've had this season by far

Well done John, at last you got Cassini. Sounds like you had some near perfect seeing.

[John]

Well done John, at last you got Cassini. Sounds like you had some near perfect seeing.

Yes Russ it was pretty good last night

I could not confirm Enceladus but I'm sure I glimpsed it a couple of times during the moments of best seeing. It was quite close to Saturn's disk last night so I reckon I'll be in with a chance when it's elongation is greater.

The Intes mak-newt really performed for me last night on Saturn, the moon and a number of tight doubles - to the extent that I found myself wondering if I really need to have the Meade AR6 / Chromacor combo as well

[geoff_k]

I think it's seeing. I was out last night with my 10 inch Newtonian which although not collimated within an inch of its life was still good to allow me to see Cassini visually.

When it came to imaging - that was another matter. The AVIs I took were a waste of disk space.

Seeing has been poor (or non-existent due to the clouds) for me down here in the West Country and when you consider that Saturn is not that high in the sky this time round the two things combined don't make for a good end result. Perhaps it will improve later in the month or in April.

Geoff

[spaceboy]

I always thought the seeing would be the same no mater where you were in the UK. Although super clear I found the seeing poor where I am last night. Maybe all the neighbors had their heating full on I resorted to a colour filter in the end. 166x was the best I could manage on Saturn but the #11 filter helped no end in contrasting the divide. I shouldn't grumble as the going has been good the past few times I've been out.