First Light - 133mm f/12 & Saturn

[Ad Astra]

Hi Folks,

Truth be told, this isn't really 'first light' for this refractor, but it is first light for this scope on it's new mount, the Celestron CGE Pro. I've had the scope since 1996, but it is quite a beast (7-feet long, 43 lbs) - and until now, I've not had a mount that could adequately hold and point this monster.

Set up at sunset - first try on the new mount on the patio - this is no 'one man show', Mrs. Astra and I take about 40 min to set up the mount and get the scope up and balanced. Not bad for a first try!

Saturn arrives on time, and by 8:30 pm local time, it has cleared the neighbor's garage and the street light by a reasonable margin. We are using 'edge-on' planetary eyepieces from Orion USA, very nice for planetary work and loads of eye relief. We began with a 16mm - exactly 100x - SATURN!!! right on the money! At 100x, We can see the rings clearly separated from the planet, nice yellow color on the disk, but no details beyond some obvious darkening near the polar regions. A nice star is just in the field - perpendicular to the ring direction, Stellarium later identifies it at mag 10.5. Now to hunt for moons!

Our method for doing this is to sketch what we see on a diagram which marks off the distance from Saturn in ring diameters. This is handy for marking the positions of suspected moons, then we can check against Stellarium or other sources later. Titan is immediately obvious at mag 8.8 - we spot another suspected moon (very faint) about double the distance out, but nothing matches on Stellarium - have to try another chart tomorrow. Closer in - one faint point of light off the left elbow of the rings. This comes and goes with the seeing, especially this low on the horizon. Later identified as Tethys. On the opposite side of the rings, Rhea stands out at mag 10.15 about 1.5 ring diameters out. There is another suspected target at least 8-10 ring diameters out and well below the ring plane - we suspect Iapetus, but cannot confirm it on a chart just now.

Out with the 16mm and in with the 9 mm (178x). Tethys now clear and another, fainter candidate just below the upper elbow of the rings - a check with the 6mm (267x) confirms the target - we have bagged Dione! Back down on the opposite side, two faint candidates are easily confirmed and plotted with the 6mm - Enceladus and Mimas at mag 12.2 and 13.4 respectively. We spent a bit of time hunting for Hyperion - but no joy at all.

As the planet rises higher, we can use the 6mm with ease now, and the rings show the Cassini division easily, as well as the A, B, and faint C-rings. The curve of the rings across the planet's surface is nicely defined, and we can see some evidence of color banding on the surface. We look for the shadow of the rings on the planet, but fail to see that tonight.

Good news is that the new mount is absolutely rock solid - no problems with backlash and the tracking seems absolutely excellent! High level haze is beginning to roll in by 9:30 - so we disassemble the mount. Only 15 min this time - and not so much problem with the EQ head (it is 22 kg - either I'm getting stronger or I'm getting the hang of this thing!)

Great night - looking forward to more next week.

Dan

Photo of refractor below on CGE mount and our observing patio!

[RogerTheDodger]

Great report Dan, I could imagine being there...

[Ad Astra]

Great report Dan, I could imagine being there...

Well mate, if you're just going to write off British Airways... I suppose you'll just have to settle for reports and photos! Once I master this thing, I'll throw my camera on it and see what we can do with the Moon!!!!

Dan

[Doc]

Your scope is fantastic, looks brilliant, have you got a web site for Apomax.

Sounds like you had a great night, I've seen all of Saturn's 8 observable moons in my scope so I know the buzz you are feeling when you obswerve through this scope.

[John]

Excellent report Dan - what a lovely scope

You did really well bagging Enceledus and Mimas with 13.3 cm of aperture - Enceladus needs 20 cm from my back yard and Mimas I'd probably need 30cm or more for !.

Those Califiornian skies must be more transparent than ours are

[callisto]

Exellent report, thanks for sharing

I'll be observing from you're skies in December, can't wait.

[Adz]

Great report! The views of saturn sound fabulous. You perhaps need to fix a flashing red light on top of that thing to stay within air traffic laws?

[Vega]

I still think it will be mistaken for an RPG Launcher lol. Nice report. Bet you're eager for the moon to return at earthly hours.

Matt

[Ad Astra]

I still think it will be mistaken for an RPG Launcher lol. Nice report. Bet you're eager for the moon to return at earthly hours.

Matt

Nah. I have a friend who is a Col. in the US Marines - he assures me that it is at least the size of an anti-tank missle...

I told him he has enough toys and to leave mine alone! (He also tends to break the things he plays with... )

Dan

[Ad Astra]

Exellent report, thanks for sharing

I'll be observing from you're skies in December, can't wait.

You will love it here - you just need to get some altitude to get out from under our December weather. Our club (Riverside Astronomical Society) has a really nice site near the Joshua Tree National Park. Dark, high altitude, and all the amenities you could wish for.

Let me know if you want in introduction!

Dan

[Ad Astra]

Your scope is fantastic, looks brilliant, have you got a web site for Apomax.

Sounds like you had a great night, I've seen all of Saturn's 8 observable moons in my scope so I know the buzz you are feeling when you obswerve through this scope.

Sorry Doc,

H.T. Precision (the maker of the Apomax) went out of business in about 1996 - just about the time I got this scope. I believe it was one of the last, perhaps the very last of 23 that were made. All the others I've heard of or seen photos of were mostly white, with an Apomax logo on the tube. I've seen at least one blue one, but no other colors. Fred Mrozek (I'm probably slaughtering his last name - sorry, Fred!) who designed and built them asked me about color and offered dark green, saying he wanted to try "at least one" that color from the first production run.

I waited months for the scope, and actually Fred was closing out his business when he contacted me and asked if I 'still wanted the scope - or did I want a refund?' - silly fellow! I've never been sorry about the purchase, but getting it properly mounted has been a quest of more than a decade. Teacher's salaries and an observatory-class mount don't match up well. My dad would have said I had "Champaign tastes on a beer budget."

You can Google the Apomax and find some interesting things, but it is really one of those 'legendary scopes' that many people have heard of, but very few have seen - and fewer still have looked through. I think this means I have an obligation to get it out and about, and as I perfect my mount handling technique, and perhaps get some carrying bags and a case for the EQ head, I'll be taking it out more. The public loves things like that on outreach, and the viewing is unsurpassed. One look at Saturn through the Apomax is worth a thousand words! The resolution is incredible! Someone else on the cloudy nights website described his Apomax as a "bottomless well of magnification" - I have to agree. You really can throw out all the rule on this scope, you just have to try it on a still, clear night to really see what it can do.

There are supposedly three 8" versions of the Apomax. I've actually seen one of them in San Diego, but never had the chance to look through it. (a physician owns it - he reportedly paid $40K for the scope, mount and observatory dome near his home.) Like I said, legendary scopes!

Dan

[bish]

Nice report, great looking scope. I've yet to see Mimas.

[Doc]

Sorry Doc,

H.T. Precision (the maker of the Apomax) went out of business in about 1996 - just about the time I got this scope. I believe it was one of the last, perhaps the very last of 23 that were made. All the others I've heard of or seen photos of were mostly white, with an Apomax logo on the tube. I've seen at least one blue one, but no other colors. Fred Mrozek (I'm probably slaughtering his last name - sorry, Fred!) who designed and built them asked me about color and offered dark green, saying he wanted to try "at least one" that color from the first production run.

I waited months for the scope, and actually Fred was closing out his business when he contacted me and asked if I 'still wanted the scope - or did I want a refund?' - silly fellow! I've never been sorry about the purchase, but getting it properly mounted has been a quest of more than a decade. Teacher's salaries and an observatory-class mount don't match up well. My dad would have said I had "Champaign tastes on a beer budget."

You can Google the Apomax and find some interesting things, but it is really one of those 'legendary scopes' that many people have heard of, but very few have seen - and fewer still have looked through. I think this means I have an obligation to get it out and about, and as I perfect my mount handling technique, and perhaps get some carrying bags and a case for the EQ head, I'll be taking it out more. The public loves things like that on outreach, and the viewing is unsurpassed. One look at Saturn through the Apomax is worth a thousand words! The resolution is incredible! Someone else on the cloudy nights website described his Apomax as a "bottomless well of magnification" - I have to agree. You really can throw out all the rule on this scope, you just have to try it on a still, clear night to really see what it can do.

There are supposedly three 8" versions of the Apomax. I've actually seen one of them in San Diego, but never had the chance to look through it. (a physician owns it - he reportedly paid $40K for the scope, mount and observatory dome near his home.) Like I said, legendary scopes!

Dan

Well Dan you are one lucky man and all I can say is share those views at outreach events.

[swamp thing]

Hi Dan

Great report, really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks

Steve

[callisto]

You will love it here - you just need to get some altitude to get out from under our December weather. Our club (Riverside Astronomical Society) has a really nice site near the Joshua Tree National Park. Dark, high altitude, and all the amenities you could wish for.

Let me know if you want in introduction!

Dan

I might just keep you to that

Thanks for the advice.

[philj]

Great report Dan. I think with bagging Saturns moons its the thrill of the chase. With my 127EDT last year I spent many nights trying for as many as possible and your report took me back.

Great scope by the way and Ive already admired the mount, original model CGE owner here.

Sounds like you have cracking skies for astro as well

Philj

[Coco]

Wow... what a beauty... sounds very exotic, I want to thank you for a great review also..

p.s.. I have mount envy also..