Javier
sage
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 434
Loc: New Jersey
|
|
Before I shell out the cash on a H-Beta filter I'd like to get some opinions. I'm wondering if I have any chance of seeing the Horsehead Nebula at all. I live 20 minutes west of Manhattan in a fairly light polluted area. However around 4am when Orion is over my house the sky is darker as most lights have been shut off. I've seen excellent views of the Ring and Dumbell Nebula as well as the Orion Nebula.
I'll be using a 12" Lightbridge.
So do I stand a chance of seeing the Horsehead or am I just wasting my cash? 
Thanks,
Javier
|
JakeSaloranta
sage
Reged: 09/18/08
Posts: 237
Loc: Sisu, Sauna, Sibelius...
|
|
I'd say it is fairly impossible to say this or that without good limiting magnitude estimates/SQM readings. The only way to be sure is to try it for yourself.
If B33 is fairly high in the sky, say 40deg+, and the limiting magnitude is close to 6 in zenith and with fairly good background brightness... I'd say you might be able to glimpse it.
From my personal experience I have to say the limiting magnitude needs to be somewhere between 6.7 to 7+ for me to be able to spot the Horsehead with my 8" DSE + UHC filter.
/Jake
|
HellsKitchen
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 356
Loc: Melbourne Australia
|
|
I can see it easily with my 12" using a H-beta filter under my mag 5.0 skies. I live in the outer suburbs so light pollution is not too bad. It's faint, but not particularly hard to detect.
--------------------
S 38º 00' E 145º20'
Custom 12" F/4.6 dob
10" GSO dob
Intes M500 Mak
4.5" Meade Newtonian
Set of Vixen LVWs + TV barlows + powermates
Astronomik 0III, UHC, H-beta filters
|
skyward_eyes
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/12/06
Posts: 2105
Loc: Arizona
|
|
I have a 16" dob and I use an H-Beta filter to see it even from an extremely dark site. If you have the ability to get away from town you could easily see it with your 12" dob and a filter either UHC or H-Beta.
|
Matt Lindsey
member
Reged: 06/06/08
Posts: 94
Loc: Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.
|
|
Sounds like it will be tough, but you won't know unless you try. With 12" and the H-Beta you have a fighting chance. Plus, the filter works on many other objects so it's a good investment.
--------------------
Matt
12" f/4.9 custom strut Dob.
8x56 binos
Member: Howard Astronomical League
Working on: Herschel I and II lists, RASC challenge objects.
|
joec33
super member
Reged: 06/13/09
Posts: 112
Loc: Chester, N.Y
|
|
I'll be honest with you Javier. I have viewed in and around NYC plenty to know that your not going to get a good look at it (horsehead). BUT like Matt said, your not just limited to the horsehead with the H-Beta. Problem is with those nyc sky's your more then just limited. In my opinion it's a waste unless you get out to a darksky site often enough.
--------------------
“I'm not perfect, but who are we kidding, neither are you.”
Jeremy Grey
An Over accessorized XT10i
80mm Meade Series 5000 Apo w/duelspeed focuser
Vixen VMC110L
Orion Starblast6
Meade DSI PRO II, Orion S.S Autoguider
Advanced GT Mount
Kendrick Dew System
|
rathbaster
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 549
Loc: East Bridgewater, MA
|
|
Quote:
Sounds like it will be tough, but you won't know unless you try.
My opinion as well.
You never know what you're going to see until you try. 
-Joe
--------------------
Bridgewater State College Observatory
|
skyward_eyes
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/12/06
Posts: 2105
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Exactly! Whats the harm in trying? Go out have fun thats what its all about anyway! An H-Beta does a lot more then just bring out the Horsehead! It does very cool things on the Orion Nebula as well and numbers of other nebulas! I would say go for it, I believe the H-Beta is a very over looked filter and more people just really spend some time playing with them.
Best of luck in your hunt for the horse!
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
Exactly! Whats the harm in trying? Go out have fun thats what its all about anyway! An H-Beta does a lot more then just bring out the Horsehead! It does very cool things on the Orion Nebula as well and numbers of other nebulas! I would say go for it, I believe the H-Beta is a very over looked filter and more people just really spend some time playing with them.
Best of luck in your hunt for the horse!
Yes, indeed, the H-Beta can be used on objects other than the Horsehead:
USEFUL TARGETS FOR THE H-BETA FILTER
While the H-Beta is probably one of the less-used nebula filters, the commonly expressed idea that it works only on a handful of objects is not necessarily true. Here is a list of some of the more prominent objects that the H-Beta may be at least somewhat useful on. Some may require larger apertures, but a few have been seen from a dark sky site by just holding the filter up to the unaided eye and looking at the sky. Some of these will also be helped by a narrow-band filter like the Lumicon UHC.
1. IC 434 (HORSEHEAD NEBULA)
2. NGC 1499 (CALIFORNIA NEBULA, naked eye and RFT)
3. M43 (part of the Great Orion Nebula)
4. IC 5146 (COCOON NEBULA in Cygnus)
5. M20 (TRIFID NEBULA, main section)
6. NGC 2327 (diffuse nebula in Monoceros)
7. IC 405 (the FLAMING STAR NEBULA in Auriga)
8. IC 417 (diffuse Nebula in Auriga)
9. IC 1283 (diffuse Nebula in Sagittarius)
10. IC 1318 GAMMA CYGNI NEBULA (diffuse nebula in Cygnus)
11. IC 2177: (Diffuse Nebula, Monoceros)
12. IC 5076 (diffuse nebula, Cygnus)
13. PK64+5.1 "CAMPBELL'S HYDROGEN STAR" Cygnus (PNG 64.7+5.0)
14. Sh2-157a (small round nebula inside larger Sh2-157, Cassiopeia)
15. Sh2-235 (diffuse nebula in Auriga).
16. Sh2-276 "BARNARD'S LOOP" (diffuse nebula in Orion, naked eye)
17. IC 2162 (diffuse nebula in northern Orion)
18 Sh2-254 (diffuse nebula in northern Orion near IC 2162)
19. Sh2-256-7 (diffuse nebula in northern Orion near IC 2162)
20. vdB93 (Gum-1) (diffuse nebula in Monoceros near IC 2177)
21. Lambda Orionis nebular complex (very large, naked-eye)
In addition, a number of the brighter nebulae like NGC 7000 or M42 will respond to H-Beta use for revealing certain specific detail, although other filters may provide a somewhat better view overall.
Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5029
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
|
|
Go to a dark area on a dark moonless night, IC-434 and the dark nebula B-33 known as the Horsehead are tough objects to see. I found it visible from a dark site with my 10-inch and a H-beta filters, but without it I could barely see the nebula. Don't expect it to look like the photos, it will look more like an irregular bite take out of IC-434, but it should be apparent from a dark site with the use of the filter. Good luck! While you are at it, if you have a small, low power telescope try for the California Nebula too. From the same dark and remote site where I spotted the Horsehead, the California Nebula was quickly found. An H-beta filter also works on a number of other nebulae.
Taras
--------------------
15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
|
Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 10516
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
|
|
Quote:
I can see it easily with my 12" using a H-beta filter under my mag 5.0 skies. I live in the outer suburbs so light pollution is not too bad. It's faint, but not particularly hard to detect.
Living in Australia does give you a distinct advantage when it comes to seeing B33. I've never been able to successfully observe it from anywhere other than a mag 6 plus site from the USA.
Dave Mitsky
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
I can see it easily with my 12" using a H-beta filter under my mag 5.0 skies. I live in the outer suburbs so light pollution is not too bad. It's faint, but not particularly hard to detect.
Living in Australia does give you a distinct advantage when it comes to seeing B33. I've never been able to successfully observe it from anywhere other than a mag 6 plus site from the USA.
Dave Mitsky
I have managed it (barely) from my home site (ZLM 5.6) using my 9.25 inch SCT and the H-Beta filter (57x). It wasn't much, but it was there. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
Javier
sage
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 434
Loc: New Jersey
|
|
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll make the investment an H-Beta filter and see where things land. So what's the favorite among the more experinced observers Lumicon H-Beta or Baader H-beta filters?
Javier
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll make the investment an H-Beta filter and see where things land. So what's the favorite among the more experinced observers Lumicon H-Beta or Baader H-beta filters?
Javier
I like the Lumicon, as it has a bit higher peak transmission than the Baader. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
7331Peg
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 733
Loc: North coast of Oregon
|
|
I've got the Lumicon, but since I have yet to see the Horsehead with it, I can't really comment on it.
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the chances of seeing the silhouette of the Horsehead are about as likely as winning the lotto in the Amazon jungle. I was out at 4AM a couple of nights ago when the transparency was very good. Orion was absolutely stunning. With a six inch achro, I could clearly see the Flame Nebula. I moved down to the Horsehead area and I could also clearly see the background nebulosity with no filter - but no Horsehead. I kept at it for about an hour, with and without the filter, with a 20mm Nagler and a 13mm Ethos, and I got several good views of the notch. I may have had a momentary glimpse of the silhouette, but it was so fleeting that I couldn't be sure it was more imaginary than real.
I'll definitely try again, but the sky that morning was so transparent that it will be a long while before it's that good again.
John
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
I've got the Lumicon, but since I have yet to see the Horsehead with it, I can't really comment on it.
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the chances of seeing the silhouette of the Horsehead are about as likely as winning the lotto in the Amazon jungle. I was out at 4AM a couple of nights ago when the transparency was very good. Orion was absolutely stunning. With a six inch achro, I could clearly see the Flame Nebula. I moved down to the Horsehead area and I could also clearly see the background nebulosity with no filter - but no Horsehead. I kept at it for about an hour, with and without the filter, with a 20mm Nagler and a 13mm Ethos, and I got several good views of the notch. I may have had a momentary glimpse of the silhouette, but it was so fleeting that I couldn't be sure it was more imaginary than real.
I'll definitely try again, but the sky that morning was so transparent that it will be a long while before it's that good again.
John
If you have seen the notch at all, then you have essentially seen the Horsehead. However, in a six inch, you may not see much of the "snout" unless conditions are exceptional. If you were using significantly more than about 50x, you may have been using a little too much power for that aperture, as the best exit pupil for the Horsehead tends to be from 3mm to 5mm in size. Keep trying and clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
HellsKitchen
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 356
Loc: Melbourne Australia
|
|
i agree, if you've seen only a dark indentation, that constitutes as a positive hit. I havent seen the snout with my scope.
What aperture would one require to see the snout (assuming a H-beta filter is used)?
I got a beautiful view of the actual horsehead shape from a dark sky site in a filtered 18" Obsession.
--------------------
S 38º 00' E 145º20'
Custom 12" F/4.6 dob
10" GSO dob
Intes M500 Mak
4.5" Meade Newtonian
Set of Vixen LVWs + TV barlows + powermates
Astronomik 0III, UHC, H-beta filters
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
i agree, if you've seen only a dark indentation, that constitutes as a positive hit. I havent seen the snout with my scope.
What aperture would one require to see the snout (assuming a H-beta filter is used)?
I got a beautiful view of the actual horsehead shape from a dark sky site in a filtered 18" Obsession.
I have gotten to see the "snout" in my 9.25 inch SCT (marginally), and one might even see it in an 8 inch. The larger the scope, the better the view, but the Horsehead, while difficult, isn't exactly the near-impossible "challenge" that it was considered 20 to 30 years ago. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
7331Peg
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 733
Loc: North coast of Oregon
|
|
Thanks for the info on the exit pupil, Dave. I'll give it another try with a little less magnification. Glad to know the notch qualifies as I've seen it several times. Looks like I'll have to move up to something a bit larger to capture the silhouette.
That entire area of Orion, from the Flame Nebula down to just below M42, consists of such a wealth of objects - double and triples stars, stars surrounded by nebulosity, the faint background nebula in the IC434 complex, the bright nebulae, and the sheer beauty of M42 and the Trapezium - that I can literally spend hours and hours there and never get tired of it.
John
|
Alvin Huey
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/18/05
Posts: 1831
Loc: NorCal
|
|
John,
I've observed the Horsehead (notch) with the 6" achro that you have. I used a 8mm Ethos with H-beta filter. NELM that night was about 6.5. Two other observers confirmed it. We were surprised that a 6" scope could do it.
Alvin
--------------------
Clear Skies,
Alvin #26
22" f/4.0 reflector and 30" f/4.3 StarMaster
FaintFuzzies | TAC | TAC-Sac
|
Tim A.
sage
Reged: 09/19/07
Posts: 247
Loc: 40 30'N 105 3'W
|
|
Quote:
If you have seen the notch at all, then you have essentially seen the Horsehead. However, in a six inch, you may not see much of the "snout" unless conditions are exceptional.
Um ... not to be picky (especially with the subject at hand if you get my drift  ), but horses don't have snouts. Pigs have snouts. Horses have a muzzle. At least that's the way we called it when I was growing up in Montana.
We now return you to your regular thread. 
-- Tim
Colorado
--------------------
F/5 12.5" Dob (Starbucket)
Celestron CPC800
Celestron CR-150 HD on CG5-GT
Galileoscope
Oberwerk Deluxe II 20x80 & Ultra 10x50
Celestron Regal LX 8x42 (gone AWOL)
Bio-binoculars 1x6
"Me? Crazy? Oh, yeah. Crazy like an ox!"
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
If you have seen the notch at all, then you have essentially seen the Horsehead. However, in a six inch, you may not see much of the "snout" unless conditions are exceptional.
Um ... not to be picky (especially with the subject at hand if you get my drift ), but horses don't have snouts. Pigs have snouts. Horses have a muzzle. At least that's the way we called it when I was growing up in Montana.
We now return you to your regular thread.
-- Tim
Colorado
While some might object, it is acceptable for someone to refer to the projection of the Horsehead nebula as the "snout". Technically, the muzzle of a real horse is not the entire projection (as the projection is part of the entire head), but mainly refers to the very front end of the head at the nostrils on down to the chin. My sister (a vet-tech and long-time horse owner) uses the muzzle for only the lower nose and parts of tissue to the lower front of the lower jaw rather than for the entire projection. The top back end (highest part) of the head is the "poll", and bottom of the head where it meets the neck is the "throat latch". The entire projection of the nebula would have to contain at least three separate names to cover it properly (not to mention the nebula's back crest and thick neck). However, the Horsehead looks more like a stylized version of a horse's head than a real one. In fact, the nebula looks more like a standard Knight chess piece than a real horse. Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
wfj
sage
Reged: 01/10/08
Posts: 260
Loc: California, Santa Cruz County
|
|
Have always heard of it referred to as a "snout" with the Horsehead. And it does look more like a chess piece than ever a real horse (or a sea horse).
Google " chess piece snout":
"whereby toggle nut 65 appears somewhat like the snout of a horse."
"the second missing it's entire snout, and the third.."
Lots of references to chess pieces.
So not an anatomical reference but a game reference.
Vaguely remember something from chess also about this from the dim dark past.
|
RolandosCY
member
Reged: 01/02/09
Posts: 18
Loc: Nicosia, Cyprus
|
|
The HorseHead is certainly not as challenging as was thought to be until the end of the 1990s.
From the Mediterranean island of Cyprus we have had 4 sightings in the last year (the most recent on Friday October 16), two of which were not at all difficult. In all cases we detected the Horsehead without any filters, and then we used a Lumicon UHC to gain slightly increased contrast.
What we really noted about the Horsehead visibility was that it depends primarily on the TRANSPARENCY of the atmosphere than on any other factor. We have often failed with 12 inches from our regular dark site (altitude 1800ft, ZLM 7+ for stars) yet our best sighting came unexpectedly on the evening of January 1st 2009, from a sea-side site located only 10 miles southeast of an 80,000 people city and only 6 miles away from the island's primary international airport (with all its associated lighting), with a star ZLM of 5.5! The major difference was an exceptionally clear atmosphere after a major cold front swept through.
With 10 or 12 inches and no filter it is extremely hard to actually detect anything more than just a "notch" in the faint nebulosity of IC434. With an 11mm Nagler at 136x and 12 inches of aperture you can detect that the notch is VERY SLIGHTLY brighter than the sky background, but much dimmer than IC434 itself. I have yet to be able to detect details like the "snout" or the "mane". Detecting these details is amongst my targets for this winter! Also, I will try to detect the Horsehead with as small an aperture as possible.
By the way, I have just obtained a Lumicon H-Beta filter myself, but the usual "astronomer's curse" (becoming cloudy whenever you get something new!) has arrived with it, so I was unable to try it as of this time. Once I try the H-beta I will let you know...
--------------------
The Darker the Better!
=======================
SkyWatcher FlexTube 305 Dob
Orion Optics GPDX250 f4.8 Newt
Takahashi FS102 Refractor
SkyWatcher ED80 Pro
Konus 4.5" Newt
Parks 60mm f11 Refractor
Vixen GP-DX mount
Takahashi EM10 Mount
Televue Ethos 13mm
Televue Nagler 31mm, 11mm, 7mm
Televue Panoptic 27mm, 19mm
Televue 2X Barlows
Lumicon UHC and H-beta filters
Takahashi "Astronomer" 22x60 binos
|
nyc_nurse
sage
Reged: 07/29/09
Posts: 254
Loc: nyc
|
|
Jav! That's why you have to go the that mag ~6.2 location with that sucker. 
--------------------
Sam P.
www.agirlandaguy.blogspot.com
Pentax 7X50
TV-102 APO w/ (Starbeam - on backorder  )
Ash Gibraltar w/ SkyTour DSC
NZ3-6, N9T6, N13T6
TV 20 Plossl
Pan 24, 35
Pentax XW10, XW14
|
Solar Ken
sage
Reged: 02/07/06
Posts: 295
Loc: Oregon
|
|
Quote:
I can see it easily with my 12" using a H-beta filter under my mag 5.0 skies.
How do I determine the limiting magnitude of my sky?
Thanks.
--------------------
Daytime:
Coronado PST Ha
Lunt LS60THa/B600C
Nighttime:
Meade LX90 SCT 8"
Orion XX12 Intelliscope Dob 12"
|
Javier
sage
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 434
Loc: New Jersey
|
|
maybe someday Sam, I'm looking for a small shack somewhere in PA or the Catskills. Someday.....
|
JakeSaloranta
sage
Reged: 09/18/08
Posts: 237
Loc: Sisu, Sauna, Sibelius...
|
|
Quote:
How do I determine the limiting magnitude of my sky?
Try this: http://obs.nineplanets.org/lm/rjm.html
/Jake
|
Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 10516
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
|
|
Quote:
What we really noted about the Horsehead visibility was that it depends primarily on the TRANSPARENCY of the atmosphere than on any other factor.
That has been my experience too.
Dave Mitsky
--------------------
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
|
David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8289
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
|
|
Quote:
Jav! That's why you have to go the that mag ~6.2 location with that sucker.
Well, I have done it from my front driveway (ZLM 5.5 to 5.8) in my 9.25 inch SCT using the H-Beta filter on a good clear night. You have to use some sort of light shield to keep your dark adaptation, but I have seen at least the "notch" appearance quite a number of times using the filter (no sign of it without filtration). Clear skies to you.
--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
|
Feidb
super member
Reged: 10/09/09
Posts: 127
Loc: Nevada
|
|
I've seen it through a 10" Coulter (among several larger scopes) at Lake Murray in Oklahoma. Don't remember if he had a filter in it or not. First time I saw it was with my home-built 16", an H-Beta and an 18mm Bertele. The second time was with a Q-70 26mm and a 2" H-beta filter. B33 is a challenge no matter where you are. You need dark and transparent skies. It is one of those special nights we like to call a "Horsehead" night. I may be repeating some others, but just wanted to pitch in. For a long time it was the holy grail of objects. Now that I've seen it a few times, I still haven't made up my mind which is the next holy grail! However, whether it's worth the bucks is how bad you want to see it visually. The president of our club has a Mallincam and he shows it routinely, even on crummy nights. However, being a strictly visual observer, there is nothing like the rush of seeing it in the eyepiece. I think the filter was worth it, in this case.
--------------------
Present gear:
16" Meade LightBridge
Meade 50mm straight through-finder
Lumicon green laser pointer
Orion Q-70 26mm, 32mm, and 38mm
Parks 2X 2" Barlow
Hyperion 17mm, 8mm
1 1/4" 18mm Russell Optics Bertele
1 1/4" 12.5mm and 6mm Coulter Optical Orthoscopics
1 1/4" X 2" 32mm Edmund Scientific war surplus Erfle
Tirion star atlas (white stars, black background) hand-laminated
Megastar
And a partridge in a pear tree
To nudge or not to nudge, that is the question
|
RolandosCY
member
Reged: 01/02/09
Posts: 18
Loc: Nicosia, Cyprus
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
What we really noted about the Horsehead visibility was that it depends primarily on the TRANSPARENCY of the atmosphere than on any other factor.
That has been my experience too.
Dave Mitsky
One way of determining if the night is really worth trying for the Horsehead (or similar difficulty targets) is to check the visibility of M33 with the naked eye. If you can even glimpse it with averted vision, then it is a "horsehead" night. Another personal empirical rule of thump I developed has to do with the naked eye appearance of M35 in Gemini. In really transparent nights it is not only visible, but you can detect what appears like faint stars appearing on and off on it. I am 100% certain they are stars that are momentarily resolved but I cannot hold them long enough to "pinpoint" them. I have seen this effect on all times I managed to see the Horsehead...
--------------------
The Darker the Better!
=======================
SkyWatcher FlexTube 305 Dob
Orion Optics GPDX250 f4.8 Newt
Takahashi FS102 Refractor
SkyWatcher ED80 Pro
Konus 4.5" Newt
Parks 60mm f11 Refractor
Vixen GP-DX mount
Takahashi EM10 Mount
Televue Ethos 13mm
Televue Nagler 31mm, 11mm, 7mm
Televue Panoptic 27mm, 19mm
Televue 2X Barlows
Lumicon UHC and H-beta filters
Takahashi "Astronomer" 22x60 binos
|
RolandosCY
member
Reged: 01/02/09
Posts: 18
Loc: Nicosia, Cyprus
|
|
Quote:
By the way, I have just obtained a Lumicon H-Beta filter myself, but the usual "astronomer's curse" (becoming cloudy whenever you get something new!) has arrived with it, so I was unable to try it as of this time. Once I try the H-beta I will let you know...
On Tuesday night we have had a small opening in the clouds and we did go to a high altitude site (Papoutsa, 5090ft). Unfortunately, continuous lightning flashes from strong thunderstorms about 15 miles away did not allow our eyes to really adapt. Still, I did manage to have a view of IC434 with and without H-beta. The filter did indeed increase the contrast of IC434 with the sky background (to be honest with the prevailing conditions I could not reall detect IC434 without a filter even with my 12-inch dob). But I can definitely attest that the H-beta did produce a significant increase in the visibility of the particular nebula. On the bottom line, the filter is quite aggressive on the stars (which turn a weird bluish color!).
--------------------
The Darker the Better!
=======================
SkyWatcher FlexTube 305 Dob
Orion Optics GPDX250 f4.8 Newt
Takahashi FS102 Refractor
SkyWatcher ED80 Pro
Konus 4.5" Newt
Parks 60mm f11 Refractor
Vixen GP-DX mount
Takahashi EM10 Mount
Televue Ethos 13mm
Televue Nagler 31mm, 11mm, 7mm
Televue Panoptic 27mm, 19mm
Televue 2X Barlows
Lumicon UHC and H-beta filters
Takahashi "Astronomer" 22x60 binos
|
Mike Harvey
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/01/04
Posts: 695
Loc: Orlando, FL.
|
|
Quote:
One way of determining if the night is really worth trying for the Horsehead (or similar difficulty targets) is to check the visibility of M33 with the naked eye. If you can even glimpse it with averted vision, then it is a "horsehead night"
We had one of those nights at Chiefland Astronomy Village last new moon. M-33 was EASILY visible, naked eye.
In my 28", the Horsehead was remarkably detailed even withOUT an Hb filter (which I normally use).
But, the most interesting observation was being able to clearly see IC-434 in 8X32 Nikon binoculars!
Mike Harvey
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 
