Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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So, as I was in the vacinity of "The Twins" last night, looking at Saturn for the first time (a big WOW, btw), I decided to take advantage of the quick break in the clouds and attempt to find NGC 2392. Mind you, I was armed only with a 20mm Hyugen and a cheap 3X barlow for my 4.5" newt, but I refused to let that stop me. I refered closely to three different charts and made my move. There I found what first appeared to be a double star. But upon further fucus, one of the stars seemed quite fuzzy while the other retained pinpoint sharpness. Not very impressive, I know, but I feel quite confident that this was the Clown/Eskimo nebula. That big thing up there with all those points of light is actually starting to make a tiny bit of sense. 
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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tatarjj
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/20/04
Posts: 905
Loc: Auburn, AL
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It does indeed sound like you NGC 2392. Congratulations!
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John T.
Auburn, AL
25" f/4.2 Dob
18" Obsession #701
4" Stellar Vue Achromat
8X56 Binos
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Ron B[ee]
Tyro
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 4719
Loc: CA
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Quote:
Not very impressive, I know, but I feel quite confident that this was the Clown/Eskimo nebula. That big thing up there with all those points of light is actually starting to make a tiny bit of sense.
Good try! The 4.5" Newt should be able to give you an impressive view of the Eskimo providing you give it a good enough magnification. All you need is to invest in good set of Plossl eyepieces and barlow next. Start at 110x or higher, you should be able to see its bright central star.
Ron B[ee]
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5-inch Tele Vue NP127 APO 
4-inch Tele Vue TV-102 APO 
8-inch f/6 Discovery PDHQ Dob 
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Darren
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/17/03
Posts: 885
Loc: 44N, 79W (Newmarket, Ont., Can...
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That sounds like the Clown Face (NGC 2392) to me. You got it, all right. Right now, it sits just about a degree and a half northeast of Saturn. In my 32mm plossl, I can get it in the same field of view as Saturn if I position Saturn near the lower-left edge of the FoV. I have a 4.5" Newt as well, and it shows up quite readily in it, and will hold fairly high magnification without breaking down.
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Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren
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SaberScorpX
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/12/05
Posts: 4121
Loc: illinois, usa
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re: So, as I was in the vacinity of "The Twins" last night, looking at Saturn for the first time (a big WOW, btw), I decided to take advantage of the quick break in the clouds and attempt to find NGC 2392...
Saturn doubles as a great guidestar to ngc2392 for the next several weeks, currently floating about a degree north of the Eskimo.
A beautiful but dimmer Albireo-esque double SAO 79401 (mags 7 and 10 @ 35") can also be found within a quarter-degree NW of Saturn, which makes another close pass by the 8th mag. open cluster ngc2420 in May.
Happy hunting!
Saber
Ready to tackle the Herschel 400?
http://www.geocities.com/saberscorpx/SGH400.html
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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Quote:
Good try! The 4.5" Newt should be able to give you an impressive view of the Eskimo providing you give it a good enough magnification. All you need is to invest in good set of Plossl eyepieces and barlow next. Start at 110x or higher, you should be able to see its bright central star.
Ron B[ee]
As a matter of fact, I ordered some Knight Owl MC Series pieces earlier that day (32mm, 20mm, 15mm, 3x Barlow, 45deg Erecting Prism), and they sould be here any day now. Mediocre quality I'm sure, but no doubt far better than the H20mm, SR4mm, plastic 3x Barlow set I'm currently using. At $89 for the set of five pieces, I decided it to be worth the risk. At the very minimum they claim blackened edges and full multicoating with a tried and true plossl design. Fingers are crossed and eyes are patiently waiting. 
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Darren
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/17/03
Posts: 885
Loc: 44N, 79W (Newmarket, Ont., Can...
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Quote:
... Mediocre quality I'm sure, but no doubt far better than the H20mm, SR4mm, plastic 3x Barlow set I'm currently using.
Do you have a Bushnell 4.5" reflector? I got the exact same eyepeices with my scope, and they're all garbage with the exception of the H20. I got rid of all of them and replaced them with second-hand plossls. Check out the view of the Double Cluster in the 32mm when you get it. Amazing.
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Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hello Chopin,
Great job finding the Clown. That's one down and about a zillion to go. About the eyepieces. You really can not ever go wrong with a plossl imho. Let us know what you see next!
Roger
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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For Darren, yes it is the 4.5" Northstar Goto from Bushnell. The scope seems fine, only the accessories appear to be of poor quality. Now that the EPs are replaced, my goal is to replace the "Kinematic" (AKA Alt-Az) mount with a motor driven EQ.
And to Rainmaker, thanks for the optimism on a long road ahead (  )
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Brian Carter
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/04
Posts: 3115
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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The first time i saw the eskimo was on a night of exceptional seeing and transparency at a super dark site. i accidentally found itin my 10" when i bumped the scope looking at saturn. if you think it was cool in a 4.5" you should see it in a larger scope. the inner ring had the shape one sees in photos. it actually had a clown-esque look to it, and it was a pale green color.
I can only imagine what it would look like in a big scope... ha ha
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10" F/5.5 Astrosky
SkyCommander DSCs
A loving dog, Buddha, who tolerates my hobbies
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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I'd love to see what a bigger scope could do, but I'm trying to learn to do with what I have. I figure, if I'm still "gung ho" about this two years from now, I might have a chance getting my personal accountant (AKA my lovely wife ) to agree to let me spend some cash on a bigger scope. I'll bet the 10" alots for breathtaking views on many nebulae.
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Brian Carter
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/04
Posts: 3115
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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ha ha ha Chopin!!! You think you are going to make it two years without buying a bigger scope?????? A little naive maybe... It is ok. The longer you go without looking through a bigger scope, the more likely you will be able to resist.. :-)
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10" F/5.5 Astrosky
SkyCommander DSCs
A loving dog, Buddha, who tolerates my hobbies
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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That's my theory. The longer I can put off trying out someone else's 16" Newt, the better! Of course, with a bigger scope comes better EP's too, right?
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Brian Carter
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/04
Posts: 3115
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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well, actually i would reccomend the smaller the scope, the bigger the EPs. In fact, I think you should make it a goal so that each of your eyepieces are worth more the scope.
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10" F/5.5 Astrosky
SkyCommander DSCs
A loving dog, Buddha, who tolerates my hobbies
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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I thought about that. $200 Bushnell, meet Mr. Naggler. But then again, I won't see any expensive upgrades until after our Aniversary in August. I've been secretly socking away $20-40 a week since November, for that Aniversary ring she wants. I'm up to $500 now, and I can tell you that I quietly dream of all the things I could buy with that cash. Hmmm, Orion 10" Newt, TV radians... 
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Brian Carter
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/24/04
Posts: 3115
Loc: Atlanta, GA
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$500... 31mm Nagler??? ha ha ha
the wife doesn't need a ring, she would much rather have a nagler.
Does anyone remember the simpsons episode where Homer bought Marge a bowling ball stenciled with his name for her birthday? ha ha ha ha
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10" F/5.5 Astrosky
SkyCommander DSCs
A loving dog, Buddha, who tolerates my hobbies
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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Don't laugh (or DO, I know I am ). My Father-in-Law was renownwed, for years, for doing just that. A few x-mases ago he gave her a $400 Technics soround sound receiver, no lie! He really is a good guy, but man, that was pretty bold! 
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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Darren
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 07/17/03
Posts: 885
Loc: 44N, 79W (Newmarket, Ont., Can...
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Quote:
ha ha ha Chopin!!! You think you are going to make it two years without buying a bigger scope?????? A little naive maybe... It is ok. The longer you go without looking through a bigger scope, the more likely you will be able to resist.. :-)
Been over two years now with a Bushnell 4.5" Newt. I have got aperture fever bad, but my finances being what they are, it will have to do.
And as I have yet to exhaust the catalogue of fine objects visible in this scope, I don't really mind. I haven't even got half the Messiers yet!
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Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren
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Chopin
Canis Insanus
Reged: 02/03/05
Posts: 3376
Loc: In the doghouse.
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Nice reply, coming from one of the few fellow 4.5" Bushnell users around here  . I hope I too can hold out. I am weak though, and the thought of nearly doubling my mirror's surface area by jumping to a 6" alone makes these feeling very difficult to control  
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JasonŽ
Phlog
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lunator
sage
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 231
Loc: London
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Chopin
Just want to say thanks for the post.
After reading it I waited for the 1st clear night and went looking for the clown/eskimo nebula.
Using Saturn as a guide I found it easily. At first it looked like a double star but I realised that one of the 'stars' wouldn't focus.
I checked my astro software to confirm the location and could see I was right on the spot.
I usually look at double stars from my site as living in London can make looking for DSO's a VERY frustrating exercise.
Rgds
L.
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