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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22532
Loc: Ohio, USA
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2009 Nov 12, 0230-0600 UT
PCW Memorial Observatory, Ohio
Erika Rix
Zhumell 16”, AT Titan 38mm, 21-7mm Zhumell
Temp: 2.7°C, H: 79%
P: 8, T: 5/6
Clear, calm
This was first light for the Zhumell 16”. Paul and I assembled it earlier today and I was able to get a quick view of the Dumbell and Jupiter with its moons before supper. Later, Paul was with the LX200 imaging the Pinwheel galaxy and started my session with the Zhumell in Pegasus for some galaxy hunting. I was able to grab a sketch of NGC 7479, a barred spiral galaxy, and NGC 7814, a lenticular galaxy using the zoom EP at 21mm. 7479 had a hint of two faint stars in the middle of it and the end of the galaxy appeared to wrap upward and around the stars. 7814 had two sets of faint stars to either side of the SE portion of the galaxy. At first this galaxy appeared to be a slightly elongated circle. After observing it a little longer, it became oblong with a brighter core.
Sticking the 38 Titan back in the eyepiece holder, I couldn’t resist a scan of the Milky Way. The double cluster had never looked so brilliant with an abundance of stars like I’ve never seen before. With that eyepiece, you almost feel like you’re falling through it for an up-close view (thank you again, Astronomics!). Heading toward Orion, M42 expanded further out visually and with a bluish hue. NGC 2024 looked like the head of a crescent wrench and M45 practically lit up my face through the WA eyepiece with a tinge of green.
Auriga and the local area were packed full of the usual treats: NCGs 1907, 1912, 1960, 2099, 1893, and 1778 to name a few.
The Crab nebula (M1) was very bright and the notch could be detected, although I didn’t spend enough time with it to explore any filamentary details within it.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi. 
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4330
Loc: Ireland
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Nice report and sketches, Erika -- and nice new scope!
NGC 7479 is a tough one, but rewarding. I was somewhat more successful on my second observation (which is very similar to yours):
Quote:
NGC7479 9/15/2006 22:00 UT; Pickering 5, NELM 6
16" SCT @ 170X
Very very faint. Bar visible, but no concentration at core, and no arms (just a linear smudge).
After careful study, 170X reveals arms. I wasn't quite sure I was seeing them, but I drew the field, and upon comparison with the DSS picture I had the orientation of the galaxy and both arms correct.
Quote:
NGC7479 9/14/2007 22:20 UT; Pickering 7, NELM 6, SQM 20.6
16" SCT @ 250X
N-S bar comes quite readily; scimitar arms considerably more difficult. Semi-stellar core and bulged halo at center of bar; S arm more curved (around foreground star). Neither arm shows any extent back along bar -- pretty much only the parts perpendicular to the bar.
NGC7814 shows a nice dark lane in photos, but I couldn't see it either:
Quote:
NGC7814 10/12/2006 20:45 UT; Pickering 6, NELM 5.5, SQM 20.8
16" SCT @ 250X
Vaguely elliptical; vaguely brighter in center. No hint of a dark lane.
Sadly, those were all before I started sketching.
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-125 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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droid
rocketman
Reged: 08/29/04
Posts: 4253
Loc: ohio
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Erika; awesome report....16 incher?? wow, those galaxys were so faint I needed a nagnifying glass to see them...in the drawings 
Ill bet the veil is obvious in that monster.
Post photos please.
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12 inch Truss Reflector "John"
102mm Celestron C102HD " Carl "
Tasco 7TE5 60mm Classic
Tasco 9TE5 60mm Classic
Celestron Ultima 2000 SCT "Wilma"
Celestron Comet catcher(orange tube)
1960 Edscorp Space Conquerer 6inch f/8
10x50 Bushnell Binoculars.
60mm Telescope Club
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ArizonaScott
Postmaster
Reged: 04/29/04
Posts: 5646
Loc: Scottsdale, AZ
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Excellent report Erika, I enjoy observing vicariously through your sketches and descriptions! 
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Scott
10" LX200 Classic, Konus 200, Orion ST80, ETX90 OTA, 60mm Celestron alt-az, Obie 20x80's, Meade 10x50's
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 18440
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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Great observing report, Erika. Congratulations on your new telescope.
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Ted
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Chuck Honsinger1
member
Reged: 04/27/09
Posts: 52
Loc: Vermont , USA
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Hi Erika
Chuck here in Vermont. Carol inspired me to get a 16 Astro tech back in April of this year. I have had a smile on my face ever since !!! Mine is in an XL5 pod on a 14x14 foot elevated deck. My base is on rollers so I can move it easily on an elephant bark floor (exercise rubber flooring in pod).Deck is overconstructed so no jiggling floor.
Enjoy your new scope it truly is a blast.Great optics !!
Best
Chuck Honsinger
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csa/montana
Den Mother
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 43868
Loc: montana
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Great first light for that beautiful new 16" scope, Erika! So happy you had a clear night to use it; do you know how unusual that is? I didn't get a clear night after my 16" arrived, for 6 weeks! 
Beautiful sketches, as usual
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory
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csa/montana
Den Mother
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 43868
Loc: montana
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Chuck, so glad you feel the way I do about our 16" scopes. Everytime I look thru the eyepiece, I still say "Whoa!"; the views are so breathtaking!
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory
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Dain
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/05
Posts: 2026
Loc: N.Y. Adirondack Mnts. NGC 4565...
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Erika--now that's pretty awesome! Love those sketches. That 16" is gunna be giving some beautiful views. Keep them sketches coming. I love your work.
Clear Skies to you All!
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Best,
Dain
Adirondack Mountains (my true dark sky site)
@ Cedar River Flow
Local Site
Clear Skies?
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Tim L
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/17/08
Posts: 919
Loc: Austin, TX
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Hi Erika,
Congrats on tne new scope! I think if I went that big, I'd want an observatory like you guys have. I can't imagine trying to lug that out into my backyard for a quick evening's viewing!
I look forward to hearing more about it!
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Tim
Zhumell Z10 dob
Meade 60mm refractor
Zhumell 1.25" eyepiece and filter kit
Zhumell sky-glow, UHC, and OIII filters
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matthew2000tx
sage
Reged: 12/14/06
Posts: 339
Loc: San Antonio, TX
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Nice first light report. Did you notice any coma in that 38mm EP?
I envy anyone that has an observatory in a dark sky site... I'm sick the the light pollution here in San Antonio. Any time I want to use my 16" I have to drag it out about 70 miles to escape the light pollution.
It is rare that you had clear skies I think I had 2 weeks of clouds when I got my 16"!
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<>< Matthew R.
My Astronomy Blog
*16" Meade Lightbridge
*10.1" f/4.5 Coulter Odyessy Dobsonian
*4.5" F/8 Dob. Built by Yours Truly
*3" Celestron First Scope Dob. IYA2009 edition.
*90mm Meade DSX Mak-Cass Go-To
*60mm Meade Refractor on Sears Discoverer EQ Mount
*60mm Tasco Refractor on Tasco EQ Mount
*12x50 Bushnell Binos
*10x50 Celestron Close-Up Binos x2
*20x80 Celestron Binos
*Canon 20D/40d/50d and bunch of L lenses
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22532
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Thanks everyone.  Can't get over how the skies cleared up that night for first light! Carol, I remember the long stretch of bad weather you had when yours arrived. I felt so bad for you.
Jeff, your descriptions of the two galaxies are well-written. I'm working to improve that in my reports, along with improving the sketches. Thanks for confirming my observations, especially NGC7479.
Andy, my desktop computer had a motherboard or CPU failure so all the processing I've been doing for the scanned sketches are on the laptop. Depending on how I have the laptop screen tilted can make the contrast/brightness extremely dim or bright, making it hard to what the sketch will look like on other people's monitors. I bet that's what going on with yours. If you wanted to see it more clearly, maybe adjusting the brightness on your monitor will help. BTW, we can talk about the 12" if you'd like.
Chuck, good idea about the rollers. It would be useful to put castors on it to roll to the other side of the observatory to get a lower horizon on the eastern side. I have a set of castors laying around but if I did that, I'd probably want to put them on a platform for the dob to sit on so that I had the option of not using them for when I took the scope to star parties. Scott poured a dob slab for me for the old dob, and it's just a few inches short for this 16". But I can put two of the rubber feet on it. The deck is very sturdy and the LX200 is on a pier. I didn't notice any vibration the other night at all. Carol got me hooked as well, btw, and I had a chance to use her AT last year. She sure has her observatory fixed up nice!
Scott, my friend, that's how I feel about you everytime I hear about your Messier marathons! That plus your sessions with Tom, Ron, and Jim. At least I get Greg now since he moved to the east. Wish we all lived closer.
Matthew, yes, there's some coma but only along the outer FOV. Not sure how much is contributed from the scope v/s the eyepiece. Regardless, that eyepiece has such amazing eye relief and fantastic views that it's worth it. You truly feel like you're falling through the eyepiece instead of glued to one end of it at the telescope.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22532
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Quote:
Hi Erika,
Congrats on tne new scope! I think if I went that big, I'd want an observatory like you guys have. I can't imagine trying to lug that out into my backyard for a quick evening's viewing!
I look forward to hearing more about it!
:-)Thanks. The observatory is the best accessory Paul and I have for astronomy. Just open the roof to let things cool off and the labor part of the set up is done.  I used to get fed up setting up each time I wanted to observe, and then especially after a long session when you're so tired anyway and then knowing you have tear everything back down.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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BajaPaco
sage
Reged: 10/30/09
Posts: 271
Loc: Baja California, Mexico
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Wow Erika, You should get a trophy for all that you are doing for the community of amateur astronomers. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Congratulations on your new scope, it sounds like you have already started on an ambitious observing and sketching protocol. I read the BIO that you and Paul have linked to CN and I've just added your book to my Amazon wishlist. Thank you for sharing. Clear skies!
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Clear Skies!
Paco
--
Meade 5000 80mm ED APO
Sky-Watcher AZ4 Mount
Nikon 10X50 Binos
Plössls 40mm, 32mm, 15mm, 9mm
Orthos: 16.8mm, 7mm, 6mm, 5mm
TMB Planetary 4mm, 3.2mm, 2.5mm
Panoptic 35mm, WO SWAN 25mm, Nagler T4 12mm
San Pedro Martir Observatory
National Observatory of Mexico
"I have gone to find myself, if I get back before I return, keep me here"
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22532
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Thanks, Paco.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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