Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums
Privacy Policy |
Please read our Terms
of Service | Signup and
Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
Man in a Tub
Not Retired!, But a little cranky!!!
Reged: 10/28/08
Posts: 2648
Loc: San Francisco, CA
|
|
It's amazing how many fun things there are to do. Last night, I was doing some observing through my western window. Around 8:20 PM (PST), Jupiter came into view. I could only see "three" moons with my GO SS 15x70 handheld. Wanting to know what was up, I referred to Cartes du Ciel (CdC) and discovered that Ganymede and Io were separated by about 11". A challenge I thought! So, I mounted the GO SS 15x70 on my new Garrett Series 2000 Grip Action Monopod and went down to the sidewalk where the streetlights, passing cars, porchlights and everything else bright and obnoxious made for a hard time. But I did see more than one moon. Although not as steady a view as I need, Ganymede and Io were almost separated, or more precisely, elongated. This was a very quick view. I learned when I went back inside that the separation was narrowing.
Within the limits of binoculars, my location in the U.S. and so on, I did get some of the action. The second post in this CN link explains what was going on:
Link
Clear skies
--------------------
Todd
Brunton Eterna 15x51 ° Garrett Optical Signature Series 15x70
Nikon Action EX 12x50 ° Oberwerk 15x60 and 20x80 (Standard)
Pentax 20x60 PCF WP II
Orion Paragon Plus Mount and Paragon XHD Tripod
Garrett Optical Series 2000 Grip-Action Monopod
|
daniel_h
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/08/08
Posts: 601
Loc: VIC, Australia
|
|
NOw you could imagine what galileo saw of saturn..how is the grip action working out for you Todd? does it handle the 15x70 ok, or does it feel like it could topple over
daniel
--------------------
regal 10x42, 10x50ultras, 16x70 FMT-sx, 25x100 orion
Oly e-500, C8N, astrotrac type I
2 old sturdy tripods for the bins (slik & velbon)
zeiss f5.6 refractor/lens (under construction)
|
Jim Rosenstock
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/14/05
Posts: 4188
Loc: MD, south of the DC Nebula
|
|
Glad you saw it...all rain here. 
|
ronharper
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/14/06
Posts: 1347
|
|
Todd,
Thank you for sharing the slice of life, how the urban astronomer gets the job done. I live in a small town at some elevation, so in a way the sky over my head may be "better", but it's the same universe, and so much of this pursuit is attitude and skill that it hardly matters. City guys have to be tough. All right!
Ron
|
Man in a Tub
Not Retired!, But a little cranky!!!
Reged: 10/28/08
Posts: 2648
Loc: San Francisco, CA
|
|
Thanks for your replies.
Tonight I configured my planetarium programs and ran animations of Ganymede's partial occultation of Io in San Francisco. I don't know the occultation's percentage here.
I haven't commented about my Garrett 2000 Series Grip Action Monopod. Right now, it would be like talking about butterscotch ice cream when you've only tasted one brand.
I didn't think I had the nerve to put the GO SS 15x70 on the monopod. Well, now I've done it! Before last night, I've only observed with the Nikon 12x50 Action EX on the monopod. After what I could see of the Ganymede/Io satellite show, I looked at Alberio, the Dumbbell Nebula, the Double Cluster and Stock 2. The views were fine. The Garrett monopod supports the Signature 15x70, but make darn sure everything is tight. Right now I know I need more practice -- to get rid of as much shakiness as possible with the GO SS 15x70.
I'm pleased with the monopod. "Time-sensitive" observations like this would have taken more setup time with the Orion Paragon Plus Mount/XHD Tripod (19.5 pounds before binocular and fifteen steps down the stairwell to the door).
Clear skies!
--------------------
Todd
Brunton Eterna 15x51 ° Garrett Optical Signature Series 15x70
Nikon Action EX 12x50 ° Oberwerk 15x60 and 20x80 (Standard)
Pentax 20x60 PCF WP II
Orion Paragon Plus Mount and Paragon XHD Tripod
Garrett Optical Series 2000 Grip-Action Monopod
|
Jim Rosenstock
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/14/05
Posts: 4188
Loc: MD, south of the DC Nebula
|
|
Quote:
I haven't commented about my Garrett 2000 Series Grip Action Monopod. Right now, it would be like talking about butterscotch ice cream when you've only tasted one brand.
<snip>
I'm pleased with the monopod.
Well, I'm glad you like butterscotch! 
I'm a big fan of monopods, and have been using the Bogen/Giotto combo sold by Oberwerk/BigBinoculars.com for some time now.
I'm 6'1", though, and found that, when standing and observing near the zenith, I still had to crouch a bit to get underneath my binos. It didn't take me long to cobble together a 6" extension for the monopod, which solved the problem completely...but the Garrett units have the extra "reach" built in, according to spec....and they're cheaper as well!
Enjoy!
Jim
|
Man in a Tub
Not Retired!, But a little cranky!!!
Reged: 10/28/08
Posts: 2648
Loc: San Francisco, CA
|
|
Hi, Jim
I'm 5' 9+". Once just for the heck of it, I fully extended the Garrett monopod with my Nikon 12x50 Action EX attached to Garrett's heavy duty L adapter. That's approximately 78" + ~4" = ~82" = ~6' 10". I looked up at the binocular eyepieces and could only think, darn, that's tall!
Still liking butterscotch, but can't find it here. Diluted swirly hybrids don't count!
Todd
--------------------
Todd
Brunton Eterna 15x51 ° Garrett Optical Signature Series 15x70
Nikon Action EX 12x50 ° Oberwerk 15x60 and 20x80 (Standard)
Pentax 20x60 PCF WP II
Orion Paragon Plus Mount and Paragon XHD Tripod
Garrett Optical Series 2000 Grip-Action Monopod
|
|
5 registered and 13 anonymous users are browsing this forum.
Moderator: EdZ, Joad
Print Thread
|
Forum Permissions
You cannot start new topics
You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled
UBBCode is enabled
|
Thread views: 244
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
