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Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all) greyfox member Reged: 08/29/10 Loc: Jacksonville, Florida Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED       #5623585 - 01/14/13 10:42 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Evening all: Just hauled my Omni XLT 102ED in from its first night out in well over a year. Tonight was my first ever attempt at the Pup. But first things first! I've been looking at Rigel for many years, but have just recently dedicated myself to the double star field. The companion was unknown to my 8" Dobsonian, so it was time to try it with the Omni. In the fading twilight, I acquired Rigel and plopped in my 24mm Panoptic. Squaring her up, I then swapped to my Nagler 7mm T6, giving approximately 128x. Sure enough, after just a couple seconds, the companion popped into view plain as day! I tried hunting the glare around Rigel with the Panoptic, but 38x is just not enough for Rigel "B". Now the Pup. With the knowledge of the seperation fresh in my brain, I pointed the scope at Alpha Canis Majoris. After 2 hours of staring, tracking the star through clouds, and stopping my aperture down a bit, I saw no trace of "B" in my 138x Nagler 7mm. I thought I saw glimpses of something, but I can't be sure tonight. For those who still havent seen Rigel, try a smaller scope. My 8" never showed it, but my 4" OXLT120ED showed it the first time. BJK Post Extras:       Kon Dealer professor emeritus Reged: 01/05/11 Loc: Cambridge UK Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: greyfox]       #5624099 - 01/15/13 09:59 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Like you my 4" shows Rigel B quite easily, whilst I often struggle with my 8SE. On the other hand I cannot see The "F" star in the trapezium with my 4", but can with my 8SE. I suspect it is all to do with what I would call the "resolution/glare" ratio. Post Extras:       7331Peg Sirius Observer Reged: 09/01/08 Loc: North coast of Oregon Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: Kon Dealer]       #5624505 - 01/15/13 02:18 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   You can also see Rigel's secondary in a good 60mm refractor as well. One of the amazing things about refractors is how much less aperture you need to split a difficult star in comparison to what is required for an SCT or a reflector. John Post Extras:       greyfox member Reged: 08/29/10 Loc: Jacksonville, Florida Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: 7331Peg]       #5624545 - 01/15/13 02:34 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   John: Absolutely LOVE your blog. Awesome work! Brad Edited by greyfox (01/15/13 02:46 PM) Post Extras:       Bonco Post Laureate Reged: 04/17/06 Loc: Florida Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: 7331Peg]       #5624741 - 01/15/13 04:19 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: You can also see Rigel's secondary in a good 60mm refractor as well. One of the amazing things about refractors is how much less aperture you need to split a difficult star in comparison to what is required for an SCT or a reflector. John John, I certainly agree Rigel can be viewed in a 60mm refractor. I first proved that when the humble 60mm f9 guidescope on my 10 inch Newt was tried on Rigel. Even with an old not so good .965 eyepiece, Rigel and its beautiful companion were seen in a nice dark field. After that I purchased other 60mm scopes like a Lafayette f13 and a Unitron f15. Can't remember anytime that I couldn't split Rigel with these telescopes. BTW, the same for the famous double double in Lyra, very easy in a 60mm. Bill Post Extras:       7331Peg Sirius Observer Reged: 09/01/08 Loc: North coast of Oregon Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: Bonco]       #5625103 - 01/15/13 08:09 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Yeah, I agree completely on Epsilon Lyrae, Bill. As long as the seeing is reasonable, that pair of stars is a real thrill in a 60mm refractor. On Rigel, the secondary appears as just a puff of white light. It has to be one of the most amazing and satisfying splits I've enjoyed in a 60mm scope. I've been riveted to an eyepiece for fifteen to twenty minutes at a time just staring at that thing. Thanks for the compliment, Brad. Looks like I've finally got a string of a few clear nights this week, so hopefully I can dig up some new material for that blog! John Post Extras:       rflinn68 scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/09/12 Loc: Arkansas Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: 7331Peg]       #5645886 - 01/27/13 11:35 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thats odd...I see it clearly with both my 10" dob and my 10" SCT. I've just recently got into double star observing however, and these were seen using my newly aquired WO binoviewers. Rigel b stuck out like a sore thumb the other night in the 10" Meade. I really love the binoviewers and have seen much more with them. Next time I have my 65mm apo out I'll take a gander to see what it shows. Post Extras:       azure1961p Postmaster Reged: 01/17/09 Loc: USA Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: rflinn68]       #5645932 - 01/27/13 12:06 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Rigel is routine with my 8". Infact if it isn't showing its just a real lousy night. Pete Post Extras:       Atl sage Reged: 04/13/12 Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: azure1961p]       #5646032 - 01/27/13 01:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I got the pup with my 12.5" last night after looking nearly every night for a month. I posted about it in the eyepiece forum but was unceremoniously I informed I was probably seeing a double image. Is Sirius b that hard to split? I split Rigel the first time with a C90...thought it was no big deal...then it never happened again. My dob does it easily even in poor seeing. Post Extras:       David Knisely Postmaster Reged: 04/19/04 Loc: southeastern Nebraska Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: Atl]       #5646102 - 01/27/13 01:41 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: I got the pup with my 12.5" last night after looking nearly every night for a month. I posted about it in the eyepiece forum but was unceremoniously I informed I was probably seeing a double image. Is Sirius b that hard to split? I split Rigel the first time with a C90...thought it was no big deal...then it never happened again. My dob does it easily even in poor seeing. Yup, Sirius-b is really hard to see. The smallest aperture I have ever gotten a decent view of it in was an 8 inch classical Cassegrain at Hyde Observatory many years ago, although at the time, it was somewhat easier to see in our 14 inch Celestron SCT. It requires exceptionally-stable seeing and a set of reasonably-good optics to get the "pup" to show up very well, as the glare from the primary makes the companion really hard to see. Clear skies to you. Post Extras:       Achernar Postmaster Reged: 02/25/06 Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: greyfox]       #5646971 - 01/27/13 09:20 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I've seen Rigel B in telescopes as small as a 60mm refractor, and I see it routinely with my 6-inch Dob unless the seeing is very bad. Sirius B is another story, it is 10,000 times fainter than Sirius A even though it's over twice as hot at the surface. Right now it's about 10 arc-seconds due east of Sirus A, and if the seeing is good or better, you have a crack at it with a 6-inch for sure. I just spotted it tonight right in fact with my 6-inch F/8 at 260X. You need to use as much magnification as your telescope and seeing will bear, and you want eyepieces that scatter as little light inside of them as possible. Scattered light hides Sirius B, which looks like an 11th magnitude bluish pip of light even though this Earth sized but Solar mass white dwarf's true magnitude is 8.5. It's apparent faintness is due to the extreme glare of Sirius A, which in about 20 or 25 years will hide Sirius B from view until it pulls away from the primary again in it's 50 year orbit. The average separation is 2 billion miles, and that always keeps it near Sirius A. If your refractor's optics are of excellent quality, you might find it. It eluded astronomers for over two decades before Alvan Clark found it while testing a newly completed 18 1/2-inch telescope on Sirius. Fortunately, we don't need an 18-inch to see it today. Taras Post Extras:       azure1961p Postmaster Reged: 01/17/09 Loc: USA Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: Achernar]       #5647066 - 01/27/13 10:16 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I swear during winter time in Connecticut the bad seeing is tethered to the ground till May. Cleardarkskys.com has the green and grey poor seeing mapped ovr the northeast so long I think its burned into the program. I've never gotten good enough seeing to see the pup. Never. If it isn't poor elevation than its typical 4-5/10 Pickering seeing so typical when its cold. Pete Post Extras:       HellsKitchen Pooh-Bah Reged: 09/05/08 Loc: Melbourne Australia Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: azure1961p]       #5677477 - 02/13/13 11:17 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Rigel B is easy, It is obvious in my 8" in the worst seeing, any 8" that struggles with it must have some sort of serious optical flaw. Infact, my 4.5" newt will show it regardless of seeing. Sirius B and Antares B are both much more challenging. Edited by HellsKitchen (02/13/13 11:17 AM) Post Extras:       leviathan super member Reged: 11/29/11 Loc: Azerbaijan Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: HellsKitchen]       #5677698 - 02/13/13 01:31 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Sirius B is difficult to see because of too bright Sirius A. If you'll manage to block it somehow and you know where to look, you'll find it. Post Extras:       CelestronDaddy sage Reged: 08/22/09 Loc: Central Texas Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: leviathan]       #5680270 - 02/14/13 09:49 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Finally had some decent sky in my location tonight. Maybe a 7/10. I wanted to try Sirius B and Rigel tonight. I let my 6E acclimate for about an hour and started out with the trapezium. E and F were seen at 136X and F was fairly constant so I knew conditions were good for me. So I moved to Rigel and it was an easy split at 136X and 60X. Nice contrast. I then tried Sirius and thought I had a glimpse of B but not enough to be certain. Sirius B is a difficult one because of the huge difference in magnitudes. Will have to keep trying Post Extras:       jrbarnett Eyepiece Hooligan Reged: 02/28/06 Loc: Petaluma, CA Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: David Knisely]       #5691924 - 02/20/13 10:56 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Sirius B is actually easier in small aperture than large. The split is huge (10 arc seconds) so resolution is irrelevant. Suppression of glare and stray light, and beating the seeing are key. It's easiest in a 3-incher for me. Haven't tried it in a 60mm yet, but I will next time I'm out. I always find it to be much easier in refractors too than obstructed scopes. Part of it is the aperture - refractors lack it - and the other part is better baffling and stray light control than in an obstructed design. In fact, I think apertures over about 6" are a hindrance on the Pup whenever it is more than about 7 arc second of separation from A as they are more affected by seeing and the extra resolving power they bring is of no benefit on the target. Regards, Jim Post Extras:       ziridava member Reged: 08/17/12 Loc: Arad,Romania,Eastern Europe Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: jrbarnett]       #5696603 - 02/23/13 01:26 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hello I'm in doubts if I ever saw Rigel's companion in my 60mm refractor but I'm sure I saw it in my 76mm F/9 Newtonian at over 100x. In my 125mm F/7 Dobsonian I always see Rigel's companion if seeing is at least 6 on Pickering scale. Last time I saw it was last week,125mm Dobsonian, home-made Keplerian ocular of 15mm focus, 57x. Mircea Post Extras:       mdowns Pooh-Bah Reged: 06/12/10 Loc: Englewood,FL Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: ziridava]       #5696728 - 02/23/13 02:35 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Fellow cnighter Mike Reily and myself got together a couple of weeks ago and found the pup with relative ease in both his 6"f6 rfr and his meade 125. I say relative because thats what it is. Frist glance didnt really reveal anything but playing with the mags(we bumped them up alot) and positioning Sirius just out of the fov made all the difference. as mentioned above,the seperation is significant,just overwhelmed by the light of the primary. Post Extras:       CelestronDaddy sage Reged: 08/22/09 Loc: Central Texas Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: ziridava]       #5697374 - 02/23/13 09:24 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Mircea, I've been able to split Rigel with my 80mm refractor in the past. I need to try Sirius and see if I can split it with the refractor. Post Extras:       dlapoint scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/18/03 Loc: Moncton NB Canada Re: Rigel and Sirius - Omni XLT 102 ED [Re: CelestronDaddy]       #5700781 - 02/25/13 11:23 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think might have viewed sirius b tonight with my 6" achromat stopped down to 4 inches. There was a light haze in the air which seemed to make it easier to pick out. I've looked at picks on line and they match what I seen. I will try with the ed100 tomorrow night. Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all)

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