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Can a 4” APO ‘beat’ an 8” SCT? (yes and no)

This article is derived from a talk I gave my local astronomy club many years ago. This competition, and variations of it using different types and sizes of telescopes, seems to be a perennial question. Our goal in writing it was not to disparage any type of scope; all have their use and, like beauty, their value to an individual is in the eye of the beholder.

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The Skies of May, 2023

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, May Moon Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Cancer, Leo, Leo Minor, Virgo, Coma Berenices, Bootes, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus

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Cosmic Challenge: Abell Galaxy Cluster (AGC) 1656

The Coma Galaxy Cluster, Abell Galaxy Cluster (AGC) 1656, contains more than 800 galaxies brighter than photographic magnitude 16.5. It’s a real galactic forest that will take great patience to make your way through. There is no rushing this one. Unless you have enough time to devote to the task, best to push on to another target and come back here when you do. In fact, you will never get through this huge collection of galaxies in one sitting. Or even two, three, or four sessions, for that matter. AGC 1656 could well take years before every galaxy in view is recorded and identified.

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Celestron PowerSeeker 70AZ Telescope ($10 Scope)

I used this telescope a lot. A LOT! I took it out to the backyard every single clear night I could. This telescope showed me the planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). It showed me M13, M57, M45 (a closer look than with the binos), M7, M8, M20, and the moon in close detail. It also showed me a power line in great detail; the distant object I used to align the finder scope with the main scope.

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The Skies of April, 2023

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, April Moon Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Coma Berenices, Bootes, Hercules

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Converting a GEM to an Alt-Az – and more!

Recently, I decided (after lying on the ground to view Jupiter in my Tal) to see ‘what many rave about’ in using an Alt-Az mount. I didn’t want to give up my slow motion controls, and I also wanted to be able to locate any object in the sky quickly and manually, and with reasonable accuracy (meaning it should be somewhere in the FOV at the end of my targeting). Not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars on another mount just to see if I’d like it, I thought of converting the smaller of my GEMs into an Alt-Az, effectively making the transition illustrated here

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Orion EQ-26 Mount Review

I would recommend the mount to anyone that wants a stable mount with tracking, but does not require Go-To. While I cannot speak to any long astrophotography tracking, it seemed well enough for visual and short exposure astrophotography which suits my [current] purpose. This looks to be a keeper.

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What Became of That Big Astrograph?

In short, it fell victim to my age and physical condition! But first it got to go outside and play some. This story will tell the tale of the ultimate fate of the astrograph.

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Cosmic Challenge: NGC 2976 and NGC 3077

M81 and M82 form perhaps the most famous pair of galaxies north of the celestial equator. Johann Elert Bode bumped into both quite by chance on New Year's Eve 1774. His discovery is commemorated today by M81's nickname, Bode's Galaxy. But his discoveries went unknown by his contemporaries. Both galaxies went unobserved for another 5 years until they were independently rediscovered by Pierre Méchain. Charles Messier incorporated Méchain's find into his burgeoning catalog some 19 months later. Bode, Méchain, and Messier missed fainter companions that are found nearby. Two more decades would pass before William Herschel discovered their dim glows, yet both of this month's challenges - NGC 2976 and NGC 3077 -- can be spotted through small backyard telescopes given good skies.

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The Skies of March, 2023

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, March Moon Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, Orion, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Coma Berenices, Bootes

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