10914 replies to this topic

[Terra Nova]

If I can stand the cold, I’m gonna try for the comet tonight with my ATM/CNC ST80.

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[DMala]

I monitored it last night from inside my dining room, using Skysafari to estimate the position and night vision+binocs to locate it, but I am afraid that even if just by a hair, it was always behind one huge tree....  darn.

[Terra Nova]

Maybe try bagging it with binoculars. A short walk might put it in view. I’m also going to give it a try with my trusty 1943 B&L 7x50 Navy binos.

[Terra Nova]

I just came in after bundling up (22°F) and spending a few minutes on the deck searching for 46P/Wirtanen. I used SkySafari to try and locate it. Should have had a clear view but high clouds substantially lowered transparency. The stars in Cetus we barely visible through the veil with the B&L 7x50s so no point taking out a telescope; too cold for that anyway. Needless to say, the comet remained well hidden. Might try again in an hour with the binocs.

[silodweller]

Hello all,

 

Over this last weekend I acquired a Tasco 12TE-5 in it's original wood box; included all eyepieces and original manual as well as a booklet called "A Key To Worlds Beyond". 

It's a beautiful looking scope which has been maintained very well throughout the years and I was obviously keen to get it under the night sky. 

It was a perfect evening yesterday, not even a breeze and I was able to make use of a big open balcony with clear views of the entire sky. 

I honestly have to say that I am impressed with its views of the Moon, Mars and Saturn.  Even though Saturn is low in the West and was shimmering in the heat of the evening, I was getting great view of its rings.  Mars looked wonderful too. 

All in all, it was a wonderful night (until the mosquitoes decided to show up!) and I look forward to spending another evening with this telescope. 

[highfnum]

my old 1980's astronomy magazine version of Celestron comet catcher

 

[highfnum]

comet catcher caught a comet (wirtanen)  

BTW  - I was able to see visually (naked eye no scopes)  for first time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DMala]

Highfnum, if you are on the north side of the East Coast, at what time approximately did you observe comet 46P/Wirtaten? In North NJ I tried to spot  it (just with night vision equipped with telephoto lens, no filters) last evening around 22:00h, but with the existing light pollution glow in the lower part of the sky I could not locate it.

 

Approx what magnification are your pics?   Thanks

Edited by DMala, 11 December 2018 - 09:45 AM.

[highfnum]

between 930pm and 1230am local time

 

i used lodestar imager with comet catcher

 

its not that low in sky at around 1030 11

 

not sure of mag i guess 30

[Defenderslideguitar]

Just met with a friend who has been seeing the comet  several days...albeit in much darker skies

 

Getting closer now  so it could binocular time

 

    down here in Southern Connecticut   it needs to be a bit later so it is higher than the trees and the lower heavier light pollution. It seems like it is binoc  time  as well as travel time......   I may do the over bundled layered routine and go north to the reservoir.......

 

should have a few more good days before the clouds and rain come later this week to spoil the show

 

can we get the geminids meteor and comet show?

[member010719]

Last night I made my second observation of comet 46P Wirtanen.

Not visible with naked eyes from my urban location.

But it is well visible in the 7x50mm Fujinon Mariner WPC-XL binocular.

 

My binocular is similar to this one but is not so pristine looking.

Mine is quite battered and worn out.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=_A_kZykSq-c

 

I used also my home made 125mm F/4.5 RFT Newtonian.

Through the Newtonian at 70x and UHC filter it was visible  a very weak tail toward PA = 200 deg.

 

Comet 46 P is moving very fast , the starry backround - as seen through binocular and telescope - changed a lot in two hours.

 

I am puzzled by the fact that in the binocular the comet is looking bigger than in the telescope...

 

Mircea

Edited by ziridava, 11 December 2018 - 03:58 PM.

[rcwolpert]

You need to let us now when the next event is so we could come visit.

 

Rolo, you're always welcome!  Just bring that new Tak!  

[DMala]

Good session last evening from my South NJ location. With the F6 S&S Optika 6" newtonian I compared the unaided visual look of the DSOs near Alnitak (zeta Orionis) Vs night vision (NV) with and without filters. Without aid I could see some very faint nebulosity by the Flame nebula (NGC2024), which was much more pronounced with NV+either a DGM NPB Nebula filter or a Lumicon Night Sky filter. But it was only with NV plus the Baader 7nm Ha filter that I also saw the Horsehead nebula, as a dim but distinct notch with a bend roughly towards the South. Cool, first time I see the Horsehead, I will be back.

 

I finished up with a jaw-dropping view of Orion with fully spread wings and lots of filaments and threads, thanks again to the old S&S reflector supplemented with moderns gizmos.

[wfj]

You need to let us now when the next event is so we could come visit.

If you travel to a rocket launch, be advised that they often "scrub" for a variety of reasons. So it's best to plan to be there for a handful of days, and sometimes even that isn't enough. I've spent months in the past waiting for certain launches to come off.

 

Falcon 9 at the CCAFS (or Vandenberg) usually launch on time, or within 3 days. Atlas V at CCAFS is almost always on the day, at Vandenberg  2 days or so. Delta IV Heavy (like the one I'm waiting for) is around a month. Shuttle once took 3 months.

[DMala]

Yesterday I had a busy day and with an uncertain forecast, I was not planning any observing in the evening. Around 21:30 I realized it was clear and,... you know.... .

 

Comet 46P/Wirtanen was the objective.First I spotted it standing on the deck of my house with my Pentax 9x63 binoculars. Quite an interesting position roughly in a large triangle with the Hyades on the left and the Pleiades above. Unfortunately quite high in the sky, which made observing free hand a bit tricky. In the binoculars it appeared like a roundish patch, which actually I initially mistook as some faint possible globular cluster. The binoculars showed the largest extent of the tail, but I could not see any hint of the nucleus with them. Then I used  my PVS-7 night vision device with a Pentax 135mm photo lens, but magnification seemed a bit too low. Therefore I had the idea to concoct some odd-looking tele-lens night vision device using my Tasco 9VR, the two extension tubes of the original kit, a Vixen 1.25" visual back, and the PVS-7. That was ugly! But, it worked well. Surprisingly, still free-hand but leaning against the house wall, I got some only moderately shaky and good views of 46P/Wirtanen. With night vision I could see quite well the core, especially with a Lumicon Night Sky filter, but the tail although brighter seemed smaller than with the binoculars.

 

At that point I decided that I still needed an observation with a classic setup only, and I placed the Tasco 9VR on a period Vivitar tripod. With the plate facing backwards (handle forward) I got enough elevation to reach my target.I could on and off see the core as a bright but very small pinpoint (20mm Meade MA eyepiece). Finally I plopped in the diagonal the PVS-7+Lumicon Night Sky filter and confirmed the free-hand observations, also using a University Optics Klee 2x Barlow.

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Edited by DMala, 14 December 2018 - 10:08 AM.

[rcwolpert]

If you travel to a rocket launch, be advised that they often "scrub" for a variety of reasons. So it's best to plan to be there for a handful of days, and sometimes even that isn't enough. I've spent months in the past waiting for certain launches to come off.

 

Falcon 9 at the CCAFS (or Vandenberg) usually launch on time, or within 3 days. Atlas V at CCAFS is almost always on the day, at Vandenberg  2 days or so. Delta IV Heavy (like the one I'm waiting for) is around a month. Shuttle once took 3 months.

 

That's true.  So I just open the Florida Room doors and watch from the comfort of home. It's not nearly as good as being there, but if a launch is scrubbed, it's no big deal.

 

[member010719]

Last night I made my third observation of comet 46P Wirtanen.

I had not acces for some reason to my 125mm RFT F/4.5 Newtonian so I used instead the  ''Uggly Duckling'' 125mm F/6.9 Dobsonian and the Fujinon 7x50mm binocular.

I saw a large coma , brighter toward the center and the stellar like nucleus.

Using a Moon&Skyglow filter I noticed the tail at about PA= 200deg but very faint.

Using only the binocular I made brightness estimations like for a variable star , as follow : the comparisson objects were open clusters M34 in Perseus and M37 in Auriga.

M31 was discarded because was too bright while M15 was discarded being of about right brightness but too small.

The comparisson results :

 

(M34) 4 (46P) 3 (M37)

 

M34 = 5.5 mv

 

M37=  6.2 mv

 

Delta = 6.2 - 5.5 = 0.7 mv , read as  absolute difference between visual magnitudes of comparisson objects

 

4 + 3 = 7                      read as  seven '' personal degrees of magnitude difference''

 

0.7 / 7 = 0.1                  read as fraction of visual magnitude / ''personal degree of magnitude difference''

 

5.5 + 0.1 x 4 = 5.9 mv

 

or 

 

6.2 - 0.1 x 3 = 5.9 mv

 

My estimation of the brightness of comet 46 P Wirtanen ,made on December 13 at 21:30 UTC is :  comet 46 P Wirtanen = 5.9 mv

 

COBS magnitude estimation were at  an average of 4.6 mv  for December 13.

 

https://cobs.si/recent

 

 

My sky conditions were bad , the sky was foggy and my location is urban with strong light pollution.

The Moon was up with  a 32% illumination.

This  conditions explain the differences between my estimation and the COBS estimations.

 

Mircea

Edited by ziridava, 14 December 2018 - 05:23 PM.

[astro140]

Went out and observed comet 46P/Wirtanen last night with a 5.5" f/3.6 orange-tube Celestron Comet Catcher on a TeleVue Gibraltar mount.  Clamshell for the Gibraltar mount, which was made by TeleVue, was for a TeleVue 140 telescope.

 

Steve

New Mexico

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[member010719]

Steve

 

Am I seeing correctly ,please ?

The Comet Catcher have a sliding focuser ?

This is very rare on modern telescopes.

 

Ziridava

[astro140]

Steve

 

Am I seeing correctly ,please ?

The Comet Catcher have a sliding focuser ?

This is very rare on modern telescopes.

 

Ziridava

Yes, the Comet Catcher does have a sliding focuser.  A bit tricky to adjust to get the focuser to be smooth....if I remember correctly there are some Cloudy Nights threads on adjusting the focuser.  It works well with the low powers used to view wide field objects such as comets.  I use TeleVue 24 and 19 mm Panoptic eyepieces. 

 

Steve

[Bomber Bob]

Johann mentioned on another thread that's he's gotten to use his new APM 152 once so far...  Well, as usual for 2018, it rained at The Swamp both weekend nights, and may clear up enough tonight to peek at the Moon -- then be crystal clear every work night, to resume clouds & rain on Friday...  Yeeeeeeeeee Gawds!!

 

IF it's cloud-dodging tonight, I'll compare my Goto 60 F20, FC-50 & FL80S F8 flourites -- mainly for colors in the usual spots (brightest parts of crater rims, isolated peaks, & along the Terminator).  

 

Saw Mars & the Moon in 3 Classic Japanese color-free fracs;  Goto, Takahashi, & Vixen - more than just names.  All 3 were sharp at 200x.  Not one showed any yellow or blue or violet.  The 80mm Vixen showed more "detail" on Mars, but the disk was a similar orange between them.  I enjoyed the Goto's lunar views at 160x the most -- not too bright, but with the same fine details as the Vixen.

 

Despite the moonlight, I had to turn all 3 to the Pleiades before coming in.  The tiny Tak 50 gave a marvelous view at 57x with the Nagler 7, followed by the Vixen at 40x with an ER16 -- couldn't get the whole cluster into the Goto's very small field.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 16 December 2018 - 08:41 PM.

[shredder1656]

Ok, the mount is the classic part.  The scope is way undermounted, but the GP did well for not having enough cw and wobbling on the original wood legs.  Messed around with the LX200 10" on the only nearly sufficient mount I have, just so I can figure out if I am going to keep the scope.  I was just chatting with another member about the legs being the shortcoming of this mount and tripod, but it seemed to dampen more quickly than it does with less weight, lol.

 

Looked at the daytime moon, and hopefully the clouds that drifted in will thin out again.  Would like a few minutes at least.  

 

Also, caught a latex plain-old helium balloon drifting along.  Invisible to the naked eye, but just happened to catch it in my finder.  Then with the good old Great Polaris slo-mo controls, I was able to keep up with its flight.  Grabbed focus and made out the ribbon trailing along.  

 

These mounts really are impressive, except for the legs.  

 

Popping the rightful rider of this mount and IMO bonafide classic back on the GP for a bit too; the C102F.

 

 

CLOUDS!!!

 

 

[highfnum]

"Am I seeing correctly ,please ?

The Comet Catcher have a sliding focuser ?

This is very rare on modern telescopes."


star 140 above
has
same focuser

same scope just painted different

[deepwoods1]

Ok, the mount is the classic part.  The scope is way undermounted, but the GP did well for not having enough cw and wobbling on the original wood legs.  Messed around with the LX200 10" on the only nearly sufficient mount I have, just so I can figure out if I am going to keep the scope.  I was just chatting with another member about the legs being the shortcoming of this mount and tripod, but it seemed to dampen more quickly than it does with less weight, lol.

 

Looked at the daytime moon, and hopefully the clouds that drifted in will thin out again.  Would like a few minutes at least.  

 

Also, caught a latex plain-old helium balloon drifting along.  Invisible to the naked eye, but just happened to catch it in my finder.  Then with the good old Great Polaris slo-mo controls, I was able to keep up with its flight.  Grabbed focus and made out the ribbon trailing along.  

 

These mounts really are impressive, except for the legs.  

 

Popping the rightful rider of this mount and IMO bonafide classic back on the GP for a bit too; the C102F.

 

20181216_153855.jpg

 

CLOUDS!!!

 

20181216_161420.jpg

The 10” Meade makes the GP look like a toy! Nice looking mount!

[shredder1656]

Yes, that 10" is putting the GP in its place.  

 

I have to say, the C102F is still proving itself to me.  I really enjoyed it tonight.  Seeing is better than it has been the last few times I have had a shot.  Still wobbly even still.  After I relieved the GP of its extra-sized burden, I put the proper scope in its place and even though the 10" seems to be pretty sharp, the refractor just dazzled me tonight.  Inch for inch, I do not think that they are in the same field.

 

I pushed the F to over 500x with a Pentax 3.5 xw and my short Ultima 2x barlow.  It was jaw-dropping to me, but maybe my inexperience magnified the awesomeness.  It was ultra-sharp, but only for fleeting seconds.  I could not maintain focus, but once I removed my hand and just watched, it would pop in and very slightly out.  Then it would hit a spot that would pop into view with razor's edge.  

 

Probably my lack of ability to compare, but it was really nice through the F tonight.  Maybe 500x for a 4" on the moon is an ordinary happening, but it was my first time even coming close.  

 

Mars is just too tiny for me.  I could barely keep it in the fov long enough to get it focused. 

 

Pics are underwhelming, but the only processing was to make them work on here.

 

 

12.5mm Meade Ortho.  Phone was at 4x zoom.  250ish X (?)

 

 

Handheld snap.  I cannot remember what ep was in, but I thought it was the Pentax + barlow.  I think, though, that it was just the Pentax alone.  (I forgot.  I cropped this one)