12052 replies to this topic

[steve t]

Sometimes you reacquaint yourself with a mode of telescope use that you haven't done for so long that it re-enchants you once again!

 

Here I'm talking about eyepiece projection onto a screen using my little Asahi Pentax 50 x 600mm scope.

 

I had to loosen the grub screw to turn the prism 90° so I (and my partner) could see it easily and was entranced at how crystal clear and sharp the string of Sunspots were projected onto a piece of paper by this method. The penumbra of the largest grouping was so clear I got out the iphone and took a quick snap.....not enhanced by projecting onto a piece of A4 when it was quite breezy...and the resultant image below is no masterpiece - but what an enjoyable 15 minutes of so we both had!  

 

Sunspots_EPprojectedOnScreenAugust2024.png

Nice Pic, thanks for sharing

Steve T

[Senex Bibax]

Had my first good evening of observing in a while yesterday with my Celestron / Vixen SS80 from twilight until about 22:30. Using only a Meade 26mm Super Plössl, I spent a lot of the time just sweeping around Scorpio and Sagittarius. I didn't spend a lot of time looking for Messier objects, but I did view M22, M4, M6 and M7. Swinging around to the West and North, I checked out M3, M80 and M81.

 

It was a very pleasant evening, clear skies, 15 C and no bugs for a change. I packed up when I could hear the local pack of coyotes' yips and howls getting closer. Coyotes around here have a substantial amount of wolf DNA..

[Bungee]

Forecast for tonight was clear, mild, and average humidity. I stayed up late and stepped outside around midnight to clear skies. Grabbing the 395, cause it's light and quick, I was up and running by 12:30 with my heart set on Neptune. That may have been wishful thinking, but at 7.7 I thought I could pull it off. I did my homework, got my bearings, and started a slow sweep around 27Psc. A little after 1am I looked up to re-check my bearings and couldn't see Saturn. 90% cloud cover!

 

I love this hobby.

Edited by Bungee, 10 August 2024 - 01:41 AM.

[CHASLX200]

Jup this AM.  Mush bomb seeing in the 125 ETX ,6 at best.  Took the scope out 45 mins to warm up to the nasty 84f low. Don't forget to take eyepieces out as well mel as they were fogged for 30 mins.

Edited by CHASLX200, 10 August 2024 - 05:17 AM.

[davidmcgo]

OMG. Just finished up on Saturn with the 1973 C14 I bought from CNer Woodsman.  I think it counts as freaky sharp.  I could have gone higher mag than my University 6.8mm professional series ortho if I had anything shorter with me.  It snapped to focus  even with that.  Titan did look larger than a star.  Loads of cloud belts on the disk.  Cassini very visible at the ansae of the rings.  

 

Very even shadow breakout on either side of focus even at that power after being out all night.  Wrapped it in when my dew heater stopped keeping things clear and I am wobbly on my feet and need sleep.

 

Neptune and Triton were a treat, M15 was sparkling diamond dust. This scope is big enough to hurt me but it is sweet!  

 

Dave

Edited by davidmcgo, 10 August 2024 - 09:39 AM.

[woodsman]

David,

 

  I'm so glad that you're finding the scope to be as I remember it.  I used it mainly for DSOs, however I did do planetary views of Jupiter and Saturn with it as well.  I think the max magnification I observed with was a little over 400X, but I recall how shockingly impressed I was with the scope and its optics.

 

  As I mentioned to you, I did find that many here used to shrug off my ravings of how excellent that scope performs, telling me that the optics back when Celestron first started offering the C14 were at best "so-so", and so they just assumed that it wasn't going to be a great telescope.  

 

  I was told that most of the Cs back in the day put out Mush images but that was never my experience at all.  

 

  Hopefully you'll get to take it out under dark skies because the silvered mirrors along with the special coatings really make a huge difference in brightness and overall light gathering power.  

 

  I'll be sending out the literature that I have on it and the other accessory that I forgot to bring, so you should have everything that you need to use the scope with 1 1/4 inch eps.  

 

  Hopefully, I'll make it back out to California later this year or early next year and we can have an observing session together using the beast!  

  

  Rich

[vineyard]

Nice but short session with my old STF7 f/10 MakCass last night, w a PiFinder mounted in the finder shoe, and a 22Nag.  No filters, Bortle 9 so mostly open clusters (M29, NGCs 6871, 6883, 6910) and double stars (RDS 63, 64, 65, 71), and M57.

 

V pleasant - could have done more but was too late by then.

[k5apl]

Wall to Wall Sunspots this morning!  Really intricate patterns.  My Sky Chief Jr. with Baader white light filter.  

Wes

[Bomber Bob]

Orange Crescent in my TS-50 / 700 on the Tak SC EQ - first session in 3+ weeks.  Beautiful & unusual unaided view - it's been years since I've seen the Moon so orange!  70x with the flat-field spectros KE10... a sight for sore eyes after 12+ cloudy nights.

[jgraham]

It's very exciting to hear that the C14 is performing well. A big scope is pure magic when it all comes together.

Ugh. Last night was my first extended star-hop with my Unitron 510 (more on that later). I promised my wife that I wouldn't be out too late. However... just as I was about to wrap up I spotted Saturn rising over the trees and I just had to take a peek. Needless to say, I did not keep my promise, but she understood. This was my first real look at Saturn this year and it looked marvelous even with the nearly edge-on ring. I am looking forward to seeing it higher in the sky!

Wonderful!

[CHASLX200]

Jup this AM.  Saw a meteor as soon as i walked out. 4mm Radian did ok in the 125 ETX but pushing it. Very nasty out with bone crushing dew points of 82f and a low of 84f.

[Senex Bibax]

The observing forecast for my favourite site was good again last night, and the moon is still setting early, so I loaded my C5-R yard cannon in the car. 5 minutes from the house, just as I got on the 417 freeway for my 40 km drive, the heavens opened and a downpour ensued. Trusting the clear sky forecast for 9:30 PM, I carried on regardless and was rewarded. By the time I got to my rural observing site west of the city, the skies were clearing and the stars were coming out. After an hour I had a beautiful, cloudless Bortle 4.5 - 5 sky with the Milky Way stretching overhead from Sagittarius to Cassiopea.

 

Because of the limitations observing at higher altitudes with the big refractor on its EQ mount, I concentrated on lower targets, and it turned into a globular cluster fest. A 6" refractor with 2" wide field eyepieces really does the job for me. I saw M3, M4, M5, M22, M62, M80 and another GC in Sagittarius, not sure which one. M22 is definitely the easiest globular, I find, but I thought M5 was the most beautiful.

 

Since Pegasus and Andromeda were rising in the east by this time, I also took a quick look at M31 and M110.

[clamchip]

Today I was out working on my Tasco 24T, making it  astronomical friendly by putting it on my Unistar

altazimuth. Just about the time I finished a Boeing 777X was circling my front yard real low so I locked

on with my 50mm 20 power spotter and followed it in the eyepiece.

I'm pretty sure it's here for a golf tournament at one of the nearby courses so it cruised by many times

and I got a good look at it.

What a magnificent aircraft, so quiet you can hardly hear it. Due to go into production in 2026 it will be

the largest twin engine in the world. The windows look so tiny, only because it's gigantic in size.

I tried to take a picture but it was too far away. My spotter brought it in nice and close but I had my hands

full tracking the plane to hold my camera to the eyepiece.

Robert 

 

[Bomber Bob]

Finally got to test my Vixen POLARIS-60 F7.  Excellent star tests @ 168x with Arcturus, Altair, & Vega.  Sharp lunar views at the same power (LV 2.5mm), with CA controlled very well - like my SYW.  I also tested my new AT 10mm UWA 82 eyepiece, and star-hopped to the Dumbbell at 42x.  Pinpoint stars with the LVs, Paradigms, & RKEs.  Nice splits of the Delphinus Doubles, and lovely views of Albireo -- and, The Ring.

 

No DPAC yet -- I managed to hurt my back a couple of weeks ago, and I've found that advancing age correlates with longer recovery times!

 

I won't make a final decision on my SYW 60 F7 until I've done at least one SxS Session, but this first run for the Vixen was impressive.  So... so far, not a bad Vixen yet (wish I could say the same about Carton!).

Edited by Bomber Bob, 11 August 2024 - 09:34 PM.

[Tiredeyes]

It has been at least a month since there has been a clear night in my part of suburban DC where it wasn't in or above the high 80s at sunset and very humid.  Tonight was clear, in the low 70s and felt dry.  I took my 1962 Questar out for a cruise along the lunar terminator for a couple of pleasant hours.  Sunrise over Plato is always a wonderful sight as are the Valles Alpes and Rupes Recta at this phase.  As a bonus, the temperature inside the house and outside was almost the same.  No tube currents!

[Bomber Bob]

Last night I got in a SxS between my two 60x420 refractors - Yamamoto (SYW) & Vixen (V) - in seeing that bounced between 7 & 8 (sparse lanes of River Smog).  BLUF:  The Vixen stays, and the SYW goes.  I'm keeping that nice helical focuser for my Edmund 4" Cass, so this excellent lens will show up on the Giveaway Thread - if anyone is interested.

 

Since the SYW is .965" only, I swapped in an old (V) .965" adapter; used a new Tak prism, and spectros & Tak eyepieces.  Both give excellent star tests; but for star colors, the SYW shows a bit less orange-red on stars than the V.  But on the Moon, the V showed no yellow fringe on the walls of Plato & other craters versus the SYW.  Lunar features are very well resolved by both scopes at 168x.  In fact, the details were sketch-worthy.

 

The Dumbbell in the V is larger & a bit brighter; and, stars in the Coathanger are whiter.  The Milky Way in & around Sagitta is richer, too.  Both scopes are well baffled, so I chalk that up to better / more advanced coatings.  Whatever the factor, the difference is obvious.

 

Heat Index was 93F at 2000L, so it was a quick session!  The Vixen needs some cosmetic work, but most of that can be done indoors.  Once done, I can finally turn my attention to the Edmund 4" Cass - got enough parts gathered to do a mock-up this Fall.  With Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars coming I'm motivated!

[CHASLX200]

Nothing. I use Orion as my way to test seeing and when i see the stars blazing red blue and green i know the seeing is not hot.

[Cavs56]

Wonderful morning. I finally got my garage back after 4 months of garage sales. It faces south and now I can just carry my Unitron 150 out the door and start observing.
I have two eyepieces that put Jupiter and Mars in the field of view. One is a 40mm Tami. The other is a Golac f-16.3. With the Golac I could see Lo’s shadow. I then went to 165x and 330x. Sky was mediocre as usual but just nice to see planets with some nice detail. Saturn at 330x I could see the separation of the rings to the planet. I could not see the Cassini divide. The Pleiades were also nice with the 40mm.

[mfalls]

Enjoyed seeing Mars and Jupiter in the same low power field with the Edmund 4 inch f/15 refractor and Dynamax 8 this morning. Didn't see much more than two bands on Jupiter in either scope but the Edmund views were a little better.

 

A few mornings ago viewed both planets in same field with Edmund 3 inch f/6 reflector. The little Edmund framed the Pleiades perfectly. Have been comparing Jupiter views over the last week including Celestron C80, Orion 120mm f/8 refractor and cobbled together pvc tube Jaegers 4 inch f/15 refractor. Not a lot of difference in detail due to seeing but enjoyable. 

[CHASLX200]

Nothing as stars were flashing colors so no good seeing.

[ElGran]

Jupiter and Mars together in full daylight, looked great!

[deSitter]

Jupiter and Mars together in full daylight, looked great!

Scope? Nice, never saw Mars during the day!

 

-drl

[Alanvogt]

Finally getting back into the swing of thing after a bout with cancer this spring and early summer.  Almost fully recovered now and am cancer free! YAHOO! I have done a couple public star parties already with my 10" SCT and last night was my first trip back to Kerry Park with the trusty Unitron.   Big crowd!  Over 200 people took a look. Mostly the moon but finished up with the edge on Saturn.  It feels great to be back and the crowd was fantastic. David from SAS joined me with his C8. I'll do it again tomorrow night (Fri) then rain sets in for the weekend.  I'M BACK!!!!

Edited by Alanvogt, 16 August 2024 - 12:23 AM.

[Alanvogt]

2 more pics:

 

[deSitter]

2 more pics:

4.jpg

5.jpg

Awesome!!

 

Did you ring the bell?

 

-drl