11668 replies to this topic

[deSitter]

I remembered last night to nab Neptune -- first time with my C8.  Tougher to find than I anticipated, but transparency was down from TUES night, and the upper air was disturbed by Milton.  Stars were twinkling like crazy!

 

My AT UWA 10mm pairs very well with my Carton 101 F5 -- hairline split of Epsilon Lyrae @ 50x.  And, the field is wide enough to sweep with.  Comfortable eye relief, too.  Gotta get some more of these!

My favorite way to Neptune is to Google the constellation it is in, then sweep with a low power eyepiece until it appears. Pretend I'm a Victorian astronomer

 

-drl

[Bomber Bob]

I switched from the In The Sky! website to this one:   https://www.timeandd...stronomy/night/

 

Quick, easy to use, with lots of features.

[oldmanastro]

Last night it was clear again with transparency improving as the night progressed. The classic for the night was the C102 (Clammy) on the Astroview mount. They were made for each other. Saturn was high up in the sky a few degrees from the zenith. The quiet air improved the seeing. The view was excellent at 166x and even holding at 333x using a 6mm WF SvBony eyepiece with the 30 years old Celestron Ultima Barlow. The satellites were near the planet except for Titan. Rhea was a small pinpoint near the rings observable during moments of extra stability. I took the included image with Clammy and a 2X Barlow. The following objects followed Saturn:

 

- Double Cluster- This one was excellent on my old surplus 17mm Erfle (55x). The eyepiece acommodated the two clusters easily and stars were pinpoints.

 

- Eta Persei- I had observed this double with the 76mm refractor but colors were more intense in the C102. The extra aperture has a definitive effect on color perception. The secondary was a deep blue.

 

- Pleiades- The 17mm Erfle was able to capture the whole little cooking pot in its FOV. The bright stars were not showing any observable CA.

 

- Uranus- The planet was easy to locate in the finderscope. It looked best at 333x showing a small blue disc. 

 

- Epsilon Persei- A nice easy double for this telescope. Excellent at 166x.

 

-20 Persei- Another nice double for the C102. Also excellent at 166x

 

- Jupiter- I observed Jupiter at about 25 degrees of altitude but due to the quiet atmospheric conditions, even at this altitude, the planet was showing several belts and a crisp image. Io was just coming out of a transit and the GRS was not in view. I did not see any purple around the planet. 

 

Orion was in full view when I closed the session. The temperature was at 91 degrees with 65% humidity. It was not comfortable but the views helped to forget the heat. In the process I went through two cold water bottles.

 

 

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[Bomber Bob]

Guido, thanks for the pix!  Looks like Clammy is delivering the goods.  Last night, the C8 could only show 1 belt on either side of the Rings; but, the previous night, I could easily see 2 on each side.

 

I'm happier than a hog in slop:  The Swamp is progged for at least 3 consecutive 7/10 nights with lows in the 60s; and, my sciatica has been beat down enough to swap the C8 for my incomparable Meade 826.  Checked collimation & removed a few flecks of dust from the mirrors.  She's all set to Wow! me, after IDK how many months idling in the man cave...

[oldmanastro]

Guido, thanks for the pix!  Looks like Clammy is delivering the goods.  Last night, the C8 could only show 1 belt on either side of the Rings; but, the previous night, I could easily see 2 on each side.

 

I'm happier than a hog in slop:  The Swamp is progged for at least 3 consecutive 7/10 nights with lows in the 60s; and, my sciatica has been beat down enough to swap the C8 for my incomparable Meade 826.  Checked collimation & removed a few flecks of dust from the mirrors.  She's all set to Wow! me, after IDK how many months idling in the man cave...

Clammy has become a favorite among the classics around here. The nights are providing a seeing of 8/10 and in some moments even better. Nonetheless I envy your 60 degrees temperatures against my 90s in the middle of October at midnight. I wish that my Meade 826 was still around but the RV6 has always done a good job with its six inches and versatile mount.

[Bomber Bob]

Nonetheless I envy your 60 degrees temperatures against my 90s in the middle of October at midnight.

 

Youch!  We're forecast to have lows in the upper 40s by Monday morning...  When I start pairing my 826 with my FC-100, it's Observing Season down here!

[Roger Belveal]

I was going through some of my old stuff this evening and ran across an old Celestron 26mm Halloween Plossl that had came with a scope I had years ago. I've never even used it, I just tossed it in one of my catch-all boxes. So, I thought I'd try it out with my Comet Catcher for a look at the moon. I've heard that about 18mm is as low as you want to go with scope, but I figured what the heck. I used it with an Orion variable polarizing moon filter so I could adjust the brightness. I honestly can't recall a better view of the moon... I was stunned! I then preceeded to use a 2x Barlow and was equally impressed. It's so weird that something that was tossed aside was just waiting to give me one of those (WOW) moments! Man, I love this hobby!!!

[Senex Bibax]

Went out yesterday evening about 8:00, 20 km west of Ottawa with my little Celestron / Vixen 80 mm and my camera. I saw M15 and M2, but quickly forgot all about the telescope as there arose a spectacular display of the aurora borealis. At times the shifting, glowing lights covered about 2/3 of the sky, stretching from Boötes in the northwest round to Andromeda and rising Taurus in the east, and from the horizon past the zenith and into Cygnus, Lacerta, Cepheus and even most of Pegasus. Colours were not very obvious to my eyes but showed up well on camera. When I got back home to the near suburbs of eastern Ottawa, they were clearly visible  in my light-polluted back yard.

Edited by Senex Bibax, 11 October 2024 - 07:09 AM.

[deSitter]

I was going through some of my old stuff this evening and ran across an old Celestron 26mm Halloween Plossl that had came with a scope I had years ago. I've never even used it, I just tossed it in one of my catch-all boxes. So, I thought I'd try it out with my Comet Catcher for a look at the moon. I've heard that about 18mm is as low as you want to go with scope, but I figured what the heck. I used it with an Orion variable polarizing moon filter so I could adjust the brightness. I honestly can't recall a better view of the moon... I was stunned! I then preceeded to use a 2x Barlow and was equally impressed. It's so weird that something that was tossed aside was just waiting to give me one of those (WOW) moments! Man, I love this hobby!!!

Plossls are extremely underrated. The only thing they give up to good Orthos is - orthoscopy Meaning a correct rectilinear field to the edge. That was the main selling point, and the source of the label. My Meade series 4000 Plossls are my workhorses. All 9 of them have razor sharp, jet black field stops - no lateral color at all. Sharp as can be.

 

I think it was Televue who popularized the design in the late 70s or early 80s. Sam Brown talked about them, but the only ones I remember in the wild were the Criterion "achromatic Ramsden" and the Unitron "symmetrical achromat".

 

-drl

[Bomber Bob]

May just be me, but my better Plossls have a bit more eye relief than same quality / focal length Orthos.  For the past couple of years, the only time I use my ORs is the first star test of a new scope.  Yeah, I'd probably get just as valid tests with Plossls, but I'm a creature of habit...

 

Got my very best views of Saturn this season with my Meade 826 last night:  She cruised at 480x (LV 2.5mm), but I found 300x (Radian 4) the overall best for fine details -- stark blacks! -- and colors.  I took breaks during 3+ hours with the Carton 101 F5 @ 50x (AT UWA 10).  Mostly doubles & open clusters, but despite the Moonglow, M31 & company were impressive.

 

I'm getting stoked for Jupiter in Prime Time...  Cool HST video of the changing GRS over a 3-month period:  https://science.nasa...zr4gqd1pjq3.mp4

[Kasmos]

Plossls are extremely underrated. The only thing they give up to good Orthos is - orthoscopy Meaning a correct rectilinear field to the edge. That was the main selling point, and the source of the label. My Meade series 4000 Plossls are my workhorses. All 9 of them have razor sharp, jet black field stops - no lateral color at all. Sharp as can be.

 

I think it was Televue who popularized the design in the late 70s or early 80s. Sam Brown talked about them, but the only ones I remember in the wild were the Criterion "achromatic Ramsden" and the Unitron "symmetrical achromat".

 

-drl

That's for dang sure! Before Televue came around they seemed rare and exotic, but now they are so common you get the feeling they are looked down on. I suppose the blame goes to all the Chinese ones that came with scopes since the late 90s.

[CHASLX200]

Saw mag 6 skies where i was staying thanks to no power for miles around.

[Orion68]

This morning I got up at 4 AM to view Jupiter and M42 with a Unitron 60mm Model 114. The view is exciting in this telescope!  The amount of detail for a 60mm scope always surprises me. It seems hard to believe such a small aperture can produce that much detail.

 

Jupiter's equatorial belts were sharp and the lower edge of the SEB showed evidence of the eddies that make the edge look serrated. Just beautiful. All four of the larger moons were sharply defined, but not quite resolved as disks.

 

M42 was also excellent, but high, thin clouds rolled in and I could not see the 4th star of the Trapezium. Still, a nice view.

 

Edited by Orion68, 11 October 2024 - 04:51 PM.

[cavedweller]

I observed the comet this evening. I first acquired it in my 10x50 binos at 6:56 pm. I detected a moderately bright nucleus no more than 2 degrees above the local mountains. I then pointed my Cave 6" F/4 Newt (on a Dob mount) and observed about a 1/2 degree coma surrounding the nucleus. As the sky darkened, I detected traces of a tail of which I think I saw no more than 1 degree in length. It then set at 7:05 pm.

[Bomber Bob]

I wore myself out yesterday, restoring our covered back porch, and I didn't feel up to using my 826, so out came my outstanding C80P + Mizar SP.  SHARP views of Saturn & The Moon.  This is a 100x per inch achro, but I stuck with the Radian 4mm for 225x.  Barely noticeable false color + very fine resolution.  Yep, she's going to The Gulf!!

 

NEWBIES:  These Vixen-made 80mm refractors are on ZEN all the time -- I've seen a few at less than $50 + shipping.  Pair it with another Vixen-made 80mm F5, like the Tasco 10VR, and you'd have both domains covered with high-quality glass!

 

CHAS, gotta thank you again for parting with that Meade 826.  Every time I use it, I raise a glass to ya.  Overall, it's my Very Best Classic -- and as unassuming as an old pickup truck.

 

***-------------------------------------------***

 

BB's Observing Season has started:  Got my '88 FC-100 uncased, checked, & moved out to the shed.  I'm hoping the current mid-level puffs evaporate by sunset; or, at least by 2100L, when Saturn is near the meridian.  Giddy Up!  Start Your Engines!  After a gawd-awful summer, I'm ready to go.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 12 October 2024 - 03:09 PM.

[Orion68]

One of my favorite grab and go setups is the Unitron 114 riding on a simple Astrotech Voyager mount. The fun quotient of this combination is off the chart. No stress setup and tear-down. This scope always seems to punch above it's aperture and it's so darn beautiful to look at.  I did craft a longer dew shield to make it a little more dew-proof for those humid Oregon nights.

 

I seem to be suffering from reverse aperture fever  

 

[Paul Sweeney]

I was up about 1.5 hours before sunrise and found a clear, steady sky. So I went out with the zvixen 80L for a look at Jupiter.

While waiting for the scope to cool, I checked out M42 and some double stars. When the scope had cooled enough that I could split Rigel at about 70x, it was time to move to Jupiter.

The clearest view of Jupiter was at 133x (LV9). The maximum today was 170x with a LV7, which was a bit dimmer but the best power to check out details. Shortly before sunrise the seeing deteriorated, so I packed it in.

[davidmcgo]

Stunning view of Jupiter and the GRS and tons of little ovals and festoons in my 1973 C14 at 3am this morning.  Ganymede also huge and detailed.  Was running Brandon eyepieces from 20mm down to 8.  Best overall with colors similar to the planetary imaging forum was the 16mm Brandon although the 12 was pretty close, just not as saturated for the reddish hues.  Amazing amount of fine detail.  Mars looked pretty good too other than some turbulence from the neighbor’s roof.

 

The Pup was really easy, too.  Trapezium in M42 and the bright area of nebulosity was crazy sharp and fine cotton candy threads of structure.

 

The scope was out covered since the previous evening and is out and ready for tonight.  Love the TeleGizmos 365 cover I got for it.

 

Dave

[Senex Bibax]

Went out yesterday evening about 8:00, 20 km west of Ottawa with my little Celestron / Vixen 80 mm and my camera. I saw M15 and M2, but quickly forgot all about the telescope as there arose a spectacular display of the aurora borealis. At times the shifting, glowing lights covered about 2/3 of the sky, stretching from Boötes in the northwest round to Andromeda and rising Taurus in the east, and from the horizon past the zenith and into Cygnus, Lacerta, Cepheus and even most of Pegasus. Colours were not very obvious to my eyes but showed up well on camera. When I got back home to the near suburbs of eastern Ottawa, they were clearly visible  in my light-polluted back yard.

In hindsight I'm really glad i headed outside of the city to see the aurora. Seems Ottawa did its best to live up to its nickname of "The City That Fun Forgot". Numerous stories of people who headed to parks along the Ottawa River on Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings, looking for unobstructed northern sightlines and to get away from streetlights, only to have bylaw officers turn up. Lots of tickets were issued for parking in the parks after 9 PM, and even for simply being there. Seems like they were quite aggressive about it, even driving down to the waterside and turning on their rotating flashing lights to drive people away. Never mind they were some of the most spectacular auroral displays in many, many years, even decades for the city.

 

Apparently complaints have been made to some city councilors, but that lot won't do anything.

Edited by Senex Bibax, 12 October 2024 - 03:11 PM.

[deSitter]

In hindsight I'm really glad i headed outside of the city to see the aurora. Seems Ottawa did its best to live up to its nickname of "The City That Fun Forgot". Numerous stories of people who headed to parks along the Ottawa River on Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings, looking for unobstructed northern sightlines and to get away from streetlights, only to have bylaw officers turn up. Lots of tickets were issued for parking in the parks after 9 PM, and even for simply being there. Seems like they were quite aggressive about it, even driving down to the waterside and turning on their rotating flashing lights to drive people away. Never mind they were some of the most spectacular auroral displays in many, many years, even decades for the city.

 

Apparently complaints have been made to some city councilors, but that lot won't do anything.

I guess you have "Barneys" too. Geez!

 

-drl

[Kitfox]

C 2023 A3 in the old, dusty Vixen 20x80s hand-held. Still too much twilight for my naked eyes.  Maybe in a few days. 

[ccwemyss]

Found the comet tonight with my 1983 Fuji Marine 7x50 binoculars. Barely naked eye visible. The phone did a pretty good job of capturing an image that resembles what I saw through the binoculars. 

 

 

Chip W

[cavedweller]

The comet was spectacular this evening. I used the same combination of 10x50 binos and the Cave 6", but this time the binos had the clear advantage of seeing the very long and obvious tail. It also became naked eye as the sky darkened. In fact, just as the nucleus was setting at 7:22 pm, the tail resembled a searchlight on the mountain pointing up.

 

 

.

Edited by cavedweller, 13 October 2024 - 01:55 PM.

[BKSo]

Last evening I cycled 10km to observe the comet. The sky was clear and I found Venus soon after sunset. Then I mounted the Zeiss Jena 135/f3.5 on my camera and used the viewfinder to search for the comet. I found it when it was about 3 degrees above horizon. 

 

After taking pictures I switched to the Meade 2045 with 40 PL. The comet was small, maybe 1/5 degrees and a bit triangular. No match for Neowise. 

 

It was getting cold so I quickly went home after watching the comet set.

Edited by BKSo, 13 October 2024 - 07:03 AM.

[Bomber Bob]

I'd have to get up on the shed roof to see the comet; but, I've done that before to get a good look at Mercury.

 

Another night of near-perfect seeing, and a friendly SxS between my FC-100 & Meade 826 -- both at about 320x on Saturn close to the meridian.  Overall, the FC was sharper, while the 826 showed more disk details & colors (very faint rose & lilac).  Yellows may have been present, and I simply couldn't see them.  If tonight is a repeat, I'll haul out the gear, and do some imaging with either / both old scopes.

 

826 showed Titan + 3 moons, vs Titan + 2 in the FC.  Rings were almost 3D in the FC, and that pure bright white this old APO excels at.

 

826 won the magnification contest.  480x (LV 2.5) was easy, so I tried 600x (LV 5 + GSO 2.5x Barlow), and got huge & soft.  600x was a bit sharper with the Radian 4 + Tak 2x Barlow.  So, I stuck with 480x.  The StarFinder EQ keeps Saturn in the field better at that lower power, anyway.

 

Despite the Moonglow, the FC had no problem nabbing The Dumbbell; which was Huge in the 826 at 120x (UWA 10).  Studied M15 with the 826 for a while, trying to break out as many member stars as I could.  Switched the FC to 2" accessories, and went after clusters in Lacerta & Cepheus.

 

Pairing a great 8" Newt with a quality 4" refractor... is a killer combo, even for us city-slickers.  BIF, Newbies:  60x per inch of aperture makes my 826 refractor-like.  And, when the air is calmer, it stays sharp at 75x per inch (600x).  These 1980s Meade Newtonians are worth considering vs the new DOBs -- got mine for $100.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 13 October 2024 - 12:00 PM.