11968 replies to this topic

[Paul Sweeney]

We are having wonderful, clear weather. So yesterday I took the Vixen 80L out to look at Venus at noon. I found it easily. The air was unstable and Venus was fuzzy most of the time, but I still got to see a very thin crescent against a rich blue sky. A very nice sight!

Tonight I was out at dusk with my orange tube C8. The transparency was excellent, but the seeing was poor. I started on Jupiter, which was mostly a blob. Occasionally, it would pop into focus and I could see some nice detail.

The moon was up next. Despite the poor seeing, the moon looked great. I could pick out a few craterlets in Plato. I toured the terminator for a good hour.

I went over to Orion and looked at M42, which was mostly washed out by the bright sky. I visited a few doubles, but decided to pack it in because the sky was so bright.

[davidmcgo]

Yesterday around Sunset I had my 1975 Celestron Pacific C8:out and had a few periods of perfect seeing.  Mars was spectacularly sharp with my 4.8mm Type 1 Nagler smooth side which is around 433x.  That is just over 50x per inch.  Sharp polar cap, Syrtis Major still visible, Hellas to the South.  Some limb cloud.  Really sweet view with the old scope.  The high power and steady air made up for the rapidly shrinking apparent diameter.   

 

That usually happens when I need to get up early for work the next day.  Saturday night I put the 1973 C14 together but it was fairly turbulent.

 

Dave

[k5apl]

I decided to hook up the Solar Sceen to my Sears Discoverer 4 6305-A 60mm refractor.  I mounted it on a Monolux 4380 Mount to try it out.  The eyepiece is a 22mm Kellner (.965).  Kind of a fun set-up.  Hope you can see the sunspots.

Wes

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[Garyth64]

For the 2017 eclipse, I had a 6305, and a 6305a set up for solar viewing.

 

Here's the 6305 showing the Sun:

 

 

6305a in the background.  

 

They are nice little scopes.

[John Huntley]

Beautiful! I rarely hear about the "Elliott" refractors here. Coincidentally I just purchased a vintage BC&F "Elliott", one of the 6" f/13 export versions. Do you do anything to keep the brass in top shape?

 

 

Mine has a lacquer coating on the brass and so far has needed no special attention other than a light dust now and again.

 

Your 6 inch F/13 looks magnificent. Broadhurst Clarkson & Fuller used to have one of those in the window of their showroom in London - a real "head turner" 

[John Huntley]

The "Elliott" Telescope was a special release of ~20 units made by Ernie Elliott prior to his retirement in 1992. Objective by Carton, Japan.

There was one more made from parts left unused in that final batch, by Steve Collingwood who used to work for BC&F. Sadly his scope was stolen a couple of years back  

 

Thanks for posting that image of the promotional literature for the Elliott refractor - I had a rather poor image of one but the one you posted is much better quality. 

[John Huntley]

This Vixen ED102SS was made around 2000 I believe so just about squeaks in as a "classic". Tonight's targets included the transit of Ganymede's shadow across Jupiter's disk.

 

 

 

[ccwemyss]

Did a 9mm eyepiece shootout tonight with the C14 and 6"f9. Comparing the recently acquired Pentax SMC O-9 with a 9mm Delite and a 9mm ES 100 degree. Targets were the moon in the C14, and Jupiter and trapezium in the 6". The O-9 and the Delite were extremely close. Very much equals in sharpness. Maybe just a tiny bit more contrast in the ortho, but really hard to observe a difference consistently in the mediocre seeing. Jupiter really popped in both of them. The ES, on the other hand, was discernibly softer and lower in contrast, as one would expect from a lens with so many elements, pushing for such a wide field. 

 

I was also trying a Nagler 31 for the first time. On the moon, there was an obvious orange ring at the edge of the field, but it was crisp out to that point. On M42, the moon was washing out the nebula, but the stars were very sharp across the field. 

 

That was the limit for the dog's endurance of the freezing temperature. He's a warm-weather hound. 

 

Chip W. 

[Airship]

First-light for my new-to-me 6” f/5 Jaegers rich field refractor. The remarkable story of this scope can be found at…

 

https://www.cloudyni...8-jaegers-6-f5/

 

Chip W. (ccwemyss) did a wonderful job rebuilding this amazing scope and offered it for pickup at NEAF. We returned from NEAF Monday evening, and the following evening turned clear and cold giving me a chance to take a quick look at it out under the stars and the bright gibbous moon.

 

 

For this first-light I mounted the scope on a Twilight I which is a bit light for this scope, but it worked well. I fitted the scope with a 2” Meade star diagonal and various eyepieces including a vintage 2” 32mm Meade RG Wide Field (24x), and a set of 1.25” Meade UWA eyepieces with focal lengths of 14mm (54x), 8.8mm (87x), and 5.5mm (147x). Of these I settled on using the 32mm RG for wide field and the 8.8mm UWA for narrow field. My Twilight I is fitted with an azimuth circle and I use a digital inclinometer to set the altitude. To align the azimuth circle I started the evening at Polaris which was an easy split. I then swung over to Capella, M38, M36, and M37. From there I dropped down to M45 before loosing it to the trees, and here the scope really shined! The Pleiades easily fit within the field of the 32mm RG with room to spare and no hints of CA around any of the stars. From there up to Jupiter. It was a bit soft at 147x, but looked excellent at 87x. Not much CA, maybe just a tad. Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto formed a tight triangle and the Great Red Spot was in transit. Very nice. From there on eastward to the Belt of Orion and Sigma Orionis. Beautiful field! The Sigma group was an easy split. From there southwards to the Sword of Orion and M42/43/Trapezium. Gorgeous field! From there to Beta Monoceros (easy split) and then north to M44 (easily fit within the field), Mars (tiny), Pollux, and Castor (gorgeous split). Until now the CA was pretty much nowhere to the seen, until I swung over to the moon. Just a smidge of color in the 32mm, but a lot of off-axis color in the 8.8mm UWA. However, it was a soft violet around the edge of the moon and actually kinda purdy. It wasn’t an issue over the face of the moon. The f/5 will never be a planet-killer, but the view was quite nice. From there over to Arcturus, M3, and then up to Mizar/Alcor to end the evening. Gorgeous!

 

Overall, I was super happy with the performance of the scope. It does exactly what I was hoping it would; provide a nice wide field of view with plenty of light grasp. I was super happy to see that the CA was rarely an issue, and then only around very bright targets at high magnification, which is a combination that I would rarely use with the scope. Just for yucks, I may tinker with an aperture mask for those evening where my sweeps may include the moon and bright planets. I also want to mount it on my Twilight II along with the 5” f/5. Not so much to compare them, but to use the 5” f/5 to counterbalance the 6” f/5 and to serve as a (really big) finder.

 

Super duper!

[Bomber Bob]

Watched the GRS set tonight in 8/10 seeing with my 50-year old Dakin 4" F10 and slightly older Tak TS-65S / 1000... and, my "new" Mizar KAISER EQ passed its tests with flying colors:

 

 

The Center Brace makes this a very stable platform for the Dakin, which ain't no lightweight.  No annoying vibrations while focusing, and near-zero damping time.  No backlash on either axis.

 

Also tested the Vixen Turret on the TAK...  Loaded it with 4 x AT eyepieces.

 

GRS was obvious at 50x in the Dakin (LV-20), but took 100x (AT/UWA-10) in the TS-65.  The Dakin showed very faint salmon in the GRS at 100x.  6 Belts in the Dakin; 4 Belts in the TS-65.  A thick black barge in the TS resolved into a festoon with short tail in the Dakin.

 

2 fine old Classics, and 2 great views of sinking Jupiter...

Edited by Bomber Bob, 09 April 2025 - 09:03 PM.

[Bomber Bob]

Bonus Night... Severe Storms w/ Doppler Tornados about 65 miles north of The Swamp, but it was clear down here -- crazy air, though!  Got some very good views of Jupiter in my Mizar 130SL F5 at 180x (Radian 4), but I had to be patient, and wait for the calmest moments.  No GRS, but 2 festoons pushing out of the NEB.  Orange-brown NTB at 144x (LV-5).  Gonna miss the disappearances of Io & Europa, but even Ole BB ain't crazy enough to sit at an all-metal scope with thunderstorms rushing in...

[groom]

Ha ha! I think it’s:

”Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty”

Actually I think it's:

"Back of my neck gettin' dirt and gritty"

[CHASLX200]

Jup, M42 and 41.

[cavedweller]

Jup, M42 and 41.

But, with what you got left?

[CHASLX200]

But, with what you got left?

The new toy i just got.

[Bomber Bob]

Busy Night!  Observing & Testing:  Kenko KDS-609 Refractor (60 F15), Kenko KDS AZ MT, and Kenko Tripod + TAK S-1 EQ Combo...

 

Seeing bounced around 8 / 10.  Jupiter at sunset was in 9 / 10 air, that degraded as it sank.  Wish it had been Moonless, but oh well...

 

Kenko KDS-609 60mm F15:  Had this new scope in a SxS with my Tak TS-65P / 500 Triplet on its new platform.  In the very best seeing of the night, I got textbook star tests with both on Capella, Pollux, & Procyon at up to 200x.  Used all .965" accessories - TAK Prisms + TAK & spectros eyepieces -- LOTs of swapping stuff between the two!  This Kenko surprised me:  At 180x, Jupiter's disk is white, with 3-4 Belts, and glimpses of Europa's Disk Transit.  The faint blue-violet rind was not distracting.  At 150x (KE10 + 3x Barlow), the TS-65 is sharper & brighter with no rind.  4 Belts.  Europa is icy white & easier to spot & follow.

 

Overall:  The Kenko performs much better than I expected.  The 5x25 Finder is cheap, and barely useful.  But the Objective's quality is similar to the other 60 F15 lenses that I've used over the years.  Better than average contrast.  Not as bright as that Hiyoshi version that I started this Classic Craziness with, but that's a nit-noid issue.

 

Kenko KDS AZ MT:  I had my hefty Tak FC-76 F8 on it.  My very old Eagle Tripod carries the load well with the spikes pushed about an inch into the lawn.  Got the FC up to 188x (AT/P-3.2) on Jupiter, and could fine focus without annoying jitters.  Damps from my "bump tests" in about a second.  BALANCE is crucial, especially with the ALT unclutched / free.  My only complaint:  The ALT clutch knob & slow-motion are too crowded, and too small.  But, the manual tracking motions at high-power are as smooth as most EQs (I had the fantastic TAK S-1 there for comparisons).  A removable Handle would be a good touch for big swings between objects -- would keep Ole BB from grabbing the focuser!

 

Tak S-1 EQ + Kenko Tripod:  Eureka!  This Kenko short wood tripod is the ticket.  Spikes in turf, and it's as rigid as a permanent pier.  Manual Tracking with the S-1 is already as smooth as silk.  This tripod takes out the last bits of vibration.  Yet, it's still a light grab & go.  And... it's pretty.  Once I get all the S-1 cosmetics done, this would also make a fine display.  Looks like it all goes together.

[cavedweller]

Busy Night!  Observing & Testing:  Kenko KDS-609 Refractor (60 F15), Kenko KDS AZ MT, and Kenko Tripod + TAK S-1 EQ Combo...

 

Seeing bounced around 8 / 10.  Jupiter at sunset was in 9 / 10 air, that degraded as it sank.  Wish it had been Moonless, but oh well...

 

 

 

I was out with my C6R and seeing was a bust, at least looking west at Jupiter over the mountains. Remarkably better to the east looking at Moon.

[Piggyback]

 

Having fun under the sun courtesy my Zeiss Telementor 1.

Edited by Piggyback, 14 April 2025 - 02:25 AM.

[Bomber Bob]

Last night was just Jupiter in my Twins - 2 x TAK TS-65s - P (Pipsqueak) 500mm & S 1000mm.  I still had the .965" ring on P, so I bounced between TAK Orthos & Kellners, and the spectros versions.  The S carried the Turret with LVs 20 / 10 / 5 / 2.5mm.  Seeing was near perfect.  Got some of the sharpest & most detailed views of Jupiter yet in these small refractors.  No Galilean activity, but I watched the GRS rise & transit - Jupiter rotates so quickly!  

 

I pulled a CHAS:  Pushed the S to 400x, and the P to 300x.  It's a testament to the optical quality of these systems that they didn't go mushy (like my C8 at crazy high powers).  The NTB & STB disappear; but, the ragged margins of the EQ belts are more apparent.  I backed off as Jupiter sank into the mire, and I had to chase best focus...  

 

I took breaks from this insanity with my Carton 101 F5.  As a prism monocular, I think it was a bust.  But as lightweight Big RFT, it's darn near ideal.  Got some fine Milky Way views before The Moon rose.  The Kenko KDS sweeps & tracks almost like an EQ - so long as I remember which dinky knob does what...

 

I stayed out longer than normal - The Views were that good.  Fronts coming through, Moon rising later, so I'll rotate to my Deep Sky scopes this week.  Nothing like galaxy hunting!

[highfnum]

Tasco 13T

Jupiter

 

 

[highfnum]

bad weather but tried anyway

Jupiter Tasco  8V

[Bomber Bob]

Idyllic Spring at The Swamp - and pollen finally decreasing.  Frontal passage yesterday, so views in the FC-76 were only good not great last night.  Limited Jupiter to 150x (Radian 4), so I had to strain to see detail in the Belts.  No GRS, no Galilean Disco Dancing.  Much better tonight - GRS + Ganymede Shadow Transit, so I put my '86 C8 in the shed at lunch.  Let it adjust gradually.  Should do well IF these west winds drop down as forecasted...

 

** C8 did good with Jupiter & Mars in 7 / 10 seeing (the NWS forecast was for better).  No Lie:  Not a cloud in the sky at 1830, and I got the rig set up... 1900, and a hook-shaped stream of thin clumpies flowed down I-65, and didn't clear the western skies until 1930... I barely nabbed the GRS.  But Ganymede's shadow transit was fun.  Sharp views at 250x with either the Radian 8 or AT/P-8 -- no real difference between the 2 eyepieces that I could see.  400x (LV-5) was only useful in the calmest moments -- those got fewer as Jupiter dropped.

 

Mars was small but I could see a couple of markings - but couldn't ID them.  Sharp at 250x, bigger but not better at 400x.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 16 April 2025 - 09:27 PM.

[Garyth64]

bad weather but tried anyway

Jupiter Tasco  8V

Capture 2025-04-15T20_19_34T8VdlE.jpg

Capture 2025-04-15T20_12_26T8VdlE.jpg

Nice, but not as nice as the 13T.  

[CHASLX200]

M41 -37--38-36 and 35 last nite.

[highfnum]

Correct

seeing Was horrible with wind