12021 replies to this topic

[Bomber Bob]

Already got a head-start on tonight:  Observed that large Sunspot Complex with my PILOT 47 F17 ACH + Kenko KDS-AZ using a Carton Herschel Wedge + Carton SUN Filter at 32x & 64x (TAK Orthos).  3 Cores -- a binary pair plus a 3rd with a wide separation.  Visually, this long achro is CA-free.  Gonna put it up against my TAK TS-65 / 1000 Triplet on the Moon -- if the clouds will stay away...

Confirmed that the PILOT is as low CA as my TS-65S on The Moon, Jupiter, Mars, and assorted stars & clusters.  The 6 / 7 seeing limited both scopes to 100x / 200x, respectively.  But both were TAK sharp.  I used all .965" gear on the PILOT -- GOTO Prism + Kellners & Plossls.  That TAK KE25 (my only TAK Kellner) is as good as the much more expensive spectros version -- just a tad more internal glare.  I loaded the 1.25" Vixen 4-slot turret with AT & Vixen eyepieces.  Of course, now I want Vixen's .965" model, too...

 

No yellow in either scope; and, I had to look way off-axis to get a blue rind in the PILOT.  (Wonder who made its cemented doublet??)

 

I lost Io's off-white disk with the PILOT once the Transit started; but followed it well with the TS.  3 Belts in the PILOT, and 4 in the TS (both EQs + TBs),  Zones are white in both -- just purer in the TS, which made the 1 Barge easier to see.  Not visible in the PILOT.  Martian disk is redder in the 47mm, and only the polar cap / hood was plainly visible; while the TS showed 2 black markings, but I had to check the Profiler to identify them.

 

Nice Castor split at 53x (KE15) in the PILOT, and A&B are white.  Prettiest at 80x with my favorite spectros eyepiece, the 10mm Kellner.

[Orion68]

Yesterday late afternoon I mounted my Orbit Scope on the G11 (mount overkill!) and had a lot of fun observing the moon. I made an extended dew shield for this scope since I use it a lot in our humid winter season in Oregon.

 

Tried getting some pictures with my cell phone but none of them turned out. Had a lot of fun though with this little 60mm scope. I replaced the ring spacer with individual foil spacers last year and images are very nice now with Newton's rings nearly centered. I think my spacers are a little too thin though, the rings are very fat.

 

After dark I had good views of Algieba, Cor Caroli and Mizar. Izar was split, but only occasionally and very briefly, the seeing was not great.

 

 

 

[cavedweller]

I observed the very large sunspot with the Griffith Observatory coelostat on Friday. It has been cloudy since.

[cavedweller]

I've been back in the desert doing post-moonset observing with my C8. Looked at M13, M4 and Sagittarius Milky Way region. A 25mm TV Plossl is working well with this scope.

 

[Idaho_Skies]

Very busy of late, so I'm just getting out in my light polluted urban driveway to look at the moon.  Recently this has meant using my classic Bushnell Sky Chief Jr. and my Monolux 4380 (temporarily adapted to a Twilight II for convenience).  I really appreciated the "grab and go" nature of these rigs (the Sky Chief Jr, is literally a "one hand" transport) which allowed me to make the most of my limited time.

They always take me back to my astronomy origins, when as a youth in the early '70s, a hand-me-down 60mm refractor was all I could afford.  But the nights this week were more than nostalgia - both instruments gave me views of our nearest celestial neighbor which were surprisingly sharp and with a lot of contrast (I do adapt these scopes to 1.25" eyepieces).  Although they require relatively low power, it is truly amazing what one can see so long as the subjects are relatively bright.

They call these things "hobby killers", but for this dumb kid they did nothing but inspire me to pursue the skies and science, eventually leading to my long career as an engineer.

Anyway happy nights looking at the moon using some old friends.  Gratuitous pictures of my 60mm 'scopes below .  Maybe next time I'll set up the Monolux 4380 on its rebuilt GEM .....

Edited by Idaho_Skies, 08 May 2025 - 11:41 AM.

[ericb760]

I was feeling nostalgic so I pulled out the little scope that could, a Meade Model #277, for a quick tour of the waxing moon.

 

[davidmcgo]

That is an interesting mount!  Looks like the forks from a Celestron drive base attached to a different RA axis?

 

I always wanted one of the top mount 8x50 brackets for my 1975 C8 but when I finally got a couple of them I had my C11 and C14 where the bigger finders are more useful.  So my C8 has an original 6x30 right angle.

 

Dave

I've been back in the desert doing post-moonset observing with my C8. Looked at M13, M4 and Sagittarius Milky Way region. A 25mm TV Plossl is working well with this scope.

 

C8 on Schaefer Mount at Night.jpg

[Garyth64]

I got a Hershel wedge about a year ago.  It was made by Swift for their scopes.  I tried it out for the first time today.  But to do it right, I took out the Swift 839 OTA.  (Thank you Terra for a fine old scope.)

I also wanted to check out an 826 mount I had cleaned up and got running again.  So I put the 839 on the 826.

 

 

With the Hershel wedge and using one of those "never use, throw it away" sun filters that screw on to an eyepiece, I was able to view the sun.  After a few minutes, I removed the eyepiece with the filter attached, and it wasn't even warm.  The wedge diverts most of the sunlight and heat to allow the filter's use.  

 

 

The CD tracked very well considering I only did a rough polar alignment, even at 135X.  There was a large sunspot group rotating into view that I watched on and off for several minutes.

Edited by Garyth64, 09 May 2025 - 03:18 PM.

[cavedweller]

I brought out my Meade 8" RG Newtonian this morning. It had been a while since it was behind my other roll-out setups. Moonset was around 4 am, so I only had about an hour of dark sky. Looked at M4 and scanned Sagittarius.

[cavedweller]

That is an interesting mount!  Looks like the forks from a Celestron drive base attached to a different RA axis?

 

 

This is currently in my signature:

 

Celestron C8 Orange Tube on Schaefer Fork Mount and Pier

 

But, it might get replaced by my Cave 10" F/6 which I just bought a Cave Cer-vit mirror for it. The Cave with the full-thickness Pyrex mirror took hours to cool down. Hopefully this mirror will put it back in service.

[Bomber Bob]

April Monsoon at The Swamp, with 9 straight days of clouds, rain, storms, & Wind!   Removing pool trash in the breaks.

 

But, good time to pack & ship astro-stuff... every time I bring out a box big enough for him, our dog Jake flees the room...

[davidmcgo]

Nice!  Didn’t remember Schaefer making an RA axis for the forks.

 

Cervit won’t really cool any faster unless the mirror is a lot thinner, and tube currents are more the issue than the change in figure.  Get an 80mm magnetic bearing cpu fan and a small battery pack and mount it behind the primary. 

 

Dave

This is currently in my signature:

 

Celestron C8 Orange Tube on Schaefer Fork Mount and Pier

 

But, it might get replaced by my Cave 10" F/6 which I just bought a Cave Cer-vit mirror for it. The Cave with the full-thickness Pyrex mirror took hours to cool down. Hopefully this mirror will put it back in service.

Edited by davidmcgo, 10 May 2025 - 01:00 PM.

[davidmcgo]

1st clear night in a while here so I set up my C14 orange tube on the forks around sunset.  Caught Jupiter and Mars in twilight but the air was pretty unsteady.  On Mars I could use the 16mm Konig and see the North Polar Cap still.  Moon was low over my hot garage roof and didn’t really settle.  I did get really nice views of M3, M13, and M5, even with the near full Moon.

 

Packed it all in around 11pm since is going to be mid 90s today and then supposedly getting cloudy again tonight.  It is a good bit more effort than the C11, but practice makes it easier, and I do love the electric slow motions.

 

I did notice my diagonal coating was showing a lot of scatter from the Moon when I was changing eyepieces so maybe time to get a new 2.14” diagonal to replace the current one in there.  This is the giant C14 diagonal but an early model that doesn’t have the collimation adjustment for the mirror.

 

Dave 

[deSitter]

Nice!  Didn’t remember Schaefer making an RA axis for the forks.

 

Cervit won’t really cool any faster unless the mirror is a lot thinner, and tube currents are more the issue than the change in figure.  Get an 80mm magnetic bearing cpu fan and a small battery pack and mount it behind the primary. 

 

Dave

 

Can you recommend a specific fan? 

 

-drl

[davidmcgo]

I have used Blacknoise and Noctua with good results.  Can leave them on while viewing even at high power.  Been a while since I bought them so don’t recall specific model.

 

Dave

Can you recommend a specific fan? 

 

-drl

[JoshUrban]

I snagged Cor Caroli with my Unitron 60mm (760) last night. What a beautiful sight in that scope!  Seems like they were made for each other.  

[highfnum]

96 pct  "ugly moon"

tasco 8v 

[Jay_Reynolds_Freeman]

I was out again last night (May 15-16, 2025) with my recently-acquired Takahashi Teegul-100 (100 mm f/7.7 Dilworth relay telescope), using a Meade 25 mm MA eyepiece for a magnification of 31. I had to quit early due to poor transparency and several objects too close to the zenith for easy observation. Notwithstanding, I got a good look at M51 and its companion NGC 5195, spotted M101 at high elevation and M83 rather low in the south, in the light dome of greater Los Angeles, and noted M53 as slightly granular in appearance. I took a brief look at Jupiter, mostly to check that the finder was properly aligned, but it was low in the northwest and rather nondescript.

 

I do need to figure out a reasonable way to use my PiFinder with this telescope: Tube rings are expensive, and the 120 mm size I need is scarce, so I am thinking about various kludges.

 

 

Clear sky ...

[Bomber Bob]

Finally got to star / sky test my ETX-125 last night for about 2 hours.  Seeing 6 -7 with intermittent lacey clouds near zenith.  Good Transparency, but Air Unstable (cold front approaching).  91F at 2000L, but the west winds were 10-15, which grounded most of the skeeters -- also made it feel cooler!

 

Star Test - Pollux:  Slightly off at 180x (LV10), but N/A at 100x & below.  Castor:  Nice Split at 90x (LV20).  Colors looked slightly yellow, but it was in the LPD.

 

Mars @ 6":  Polar Cap at 90x; took 180x to see the Polar Collar.  Syrtis was available, but I couldn't see it.  Surface color more beige than I recall in my FC-100.  May have to bring it out with the ETX next time.  I was able to focus the disk limb at 225x (AT/P8), but didn't ID Syrtis.  Just too tiny.

 

Star Test - Arcturus:  Much Brighter than expected, and orange.  Collimation looked closer to perfect at 180x;  I pushed it up to 360x (LV5) & confirmed.  May be some Mirror-Shift -- better alignment after crossing the zenith??  I can probably better assess that with day time testing...

 

M3:  Very Nice - a Treat in this MCT.  Fuzzy Q-Tip at 90x; "lop-sided" core at 180x, with some intermittent sparkles; at 225x, fewer sparkles, but nailed focus on the Core.  I was concerned about that, as the Focuser felt "looser" than my last ETX-90.  

 

Cor Caroli:  Oh, Mama!  Bright!  I stayed on it almost as long as M3.  Just beautiful -- intense blue-white & warm lilac duo.  Like M3, I ran through most of my 1.25" top-tier eyepieces on it, and the colors stayed consistent.  Most refractor-like view of the night.  I thought about bringing out my FC-76 for comparisons, but didn't want to trigger any of our security lights.

 

Next, I put in the RKE28 Space Walk EP for some 64x "sweeping" -- tried for M63, but wisps interfered.   So I went south into Coma.  I may have nabbed M64 as a very faint small smudge, but with changing clouds & gaps... can't say for sure.  The stars of Melotte 11 were pinpoints -- but not micro-dots.

 

What do I think... in iffy seeing, the ETX passed the basic tests for resolution & color correction.  A couple of views were excellent.  M3 was impressive - especially factoring in the seeing.  I didn't expect the fine resolution with this mass-produced 5" MCT vs my Questar.  Star Colors are natural.

 

On the Mizar AR-1 w/ 1 weight, the ETX is my lightest EQ Rig.  Not a HUGE difference from my Kenko 125C.  Not a deal-breaker.  A fair opponent.  The ETX's plastic back is definitely cheaper than the Kenko's all-metal construction; and, focusing is looser than the K (but, I had to repair the Kenko!).  Maintenance may correct that for the ETX.  IOW:  It'll come down to visual performance.  With no Jupiter.  Right Now, the ETX may be a better Cluster Buster.  But, how does it do with faint fuzzies?  That matters in Summer, when it's HOT, and I want a light rig that delivers.

[CHASLX200]

Finally got to star / sky test my ETX-125 last night for about 2 hours.  Seeing 6 -7 with intermittent lacey clouds near zenith.  Good Transparency, but Air Unstable (cold front approaching).  91F at 2000L, but the west winds were 10-15, which grounded most of the skeeters -- also made it feel cooler!

 

Star Test - Pollux:  Slightly off at 180x (LV10), but N/A at 100x & below.  Castor:  Nice Split at 90x (LV20).  Colors looked slightly yellow, but it was in the LPD.

 

Mars @ 6":  Polar Cap at 90x; took 180x to see the Polar Collar.  Syrtis was available, but I couldn't see it.  Surface color more beige than I recall in my FC-100.  May have to bring it out with the ETX next time.  I was able to focus the disk limb at 225x (AT/P8), but didn't ID Syrtis.  Just too tiny.

 

Star Test - Arcturus:  Much Brighter than expected, and orange.  Collimation looked closer to perfect at 180x;  I pushed it up to 360x (LV5) & confirmed.  May be some Mirror-Shift -- better alignment after crossing the zenith??  I can probably better assess that with day time testing...

 

M3:  Very Nice - a Treat in this MCT.  Fuzzy Q-Tip at 90x; "lop-sided" core at 180x, with some intermittent sparkles; at 225x, fewer sparkles, but nailed focus on the Core.  I was concerned about that, as the Focuser felt "looser" than my last ETX-90.  

 

Cor Caroli:  Oh, Mama!  Bright!  I stayed on it almost as long as M3.  Just beautiful -- intense blue-white & warm lilac duo.  Like M3, I ran through most of my 1.25" top-tier eyepieces on it, and the colors stayed consistent.  Most refractor-like view of the night.  I thought about bringing out my FC-76 for comparisons, but didn't want to trigger any of our security lights.

 

Next, I put in the RKE28 Space Walk EP for some 64x "sweeping" -- tried for M63, but wisps interfered.   So I went south into Coma.  I may have nabbed M64 as a very faint small smudge, but with changing clouds & gaps... can't say for sure.  The stars of Melotte 11 were pinpoints -- but not micro-dots.

 

What do I think... in iffy seeing, the ETX passed the basic tests for resolution & color correction.  A couple of views were excellent.  M3 was impressive - especially factoring in the seeing.  I didn't expect the fine resolution with this mass-produced 5" MCT vs my Questar.  Star Colors are natural.

 

On the Mizar AR-1 w/ 1 weight, the ETX is my lightest EQ Rig.  Not a HUGE difference from my Kenko 125C.  Not a deal-breaker.  A fair opponent.  The ETX's plastic back is definitely cheaper than the Kenko's all-metal construction; and, focusing is looser than the K (but, I had to repair the Kenko!).  Maintenance may correct that for the ETX.  IOW:  It'll come down to visual performance.  With no Jupiter.  Right Now, the ETX may be a better Cluster Buster.  But, how does it do with faint fuzzies?  That matters in Summer, when it's HOT, and I want a light rig that delivers.

Killer moon scope at 600x.

[Bomber Bob]

Killer moon scope at 600x.

120x / inch...  I can get it close to that with the AT/P-3.2mm (563x)...  So, we'll see!

[Airship]

We had fun last night at a stargaze hosted by our local astronomy club at John Bryan State Park near Yellow Springs, Ohio. This was our first outreach event with the 6" f/15 Jaegers and it's first trip out under dark skies. We started with Arcturus at dusk and then showed Castor, Mars, M3, M13, and N92. It worked great! The views were simply stunning. Even the kids were thrilled with the views of all of the objects. They thought that M13 looked like a cotton ball.

 

Setting up...

 

 

Dusk arrives...