6337 replies to this topic

[Dave Mitsky]

On Friday night, I viewed the 93.5%-illuminated Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Epsilon Lyrae, the Coathanger asterism (Collinder 399), Melotte 20, and NGC 869 and NGC 884 (the Double Cluster) using my Canon 15x50 IS.  Once again, clouds moved in before I could do any more binocular observing.

 

I also observed the Moon and Jupiter (there were transits by Ganymede, its shadow, and the GRS taking place) with my 6" Orion SkyQuest XT6 Dob.  I was able to see Ganymede's shadow but not the GRS.  I've posted one of my iPhone shots of the waxing gibbous Moon at https://www.cloudyni...ere/?p=13092190

 

Before the sky grew increasingly cloudy, an excellent 22-degree lunar halo was visible.  I've posted two of the iPhone photos that I took of the halo at https://www.cloudyni...alo/?p=13094503 and https://www.cloudyni...alo/?p=13094506

 

I went back outside several hours later and the sky was fairly clear again.  I looked at 31 Orionis, 119 Tauri, the Davis's Dog asterism, the Kids asterism, the Sword of Orion asterism, Collinder 65, Collinder 69, Collinder 70, Melotte 20, Melotte 25, M41 (faint), M35, M36, M42, M44, M45, M47, NGC 1980, NGC 1981, NGC 2169, NGC 2244, and NGC 2264 with my Canon 15x50 IS.  Bright moonlight made observing some of those objects difficult.

[Dale Smith]

Last night the full moon, combined with some haze, limited observing, but I decided to go for it anyway, and went out with just my 10x42 Legend-L to view the full moon, and the Pleiades, which were perhaps 4 degrees due up from it. The 4.2mm exit pupil cut down on the glare from Luna, and I was able to enjoy the different perspective you get with the full moon, mostly the various plains and ray craters.

 

Saw two of Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, and enjoyed glimpsing Orion’s sword as it rose above a tree.

[Corcaroli78]

Not the last night, but an early morning observation (5:30 am)

 

After a night snowfall, I found myself surprised by a pristine sky and almost poetic stillness in my backyard, all was white with a bluish hue.  Having some minutes for departure to work, i grabbed a light bino: a Deltrintem 8x30 from late 50´s that I recently received from service. The Moon was dominating the view, making the snow to shine like scattered jewels, i also observed the bright Venus, in its Light Bearer role (Phosphorus) and a dim Coma Berenices Cluster.  I was tempted to set the telescope, but i had no time. 

 

It was a magic morning, like none in the last years.

 

Thanks for reading!

Carlos

[Dale Smith]

Love reading about this sort of magical morning, Carlos. I wish we could bottle them, like a fine wine, to be uncorked when we need to experience them again.

[Dale Smith]

Last night I only had time for a short session. The one-day past full Moon dominated the sky. My session took place early in the evening, and Luna was still relatively low in the sky, but bright enough to reduce my seeing to Bortle 8, at least. (An SQM-L is on my Xmas list 

 

With that in mind, I decided to focus on Pleiades and compare views of M45 between three 10x binoculars, as well as the 90mm Mak I had set up to view the Moon. My binocular trio was the Pentax 10x50 SP WP, the Oberwerk 10x50 Ultra, and the Nikon 10x70 SP, all used handheld.

 

I began with the Pentax. The Pleiades were rising in the western sky, probably twenty-twenty five degrees SW of the Moon. They sparkled like diamonds. There was an almost 3D-like quality to the Seven Sisters in relation to the rest of the cluster. I spent a few minutes mesmerized by the sight, and then switched to the 10x50 Ultra. The image was sharper, and I could see more stars. However, there was much less of a 3D effect. The Ultra pulls in more light than the Pentax in my experience and perhaps that brightening of the other stars in the cluster, showing more of them, reduced the faux 3D of the Seven. I switched again to the Nikon 10x70  SP. As I expected there were more stars still, with the added joy of a flat field across the entire view, which of course was much larger than the Pleiades appeared at 10x. The stars were vivid pinpoints.

 

I wouldn’t want to pick a favorite view, all three had their individual charms. It was a real treat to focus on a favorite DSO.

 

The view at 39x in the 90mm Sky Watcher Mak showed in the cluster in close up, of course too large to fit in the 1.1 degree FOV. Brilliant, but I prefer binocular views of M45. For instance, the Pentax 20x60 frames the Pleiades perfectly with its 2.2 degree FOV, while bringing out dozens upon dozens of more stars.

 

A very enjoyable, all too short session.

Edited by Dale Smith, 28 November 2023 - 06:51 PM.

[michaeledward64]

It's 9:45 pm ... I just came in. Yes, oh Yes, the Pleiades look great in a Binocular. I use, currently, Celestron 15 x70. It was still a bit tricky finding them with the moon relatively close by and bright. Last night, I couldn't find the cluster at all.

 

I also took a peek at Jupiter. Tonight I could only see three of the moons. Last night four were visible to me.

 

Orion Nebula is also very pretty ... although a bit muted with the bright moonlight.

 

And the moon. There is starting to be some dimensionality on the right side. Craters and mountains are starting to show their shape.

 

All in all, several short trips out to look up. And then it was chilly.

[Dave Mitsky]

It was quite windy and bitterly cold last night but nevertheless I observed passes of a Starlink train, the Tiangong space station, the Cosmos 2263 rocket, and an unidentified satellite, as well as Jupiter, Saturn, Epsilon Lyrae, Omicron Cygni, the Coathanger asterism (Collinder 399), the Heart of the Swan asterism, the S asterism near Sadr, Melotte 20, M31, M39, and NGC 869 and NGC 884 (the Double Cluster) using my Canon 15x50 IS.

There's an iPhone photo that my wife took of some of the Starlink satellites posted at https://www.cloudyni...nks/?p=13099933

 

[Dave Mitsky]

I was at the Naylor Observatory last night to help out with a group of visitors.  Before they arrived and after everyone left,  I viewed a pass of the Tiangong space station, the waning gibbous Moon, Jupiter, 31 Orionis, 119 Tauri, Epsilon Lyrae, Omicron Cygni, the Coathanger asterism (Collinder 399), the Golf Putter asterism, the Heart of the Swan asterism, the Kids asterism, the Leaping Minnow asterism, the Little Kids asterism, the Snake asterism, the Sword of Orion asterism, Collinder 65, Collinder 69, Collinder 70, Melotte 20, Melotte 25, M31, M33 (very faint), M34, M35 (faint), M36, M37, M38 (faint), M39, M41, M42, M45, M47, M52, M103, NGC 752 (faint), NGC 869 and NGC 884 (the Double Cluster), NGC 1980, NGC 1981, NGC 2244, and Trumpler 2 with my Canon 15x50 IS.

 

It goes without saying but moonlight made seeing some of the DSOs difficult and others not visible at all.  I am fairly certain that I was able to detect M33, however. 

 

While I was in the French Dome, I was able to take some afocal iPhone photos of Jupiter and the 89.2%-illuminated Moon using the observatory's 17" classical Cassegrain.

Edited by Dave Mitsky, 02 December 2023 - 12:59 AM.

[desert_sage]

I took a quick look outside a bit before 9pm local, with the Canon 12x36 IS.

 

There had been haze and high clouds and wind all for the last few days, but the wind had dropped at sunset. If things looked good I was thinking of bringing out the pgram with the bigger bino’s or the AT80EDL.

 

A waning moon was rising in the ENE, behind a thin layer of clouds, very orange & pleasant but sadly blurred.  Orion was up in the SE and M42 was detectable, but not a lot of its nebulosity was visible.  Jupiter, near the zenith, showed no moons. There was no hint of a Milky Way. Cassiopeia was also near the zenith.

 

Basically the high haze was probably still there.

 

Still, a nice night.

[Dale Smith]

Completely rained out here the past two nights and it will continue as the latest atmospheric river moves through NW Oregon, with up to six inches of rainfall forecast by the middle of next week. This past Wednesday night the skies were mostly clear and I did a four-way "shoot out" between four members of my Team 6-7x on Luna, posted in the Team 6-7x topic. A fun session. I also viewed th Pleiades, Hyades, and the Perseus to Cassiopeia region in each binocular.

Edited by Dale Smith, 02 December 2023 - 10:18 AM.

[aznuge]

Spin Around the Double Star Block

 

Took a couple fairly new instruments out for a spin last night:  The Oberwerk BT-100XL-SD and the Nikon Monarch 8x42 HG.  The 42mm Nikon was largely used in a finder role.  The weather had finally broken here with some clear evening skies.  My targets were mostly toward the north, and some were within the light pollution just above the horizon.  Vega looked rather odd, in fact, through the BT - orange/red like Mars, but steady, not flaring with rainbow colors like you sometimes see with bright stars that are just above the horizon.

 

Other than the LP, the seeing was VG, and the transparency I rated at level three.  Positioned on my back deck I noticed that the neighborhood lighting was NOT out of control, just a few outdoor Christmas lights off to the east in someones backyard. There was a small floodlight on, across the wash, in someone else's back yard and directly in my line of sight, but the BT silhouette masked it perfectly.

 

I used the Nikon 8x42s handheld, and they were perfect in that mode and as finders.  The OB BT was mounted on a 608 video head, and on top of a Gitzo series 3 (tall) tripod with center elevator.  That's a sweet set-up for this BT I am finding, since it is so light (12.5 Ibs) and nimble.  The alignment work I did initially with this BT, and the first light experience, had given me complete confidence in its initial deployment, probably more so than any other BT up to this point.  The resistance setting I had established for this BT/video head inside the house, seemed to fall apart under the outdoor colder weather.  But a simple adjustment of adding more resistance (not friction) enabled the BT to remain in position wherever I put it without adding any friction. I should add that the eyepieces I used in the BT were the OB 14mm ones, which gave beautiful 40x100 views for the entire session.

 

Here are the double stars I logged last night:

• 61 Cygni, STF 2758 AB,  SEP - 31.8", PA - 153°, MAGS - 5.2 and 6.1.  This pair was about perfect for spacing at 40x.  Both were yellow in color and closely matched in magnitude, but the primary was definitely distinguishable from the 2nd.  Centered in the FOV, 61 Cygni was surrounded by an equilateral triangle of 7-8 magnitude stars, with 5 on the left side and only corner points on the other two.  Below the bottom side was the equally bright, 6th magnitude HIP 103894.
• 31 Cygni, Omicron (1), STFA 50 ACD, SEP - 108.8" & 336.7" , PA - 173° & 322° , MAGS - 3.9, 7.0, 3.8.  This beautiful and engaging triple was the highlight of the session.  Like other star systems in this list, I had visited this one before.  But tonight's view, with its pronounced color differences (blue, yellow, white), really pulled me in.
• Albireo, Beta Cygni, STF 43 AB, SEP - 34.6", PA - 54°, MAGS - 3.19, 4.68.  This famous double was as gorgeous as ever last night.  What was surprising to me was how good it was through these BTs, given its position approaching the horizon to the west.
• Psi Draconis, 31 Draconis, STF 2241 AB, SEP - 29.6", PA - 14°, MAGS - 4.6, 5.6.  This pair appeared as white and blue to my view.  The magnitude difference of a little over one was quite obvious.  This difference in color and magnitude made for a an interesting double star.  The B companion is AKA HIP 86620.
• Final stop Polaris! Alpha UMi, STF 93 AB, SEP - 18.4", PA - 236°, MAGS - 2.0, 9.1.  First off, I was approaching this double with a little less power (40x) than I normally use on it  (50x+).  And due to the high delta mag, the companion star can easily be obscured by the primary.  But what was fascinating is the control I was able to exert on the primary, with a little focus adjustment, to being confined to a bright circle, with no subtle flares streaking out - and that was through both lenses, with my astigmatic, lens corrected vision.  So Polaris' dim, gray/red companion could be very easily seen above and to the left of the primary.  Maybe the VG seeing helped.  But it was an impressive experience with this new BT.  I was thrown off a bit with the PA of 236°, at first, compared to my FOV.  But I later reconciled it with the help of Stellarium, realizing that position angles relative to Polaris, close but not quite at the pole, can be a little confusing compared to the usual, more intuitive sense of PA, when the pole (and Polaris) is a fair distance away.

Great first deployment with the OB BT-100XL-SD.  Looking forward to many, many future observing adventures with this instrument!  The Nikon Monarch 8x42 did not get much attention last night.  But I intend to put it up against one of its premium peers on the team, in a future comparison.

Edited by aznuge, 02 December 2023 - 11:07 PM.

[Fiske]

This is what I saw last night. Did not need binoculars...

 

 

[jrazz]

Back yard is calling?

[Fiske]

Back yard is calling?

Nope. Covers the backyard too. 

 

I can either crouch down behind my light shield or observe after midnight. 

[aznuge]

This is what I saw last night. Did not need binoculars...

 

 

It could be worse, cousin Eddie could show up   

[Fiske]

It could be worse, cousin Eddie could show up  

That looks reeeeaalll nice, Clark Fiske...

 

[Bill Barlow]

My neighbor across the street does this too.  I just drape a dark colored hand towel over my head to keep the bright light out of the eyepiece.  I use this light shield even at our Astro clubs darker site south of KC.

 

I will sometimes get up at 4 AM if it’s clear and not too cold and go out as the neighbors lights are off then.  

 

Bill

[jrazz]

Dark Mode! (DMH2™)

 

[norvegicus]

Or Bino Bandit™

 

I use a hood that was made in Russia, before the war, probably unobtanium now.  Works well.

Edited by norvegicus, 04 December 2023 - 11:58 AM.

[norvegicus]

Oh, it might be back.  I think they moved to the US maybe.  I really like mine.

 

https://r-sky.org/pr.../observing-hood

[jrazz]

I believe we have already solved this issue

 

[Napp]

 

I believe we have already solved this issue

 

There are some nights in winter that would be bearable in Florida.  I'm in north Florida so it would work more nights in winter.  Otherwise it would be a sweat tent.

[CarolinaBanker]

B6 skies, seemed darker than usual despite all of the Christmas lights. I looked at the Hyades, just simply stunning, the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula. I love the winter showpiece objects. Did some naked eye observing as well and saw a meteor, rough estimate is mag 1, roughly 65 degrees above the horizon, moving in a southerly direction, appeared to cover 30 degrees before it was gone.

[Dave Mitsky]

The weather has been very poor the last few days but after a rainy and foggy day the skies cleared late last night so I took the Canon 15x50 IS out for a short session before going to bed.  I looked at Jupiter, 31 Orionis, 119 Tauri, the Davis's Dog asterism, the Golf Putter asterism, the Kids asterism, the Leaping Minnow asterism, the Little Kids asterism, the Sword of Orion asterism, Collinder 65, Collinder 69, Collinder 70, Melotte 20, Melotte 25, M31, M34, M35, M36, M37, M38, M41, M42, M44, M45, M47, M48 (faint), M67 (faint), NGC 869 and NGC 884 (the Double Cluster), NGC 1980, NGC 1981, NGC 2169, NGC 2244, and NGC 2264.

[Dave Mitsky]

The Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 that I ordered recently arrived this afternoon.  Although it had been cloudy all day, the sky cleared a couple of hours ago, so I got to experience first light with the new binocular after all.

 

The transparency wasn't the greatest but I was able to log Jupiter, 31 Orionis, 119 Tauri, the Davis's Dog asterism, the Golf Putter asterism, the Kids asterism, the Leaping Minnow asterism, the Little Kids asterism, the Sword of Orion asterism, Collinder 65, Collinder 69, Collinder 70, Melotte 20, Melotte 25, M31, M35, M36 (faint), M38 (faint), M42, M45, M103, NGC 869 and NGC 884 (the Double Cluster), NGC 1980, NGC 1981, and NGC 2169.

 

My wife came outside with her old Celestron Ultima 10x50 binocular.  We exchanged binoculars and I looked at some of the objects listed above with the Celestron Ultima.  I didn't notice much difference other than the Action Extreme has a larger field of view of 6.5 degrees compared to the Ultima's 5 degrees.