601 replies to this topic

[Fiske]

I tried a series of binoculars on STF 2806 / Alfirk last night, following up on post 341 above. These included the Mavens b.5 10x and 15x56, Oberwerk 20x65ED, 20x80 Deluxe III, and 25x100 Deluxe, all to no avail. Not even a hint of the secondary.

 

So I got out the Kowa Highlander with 14WH eyepieces (32x), in which Alfirk was easily resolved and gorgeous. I consoled myself with a number of splendid views courtesy of the Kowa including Delta Cephei and nearby friends (STF 2872, STF 2840, Mu Cephei, STF 2016, STF 2019, and the Pinwheel Cluster), plus a grand assortment of Cassiopeia denizens -- M103, NGC 663, NGC 457, Achird, NGC 7789, WZ Cas, M 52, the Mark 9743 Cluster asterism, and the Double Cluster. The Kowa's richness, contrast, and pinpoint sharp views are a visual treat. Naturally my quick 20 minute session (starting around 9:30 pm) ran until something close to midnight. 

 

I also visited a favorite cluster of the past few evenings -- NGC 7380, seen as a nice jumble of fainter stars in averted vision, distinctly a cluster separated from the surrounding star field. And adjacent to the cluster a superb double star, STT 480.

 

STT 480

22h46m +58*04'

7.65/8.64 30.7" pa 116*

 

A wonderful double for 12x binoculars. With the Maven 12x56 I see a yellow primary with a tan secondary, close but cleanly and comfortably resolved.

 

And I came across another fine double star while roaming Cassiopeia.

 

ARG 3

00h57m +60*20'

8.51/9.41 20.7" pa 200*

 

Kowa at 32x: A cozy pair. Orange primary with a white secondary in a striking field including Navi / Gamma Cassiopeiae. I was able to observe this with the Maven 15x56 but it was challenging. One place where the additional aperture of the OB 15x70 Ultra comes in handy. This would be a fine double for 20x80 binoculars.

 

I'm going to try Alfirk from a darker site to see whether that brings out the shy secondary for non-BT instruments. 

 

I haven't started on the Cassiopeia Caper yet, but am wanting to have a look at NGC 7380 with the 127XL this evening, if the weather cooperates, and might also manage a bit of capering. We'll see. 

Edited by Fiske, 16 October 2022 - 06:10 PM.

[Fiske]

I revisited NGC 7380 as planned this evening with the 127XL+14XW eyepieces (46.43x / 1.51* fov), easily seen as a somewhat chaotic, loose grouping of stars. One of those clusters that is more enjoyable seen in a wider FOV with perhaps a bit less aperture, leaving a bit more to the imagination shall we say.  Also made quick observations of M 52 and NGC 663, both of which respond favorably to additional aperture.

 

I also tried Alfirk again with the OB 20x80 Deluxe III and the 25x100 Deluxe, resolving the secondary with both binoculars. The difference from the previous night is that I was using the UBM p-gram this evening where last night I was observing with a tripod. Having one's head supported comfortably on the back of a chair, completely stationary, with the binoculars perfectly positioned before one's eyes increases resolution capability more than what might be supposed by those who haven't tried it. Which is why Jordan is so committed to the ZPB™ setup. 

 

I noticed the same thing making observations of STF 2840 with a series of 10x instruments. When attempting the observation with the binoculars mounted on a tripod, I struggled to cleanly resolve the double, but the following evening, using the p-gram, I was able to resolve it with every 10x binocular I tried from premium to value priced instruments.

 

And despite windy, chilly, less than ideal conditions, I scored my first two Cassiopeia Caper captures. 

 

STF 97

01h12m +51*32'

8.69/9.13 4.5" pa 102*

 

127XL+14XW (46.43x): Two brilliant white stars nestled together resolved by a hair. Slight magnitude difference apparent.

 

 

STF 65

00h52m +68*52'

8.00/8.02 3.2" pa 221*

 

127XL+10XW (65x): A pair of bright white beads, just separated at 65x. Seen as two stars in contact at 46.43x with the 14XWs. Sky Safari lists the magnitudes incorrectly, BTW (7.22/8.02). I located this double by hopping from the quadrilateral of stars around the cluster CR 463, which is quite pleasing with the 127XL. 

 

My approach to locating these doubles was to scout out the star fields with the Maven b.5 15x56 on the UMB p-gram before locating them with the 127XL. On my next caper, I'll scout with the 70XL and use red dot finder positioning to get a more accurate starting point with the larger binocular.

Edited by Fiske, 17 October 2022 - 07:45 AM.

[jrazz]

Frustrating night yesterday... Tried a couple of "wide" (around 7"-5") with the 34x80 and failed miserably. I blame it on the cold (34°) and a weird layer of haze but honestly I simply didn't have any patience yesterday.

 

I did find a fun asterism in Cassiopeia right around ES 42 (00h 22m 51.76s +54° 19' 44.0" P.A. 207.00 sep 7.1 mag 8.35,9.40 Sp A5)

I thought it was pretty neat!

 

 

 

 

Kinda looks like a mini Cas inside Cas 

Edited by jrazz, 17 October 2022 - 09:04 AM.

[Fiske]

Cassiopeia Caper Observing List in Sky Safari.  (34 objects)

 

Edited by Fiske, 18 October 2022 - 02:41 PM.

[Erik Bakker]

Cassiopeia Caper Observing List in Sky Safari.  (34 objects)

 

Wow, just wow

[Fiske]

Wow, just wow

 

 

(It was Jordan's idea.  )

[Fiske]

I'm going to get the iOptron AZ Pro 127XL bundle hooked up on this for sure. 

Edited by Fiske, 18 October 2022 - 02:56 PM.

[jrazz]

 

 

(It was Jordan's idea.  )

I just wanted LOTS of targets. Plus it's a CHALLENGE!

 

BTW, how did you input them into SkySafari? Manually or is there a secret code?

[Fiske]

I just wanted LOTS of targets. Plus it's a CHALLENGE!

 

BTW, how did you input them into SkySafari? Manually or is there a secret code?

Manually. I have never figured out how to get the skylist import function to work with my Android version Sky Safari. (And I have tried multiple procedures that are supposed to work.)

[mioguf]

I think to avoid confusion you can use the X-Vision XANB35 3-6x Night Vision Binocular or any type of Loupe for a better close view. Which is also good for camping, sports, wildlife observation, sightseeing, farm monitoring, hunting, etc. The unit uses infrared light(works like an invisible flashlight) that is built into the unit as an “illuminator”. The light source is invisible to our eyes, but the unit sees it and displays the view through the viewer or eyepiece. I can also zoom in at several levels like 3X, 4.5X, and 6X. X-Vision XANB35 3-6x is dust and water-resistant. This equipment also boasts of long battery life. I can use this bino for up to 10 hours during the day and 6 hours for nighttime hours. The best part is the sleep mood, it will automatically shut off if you leave it unused for more than 5 minutes to save on battery. I think that both beginners and experts will be able to use the X-Vision XANB35 3-6x Night Vision Binoculars. It instantly transitions from day to night vision. I can also find six easy-to-use buttons.

[BrentKnight]

Manually. I have never figured out how to get the skylist import function to work with my Android version Sky Safari. (And I have tried multiple procedures that are supposed to work.)

Android is easy.  Just email the list to yourself and open the attachment on the phone/tablet (it should ask what app you want to use to open the file with the first time).

[Fiske]

Sounds too easy, Brent. 

 

But I haven't tried that yet, so...

Edited by Fiske, 18 October 2022 - 03:56 PM.

[Fiske]

That worked!!

 

  

[Fiske]

So, here is the Cassiopeia Caper SkyList. 

 

 

Attached Files

•  Cassiopeia Caper.skylist   8.85KB   36 downloads

[jrazz]

Android is easy.  Just email the list to yourself and open the attachment on the phone/tablet (it should ask what app you want to use to open the file with the first time).

You da man! Now to see if I can open it in iOS

[BrentKnight]

Back when I had an iPhone and iPad, I had to use iTunes.  Not sure what works nowadays...

[jrazz]

Incredible conditions tonight. Not very dark (20.05 mpsas) but fairly clear, good transparency and incredible seeing. I'm taking a break and warming up... It's 40° out there!!!

 

Perfect for close double hunting, all with the BT-100XL-SD with Pentax 10mm SMC-XW:

 

ES    3

00h 34m 59.15s +56° 36' 06.4" P.A. 158.00 sep 8.2 mag 8.65,9.50 Sp F8

Very very dim secondary. 

 

ES    2

00h 31m 08.78s +56° 47' 40.5" P.A. 113.00 sep 5.9 mag 8.97,9.50 Sp F0

Not as hard as ES 3 despite being tighter.

 

STF  43

00h 36m 49.07s +60° 30' 56.0" P.A. 168.00 sep 4.7 mag 9.00,9.45 Sp B5 dist. 1162.79 pc (3793.02 l.y.)

This one was easy! Though it's not really bright it was super easy to split for some reason. Just nice to look at.

 

KR    4 (V377 Cas)

00h 19m 14.30s +59° 42' 17.4" P.A. 180.00 sep 2.2 mag 8.16,9.37 Sp F0 dist. 159.49 pc (520.26 l.y.)

Ok, this one was tough! Super tight though not overly dim. This is exactly the challenge I wanted. No way would I be able to split this on a "normal" night.

 

 

OK, back at it. This is fun!!!

[Fiske]

Here is my Cassiopeia Caper from last Wednesday evening, 19 October 2022, from my suburban yard, Bortle 7ish skies, somewhere in the vicinity of 18.0 mpsas, though I did not take a reading during that session.

 

The seeing was awful, frankly. I was mostly observing with the 127XL, and eventually realized that the maximum reasonable magnification was 65x (10mm XWs). Stepping up to the 7s (92.86x) added smear to star images without improving resolution. I had thought to use the 70XL as a spotter for the 127XL, with red dot finder positioning to connect the dots, but that didn't work at all.   The FOV perspectives were just too dissimilar. What worked much better was swapping between the 20XWs and the 10XWs. Actually, swapping between the 20s and the 7s was easy enough.

 

My first attempt was STF 114, which was not a happening thing. 

 

STF 114
01h24m +72*50'
7.23/9.72 3.7" pa 356*

 

Could not resolve with 7mm XWs. (This was before I had realized how poor the seeing was.) Given the magnitude difference between the components, I'm guessing this would be a challenge with the 127XL on a really good night. I wonder if it would be easier from a darker site? Seems likely.

 

I visited HJ 1085 next, with a more gratifying outcome.

 

HJ 1085
01h38m +63*42'
9.53/9.57 3.9" pa 298*

 

A fine pair of amber stars just resolved at 65x with the 127XL.

 

NGC 637
An odd grouping of 8-10 brighter stars with additional members in averted. Has an obvious cluster like feel. 

 

NGC 559
A swash of brighter stars augmented by some averted friends.

 

Here is a Sky Safari chart showing the position of HJ 1085.

 

 

And a simbad image of the star field.

 

 

The light blue lines indicate patterns I used to navigate the star field and locate HJ 1805 and the NGC clusters. I overlooked NGC 609, though it may be too faint to observe from my yard. I also overlooked S 397 / 35 Cass, which I returned to observe the following night (Thursday 20 October 2022). More on that in another report. 

 

STF 182
01h56m +61*16'
8.31/8.35 3.6" pa 125*

 

Warm white stars, easily resolved at 92.86x (7xw). The seeing is terrible 

 

KR 11
01h19m +61*34'
9.57/9.66 2.0" pa 59*

 

Seen as two stars in contact at 65x, both stars white. Seeing won't support the 7xws.

 

STF 43
00h36m +60*30'
9.0/9.45 4.7" pa 168*

 

White primary with orange companion, cleanly resolved but requires a bit of concentration. In a beautiful grouping of stars.

 

NGC 129
Surprisingly rich concentration of fainter stars behind a half dozen brighter stars in the field (probably not members of the cluster?). Very pleasing DSO.

 

Here is a simbad image of the STF 43 / NGC 129 field. The field with STF 43 and NGC 129 was splendid to view. Easily found about half way between Navi and Caph Cassiopeiae. 

 

 

Edited by Fiske, 23 October 2022 - 08:00 AM.

[jrazz]

Awesome!!

 

Fun isn't it? I also default to the 10mm but I hope to get the 7mm's out tonight. Saw NGC 129 as well. It's really pretty! That's the point of this Caper - To find and observe nice things and get to know the constellation!

 

 

Love it!

 

 

BTW, B&H delivered the 5mm today. I say delivered but what they actually delivered was a Pentax 8-24 zoom in a 5mm SMC XW packaging  .  Unfortunately my 5mm observations will have to wait

[Fiske]

I see it as the point  too, Jordan. Thank you for starting the Cassiopeia Caper. 

 

What a disappointment when you opened the eyepiece box. I guess maybe someone else is in for a surprise too. More than finding a Big Mac in your McDonald's bag when your ordered a McDouble, though.  I know BH will get it straightened out. 

 

Looking forward to your next Cassiopeia report. 

[Fiske]

Here is my report from Thursday night (20 October 2022), inspired by S 397 / 35 Cassiopeiae.

 

Skies were hazy all day and really until after 10. I was up ridiculously late last night, so I decided not to get out the 127XL big dog tonight and just do some front porch observing. Of course, it's 11:19 pm now. While I was working on my Cassiopeia Caper report from last night, I noticed an outstanding double star in the same field with HJ 1085, NGC 637, and NGC 559 and wanted to take a look at that. Of course, I had to grab a pile of binoculars. Mavens 10x, 12x, and 15x, OB 12x60 LW, Canon 10x42L, 10.5x70 Resolux, and Pentax 20x60 SP. The Maven 12x56 took first honors, though, for its pleasing combination of generous FOV and 2x magnification boost over the 10x56, which comes in handy a surprising amount of the time.

 

35 Cassiopeiae did not disappoint. 

 

S 397 / 35 Cas
01h21m +64*39'
6.34/8.63 57.4" pa 342*

 

Maven 12x56: Bright white primary with blood orange secondary, generously spaced and part of a beautiful triangular asterism of 6th magnitude stars. Also readily seen with 10x56. And I kept stumbling across more doubles. 

 

STTA 28
02h39m +62*35'
6.65/7.56 67.9" pa 148*

 

Bright white, eye catching pair in a pleasing star field east of Segin (Epsilon Cas). Forms a nifty elongated triangle with a third bright white star of similar magnitude.

 

CTT 3
02h35m +63*38'
7.78/8.30 88.1" pa 88*

 

Not as bright and warmer in color than STTA 28 – warm white to yellowish pair.

 

Then I noticed this tiny double in the L shaped asterism just east of Segin.

 

ARY 34
02h00m +64*43'
8.43/9.10 56.5" pa 132*

 

Really fun hiding in such a bright pattern asterism. Easily seen with Maven 12x56. Both stars white.

 

Then I decided to try ARG 3 near Navi again with the 12x56 Maven.

 

ARG 3
00h57m +60*20'
8.51/9.41 20.7" pa 200*

 

Challenging but resolved with the 12x56. Really, it must be a more transparent night than the last time I tried this with the 15x56 binocular, because it wasn't easy at 15x. An excellent challenge for a 12x binocular. Deep orange stars nestled together, separated by a hair.

Edited by Fiske, 23 October 2022 - 08:06 AM.

[Fiske]

Here is an observation of Iota Cassiopeiae I found in my journal from a year ago. With Pentax 5mm XW eyepieces. 

 

STF 262 / Iota Cassiopeiae
02h29m +67*24'
AB 4.63/6.92 3.03" pa 228*
AC 4.63/9.05 6.7" pa 117*
Saturday 16 October 2021: Observed with 100XL-SD+5mmXWs. All three components resolved, diffraction ring visible in primary and seeing not particularly great. Primary white, secondary shows a faint hint of yellow. No notes on color of C component, possibly because it was faint compared with the other two stars? Maybe the C component color will be more apparent with the 127XL. 

[jrazz]

I might try with the BST later in the week... Maybe the 7's can work too. Nice thing about the short EPs is that they tend to help with glare not to mention they're a challenge to navigate with all by themselves!

[Fiske]

I had the 127XL out with the tuned up Oberwerk XL-280 fork mount last night (Tuesday 25 October 2022). And took a run at more of the Cassiopeia Caper doubles. 

 

KR 4 / V377

00h19m +59*42'

8.16/9.37 2.2" pa 180

 

127XL+7xws: Could see as two stars about 75% of the time. Obvious magnitude difference. Challenging. The seeing is better than my previous session, but is not excellent. The DS is in a quadrilateral of stars. Challenging but fun.

 

HJ 1008

00h15m +59*47'

8.12/11.31 21.8" pa 125*

 

127XL+7xws: Not a Caper double, but I noticed it in the same field from the Sky Safari chart and had a quick look. The secondary is too faint to resolve from my yard, at least with a binocular telescope. SQM-L reading: 18.10-.17 mpsas.

 

ARG 1

00h09m +59*38'

9.68/9.82 26.1" pa 329*

 

127XL+20xws: Again, not a Caper double, but I noticed it when getting oriented to observe KR 4. Evenly matched white stars, generously spaced. At the top of a hook shaped asterism. A pleasing field with the 127XL. The DS can just be seen with the Oberwerk 20x80 Deluxe III. It would be a fun object for a 25x100.

 

STT 508 / 6 Cas

23h48m +62*12' 

5.66/7.95 1.5" pa 194*

 

127XL+5xws: Bright white primary. Could not resolve secondary.

 

STT 512

23h57m +61*01'

6.85/9.72 2.4" pa 309*

 

127XL+5xws: Deep amber primary. Could not resolve secondary.

 

STF 3037

23h46m +60*28'

7.35/9.20 2.7" pa 212*

 

127XL+5xws: Ivory primary. Could not resolve secondary.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Fiske, 26 October 2022 - 11:32 PM.

[jrazz]

I braved the 22° weather yesterday for the 21mpsas sky

 

Cold but dark and clear. I only managed a couple of doubles before noticing that the sky was amazing ang going off to find open clusters and planets. The Pleiades poked their heads above my roof line and looked absolutely gorgeous through the 10x56.

 

My doubles from the Caper:

 

HJ 1085AB

01h 38m 46.62s +63° 42' 59.9" P.A. 298.00 sep 3.9 mag 9.53,9.57 Sp K0V dist. 48.85 pc (159.35 l.y.)

Definitely the easiest of the night. Though not too bright they were easily split with the 100XL/10mm 56x combo. Actually a very pleasing pair!

 

KR   11

01h 19m 40.95s +61° 34' 44.4" P.A. 59.00 sep 2.0 mag 9.57,9.66 Sp F5

Yeah, we're getting into the tight doubles. This needed the 7mm EPs and was significantly harder to split. I managed to do so after a good 5 minutes of sitting still.

 

BU  258AB (V761 Cas)

01h 13m 09.82s +61° 42' 22.3" P.A. 263.00 sep 1.6 mag 6.50,8.80 Sp B9V dist. 201.61 pc (657.65 l.y.)

This one was just silly. I broke out the BST 4mm since my second Pentax 5mm has not arrived yet. The bright primary really washes out the secondary and makes splitting this double a chore. I managed to see it with averted vision but it was not easy.

 

J 222

00h 49m 20.53s +61° 00' 28.7" P.A. 181.00 sep 2.9 mag 9.20,9.50

This was the toughest of the night. I think the specs above are wrong. It was definitely dimmer than this (SkySafari says 10.5 and that looked more correct). I almost gave up on it. I saw it as a single star but it took forever to be sure I am actually seeing 2 and not an optical aberration. Yeah, all of a sudden the 100XL feels small.

 

 

This challenge... Definitely challenging!!

Edited by jrazz, 28 October 2022 - 10:07 AM.