21 replies to this topic

[John Miele]

So I'm going crazy trying to use my new (to me) EON120 refractor on Saturn. It's been rain, clouds, more rain, more clouds, just awful weather for weeks. Finally a clear stretch of weather has arrived. Saturn is a morning object so I set the alarm for 5:00am Friday morning. Went to be Thursday night to clear skies. Woke up, went outside and saw nothing but fog!? Fog so thick there's not a single thing visible in the sky...fog I tell you...fog...  strike 1!

 

So I tried again this morning. Again for 5:00am. Went to bed Friday night and it was clear. Got up at  5:00 and went outside. It was still clear, but I did not realize how bright it would be...it was so bright, I could not even find Saturn! I should have got up sooner  ....strike 2!

 

So, I set up the scope again this afternoon. I'll get it this time! I'm going to get up at 4:15am tomorrow morning. That will be perfect. But as I'm eating dinner, a pop up thunderstorm comes out of nowhere blows the cover partially off my scope, and rains all over the mount  ...which is now sitting half way disassembled in my garage drying out. Hopefully not ruined. And Saturn you sly dog, you got away from me again...strike 3

 

clear and dry skies...John

[JamesMStephens]

It'll dry out and your luck will change for the better soon!

[lwbehney]

I’ll be curious to learn how many moons of Saturn you can see with your new 120 mm refractor. 

[sevenofnine]

A number of years ago now, I just happened to catch Saturn in a perfect overhead position and Seeing was very good. My scope was an Orion Apex 127 Mak and I stuck in a 6mm Sirius plossl...just for fun (256x). The view was so impressive that I started laughing. It looked like someone cut a picture out of an astronomy book and stuck it in my telescope. Then the Seeing dissolved and so did the image 

[Bob4BVM]

A number of years ago now, I just happened to catch Saturn in a perfect overhead position and Seeing was very good. My scope was an Orion Apex 127 Mak and I stuck in a 6mm Sirius plossl...just for fun (256x). The view was so impressive that I started laughing. It looked like someone cut a picture out of an astronomy book and stuck it in my telescope. Then the Seeing dissolved and so did the image 

Ah yes, but for those moments...

 

I've lost track of the number of times that sort of thing has happened for me, and i always thought it would be that way again next time, but alas those truly special moments are rare, probably for a reason.

Nothing this side of Heaven is forever, but still i'm glad we get those brief whiffs of the roses

 

CS
Bob

[Bob4BVM]

So I'm going crazy trying to use my new (to me) EON120 refractor on Saturn. It's been rain, clouds, more rain, more clouds, just awful weather for weeks. Finally a clear stretch of weather has arrived. Saturn is a morning object so I set the alarm for 5:00am Friday morning. Went to be Thursday night to clear skies. Woke up, went outside and saw nothing but fog!? Fog so thick there's not a single thing visible in the sky...fog I tell you...fog...  strike 1!

 

So I tried again this morning. Again for 5:00am. Went to bed Friday night and it was clear. Got up at  5:00 and went outside. It was still clear, but I did not realize how bright it would be...it was so bright, I could not even find Saturn! I should have got up sooner  ....strike 2!

 

So, I set up the scope again this afternoon. I'll get it this time! I'm going to get up at 4:15am tomorrow morning. That will be perfect. But as I'm eating dinner, a pop up thunderstorm comes out of nowhere blows the cover partially off my scope, and rains all over the mount  ...which is now sitting half way disassembled in my garage drying out. Hopefully not ruined. And Saturn you sly dog, you got away from me again...strike 3

 

clear and dry skies...John

Ya gotta get up earlier John, I am still learning that part as we pass the shortest night of the year

 

So right now I feel kinda bad pointing out to you that Saturn looks best with both eyes, especially with a pair of 11mm/82* EPs.  Hopefully I will be able to confirm that in a few days  

 

Thanks again,

Bob

[John Miele]

"Ya gotta get up earlier John, I am still learning that part as we pass the shortest night of the year :)"

 

LOL! Yep...I know...but it's hard and I still have that pesky thing called a job that keeps getting in the way of things...

 

I also know about the BV planet magic and will likely get a BV for the 'fractor.

 

I have a recently purchased pair of BT120s which should also do very nice, but they won't be able to take the power up like the ED120.

 

I think if I saw Saturn thru your ginormous binoscope, I'd faint dead away right then and there. I'll bet it will be magnificent!

 

cs...John

[John Miele]

I’ll be curious to learn how many moons of Saturn you can see with your new 120 mm refractor. 

I'll try and remember to report that back here. My mount is still drying out, so it's a few days away at best...

[Whiteduckwagglinginspace]

So I'm going crazy trying to use my new (to me) EON120 refractor on Saturn. It's been rain, clouds, more rain, more clouds, just awful weather for weeks. Finally a clear stretch of weather has arrived. Saturn is a morning object so I set the alarm for 5:00am Friday morning. Went to be Thursday night to clear skies. Woke up, went outside and saw nothing but fog!? Fog so thick there's not a single thing visible in the sky...fog I tell you...fog...  strike 1!

 

So I tried again this morning. Again for 5:00am. Went to bed Friday night and it was clear. Got up at  5:00 and went outside. It was still clear, but I did not realize how bright it would be...it was so bright, I could not even find Saturn! I should have got up sooner  ....strike 2!

 

So, I set up the scope again this afternoon. I'll get it this time! I'm going to get up at 4:15am tomorrow morning. That will be perfect. But as I'm eating dinner, a pop up thunderstorm comes out of nowhere blows the cover partially off my scope, and rains all over the mount  ...which is now sitting half way disassembled in my garage drying out. Hopefully not ruined. And Saturn you sly dog, you got away from me again...strike 3

 

clear and dry skies...John

There's something with having brand new scopes and having at least bad weather for a long time.....Muprhy's law. 

[12BH7]

So it was YOU that brought this weather on!!!  I knew someone around here had a new toy.

 

But seriously, I've done the getting up in the middle of the night thing, only to find disappointment. Now I only do that if I can't go back to sleep. 

 

This morning when I rolled over I saw light through my blinds at 4:30am.

 

BTW if you leave your scope out even with a cover, use tent pegs and tie it down. I've had that happen a few times with the wind.

[Cpk133]

If you had a goto mount, you could mark out the tripod legs and find it any time night or day.  Like you, not getting up at 4am but i got a decent look this morning even with a blue sky at 6am.  

[John Miele]

Good news...I reassembled and powered up the mount and it appears to be fine...phew!

 

Getting up at 4:30 tomorrow morning for a peek at Saturn!

[John Miele]

I'll try and remember to report that back here. My mount is still drying out, so it's a few days away at best...

According to Cruxis calculator, my limiting magnitude is approx. 13.5. The means I should have 5 moons within reach if the transparency holds...

 

Titan

Rhea

Tethys

Enceladus

Iapetus

 

Hyperion and Phoebe are too faint for my 120 and out of reach

 

Iaptus will be rather far from Saturn and might be hard to identiy but I'll try. I should catch the other 4 and be confident...we'll see!

 

Edit: I forgot about Mimas. It will be behind Saturn in the morning but I should be able to see it too when it clears Saturn.

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Edited by John Miele, 23 June 2025 - 06:39 PM.

[NinePlanets]

Mimas is tough even on a good night.

[John Miele]

Got up at 4:00am instead of 4:30 and the transparency was terrible. I could barely see a handful of stars in the entre sky. But I found Saturn and centered it in the eyepiece. I used powers ranging from 129X to 300X. None of the moons were visible except I may have barely glimpsed titan. Haze in the air was so bad it felt like the air was on the verge of forming fog. But seeing was steady and Saturn was snapping into focus  well. The ring shadow across the disc was sharp and contrasty. The rings were bright and easy to see on both sides and you could just tell they were wrapping around the back side. I could see the shadow of the disc on a small part of the rings to one side as well. No banding on the planet but could just get barest hints of the surface shading. No sign of the Cassini division at this ring angle. Actually, the view of Saturn was very similar to the picture I posted above but with more contrast at the eyepiece. I think it was enough to show me this scope has a good if not very good lens which was the main goal here. Will go for the moons on a better night. 

[dweller25]

Neptune is very close to Saturn too…..

[Dave Mitsky]

Neptune is very close to Saturn too…..

Here's a Stellarium screen shot showing Neptune and Saturn at 4:00 a.m. EDT.

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[Dave Mitsky]

Here's a Seestar S50 4x image of Saturn and a faint, fuzzy looking Titan that I captured on Monday morning from Cherry Springs State Park and a screen shot from SkySafari.

 

A Seestar S50, of course, is not well suited at imaging planets.

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[CHASLX200]

See it every am HERE SINCE IT NEVER RAINS and avg 9 seeing.

[azure1961p]

Mimas is tough even on a good night.

 

I think it really needs an occulting bar in the eyepiece (different ways to do it, even foil? ) to suppress that bright glare from Saturn.  I myself have tried a few times but I can't do it. Uber power to darken the FOV might be better too.

 

Pete

[NinePlanets]

I think it really needs an occulting bar in the eyepiece (different ways to do it, even foil? ) to suppress that bright glare from Saturn.  I myself have tried a few times but I can't do it. Uber power to darken the FOV might be better too.

 

Pete

Or at least a reduction of the smoke in the sky to reduce the scattered light. It's a tough customer, for sure.

[lwbehney]

I think it really needs an occulting bar in the eyepiece (different ways to do it, even foil? ) to suppress that bright glare from Saturn.  I myself have tried a few times but I can't do it. Uber power darken the FOV might be better too.

 

Pete

Agree. I learned that insane magnification requiring a Barlow is your friend when I cracked 35 Com at 320X after three attempts. I think Mimas represents the same type of challenge as does a tight unequal double star.