A really brief session...

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Thefatkitty Canada
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A really brief session...

#1

Post by Thefatkitty »


Hey all, hope you're all good :D

I got off work today at 9:30PM; I came in at 8AM. Yeesh... Not a good day. It is what it is. Had dinner, talked to my ever-loving two girls, and decided it was time for a few beers :D I took a look outside, and contrary to the forecast, it was somewhat clear out. Unfortunately, an almost full Moon was washing everything out. Still, I need some down/me time....

Went downstairs and got my 'Towatron' 60mm. The unholy marriage of the Towa-made objective from a click-stop focuser Tasco 55VTE 60mm and a cut down Celestron Astromaster 60mm body. It dials in at f/7 and comes to focus with a DSLR and any lens I have. With a KK lens and my old Celestron/Vixen star diagonal, it's 20" (51cm's) in length from the end of the diagonal to the front of the lens cap.

It also takes good pictures of conjunctions; my Flickr page

So sharp, with either my ES 62*'s or Fujiyama KK's. And that lens cap is really the top from a goldfish food container; Celestron orange...

001.jpg
002.jpg

Of course, when I brought it up, the skies knew what I was up to...

So much for that session :lol: However, the clouds were providing some contrast to the almost full Moon; it was really cool to watch. My scope stood ignored while I watched this for the better part of 10 minutes. Since my two Canon T3's kicked the bucket, I haven't been able to take a pic of this sort of thing. Then I remembered my Fujifilm Finepix AV100 point and shoot camera... These are taken with said camera and a Fujiyama 18mm KK lens. It's a whole "Fuji" thing... :lol:

Haven't done the "afocal" thing in a while, as you can see....

003.jpg
004.jpg

Still, it was a "fun for me" night. Been a while since I've had any scope time, and this, though minimal, was what I needed to complete my day and smile.

Hope those of you in the "zone" get to see the penumbral lunar eclipse tonight!!

All the best,
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: A really brief session...

#2

Post by Peter802 »


Good to hear that you managed some you time and grabbed a couple of images.
Clear Skies.
Regards,

Peter
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Re: A really brief session...

#3

Post by terrynak »


Cloudy at my end Mark, but good that you were able to get out.

The dew shield from the Astromaster 60mm reminds me of my Astromaster 90mm which I haven't used in a while. Makes me want to take it out on the next clear night...
Scopes: Reflectors, refractors, and 1 catadioptric. Ranging in aperture from 50mm to 150mm.
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Re: A really brief session...

#4

Post by Juno16 »


Very good that you got out Mark!

Man, after a long workday like that and a few beers, I am amazed that you didn’t just stay inside and relax.

I found out for me that any kind of Astro (visual or AP), and beer don’t mix. Only when I am set up and imaging do I sometimes have a beer. It helps me relax and hopefully doze off on the couch for 30-60 minutes.

Maybe you can pick up a used Canon soon. I just looked on EBay and saw sever T3’s for under $100 (body) and a T3i body for $79.

You pulled off some good images with the Fuji!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
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My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
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Re: A really brief session...

#5

Post by Bigzmey »


Fun report Mark! Don't like Moon or clouds, but together they provide nice views.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: A really brief session...

#6

Post by Lady Fraktor »


You had fun and that is the important thing :)
Nice images as well.
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
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Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
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Re: A really brief session...

#7

Post by pakarinen »


What is that disk-like appendage on that thing?
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I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
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Re: A really brief session...

#8

Post by Unitron48 »


Glad that you could get out and enjoy some time with a scope. Those times seem to be few and far between these days!

Dave
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"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein
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Re: A really brief session...

#9

Post by Thefatkitty »


Juno16 wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 11:09 am Very good that you got out Mark!

Man, after a long workday like that and a few beers, I am amazed that you didn’t just stay inside and relax.

I found out for me that any kind of Astro (visual or AP), and beer don’t mix. Only when I am set up and imaging do I sometimes have a beer. It helps me relax and hopefully doze off on the couch for 30-60 minutes.

Maybe you can pick up a used Canon soon. I just looked on EBay and saw sever T3’s for under $100 (body) and a T3i body for $79.

You pulled off some good images with the Fuji!

Thanks Jim! Yeah, I agree with you on the beer and scope thing. My rule of thumb is, if I can carry the scope with one hand, then it's OK to have a beer in the other. All that to say, this is the only scope I'll do that with ;) And I think two tall cans weigh more than the whole scope. Also, I was sound asleep about 20 minutes after I made this post last night...
Thanks for the tip on eBay, it's certainly a thought! I have a lens, battery, my T-ring, etc from the old camera, so all I really need is the body. Must look into that, but I've just had another 11 hour day... My life!! :lol:

pakarinen wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:11 pm What is that disk-like appendage on that thing?

It's a "Sun finder", for lack of a better term. I use this thing for solar as well, so when lining up the Sun, I look at the sun finder and adjust the scope until the shadow from the bolt disappears, then I'm lined up :D

Image1.jpg

For night time, I just use this as a "casual" scope; it's so wide field all I really have to do is point it in the general area of where I want to observe.


Thanks everyone for the comments, would respond to you all but I need dinner and sleep :D

All the best,
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: A really brief session...

#10

Post by Makuser »


Hello Mark. I am glad that you got some observing time. We have been inundated with rain here for almost two weeks now. Thanks for your fun read report Mark, and the nice afocal images of the moon.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
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Re: A really brief session...

#11

Post by helicon »


Nice session Mark. I hope work gets less hectic for you and you have more time to observe, weather permitting of course.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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