Cetus Doubles

[Bigzmey]

12/18/2021

Location: home, Bortle 6.0
Equipment: SW 180mm Mak and Stelarvue 102ED on iOptron AZMP, EPs: TV Delites set, TV Plossl 32mm.

Managed to catch a clear night last weekend for some doubles splitting. The Moon was nearly full but since I was doing doubles, I did not mind and in fact enjoyed the play of moonlight and shadows on trees around the property and mountains in the distance.

Cetus doubles

STF 3065 – 9.6, 9.6, 9.7”, a nice-looking yellow pair. Equally pleasant views in SV102/TV Delite 9mm (79x) and 180mm Mak/TV Plossl 32mm (84x).

HJ 1944 – 7.7, 9.0, 65.3”, orange, silver – nicely presented in SV102/Delite 18.2mm (39x).
GAL 296 – 7.0, 11, 24”, yellow, gray – dim secondary resolved with averted vision 180mm Mak/Delite 13mm (208x).
STF 14 – 8.9, 10.9, 14.5”, white, silver - 180mm Mak/TV Plossl 32mm (84x).
DAM 631 AB – 8.0, 9.6, 102.3”, yellow, bluish – nice colors, SV102/Delite 18.2mm (39x).

Iota Cet (HJ 1953) – 3.7, 12.9, 10.4, ab68.4”, ac106.4” – AC - golden, white, nice colors, SV102/Delite 18.2mm (39x). AB – very faint secondary resolved with averted within as a soft gray spot, 180mm Mak/Delite 5mm (540x).

HJ 1957 AB – 7.7, 9.2, 6.1”, yellow, silver – close clean split with 180mm Mak/Delite 18.2mm (148x).
HJ 1968 AB – 7.3, 10, 36.8”, yellow, navy – nice colors, SV102/Delite 18.2mm (39x).
GAL 300 AB – 9.0, 9.8, 45”, pale yellow, white - SV102/Delite 18.2mm (39x).

HJ 1980 – 8.3, 10.5, 5.7”, yellow, silver – sharp clean split with both scopes, SV102/ Delite 5mm (143x), 180mm Mak/Delite 13mm (208x).

STF 35 – 10.5, 10.9, 8.8”, white pair – SV102/Delite 9mm (79x), 180mm Mak/TV Plossl 32mm (84x).
STF 53 AB – 9.3, 10.7, 51.2”, yellow, silver – SV102/Delite 13mm (55x).
BU 494 – 9.0, 9.0, 1.3”, white pair – clean hair split with 180mm Mak/Delite 13mm (208x), soft figure 8 split with SV102/Delite 3mm (238x).

BU 301 – 8.9, 10, 10.9”, yellow, silver – close split with SV102/Delite 13mm (55x).
STN 3 – 7.6, 8.4, 2.0”, yellow pair – tight split with 180mm Mak/Delite 13mm (208x), confirmed with Delite 9mm (300x).

BU 734 – 5.6, 9.6, 10.6” – beautiful pair, 180mm Mak/TV Plossl 32mm (84x): bright lemon colored main with navy blue dimmer sidekick. SV102/Delite 13mm (55x): orange main with navy blue secondary.

WNO 1 – 6.6, 9.2, 5” - 180mm Mak/TV Plossl 32mm (84x): yellow, blue. SV102/Delite 9mm (79x): yellow, dark blue.
HJ 2004 – 7.0, 9.8, 3.5”, white, gray – 180mm Mak/Delite 7mm (386x).

[John Baars]

Nice splits! Thanks for you report!
Do you use your telescopes on the same mount?

[Bigzmey]

Nice splits! Thanks for you report!
Do you use your telescopes on the same mount?

Thanks John! Yes, I use the scopes on iOptron AZMP and they are aligned to look at the same spot.

[turboscrew]

Nice report. I haven't looked at binaries, and I wonder how do silver and navy blue stars look like, in the eyepiece.

[Bigzmey]

Nice report. I haven't looked at binaries, and I wonder how do silver and navy blue stars look like, in the eyepiece.

Thanks Juha! This is one of the reasons I like to observe doubles: the colors and contrasts. Optics, sky conditions and human eye/perception are contributing and as a result you can see all the palette colors in stars.

[Makuser]

Hi Andrey. A very nice and well written splitting double stars observing report from you. You really grabbed a whale of nice targets in Cetus. And you are most correct on the variations of colors and contrast due to the optics used, local sky conditions and also the human eye/perception. Thanks for sharing this Christmas Season report with us Andrey and I really like your iOptron AZMP mount setup.

[Bigzmey]

Hi Andrey. A very nice and well written splitting double stars observing report from you. You really grabbed a whale of nice targets in Cetus. And you are most correct on the variations of colors and contrast due to the optics used, local sky conditions and also the human eye/perception. Thanks for sharing this Christmas Season report with us Andrey and I really like your iOptron AZMP mount setup.

Thanks Marshal! We are having rain and clouds second week. Glad that I managed to squeeze this one before the year end.

[helicon]

Great report on the doubles in Cetus Andrey, I particularly enjoyed your descriptions and your evening was very prolific. Congrats on nabbing the VROD award of the day. I hope more folks are inspired to take out their scopes on moonlit nights.

[Unitron48]

Great session and report! Some very nice splits!!

Congrats on the VROD!!

Dave

[kt4hx]

Nice report Andrey, and good job on the VROD. A very fine group of doubles with your "double scope." Our weather has not been very conducive to observing and doesn't look to be for the coming weak either. Just part of the hobby.

[helicon]

Nice report Andrey, and good job on the VROD. A very fine group of doubles with your "double scope." Our weather has not been very conducive to observing and doesn't look to be for the coming weak either. Just part of the hobby.

Same here Alan...rain...rain...and more rain.

[Bigzmey]

Thanks Michael, Dave and Alan! I feel lucky to catch that clear night. Since then we have clouds and rain, and storms keep coming. We do need rain in California and I am looking forward the spring desert bloom.

Thanks for the VROD, much appreciated!

[John Baars]

Congratulations on the VROD!