Splitting Regulus

Let's see your reports!
Post Reply
User avatar
jrkirkham United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 928
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:37 am
4
Location: Illinois United States
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Splitting Regulus

#1

Post by jrkirkham »


This seems more like an observation report than astrophotography so I'll place it here.

I spent last night in the observatory, mostly sleeping. The sky was cloudy and the moon was nearly full. Sill I hadn't been out for a couple of weeks and wanted to try out some new ideas. I focused first on the moon, then moved over to Regulus and tried out my new bahtinov mask. I had never used one before. It worked great. I also cut an X in a Pringles can lid and slipped it over my focusing knob to create a fine tuning focuser for my SCT. I didn't tally think it would work, but it did. I was impressed. Then I used about 175x on Regulus to split Regulus A, B & C. This was my first time paying much attention to double stars. I think I may take some time and pay more attention to them in the future. Then I slapped the DSLR on to grab a quick snapshot before turning the telescope back to the moon. The clouds were fast moving and thick enough that the moon's focus was soft and Regulus could not be seen most of the time. That didn't stop me from trying for a few lunar snapshots. If I like any of them I'll post them. Then I went to bed. I was finished by 10:30.

Here is y snapshot of Regulus. It is a single frame with ISO1600 and a 15 sec. exposure.
Attachments
Regulus system  low res.jpg
Rob
Telescopes: 50mm refractor, ED80 triplet, 90mm makcass, 10" dob, 8"SCT, 11"SCT
Mounts: Celestron CGX, Orion Sirius + several camera tripods
Cameras: Canon 6D, Canon 80D, ZWO-ASI120MC
Binoculars: 10x50, 12x60, 15x70, 25-125x80
Observatory: SkyShed POD XL3 + 8x12 warm room
AL Projects Completed: Lunar #645, Outreach #0280, Universe Sampler #93-T, Binocular Messier #871, Messier #2521, Messier Honorary #2521, Constellation Hunter Northern Skies #112, Planetary Transit Venus #1, Galileo #26, Outreach Stellar 0280, Meteor Regular #157, Solar System Telescopic #209-I, Observer Award #1
AL Projects Currently in Process: Double Stars, Comet, Lunar Evolution
User avatar
prowler75
Mars Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 167
Joined: Tue May 14, 2019 1:29 am
4
Location: Greensboro, NC
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Splitting Regulus

#2

Post by prowler75 »


Nice work John! Splitting doubles can be a pretty fun activity, especially when sky conditions are not conducive for going after faint DSOs.
Craig
Telescopes: Zhumell Z12, Orion XT8, Explore Scientific FL-AR127/1200, Celestron Omni XLT AZ 102, Tasco 8v
Eyepieces: GSO 30mm, Explore Scientific 70° 25mm, 82° 18mm, 11mm, 8.8mm, 6.5mm. KK Orthos 12mm and 9mm
Binoculars: Oberwerk 15x70
User avatar
Makuser United States of America
In Memory
In Memory
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 6394
Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 12:53 am
4
Location: Rockledge, FL.
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Splitting Regulus

#3

Post by Makuser »


Hi Rob. A fine work on splitting Regulus A,B, and C. And, as Craig said above, splitting doubles is still quite possible even in less than perfect skies. Thanks for sharing this capture with us Rob, and I really enjoyed your excellent image.
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.
>)))))*>
User avatar
Juno16 United States of America
Universal Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 8195
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 3:13 pm
4
Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Splitting Regulus

#4

Post by Juno16 »


Sounds like fun John! Even the sleeping!

One of the reasons that
I got into the hobby was double stars. Kind of got away from it with AP, but just ordered a new scope and hope to get back into observing again soon.

Thanks for the fun report!
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.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
User avatar
Lady Fraktor Slovakia
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 9860
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2019 9:14 pm
4
Location: Slovakia
Status:
Offline

Re: Splitting Regulus

#5

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Congratulations on the observation Rob.
A nice image 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
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
The only culture I have is from yogurt
My day was going well until... people
Image
User avatar
helicon United States of America
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 584
Offline
Posts: 12274
Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 1:35 pm
4
Location: Washington
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Splitting Regulus

#6

Post by helicon »


Nice observations and image Rob. Plus, you got in some ZZZZ's in the observatory!
-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
User avatar
mikemarotta
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 662
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2019 2:37 pm
4
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Splitting Regulus

#7

Post by mikemarotta »


jrkirkham wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 4:32 pm. This seems more like an observation report than astrophotography so I'll place it here.
Yes, and thanks. I am somewhat less than sanguine about astrophotography which I appreciate only as an artform, not science. (I did pay one of our local astro stalwarts a pretty penny for two of his mounted prints for my home office.) And in this case, I accept the snapshot as a valid record of your observation. So, thanks, again.
jrkirkham wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 4:32 pm. ... for my SCT. ... used about 175x on Regulus to split Regulus A, B & C. ...
Which of the two? The eight or the 11? And which ocular, for "about" 175x? I am chasing this one also, but with much less hope for my skies and instrument.
---------------------------------------
Michael E. Marotta
Astro-Tech 115 mm APO Refractor Explore Scientific 102 mm f/6.47 Refractor Explore Scientific 102 mm f/9.8 Refractor Bresser 8-inch Newtonian Reflector Plössls from 40 to 6 mm Nagler Series-1 7mm. nonMeade 14 mm. Mounts: Celestron AVX, Explore Twilight I Alt-Az, Explore EXOS German Equatorial
User avatar
jrkirkham United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 928
Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:37 am
4
Location: Illinois United States
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Splitting Regulus

#8

Post by jrkirkham »


I have poor eyesight. I usually lose low power. If I remember correctly I think I used a 40mm eyepiece with a 2.5x Powermate to split them. Then I switched the eyepiece for the DSLR for the picture.
Rob
Telescopes: 50mm refractor, ED80 triplet, 90mm makcass, 10" dob, 8"SCT, 11"SCT
Mounts: Celestron CGX, Orion Sirius + several camera tripods
Cameras: Canon 6D, Canon 80D, ZWO-ASI120MC
Binoculars: 10x50, 12x60, 15x70, 25-125x80
Observatory: SkyShed POD XL3 + 8x12 warm room
AL Projects Completed: Lunar #645, Outreach #0280, Universe Sampler #93-T, Binocular Messier #871, Messier #2521, Messier Honorary #2521, Constellation Hunter Northern Skies #112, Planetary Transit Venus #1, Galileo #26, Outreach Stellar 0280, Meteor Regular #157, Solar System Telescopic #209-I, Observer Award #1
AL Projects Currently in Process: Double Stars, Comet, Lunar Evolution
User avatar
helicon United States of America
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 584
Offline
Posts: 12274
Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 1:35 pm
4
Location: Washington
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Splitting Regulus

#9

Post by helicon »


Congrats Rob on winning the VROD award for the day (4-14-2021)!
-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
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Splitting Regulus

#10

Post by kt4hx »


Congrats on wining today's VROD award Rob. Great job on splitting Regulus my friend.
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
User avatar
Gordon United States of America
Site Admin
Site Admin
Articles: 1037
Offline
Posts: 8266
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 10:52 pm
4
Location: Cottonwood, AZ
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

I Broke The Forum.

Re: Splitting Regulus

#11

Post by Gordon »


Congratulations on the VROD Rob!

Well deserved!
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.

Image
User avatar
Makuser United States of America
In Memory
In Memory
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 6394
Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 12:53 am
4
Location: Rockledge, FL.
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Splitting Regulus

#12

Post by Makuser »


Hi again Rob. My brother still lives in Mokena, IL., and he tells me how bad the mid western skies can be at this time. I just wanted to congratulate you on winning the well deserved TSS VROD Award today.
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.
>)))))*>
Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in

Return to “Astronomy Reports”