Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

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kt4hx United States of America
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Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#1

Post by kt4hx »

I am now just over five weeks into my recovery period from surgery. I am feeling pretty good, but still trying to restrain myself from doing anything too rambunctious in order to not complicate things unnecessarily. But I admit I’ve been really chomping at the bit to get out under the stars in some regard. A bit of withdrawal going on here! :icon-smile:

The forecast at home, under our Bortle 6 sky was forecast to be both good transparency and seeing, which is contrary to the norm here. The weather is cooling down now after some really hot weather, which is a welcome relief. I ventured out around 2330 hours after one of our neighbors finally shut off their back exterior lights. I set up the Explore Scientific Twilight-I mount and mounted my ED80 refractor trying to keep things a bit light weight for the time being. I attached my Rigel Quikfinder unity finder, and dropped in my new Astro-Tech 28mm 82° UWA eyepiece. At 17x and 4.8° TFOV I figured it would serve me well with using the 80mm as its own optical finder scope to locate the fields I wished to visit. All said and done, the eyepiece worked quite well for this and put of very nice low power, wide field views.

Looking around the sky naked eye I could spot the Double Cluster in Perseus and M31 in Andromeda, though admittedly they were both weak in our home sky than at our dark site house. That was to be expected since there are about three Bortle levels difference between the two on average. It wasn’t a big to-do, either in terms of aperture, targets or expectations. It was more of a cathartic experience for me, within the physical capabilities that I currently have. But, I am getting ever closer to resuming my normal deep sky observing from our other house, with the 17.5 inch, and am looking so very much forward to a return to full normalcy. Even though I had my Interstellarum atlas at hand, I chose to pursue objects that I either could see naked eye or pretty much knew how to find without a chart. Anyway, off I went, into the night sky for the first time since late July.

(Equipment used)

ED80mm f/6 refractor
28mm Astro-Tech UWA (17x, 4.8° TFOV, 4.7mm exit pupil)
13mm Ethos (36x, 2.8° TFOV, 2.2mm exit pupil)
10mm XW (48x, 1.5° TFOV, 1.7mm exit pupil)
7mm XW (68x, 1.0° TFOV, 1.2mm exit pupil)
5mm XW (96x, 0.7° TFOV, 0.8mm exit pupil)


Jupiter (Aries, planet, mag=-2.8, size=46.0”)
The king of the planets was glaringly bright about nearly 7’ southeast of mag 5.5 Sigma Arietis. It was viewed initially at 17x, but then at 68x it presented a large disk with its two primary equatorial bands easily discerned. The four Galilean moons were present, with mag 5.0 Io was off by itself to the ENE of Jupiter. To the WSW of Jupiter’s disk Europa (mag 5.2), Callisto (mag 5.6) and Ganymede (mag 4.6) formed a scalene triangle.

Saturn (Aquarius, planet, mag=0.5, size=43.0”x17.0”):
Next up is probably the most beloved planet of our system, Saturn, with its bright rings. Observed initially at 17x it was tiny disk, with its rings clearly seen tipped slightly forward from our perspective. Going up 68x and 96x, Cassini’s Division was glimpsed in moments of more clarity and steadiness. I also noticed its brightest moon, mag 8.4 Titan, as a tiny pinpoint immediately southeast of Saturn’s disk.

NGC 869 (Perseus, open cluster, mag=5.3, size=30.0’, class=I3r):
NGC 884 (Perseus, open cluster, mag=6.1, size=30.0’, class=I3r):

Since I could see the famous Double Cluster with the naked eye, it was a simple thing to aim the scope at this fine object(s) using the unity finder. Taking a look at 17x, they were small within the large field of view, so I boosted magnification up to 36x then 68x. NGC 869 was a tight knot of stars surrounded by numerous stars over the large dimension of the cluster. NGC 884 also presented a tight grouping in its central region, with the large loop of stars to the north of the main clump. While they views in my larger apertures reveal more depth to the cluster, they were easily seen and impressive even in my brighter skies at home.

Messier 45 / Melotte 22 (Taurus, open cluster, mag=1.2, size=1.7º, class= I3rn):
I could see the famous Pleiades climbing above the eastern horizon, and quickly placed them in the eyepiece at 17x. They were a lovely view, well framed in the large FOV. I also dropped in the 13mm (36x) and bright “dipper” looking pattern of the primary stars were awash in myriad surrounding stars peppering the field and adding depth to the overall view. While I do prefer open clusters that are a bit more compressed, the Pleiades never fail to inspire the observer.

NGC 457 (Cassiopeia, open cluster, mag=6.4, size=20.0’, class=I3r):
I know swung over to mag 2.7 Delta Cassiopeiae and nudged SSW only about 2° to easily sweep up one of my favorite open clusters. Known variously by the nicknames of the Owl Cluster, ET Cluster and Kachina Doll Cluster, this curious grouping is highlighted by two bright eyes – mag 5.0 Phi Cas and mag 7.0 HD 7902. At 17x the figure of the “owl” was clearly visible was clearly seen with the eyes dominating the group and the body of the night bird with its outstretched wings. I counted about 20 stars in the field, and going to 36x increased the star count closer to 30 as more of its dimmer members filled in a bit more. This cluster is always a delight and has been one I have looked at often over the decades with instruments ranging from binoculars up to my 17.5 inch.

Messier 31 / NGC 224 (Andromeda, spiral galaxy, mag=3.4, size=3.2ºx1º, SBr=13.3):
This staple of the autumn sky was just discerned with the naked eye from my Bortle 6 backyard. Therefore I could easily aim the scope using only the unit finder, placing it in the FOV at 17x. Under my conditions and with the smaller aperture, I was picking up the brighter core region within this galaxy. It presented a bright, and fairly large elongated disk, with additional brightness at its center. It was very diffuse in appearance and at 68x its visible angular extent increased as just a little more of the fainter extensions to the central region became dimly visible. All in all, it was a pleasure to see this object even from my light polluted backyard.

Messier 32 / NGC 221 (Andromeda, elliptical galaxy, mag=8.1, size=8.5’x6.5’, SBr=12.2):
This companion galaxy of M31 was also readily apparent at 17x southeast of the core of the primary galaxy. Because a great deal of M31’s disk was not visible due to sky glow, M32 was well separated from what I could see of the primary galaxy. It was small, bright and rounded in appearance. Its core was almost stellar within its overall halo, and as is typical gave the impression of an unresolved globular cluster. A fine addition to the overall view and it really stood out at 68x.

Messier 110 / NGC 205 (Andromeda, elliptical galaxy, mag=8.1, size=19.5’x11.5’, SBr=13.7):
This other major companion of M31 can be a bit trickier from light polluted areas. Though its apparent magnitude is the same as M32, its larger angular size reduces its surface brightness noticeably, and therefore it can sometime hide from view. At 17x, I could just discern it’s very dim and diaphanous, slightly large oval disk. It was evenly illuminated across its halo. Then at 68x while a little more readily apparent, it remained nonetheless a very faint ghostly oval that could easily be overlooked by a casual observer.

Messier 33 / NGC 598 (Triangulum, spiral galaxy, mag=, size=1.1ºx41.6', SBr=14.1):
I next aimed the scope at mag 3.4 Alpha Trianguli (Metallah). With the 28mm (17x) in the focuser, I studied the field WNW of this star, and had hints of a somewhat large and very low surface brightness oval diffuse glow. Having observed this member of the Local Group many times over the year I know I had found my target. I immediately went to 36x and it was more apparent but certainly faint enough that it could easily be overlooked. At 96x, I was picking up some unevenness of brightness within its disk, and particularly a small knot in its northeastern quadrant. I took this to be its largest and brightest (a relative term) HII region, NGC 604, which I’ve seen many times over the years with various apertures.

Messier 15 / NGC 7078 (Pegasus, globular cluster, mag=6.3, size=18.0’, SBr=12.3, class=4):
Looking around the sky I noticed mag 2.1 Epsilon Pegasi (Enif). Aiming the scope at this bright star, I nudged slightly to the northwest and easy scooped up this bright globular cluster using 17x. It presented a small but very apparent round diffuse glow with a stellar looking core buried within. Taking a look at 68x it was quite bright and a little more extended, still with that very bright and tightly condensed core at its center. This cluster is always a fine view and even in the smaller aperture in my brighter backyard did not disappoint.

Messier 57 / NGC 6720 (Lyra, planetary nebula, mag=8.8, size=3.0’x2.4’, SBr=10.7):
My final object for this outing was a last second thought. I noticed Lyra lying on its side just above our roof line to the northwest, so I swung the scope around. Aiming at mag 3.4 Beta Lyrae (Sheliak) and mag 3.2 Gamma Lyrae (Sulafat), I quickly swept up this planetary at 17x as a very small and dim grayish rounded glow. Taking looks at 48x and 96x it was more readily apparent, and visually larger at each step. Its center looked lighter than its outer ring structure, revealing its annular appearance. In larger apertures it of course reveals more detail, but even at this aperture level it evokes a sense of wonder and curiosity.


It was now after 0030 hours and I was feeling tired from my activity. I know I will have to gradually increase my activity over time to build my endurance levels. But that is all part of the recovery process. Anyway, thanks for following along on this little outdoor adventure under a not so dark suburban sky. It was a fun endeavor and served to reconnect me to the visible universe I love. Take care and keep looking up friends.
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#2

Post by Lady Fraktor »

A very nice report and glad you could get out for a while.
Some refractors, eyepieces, mounts and related equipment
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#3

Post by kt4hx »

Thank you Gabrielle. It was fun doing something more normal for a change! :icon-smile:
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#4

Post by StarBru »

I thoroughly enjoyed your report. Thanks for posting!
Bruce

Refractors: Meade AR-5 127mm f/9.3, Meade ST-80 f/5 and Meade 60mm f/12, Jason 60mm f/15 #313, Jason 60mm f/12 #306 S7, Bushnell Sky Chief III 60mm f/15.
Reflectors/Catadioptrics: Meade 10" F/4 Schmidt-Newtonian, Galileo 120mm f/8.3 Newtonian, Meade 2045D 4" f/10 SCT, Meade ETX-90EC f/13.8 & Sarblue 60mm f/12.5 Maksutov-Cassegrains.
Mounts: Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro & Meade LXD55 Equatorial mounts, ES Twilight II and Meade 2102 ALT/AZ mounts, a modified 10" SkyQuest Dobsonian mount, various 60mm EQ mounts.
Misc: Celestron 20x80mm binoculars, Revolution II Imager/accessories, & lots of optical accessories/eyepieces.
Projects: 8" f/2.9 and 65mm f/10 reflectors, Dobson-style binocular mirror mount.
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#5

Post by kt4hx »

StarBru wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2023 5:02 am I thoroughly enjoyed your report. Thanks for posting!

Thank you Bruce. Appreciate you taking the time to read the report.
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#6

Post by helicon »

Certainly a very well-written report and one which captures the sense of wonder apparent in the heavens, nice job Alan. Congratulations on winning the VROD for the day (9-17-2023) and on getting back in the saddle.
-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
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#7

Post by Unitron48 »

Great session, Alan...and well written report (the standard)!! Glad you're feeling better, but take it slow. Congrats on your VROD!

Dave
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

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Post by kt4hx »

helicon wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2023 12:48 pm Certainly a very well-written report and one which captures the sense of wonder apparent in the heavens, nice job Alan. Congratulations on winning the VROD for the day (9-17-2023) and on getting back in the saddle.

Thank you Michael. While it was a simplistic outing, you truly hit the nail on the head - the sense of wonder up there. One doesn't have to go big or go elaborate to find the simple enjoyment that the night sky provides. Sure those aspects are nice and I like to go big because of my affinity for galaxy hunting. But even the most simplistic set up can provide rewards that feed that sense of wonder.

Unitron48 wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2023 1:12 pm Great session, Alan...and well written report (the standard)!! Glad you're feeling better, but take it slow. Congrats on your VROD!

Dave

Thank you Dave, appreciate your kind comments. Yeah, as much as I wanna be out there, I know I have to restrain my enthusiasm a bit longer. It will be next month before I even attempt to roll the big one out over at the other house. :icon-smile:
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#9

Post by messier 111 »

fine read , congrat on the vrod , thx .
REFRACTORS , . Lunt 80mm MT Ha Doublet Refractor . William Optics ZenithStar 81 Doublet APO f/6.9 .
BINOS REFRACTOR , apm 82mm sd .
BINOS , Celestron 7x50 made in Japan .
Seestar S50 Smart Telescope .
EYEPIECES, 26mm Nagler t5 , 2-zoom Svbony 7-21 ,2 x Baader Hyperion Universal Zoom Mark IV 8-24mm 68° ,2 x 18mm apm flat field , Orion Premium Linear BinoViewer .
FILTERS, Nebustar 2 tele vue .Celestron uhc . Apm solar wedge . contrast booster 2 inches and 2 x 1,25 inche .
MOUNTS , cg-4 ,MANFROTO 028 B and fluide head 608 .
Starbound Adjustable Observing Chair .

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I am the result of a star that died a very long time ago, And now i am being warmed up by another today.
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#10

Post by kt4hx »

messier 111 wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2023 2:59 pm fine read , congrat on the vrod , thx .

Thank you Jean-Yves and hope all is well up there.
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#11

Post by John Baars »

Great to see another report from you, congratulations on the VROD!
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ :* TS Optics 50mm ED F4, *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets, but no GnG).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Baader Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#12

Post by kt4hx »

John Baars wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 5:22 pm Great to see another report from you, congratulations on the VROD!

Thank you John. It did indeed feel good to get out again, and to have a sense of normalcy.
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#13

Post by Graeme1858 »

It's good to see you back in the game Alan, the joy of getting back to the eyepiece comes across in your words.

Graeme
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#14

Post by Bigzmey »

That's wonderful Alan! Getting back to observing but not overtaxing your body. Small scope gives one a different perspective and it is refreshing to get back to it after using light buckets.

Not saying that it is bad to revisit old friends, but if you up for something new, there are plenty of doubles you can split with 80mm frac. :D

I am curious what motivated you to acquire 28mm Astro-Tech UWA as you have ES 82° 24mm? I don't remember if you ever owned ES82 30mm.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 14" & 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: Celestron: CGE Pro. 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, Delos, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV, Celestron: X-Cel LX.
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; Astronomik: UHC.
Solar: HA: Lunt 50mm double-stack, W/L: Meade Herschel wedge.

Observing: DSOs: 3494 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2349), Doubles: 2893, Comets: 38, Asteroids: 336
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#15

Post by kt4hx »

Graeme1858 wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 6:24 pm It's good to see you back in the game Alan, the joy of getting back to the eyepiece comes across in your words.

Graeme

Thank you Graeme. I am happy that I could convey the happiness of returning to the field through my words. My goal in writing my reports is two-fold; 1) to try and give the reader an impression of what I see through the eyepiece, and 2) to share my enthusiasm of visual observing.

Bigzmey wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:26 pm That's wonderful Alan! Getting back to observing but not overtaxing your body. Small scope gives one a different perspective and it is refreshing to get back to it after using light buckets.

Not saying that it is bad to revisit old friends, but if you up for something new, there are plenty of doubles you can split with 80mm frac. :D

I am curious what motivated you to acquire 28mm Astro-Tech UWA as you have ES 82° 24mm? I don't remember if you ever owned ES82 30mm.

Thank you Andrey. I am try to keep my desire to go full bore tempered for a little longer. The last thing I would ever want to is to do something I should not and delay my observing even more.

Oh I know what you mean. You are a devout double star observer and you try to rub some of that off on to me from time to time! :icon-smile: I keep thinking that one of these nights I might just engage in a doubles only session, but when I get out there I have this deep, visceral drive to chase DSOs. One of these times I will come around and dip my toes in the double star pool in earnest. That would likely be at home, and in that case, I might bring the 127mm frac out for that.

Ah yes, the eyepiece thing. Well, your comment is appropriate based on what I had in my signature. But, I had sold off my 24mm and 18mm ES 82's some time ago after I got the Ethos 21mm. But, had forgotten to remove those from my signature, which I've done now, so thanks for the reminder! :icon-smile: Anyway, Astronomics has the 28mm on sale for $200 so I pulled the trigger after reading about it online. I like what I see thus far, but time will tell. But I admit, I do sort of miss my ES 82 18mm. So if one comes up on the used market for a decent price, I might just get another one. :icon-smile: While I do like the 21mm Ethos, I don't use it excessively. So I have considered selling it at some point, but that is only a fleeting thought at this point in time. You know how it is with eyepieces, you play around with them, keep some, sell some! :lol:
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#16

Post by Bigzmey »

For a few years ES82 were my main DSO set. They are good performers, but the eye relief is bad from 18mm down so I could not even see whole 82 deg while observing with glasses. This was the main reason I have switched to Pentax XWs. But once I have switched I have also realized that the coating on XWs are better for the purpose of hunting averted vision targets. Too bad XWs from 14mm up are not designed with fast newts in mind.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 14" & 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: Celestron: CGE Pro. 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, Delos, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV, Celestron: X-Cel LX.
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; Astronomik: UHC.
Solar: HA: Lunt 50mm double-stack, W/L: Meade Herschel wedge.

Observing: DSOs: 3494 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2349), Doubles: 2893, Comets: 38, Asteroids: 336
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#17

Post by kt4hx »

Bigzmey wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 12:19 am For a few years ES82 were my main DSO set. They are good performers, but the eye relief is bad from 18mm down so I could not even see whole 82 deg while observing with glasses. This was the main reason I have switched to Pentax XWs. But once I have switched I have also realized that the coating on XWs are better for the purpose of hunting averted vision targets. Too bad XWs from 14mm up are not designed with fast newts in mind.

Overall the ES 82s served me well. I had the 4.7 to 24mm for some time. I particularly liked the 11 and 18 of the series. While I need glasses to drive, I do not for observing, so the ER was not any problem in my case. But after getting the 13mm Ethos (used for a good price) and the XWs (5 thru 10), I offloaded most of the ES. Then the 21mm Ethos came along and I offloaded the rest of my ES. I agree with your assessment of the XW in the 14mm and longer for use with my main scopes. Since at those focal lengths the inherent field curvature in the eyepieces is additive to the natural FC of the scope's optics, it creates problems. But at the 10mm and faster, the FC is opposite, offsetting the FC of the scope's optics. So they do perform better.
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)
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#18

Post by jrkirkham »

Thanks for the great report. I liked the easy to read layout. :popcorn:
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, Double Stars #715
AL Projects Currently in Process: Comet, Lunar Evolution
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Re: Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way

#19

Post by kt4hx »

jrkirkham wrote: Tue Sep 19, 2023 2:23 pm Thanks for the great report. I liked the easy to read layout. :popcorn:

Thank you Rob. Glad it was in a likeable format.
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)
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