Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

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kt4hx United States of America
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Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#1

Post by kt4hx »


Man, it’s been about three months since my last observing session! After the holidays I came down with some kind of something (Covid tests negative), whether a cold or a light case of the flu, I don’t know. Whatever it was kept me off balance for some time. That coupled with uncooperative weather served to keep me from being very active for some time due to lack of energy and a general feeling of malaise.

So the forecast for a clear sky got me to thinking about the possibility of seeing the current bright comet in a short session. Not feeling quite up to trying to lug the 12 inch from the garage to the backyard, I decided I would try just rolling it out to the sidewalk that goes from our driveway to the front porch about 2200 hours. Taurus would be on that side of the house by then and it was be much easier from the front of the house though many lights were on up and down the street.

About 2145 hours I rolled the scope out of the garage to the sidewalk by the driveway. I had my eyepiece case inside the garage on top of a trash can and my IDSA atlas and binoculars on the hood of my truck in the driveway. I would just kind of wing it and see where my journey would take me. I initially thought I’d only be out about half an hour, but wound up being about 45 minutes as I was having fun, despite feeling some fatigue. The outing was short, but it was fun and relaxing. It left me sated and quite happy be back in the saddle again, albeit only briefly. Here we go, please come along if you wish.


Messier 45 (Taurus, open cluster, mag=1.2, size=1.7º, class=I3rn):
I used this easy naked eye object to align my Rigel Quikfinder and 8x50 RACI finders to the main scope. Taking a quick look at 72x it was a little bigger than my TFOV of 1.4° TFOV. The member stars were numerous and bright, though none of its elusive reflection nebula was seen in my brighter sky.

Mars (Taurus, planet, mag=0.8, size=9.4”):
I easily scooped up the red planet and observed it at 72x, 116x and 152x with the 12 inch. At each step the Syrtis Major feature was very apparent almost dead center on the small orange disk. Seeing was a bit unstable and no other features were noticed.

C/2022 E3 ZTF (Taurus, comet, mag=6.6, coma diameter=13.8’):
Aiming the scope at Aldebaran I used Sigma 1 and 2 to its southeast as pointers to find the current bright comet to the northeast of Aldebaran. Easily located with 10x50 binoculars even in my sky glow, it was a small and dim rounded fuzzy glow. The core displayed a very small concentrated brightness set within the very diffuse coma. Turning to the 12 inch and viewing at 72x to 217x, the coma was large and bright while remaining quite diffuse and ghostly in appearance. The core was quite bright and presented a very small non-stellar entity within the coma. As magnification was increased, the coma became elongated toward the ENE, inferring the presence of a tail, though a distinct tail was not glimpsed in my brighter sky. The color was whitish-gray, with no hints of green as I’ve seen in some other comets. (New)

Messier 42 / NGC 1976 (Orion, emission nebula, mag=4.0, size=1.5º x 1.0º, SBr=13.1):
By this time Orion was coming out from behind a tree at the corner of the house so I turned the scope its way. At 72x, the famous Orion Nebula was bright and extensive. Despite my sky glow at home, it was easily seen and its wispy wings were easily discerned. However, because of the brightness of the sky, some of its dimmer extensions were not visible. Taking looks at 116x and 152x, the nebulosity became more extensive with more of the delicate features becoming apparent, and its visible angular size increased. Of course the main four stars of the Trapezium cluster at its center were easily seen though I did not push it to try and see other members of the group. I never employed a filter for a more in depth observation, rather I just took it casually just admire the beauty of the object.

Messier 43 / NGC 1982 (Orion, emission nebula, mag=7.0, size=20.0' x 15.0', SBr=12.9):
Also easily seen, but less obviously, was M43, just north of the main body of M42. At 72x it was a very small, dim diffuse presence surrounding the multiple star Nu Orionis. As magnification was increased, its presence was more apparent, though it remained weak visually as compared to the dark site. This object is always a nice little companion to the majestic M42.

Messier 78 / NGC 2068 (Orion, reflection nebula, mag=8.0, size=8.0' x 6.0', SBr=11.9):
Moving up to the eastern most star in Orion’s belt, Zeta Orionis or Alnitak, I then slipped northward 2° to a scalene triangle of three stars (5th, 6th and 8th mag). I followed their line eastward not quite a degree and easily scooped up the famous Messier 78. Known as the brightest reflection nebula in the sky, at 72x it was a readily apparent glow around a pair of 10th mag field stars. It is often described as looking like two headlights in a fog, which is a fairly accurate impression. At 116x and 152x it was quite apparent, though not nearly as detailed as it is at our dark site with the 17.5 inch (understandably). It is a ghostly object that has a bit of a reputation as being difficult in light polluted areas, though I’ve never found it as such in our Bortle 6 skies at home.

NGC 2022 (Orion, planetary nebula, mag=11.6, size=39.0”, SBr=10.4):
Next moving up to Betelgeuse, I went looking for this planetary that I’d not observed in some time. Moving northwest about 5.5° I settled on the loose cluster Collinder 69. Using the southern portion of the cluster as my guide, I spotted a wide pair of stars (8th and 9th mag). At 72x I spotted the dim diffuse presence of the nebula about 9.5’ southeast of the pair of stars. Initially it was a very small and dim fuzzy ball. As I increased magnification to 116x and then 152x, it became easily apparent as a small round grayish orb with no hint of its mag 14.9 central star. Inserting my DGM NPB filter, its contrast was boosted noticeably, though it remained a fuzzy ball of light with even illumination.

Collinder 69 (Orion, open cluster, mag=2.3, size=70.0’, class=II3pn):
Returning my focus to this previously observed cluster, I centered it in the field of view at 72x. Dominated by mag 3.4 Lambda Orionis (Meissa) at its center, this cluster presented a loose scatter of about three dozen stars from third to 10th mag) It seemed the lion’s share of stars lay in the southern and southeastern portion of the cluster’s field. Also of note is mag 4.4 Phi1 Orionis in the southern portion of the cluster field. This star marks the head of the great hunter Orion.

Dolidze 17 (Orion, open cluster, mag=7.6, size=13.2’, class=IV2p):
As an aide, I moved over to this previously observed cluster, just over 1 degree northwest of Gamma Orionis (Bellatrix). Easily spotted at 72x, it presented a poor and loose grouping of about 7 to 8 stars of 7th to 11th magnitude. Even at 116x and 152x it remained an unimpressive clutch of stars. It is not clear whether this is a true cluster or merely a line of sight random grouping of stars. Regardless it was worth a quick look.

Messier 35 / NGC 2168 (Gemini, open cluster, mag=5.1, size=25.0’, class=III2m):
To wrap up my brief outing, I slid up to Gemini which had also slipped past the front edge of our roofline. I quickly swept up one of my favorite open clusters, the delightful Messier 35. Easily spotted in the 8x50 RACI, at 72x it was a pretty collection of stellar points. It displayed some of its characteristic density, though in the brighter sky at home, it was not as impressive as at the dark site, where it can be glimpsed even with the naked eye. At both 116x and 152x it was a glorious sight to behold. Myriad stars filled the field of view with numerous little lines and festoon of member stars. Though I was not seeing the number of stars that I would at the dark site, they were still too numerous to get any kind of reasonable count. I always get a thrill out of this cluster, and believe it to be one of the best in the sky.

NGC 2158 (Gemini, open cluster, mag=8.6, size=5.0’, class=II3r):
This little cluster is always an interesting contrast to the large and bright M35. Not even half a degree southwest of its dominant field mate, this cluster is interesting and beautiful in its own right, when seen from darker skies. Here at home it was detected at 72x as a very small diffuse glow southwest of the M35. As I increased magnification to 116x and 152x it became more apparent and one could readily tell there was something there. However, no individual stars were pulled from the blended glow of its members. At the dark site in the 17.5 inch it resolves nicely into a small condensed cluster, but not so here in the 12 inch. It remained a ghostly diffuse presence, clearly dominated by its neighbor to the northeast.


It was now just past 2230 hours and I decided to head back inside. It had been three months since I last observed and I was happy to be able to get back out under the night sky again. I rolled the 12 inch back into the garage and closed the door. I packed the eyepieces and other peripherals into their case and retreated to the family room. The outing was relaxing and rewarding. I certainly hope to get back over to the dark site in the near future, weather and time permitting. I am going through severe galaxy hunting withdrawal and I need a hit. :icon-smile: Keep looking up friends, because that is where the cool stuff is!
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
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"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#2

Post by Bigzmey »


Glad to see you back in saddle Alan. I also had a slow start in 2023, other than two quick sessions to catch Saturn-Venus conjunction and C/2022 E3 (ZTF) I have not done any observing yet. We are having wet and cold (by local standards) winter, looking forward warmer and dryer spring.
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: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#3

Post by helicon »


First of all I hope the health issues are behind you Alan. I know illness is never fun. Congrats on being able to enjoy a rare evening out under the stars and thanks for the spot-on descriptions of the deep sky objects therein as well as the comet. Seems like a lot of us were able to catch it and certainly by the magnitude of your report it's well worthy of today's VROD.
-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 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#4

Post by Gordon »


You've been busy Alan!

Congratulations on the VROD! 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.
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#5

Post by kt4hx »


Bigzmey wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2023 7:15 pm Glad to see you back in saddle Alan. I also had a slow start in 2023, other than two quick sessions to catch Saturn-Venus conjunction and C/2022 E3 (ZTF) I have not done any observing yet. We are having wet and cold (by local standards) winter, looking forward warmer and dryer spring.

Thank you Andrey. Slow starts this year seems to be the theme for sure! Hopefully we will get up to speed over the coming months and things will return to a sense of normalcy. Good luck there and hope your conditions start improving soon.

helicon wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2023 7:22 pm First of all I hope the health issues are behind you Alan. I know illness is never fun. Congrats on being able to enjoy a rare evening out under the stars and thanks for the spot-on descriptions of the deep sky objects therein as well as the comet. Seems like a lot of us were able to catch it and certainly by the magnitude of your report it's well worthy of today's VROD.

Thank you Michael. I think for the most part the health issues are dwindling day by day. The most problematic has been the insistent feeling of fatigue. I do some things around the house but I seem to get more tired from them than what I see as typical. Of course I am coming up on 69 yrs old this year, so perhaps age is also a factor! :lol: Anyway, looking forward to the coming months to see how conditions shape up. Appreciate the nod and wishing you good conditions in your corner of the world.

Gordon wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2023 7:36 pm You've been busy Alan!

Congratulations on the VROD! Well deserved.

Thank you Gordon. Busy briefly anyway! :icon-smile: It felt good to do something under the night sky for a change. Hope your conditions are kind to you 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 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#6

Post by Lady Fraktor »


A great report Alan, good to hear you are getting back out there.
Hopefully you are feeling better daily. :)
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
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#7

Post by kt4hx »


Lady Fraktor wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2023 7:56 pm A great report Alan, good to hear you are getting back out there.
Hopefully you are feeling better daily. :)

Thank you Gabrielle. It was nice to do something like that after being derailed for a while. Particularly after dealing with whatever we we've been dealing with health-wise.
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 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#8

Post by John Baars »


Glad to see you back at the telescope. Good you enjoyed it!
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 : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *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 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#9

Post by Ylem »


Congratulations on your wonderful session and VROD Alan!
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


Member; ASTRA-NJ



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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#10

Post by kt4hx »


John Baars wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2023 10:15 pm Glad to see you back at the telescope. Good you enjoyed it!
Congratulations on the VROD!

Thank you John. Indeed it was fun!

Ylem wrote: Tue Feb 14, 2023 11:29 pm Congratulations on your wonderful session and VROD Alan!

Thank you Jeff, 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 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#11

Post by Unitron48 »


Happy to have you back with us! Congrats on your VROD!

Dave
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#12

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


We have missed your reports Alan and you have come back as strong as ever.

I hope you are feeling much better now.

Congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD award for your effort.
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#13

Post by kt4hx »


Unitron48 wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:00 pm Happy to have you back with us! Congrats on your VROD!

Dave

Thank you Dave. Was fun to get out and flex my observing muscles! :icon-smile:

Butterfly Maiden wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:28 pm We have missed your reports Alan and you have come back as strong as ever.

I hope you are feeling much better now.

Congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD award for your effort.

Thank you Vanessa. It truly felt good to get out there and look up for a change.

We are doing pretty good, which is nice indeed! :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 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#14

Post by kt4hx »


kt4hx wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 3:10 pm
Unitron48 wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:00 pm Happy to have you back with us! Congrats on your VROD!

Dave

Thank you Dave. Was fun to get out and flex my observing muscles! :icon-smile:

Butterfly Maiden wrote: Wed Feb 15, 2023 1:28 pm We have missed your reports Alan and you have come back as strong as ever.

I hope you are feeling much better now.

Congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD award for your effort.

Thank you Vanessa. It truly felt good to get out there and look up for a change. Even Stubby (my avatar) was out there with me for a bit as well!

We are doing pretty good, which is nice indeed! :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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Makuser United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#15

Post by Makuser »


Hi Alan and sorry to come in late. A lot folks caught the flu just after the holiday season but I am glad to see that you are back in action again. Wow, you caught Mars, Comet C/2022 E3, and a nice haul of DSO targets in your session. Thanks for sharing your report with us on here Alan and congratulations on receiving another well deserved TSS VROD Award.
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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Falcon 63 Australia
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#16

Post by Falcon 63 »


G'day Alan,

great report as usual. Rolled the 12 inch back in...that's what I need...wheels.
Lugging the dob out has lost it's shine as I get older.
Telescopes Saxon 10" x 1200 Dobsonian, Bresser 114 x 500 Dobsonian, Saxon 70 x 400 Refractor.
Eyepieces ES 82* 2" 18mm, 1.25" 11mm, GSO 2" 30mm superview, Seben mzt 8-24, Sky Watcher 58* 4mm and various Plossls.
Bino's Saxon 10 x 50, Carton 12 x 50, 10 x 25 ucf.
Other Skywatcher Solar System Imager
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#17

Post by kt4hx »


Falcon 63 wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:11 am G'day Alan,

great report as usual. Rolled the 12 inch back in...that's what I need...wheels.
Lugging the dob out has lost it's shine as I get older.

G'day Wayne!

Nice to see you signing on here. It was nice to get back out after a bit of a hiatus, even if it was only a basic report. I have the 12 inch on a small cart so I can move it around the garage as needed when tidying up in there. In this case it was simple to roll it out for a quick look. But if I wish to move it to the backyard, then I have to carry it or use a hand dolly. Because our light pollution has increased noticeably at home, I tend to do most of my observing at our dark site with the 17.5 inch. Darker skies, more apertrure - the perfect combination! Take care old friend and hope to see you around some more.
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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Falcon 63 Australia
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#18

Post by Falcon 63 »


kt4hx wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:19 am
Falcon 63 wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:11 am G'day Alan,

great report as usual. Rolled the 12 inch back in...that's what I need...wheels.
Lugging the dob out has lost it's shine as I get older.

G'day Wayne!

Nice to see you signing on here. It was nice to get back out after a bit of a hiatus, even if it was only a basic report. I have the 12 inch on a small cart so I can move it around the garage as needed when tidying up in there. In this case it was simple to roll it out for a quick look. But if I wish to move it to the backyard, then I have to carry it or use a hand dolly. Because our light pollution has increased noticeably at home, I tend to do most of my observing at our dark site with the 17.5 inch. Darker skies, more apertrure - the perfect combination! Take care old friend and hope to see you around some more.

Thanks Alan, nice to be back. I'd take a guess that the 17.5 is a semi permanent fixture at the dark site.
Just lugging my 10 inch Saxon out to some darker skies is a mission :lol:
Telescopes Saxon 10" x 1200 Dobsonian, Bresser 114 x 500 Dobsonian, Saxon 70 x 400 Refractor.
Eyepieces ES 82* 2" 18mm, 1.25" 11mm, GSO 2" 30mm superview, Seben mzt 8-24, Sky Watcher 58* 4mm and various Plossls.
Bino's Saxon 10 x 50, Carton 12 x 50, 10 x 25 ucf.
Other Skywatcher Solar System Imager
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#19

Post by kt4hx »


Falcon 63 wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 3:27 pm
kt4hx wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:19 am
Falcon 63 wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:11 am G'day Alan,

great report as usual. Rolled the 12 inch back in...that's what I need...wheels.
Lugging the dob out has lost it's shine as I get older.

G'day Wayne!

Nice to see you signing on here. It was nice to get back out after a bit of a hiatus, even if it was only a basic report. I have the 12 inch on a small cart so I can move it around the garage as needed when tidying up in there. In this case it was simple to roll it out for a quick look. But if I wish to move it to the backyard, then I have to carry it or use a hand dolly. Because our light pollution has increased noticeably at home, I tend to do most of my observing at our dark site with the 17.5 inch. Darker skies, more apertrure - the perfect combination! Take care old friend and hope to see you around some more.

Thanks Alan, nice to be back. I'd take a guess that the 17.5 is a semi permanent fixture at the dark site.
Just lugging my 10 inch Saxon out to some darker skies is a mission :lol:

Absolutely Wayne, I keep the big scope full time in the garage at our second house in the western part of the state. All I have to do is roll it out of the garage (wheelbarrow handles) to the observing position. On average the sky there is at least three Bortle levels darker than at home.
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
kt4hx United States of America
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Re: Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it!

#20

Post by kt4hx »


kt4hx wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 3:43 pm
Falcon 63 wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 3:27 pm
kt4hx wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:19 am


G'day Wayne!

Nice to see you signing on here. It was nice to get back out after a bit of a hiatus, even if it was only a basic report. I have the 12 inch on a small cart so I can move it around the garage as needed when tidying up in there. In this case it was simple to roll it out for a quick look. But if I wish to move it to the backyard, then I have to carry it or use a hand dolly. Because our light pollution has increased noticeably at home, I tend to do most of my observing at our dark site with the 17.5 inch. Darker skies, more apertrure - the perfect combination! Take care old friend and hope to see you around some more.

Thanks Alan, nice to be back. I'd take a guess that the 17.5 is a semi permanent fixture at the dark site.
Just lugging my 10 inch Saxon out to some darker skies is a mission :lol:

Absolutely Wayne, I keep the big scope full time in the garage at our second house in the western part of the state. All I have to do is roll it out of the garage (wheelbarrow handles) to the observing position. On average the sky there is about three Bortle levels darker than at home.
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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