tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66178858094914369332024-03-05T00:25:45.438-05:00Royston's Cosmic LogThe tales of one man scanning the universe with a telescope.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-40973154323482014182009-05-14T00:01:00.003-04:002009-05-14T00:15:37.945-04:00May 13, 2009 Observing ReportAfter nearly a month, I was finally able to get a session in. We have had 2 weeks straight of cruddy nights. Actually, although clear, tonight was not great either. There seemed to be quite a bit of moisture in the air, even though it was cool for May. That did not stop me from trying using the scope.<br /><br />I started the session around 10:45pm with Saturn. It was not at its best, but pretty nonetheless, with 2 moon showing nicely. Next was the Leo Triplet. This one was tough. My neighbor's backyard light was on and washed out quite a bit of the sky. In the UWAN 16mm giving me 37x, I was able to faintly see all three galaxies. It made me want to get out to a dark sight. There just are too many street and house lights around, even at 11pm.<br /><br />After Leo, I then tried to hit M104 (Sumbrero Galaxy) to no avail. The sky was too bright for this attempt. Dejected, I then tried M5, by now it was 11:30pm and my eyes were getting better adjusted. The globular cluster was an easy find, and I was quite happy. The happiness did not last too long, though as the 80mm refractor provided a mushy view of the cluster. I am not sure if it was the aperture or seeing conditions. <br /><br />I then tried to hit clusters M10 and M12, but at this point the clouds were fighting me and I called it a night. It did feel great to get outside. <br /><br />Objects seen:<br />Saturn<br />Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628)<br />M5<br />Several doublesRoyston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-75810260272989823502009-05-08T12:12:00.002-04:002009-05-08T12:14:55.558-04:00April 29, 2009 Moon ImageI forgot to post this shot here. I am quite happy with the sharpness and focus. It was my first attempt at a non full moon. This made quite the difference in focus. Of course, having more aperture and focal length would make focusing a lot better.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakphoto72/3487767888/" title="Moon 4.29.09 by Alpha Photo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3614/3487767888_3983ca9134.jpg" alt="Moon 4.29.09" width="500" height="400" /></a></div>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-19156506377129690172009-04-16T01:49:00.003-04:002009-04-16T02:18:08.231-04:00April 16, 2009 Observing ReportThis was a quick one hour session as I was a bit tired after a late day trip to Boston with the family. We arrived home around 10pm and I was able to set the scope out at 11:00 for a proper cooldown. It was around 12:40am that I went outside to begin the session.<br /><br />First up as usual was Saturn. It is still at a nice position in the sky, but bordering my southern haze, which is caused by the heat emanating from my neighbor's house. Nonetheless, the ringed planet was a pleasure to track. Brightest views of course were in the 16mm UWAN, which gives me 37.5x magnification. The 4mm BO/TMB also gave a crisp disk, but at 150x mag in the 80mm scope, the view was not bright enough tonight. There have been better nights.<br /><br />Up next and very close to Saturn was the Leo Triplet. I had to go back there as during my last DSO(deep sky objects) session I forgot to get views of the galaxies. Tonights view in the 16mm UWAN did not dissapoint. The only problem was that I was starting to yearn for a bit more aperture. I began to wonder what I would be able to see in a 5" or 6" scope, refractor of course.<br /><br />From there, I had a problem settling on a target. It was not the fault of the scope. I just had not put enough forethought into what to see tonight. I was not planning on it being cloudless. After looking at my charts I decided on M57. It was a quick find tonight. I started with the star Vega and moved over to the Nebula. It was best seen in the 16mm UWAN. Again aperature fever struck. I was pondering the view in larger scopes. Also I wondered if an Ultrablock filter might show me anything. Probably not in the 3.2" scope.<br /><br />After enjoying the Ring Nebula, I settled on M92, the globular cluster in Hercules. It was an easy catch in the 9x50 finder, and both the 16mm UWAN and the 4mm BO/TMB provided superb views. From there I went to M13, another globular in Hercules, which provided similar views. Both of these clusters were the highlight of the night. For whatever reason, I was able to resovle stars at the edge of the clusters. I have never been able to do that before. Again, I am pushing the limits of the 80ED refractor, but they really did look superb today.<br /><br />This highpoint concluded the session as I was tiring. I would have to say the theme of the night was aperture fever. Oh, and since I have not discussed the mount up to this point, it must have done it's job and not gotten in the way. The EZ Touch is really great. Tracking is easy and the movement is so smooth that finding object is a breeze. The mount has been a great investment and I know that it will easily support that larger scope I see myself getting when the time is<br />right.<br /><br />Objects seen:<br />Saturn<br />Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628)<br />M57<br />M92<br />M13Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-27012349251340339012009-04-10T00:32:00.003-04:002009-04-10T00:37:00.291-04:00April 10, 2009 Full MoonTake a chance to go out to grab a shot at the full moon. Come out OK, but I feel that focusing is off. I need to get the moon closer for the shot.<br /><br /><br />Equipment: Orion 80ED<br /> Sony A100 DSLR<br /> Wo EZ Touch Mount<br /> 1/640sec<br /> ISO-100<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3d-jTe3Sk-NUsDkPbRcGvzgNyTJX5wD_odCSQqYFfOFD8dk3r4eYqB_MLjJtRXnEv4KEBOmw7EQ24CsMZjh4vvJDiwvK8DE-K9puFsdu5OgnaR7kI8JXVftNm5dGyo2ffPm3q2ly-iM/s1600-h/Moon+4.10.09.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3d-jTe3Sk-NUsDkPbRcGvzgNyTJX5wD_odCSQqYFfOFD8dk3r4eYqB_MLjJtRXnEv4KEBOmw7EQ24CsMZjh4vvJDiwvK8DE-K9puFsdu5OgnaR7kI8JXVftNm5dGyo2ffPm3q2ly-iM/s400/Moon+4.10.09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322916831941219394" border="0" /></a>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-19974929258633495222009-04-05T23:18:00.003-04:002009-04-06T11:29:21.392-04:00April 5, 2009 Observing ReportAfter 5 days of staring at the new mount, I was finally able to put it to it's proper use. We had 5 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">straight</span> cloudy night after the mount arrived. That is about par for the new equipment curse. In the end though it was worth the wait. In short, the mount is very solid and a perfect match for the Orion 80ED.<br /><br />As usual, I took the scope out at 7:00pm for its normal cool down period. At 8PM, I tool a quick look at M42. The scope swung over nicely and I had the Orion nebula into the 16mm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">UWAN</span> field of view in a matter of seconds. Then I swung over to the moon in another 5 seconds. I could tell that this mount was going to be great. I went back in the house to complete my nightly duties(kids' baths and bedtime time reading). In between I would sneak out for a few quick peaks through the scope.<br /><br />At around 10:15pm I got down to business. Because of the moons brightness, I chose only Saturn and moon itself as targets for the nights. Swinging back <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">and</span> forth between the two was very easy. It was a pleasure to use the mount. There was minimal vibration on my lawn. Even giving the tripod a good wrap, resulted in sub-second recovery time. I could not believe the difference from the old mount. <br /><br />Saturn was looking really good to today, especially with the 5mm BO/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">TMB</span> planetary giving me 120x power. I could see some banding and the ring system showed up nicely across the planet. The view was so nice, I was yearning for some more power. Two moons were also visible, one on each side of the planet. Also, with the 60 degree <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">FOV</span> of the eyepiece, the planet stayed in view for quite some time, so I did not really notice any problem in not having slow motion controls. I would just move using the base of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">focuser</span> or the diagonal. It was very smooth.<br /><br />I spent the greater part of the session on the moon. This was my first lunar experience with both the mount and the 16mm <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">UWAN</span>. One word describes the experience. Wow! It was beautiful and bright. I now need a filter to dim the satellite. The eyepiece gives me 37.5x power, and the 82 degree <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">FOV</span> means that the subject stayed in view for a good 5-7 minutes. this meant I had to rarely move the mount. The one thing I did notice with the eyepiece is some purple color (chroma) when the moon was in the far right of the eyepiece. This was only with the brighter side of the moon. When it drifter over to the left side, the color was green. It was not too bad, but was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">noticeable</span>. <br /><br />Putting the 5mm BO/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">TMB</span> into the diagonal, I was allowed to study the numerous craters on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Luna</span>. Again, with this mount, the views were extremely steady. I was having a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">wonderful</span> time. This had to be the best <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Luna</span> experience I have ever had. It of course left me wanting more. I am in need of a good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">barlow</span> to provide me some closer views of those craters. Also, with the BO/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">TMB</span>, I noticed no color on the moon. This was quite interesting.<br /><br />Around 11pm, the clouds started rolling in and I took my equipment in for the night. I told my wife that the mount is excellent. It held up really well, even with the 15mph winds I forgot to mention earlier. Also, slewing from object to object was really a breeze and tracking was simple. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">UWAN</span> is working out real well, but I have to look into that off axis color. I noticed some with Saturn, but a bit more on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">the</span> moon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6PCCHt9_5qFer0lnsS8FMSbEF0LDVk9bKhVRNQ2xSZBYcLMrFNhvo2aN1h_j_65qT1EHSh3y3fjYGz07karl-mNWgBCE3K7KRhvnJz32dLpCYdMnuHQolFOZblCWde8veuvxeldVr-k/s1600-h/WO-EZ-Touch-with-Orion-80ED.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6PCCHt9_5qFer0lnsS8FMSbEF0LDVk9bKhVRNQ2xSZBYcLMrFNhvo2aN1h_j_65qT1EHSh3y3fjYGz07karl-mNWgBCE3K7KRhvnJz32dLpCYdMnuHQolFOZblCWde8veuvxeldVr-k/s400/WO-EZ-Touch-with-Orion-80ED.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321412867441687298" border="0" /></a>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-39248451021513651402009-03-30T17:29:00.005-04:002009-03-30T17:35:40.636-04:00Waiting on the WO Eazy TouchThe mount should arrive this week. The weather has been dismal and may continue to be after the Eazt Touch arrives. Last Thursday, the WO Dovetail did arrive and I have attached it to the Orion ED80. It is quite the piece of metal!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvJ_76oTg_u9s1MXMl4uWcYb0yDm_U8PzepIGm5sjYdZEJcA2FQPGsMLgsNRM1XAU-lm8snjp0QOdDcmqT31SceNkmfZBRnlDwDFiTLwpwqNCwHXRwgGEUkWJaES_-vwTHGOtIhIt6-I/s1600-h/Orion+ED80+with+WO+Dovetail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvJ_76oTg_u9s1MXMl4uWcYb0yDm_U8PzepIGm5sjYdZEJcA2FQPGsMLgsNRM1XAU-lm8snjp0QOdDcmqT31SceNkmfZBRnlDwDFiTLwpwqNCwHXRwgGEUkWJaES_-vwTHGOtIhIt6-I/s400/Orion+ED80+with+WO+Dovetail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319096923485724082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzIWSRY0oS9p1TS1xZxPS6DE7tj9_vMnyFURVtoxTsvp0GEujZ3qXfJY9gB4L1hyphenhyphenatJcotdu34BAPGjYjVKX6cVz-jfWAQsINFiAssZivl9YOWS4w8Q4vxICVqK5w4MDHpkhA015OMoA/s1600-h/Orion+ED80+with+WO+Dovetail+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzIWSRY0oS9p1TS1xZxPS6DE7tj9_vMnyFURVtoxTsvp0GEujZ3qXfJY9gB4L1hyphenhyphenatJcotdu34BAPGjYjVKX6cVz-jfWAQsINFiAssZivl9YOWS4w8Q4vxICVqK5w4MDHpkhA015OMoA/s400/Orion+ED80+with+WO+Dovetail+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319097343448825330" border="0" /></a>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-28481531366782136602009-03-24T23:53:00.004-04:002009-03-25T00:34:07.094-04:00March 24, 2009 Observing ReportToday was quite interesting. I took the scope out at about 9:15pm to cool down a little. It is still quite cold here in Rhode Island. I took another quick look at the Orion Nebula(M42). It is quite beautiful and I wish I could get some more time exploring the trap. I will have to do that soon before it hides for the summer.<br /><br />At about 10:15, I went out with a stool to begin my session. As has been the past couple of nights, I started with Saturn. I viewed it with the WO UWAN 16mm (37.5x) and the BO/TMB 4mm (150x) and quite enjoyed the ringed planet. The air seemed quite steady tonight so the seeing was quite good. This was great, because the last day was quite breezy and unsteady.<br /><br />I then began the interesting part of the night. First, I thought I would try to find M3. Having seen it before, I thought it would be easy to get to. A combination of bad light pollution and a shaky mount contributed to 25 minutes of fruitless searching. I decided to go to the constellation Virgo and work my way over from there. <br /><br />Looking at S&Ts Pocket Sky Atlas, I saw that M53 was close my in Coma Berenices. This proved to be an easy find as it is right next to one of the corner stars. M53 is a globular cluster at 7.6 magnitude and was a decent view in the Orion 80ED coupled with the 16mm UWAN. From there I easily hoped over to M64 (Black-Eye Galaxy) which is 8.5 magnitude. Again , the detail was not great in the 3.15" aperture scope, but I was quite happy to find it. It made me feel better in my sky hopping abilities.<br /><br />From M53 I slewed over to the star Muphrid in the constellation Bootes. At this point, the time was about 11:15pm and the sky was a bit darker, with M3 being a little higher in the sky. It was an easy find now and the 6.3 mag globular cluster was a fun sight in the UWAN (37.5x) and the 10mm Sirius plossl (60x). Next, I hoped over to the star Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici. From there is was a quick jump to M63 (Sunflower Galaxy) which is 8.6 mag. I ended the night with a look at the 8.2 mag M94 galaxy.<br /><br />At this point, I was freezing. Next time I must remember to double up on the socks. The night was quite successful overall even with the terrible start. The good news is that I finally placed an order for the William Optics Eazy Touch mount yesterday. I expect it to come in within a week from now with the requisite cloudy nights to follow.<br /><br />Objects Seen:<br />M42<br />Saturn<br />M53 (first time)<br />M64 (first time)<br />M3<br />M63 (first time)<br />M94 (first time)Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-19334324387913661352009-03-23T00:30:00.003-04:002009-03-30T17:27:14.114-04:00March 22, 2009 Observing ReportI ordered the eyepiece off of William Optics Ebay store on Tuesday and it arrived from Taiwan on in great shape on Saturday. After a quick view tonight, I have to say it was $180 well spent. The eyepiece was brand new in a sealed bag.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF464N26LvXUykQTUtt9rQwHjZG36Js6WnTBxU0WkMvwGu6UYjcImipgR3-faiRZ1B-wzpjfi-PRAVQTGsdy-6ic9ABkQxtsr-5-JsvYFULcN4rtBL3wyVueU4ye0xKbTMTwlh7USh6h8/s1600-h/WO+UWAN+16mm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 338px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF464N26LvXUykQTUtt9rQwHjZG36Js6WnTBxU0WkMvwGu6UYjcImipgR3-faiRZ1B-wzpjfi-PRAVQTGsdy-6ic9ABkQxtsr-5-JsvYFULcN4rtBL3wyVueU4ye0xKbTMTwlh7USh6h8/s400/WO+UWAN+16mm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319095199971684306" border="0" /></a><br />I coupled it with the Orion ED80 and it really shone on M42. Not only was the nebula in clean view, but also the surrounding nebula. Also with that wide field of view it was lovely to not have to slew the scope as much. The mount jiggles too much as is.<br /><br />Next I went to M45 and was floored with the amount of stars that showed. You have to remember that I am upgrading from the Orion Sirius 25mm. This eyepiece rocks!<br />There is one problem though. Now I want to round out the eyepiece set with the 4mm, 7mm and 2-inch 28mm. The latter will require a 2" Diagonal. Yeah, this is a serious issue, but first I have to address the mount problem.<br /><br />After putting the little ones to sleep, I went back out for round 2 of the observations. This time I headed for some different objects. M44 was killer, the Beehive was sparkling with nice crisp stars. I then tackled M67 and was quite happy to see it for the first time.<br /><br />I then headed over to Saturn and quite enjoyed the planet with several of the moons. After that I closed the session with another first, the Leo Triplet. I could never get this grouping with any of the other eyepieces, but with the 17mm UWAN, it was as clear as day. I was psyched.<br /><br />Objects seen:<br />M42<br />M45<br />M44<br />M67<br />Saturn<br />Leo Triplet (M65, M66, NGC3628Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-49083647532949662082009-03-21T00:13:00.003-04:002009-03-21T00:39:27.086-04:00March 20, 2009 Observing ReportAhhhh! What a difference from Sunday. Seeing was great tonight. I set the scope up at 7:45pm and took a good peak at M42. It was great again. Could nicely make out the trap and quite a bit of nebulosity, thanks to averted vision. Man I could have studied it longer, but I had one child with wet hair on the floor upstairs and another in the shower, waiting for her bath.<br /><br />Around 11pm I go to go back out. This is when the fun began. I began with the M81/82 combo, Bodes Galaxies. It took about 2-3 minutes to find and showed up well with the 25mm Sirius Plossl(24x). I have to admit that the 20mm of the set is quite useless. It had to be taken out of rotation. The 10mm Plossl(60x) worked rather well. I saw some decent shape in both galaxies. Next up was the TMB/BO 4mm Planetary(150x). Now I know that this was pushing it, but ma I had to try. Both galaxies showed up, but were very faint.<br /><br />Up next was M101, the Pinwheel Galaxy. This one took about 10 minutes to find. It ws quite faint in all 3 eyepieces, with the 10mm showing me the best detail. I am glad to have found it in the 80ED, but now I am getting hungry for more aperture. After conquering M101, I moved over to M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy. This one only took 2 minutes to find, if that. Again, as with M101, the galaxy was faint, but I was able to see both cores and some of the spiral arms.<br /><br />After all that deep sky success, I moved over to the ringed planet Saturn. This was the first time with the Orion 80ED scope and I was very happy. I was able to spend a few minutes with the TMB/BO 4mm and enjoyed the view like never before. It was even better on Saturn that when I last looked at Jupiter a couple of years back.<br /><br />Well this was the end of a successful night and I can't wait to get out a bit earlier next time, when I can try M44 and the Christmas Tree Cluster. The one thing to take away from the viewing is the need for a more stable mount. I really had a hard time keeping all the views steady.<br /><br />Objects seen:<br />M81<br />M82<br />M101<br />M51<br />Saturn<br />RegulusRoyston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-28421142304331417692009-03-20T12:37:00.002-04:002009-03-20T12:48:06.223-04:00Feb. 20, 2008 Lunar EclipseNever go around to posting this. I was about 10 minutes out of totality. Loved how it cam out.<br /><br />Orion 80ED with Sony Alpha A100 prime focus.<br /><br />Exposure: 2 sec (2)<br />Aperture: f/1<br />ISO Speed: 200<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakphoto72/2281185118/" title="Lunar Eclipse by Alpha Photo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2281185118_dbef6d18f5.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Lunar Eclipse" /></a>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-69191573650668594962009-03-20T11:58:00.003-04:002009-03-20T12:15:51.211-04:00March 15, 2009 Observing ReportMan, I finally had a chance to get the scope out. 2008 was not a good year for observing. We had lots of issues with Sophie and her G-Tube, so many nights spent with her or flat out exhausted. Anyway, the tube is out for now and she is eating better with our help. Lets hope it stays that way.<br /><br />I took the scope out around 8pm to cool off, knowing that it would be hours later that I would observe. Before I went in though, I took a look at M42 and was astonished at the detail that even the 20mm plossl could give. I stayed with the scope for a few minutes taking in the grandeur that is the Orion Nebula. I had never had such a view of it and could not take my eyes away.<br /><br />After putting the kids to bed and a workout, I went outside at around 11pm. The seeing was not too great. This did not deter me though and I set about searching for a couple of objects. This is where frustration set in. I am not happy with 2 things about my setup.<br /><br />First, the mount in truly in capable of handling the 80ED scope. It was shaking too much and the scope would sometimes drop to the zenith, even after attempts to tighten it up a bit. I still hope to step up either to the WO EAZY touch or a GEM in a bit higher price range. Funds are not abundant at the moment, so frustrations will continue.<br /><br />The second thing thing that disappointed me was my eyepiece collection. My lower power eyepieces are all plossls and I need to upgrade to something better. I feel that I can get better views from the scope, even on less that optimal seeing nights and believe the eyepieces to be the limiting factor. To rectify this, I have a WO UWAN 16mm coming in. It should arrive next week and will replace both the 20mm and 25mm Orion Sirius Plossls.<br /><br />So my attempts to locate some galaxies around Ursa Major(M81, M82, M101 and M51) were in vain. Now I know I am pushing it with the scope from a less than ideal location, but I thought it would be OK. I will try again tonight if the sky remains clear. Lets hope my luck comes in. I am confident I can locates their region, seeing them would be fun.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-71364456352832535442007-11-12T12:31:00.000-05:002007-11-12T12:33:07.362-05:00Comet HolmesFinally got a glimpse of the comet last night. very easy to see with the naked eye. It really showed well in the ED80 with a 20mm plossl. My wife even enjoyed it. Was her first look through the scope. She is not a dark sky lover like me.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-42526746116482662062007-10-15T13:13:00.000-04:002007-10-15T13:37:36.866-04:00October 14, 2007 Observing Report<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Whohoo</span>!! It has been nearly a month since my last session. This one was short, about 50min, but sweet. I have been really tired lately, lots going on at the home. The skies were super clear, Andromeda could be seen with the naked eye, as well as several open clusters.<br /><br />Here is the list from last night with comments.<br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">11:00PM - 11:50PM</span></strong><br /><strong>M45 (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pleiades</span>):</strong> This looked superb. Lots of stars were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">apparent</span>, with some faint nebulosity.<br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Alderbaran</span> in Taurus:</strong> Was fun to look at. The star was superb, but was eclipsed by the amount of stars in the area. When I get a long session, I would like too spend some more time here.<br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">NGC</span>869/884 (Double Cluster):</strong> Excellent at 30x. More stars than any other time viewed.<br /><strong>M31 (Andromeda Galaxy):</strong> This was my best view ever. Got <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">alot</span> of detail even at 60x. Need to spend more time here as well.<br /><strong>M34 (Open Cluster):</strong> This I ran into again. Was a great site and had to look at the Pocket Sky Atlas to confirm.<br /><strong>M27 (Dumbbell Nebula):</strong> Looked nice. Got rare detail at 60x. Would like to get a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">UHC</span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">OIII</span> filter to try on this.<br /><strong>Mars:</strong> The red planet was in a tough spot. At 11:45PM, it was just rising over the neighbors garage. Another month and it will look great around midnight.<br /><br />After a month of clouds, the moon and sick children, I was happy with the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">quick</span> session that I got. I am still not happy with the mount, but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">c'est</span> la vie. When funds permit, I will be upgrading.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-61939517260608587462007-10-09T13:26:00.001-04:002007-10-09T13:33:28.041-04:00Another Day, Another Cloudy NightThe last couple of weeks have been sad around here. We have had about 70% cloudy skies with zero opportunity to use the telescope. Some nights the skies look promising, but as soon as the sun sets, the clouds follow. Sometimes, fog has actually rolled in and added another layer of depression. I have checked the long range forecast and it seems that this will continue for at least 4 more days. Oh well, hopefully this will be made up with countless starry nights in a row.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-56312619280727350212007-10-04T09:34:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:35:37.295-04:00Oh to view through the scope again!!!Seems like forever since my last session. The moon can do that to you, but couple that with bad weather and some aches and pains and it's been over 2 weeks since my last long session. Hopefully the weather changes soon here while the new moon shows up. I have a few Messiers I would like to check off before they leave for the year.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-67747893598269174162007-10-02T14:12:00.001-04:002007-10-04T16:35:41.731-04:00Update on the BO/TMB Eyepiece SaleIt seems that this is not a sale, but an actual reduction in price. The new retail price is $59. Here is a link to the <a href="https://www.highpointscientific.com/store/searchItem.asp">High Point Scientific</a> price list.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-68679019269360521072007-10-01T21:58:00.001-04:002007-10-02T14:11:26.992-04:00Great Eyepiece DealsSeems like the holiday season has started early for eyepiece lovers. Televue and Baader have some great sales running and it seems BO/TMB has joined them, well at from one vendor. <br /><br />To start, in honor of the newly released Ethos, Televue has commissioned a 13% of sale on many of their eyepieces and some barlows. Radians that were selling at $249 are now $212. The Naglers and Panoptics are also on sale. Here is a link to the <a href="http://www.optcorp.com/televue.aspx">Televue</a> sale at Oceanside Photo and Telescope which runs until December 31, 2007.<br /><br />Baader Planetarium has a $30 off sale on their Hyperion series. Normally these run at $129 and are now $99. The series ranges from 3.5mm to 21mm in focal length, while the FOV is 68 degrees with 20mm of eye relief. Here is a link to the <a href="http://www.optcorp.com/productList.aspx?uid=&pg=0&kw=Save%20$30%20until%20December%2031&st=1">Baader</a> sale at OPT which runs until December 31, 2007.<br /><br />The BO/TMB sale is not well advertised. It seems that Highpoint Scientific has them on sale for $59, which is $40 off their normal price. This would make them the bargain of the year. I have the 4mm abd would love to add another to my collection. Here is a <a href="http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1878701/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1">discussion </a>over at Cloudy Nights where I first heard about the sale.<br /><br />Of the sales so far, the BO/TMB fits right in with my budget, or lack there of. I hope the sale runs for a long enough time for me to decide.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-56239558990293654322007-09-29T05:54:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:36.958-04:00First Venus Sighting of the SeasonThis may sound like an odd observation, but I just went up to shut off my little one's feeding pump and decided to pull up her window shade for a look out at the sky. Her window is on the second floor and faces due east. As I looked out all I could think was, "boy oh boy, Venus is huge." Can't wait to get the telescope out and view it and Saturn. I have not seen either with the new scope.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-4034647702188318612007-09-24T22:37:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:24.852-04:00Moon: September 23, 2007<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQWY6W0INqXXpNT25ygKZOfYAPBfykFyo6tb7uhsK4y4LogFQg1ydSepFORC-RlZhpk4ix0CoNNNyrqoaZVjV_pJqilODiyuUcAdAXlGHCzqLfi66NBU-bwYgN8uwsg3k5eFRaL_uxFg/s1600-h/moon+9.23.07.JPG"></a><br /><br /><div>Got a better shot today. I focused on a star first and then moved to the moon. </div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>BTW, The moon looked wonderful today using the 4mm BO/TMB. Best view of the satellite I have ever had. Detail was great and crisp. Two thing I would like to add are a variable polarizing filter and a 2x Barlow. They have been added to my wish list along with a better mount.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>ISO200</div><div>1/200 sec</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtPIcd-V-9Lhhk46gJetwhrawZxuRT1Qzez7BQ6iAlO4RITs0aKlCv4ORwttxaenb1pCOQ8DFDSvSWKq0nYC8rmC3YAhX8GUwuZ9i4fTfOSRjWcAo6xXAUevBqcOxTIRuC8xXz2btaBk/s1600-h/moon+9.23.07.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113967752974789378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtPIcd-V-9Lhhk46gJetwhrawZxuRT1Qzez7BQ6iAlO4RITs0aKlCv4ORwttxaenb1pCOQ8DFDSvSWKq0nYC8rmC3YAhX8GUwuZ9i4fTfOSRjWcAo6xXAUevBqcOxTIRuC8xXz2btaBk/s400/moon+9.23.07.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-50726769190361657862007-09-23T22:59:00.001-04:002007-10-04T16:36:47.421-04:00My First Scope<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjbDXnkNsPhyphenhyphenI92ErCrxjdoWyhuebporizsfHCncq2snnlvHKYDYIi0vz_2xjSJL4e17ckQcGFZUbsi_5BwCHH7NbmR7RAjUx1Z0ITX39lh2JTO-HC4QLIg1pO4Nk6gi6r3WsQkiKctw/s1600-h/DSC04578+%28Medium%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjbDXnkNsPhyphenhyphenI92ErCrxjdoWyhuebporizsfHCncq2snnlvHKYDYIi0vz_2xjSJL4e17ckQcGFZUbsi_5BwCHH7NbmR7RAjUx1Z0ITX39lh2JTO-HC4QLIg1pO4Nk6gi6r3WsQkiKctw/s400/DSC04578+%28Medium%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113601160336206562" border="0" /></a><br />This piece of history has been hiding in my parent's basement for nearly 20 years. I decided to open the box and present it for whomever to see. The views through it are not good anymore, too much fungus on the glass.<br /><br />The scope is a Jason Empire StarSearch 303. It has a 50mm objective and is 625mm in focal length. This makes it an F12 scope. With it, I used to view Mars, the Moon and even caught Halley's Comet back in 1986.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-73834411517540282972007-09-20T21:57:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:24.852-04:00Quarter Moon 9.20.2007<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8CebtntMOyeD0gwCXohBMEC-LuULlVfaCIkNJoKJOsJ5t6KjOiliT2Qw-LBzdNOHR-dMy8JrPqGCeEJARCYtfGOH7DOzC49PRcRx-p45EGLdnjWPhhNNaEtjw_DJ0R4ZR2Rx8K6ejP4/s1600-h/moon+9.20.07.JPG"></a><br /><br /><div>This on came out better than the last. I was able to play with the ISO and shutter speed settings. Again, it is prime focus with the Sony A100 and Orion 80ED.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>ISO 100</div><div>1/100 Sec</div><br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaRV4r-hrM6sWxpEY4PMkwVflXz9fYU-BPDO_WzVcq_jfmGz7GS8B4poVhx6gNZS7O-oEDzf11YgfhOlOT0YyLk6TcFwV8nqJjCOfho2u4aRcMFsCDYBX4Rs3je4KpWLkKULdX-i-Y88/s1600-h/moon+9.20.07.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112471652656835282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaRV4r-hrM6sWxpEY4PMkwVflXz9fYU-BPDO_WzVcq_jfmGz7GS8B4poVhx6gNZS7O-oEDzf11YgfhOlOT0YyLk6TcFwV8nqJjCOfho2u4aRcMFsCDYBX4Rs3je4KpWLkKULdX-i-Y88/s320/moon+9.20.07.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-25621777745729325062007-09-19T17:21:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:24.852-04:00Moon Image from 9.18.2007Played around a bit with the A100 and 80ED. Did not have enough time to work on focusing.<br /><br />ISO800<br />1/500Sec<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi868G4svILikP4Pi_fLJomp9xPQgstp5cUuG8dlAuKTtEewt177Dph1SwugAvAd5GmH7CYaM5BluilsbiHuh8BMxvrh-XgqLM1SFkQNwRw4LYFjMEz8G1AnZVnhZvXclDye4OHTY8PUVM/s1600-h/moon+9.18.07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi868G4svILikP4Pi_fLJomp9xPQgstp5cUuG8dlAuKTtEewt177Dph1SwugAvAd5GmH7CYaM5BluilsbiHuh8BMxvrh-XgqLM1SFkQNwRw4LYFjMEz8G1AnZVnhZvXclDye4OHTY8PUVM/s320/moon+9.18.07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112029522841184130" border="0" /></a>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-4160083612613660632007-09-14T09:43:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:08.545-04:00September 13, 2007 Observing ReportHad a quick look last night around 8:00-8:15PM. I want to get a chance to find M101. It was pretty on the horizon, maybe 22 degrees. I did find it, but got not much more than the central core. It took the 10mm plossl at 60x to verify.<br /><br />I then moved the scope over to Jupiter, which was even lower in the sky at about 18 degrees. It was just over some trees. I did see some nice cloud bands at 150x, but had to end the session because of a hungry child(bottle time) At least I can check another Messier off the list.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-61079099090329519812007-09-13T09:34:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:02.782-04:00September 12, 2007 Observing ReportTransparency was great, 9 out of 10. Could see the Milky Way nicely across the sky. I am always awed by the sight. The air was cool with a slight wind, around 5-7 mph.<br /><br />This time I had 2 sessions. The first was from 10:30-11:00PM. The goal was to locate Uranus and Neptune. Uranus was found easily at 24x with the 25mm plossl. Neptune eluded me tonight. It was a little lower in the sky and light pollution coupled with my unfamiliarity with the area of the sky lead to my failure. To feel better, I strolled over to M27 and M57. I never tire of these subjects and they did not fail to impress. M27 looked superb all the way to 60x, while M57 was pushed successfully to 150x. It did not breakdown at all and was quite the sight.<br /><br />The last session started around 1:10AM. The following subjects were viewed:<br />M45: Crystal clear in the 25mm, a beautiful sight<br />Mars: Looked great at 150x with the BO/TMB 4mm.<br /> The disc seemed to be about two thirds formed.<br />M31: Nice shape at 30x with a 20mm plossl. Great night for this galaxy.<br />M103: First Time. One of many clusters in the area, this one framed nicely at 60x.<br />NGC457: First Time. Another nice cluster in the area. I love these.<br />NGC889/: The Perseus Double cluster again. Can't help but going there.<br />NGC884<br />M34: First Time. Very nice looking cluster especially the double star near the middle.<br /><br />As I was closing up shop at 2:00AM, I noticed The Hunter starting to rise towards the northeast. It was a very nice sight to close the night with. That area of the sky has so much to offer now.Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6617885809491436933.post-49707476542191020182007-09-07T17:52:00.000-04:002007-10-04T16:36:57.043-04:00Gallery of WO EZ-Touch ImagesBecause of my interest of the EZ-Touch mount, I decided to ask Cloudy Night forum members to post pictures of their scopes on their mounts. I have received some great results so far. The capability of the scope seems to be even better than I thought!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1825181/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1#Post1826735">EZ-Touch Gallery</a>Royston Kanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14248042564928196237noreply@blogger.com0