Hi all

Last night decided to explore Cassiopia region, and according to the Astronomy: def guide, There is a unique cluster right below Delta: NGC 457, or more modernly known as the ET cluster. This is because observers reported the shape looks like ET, the Extra Terrestrial !



BY VURT (pun intended) it really DOES! A very nice little cluster. Found it pretty easiliy with the help of the Telrad. Made an eyepiece impression and ( see above), quite stricking. There are two bright stars which form the eyes, and a nice concentrated area where the heart is, and two extended arms and short legs Something to check out! It's not everyday you can see ET in the stars! Looks like he made it home

I also found for the first time M31, the andromeda galaxy. Hard to see the spiral shape, but looked mostly like a very large Glob cluster...very nice! Took a while to find it as Andromeda's stars were rather faint in my light polluted skies...but persistance pays off...and I found it!

TimC

i get mine today

cassiopia
first track i ever did on a pc

HEY HEY! Good for you vurt! Hope your backyard ( or wherever) is OK for setting it up.

I would get a planisphere, or go to http://www.skyandtelescope.com and print out the monthly map. Check out some constellations and see where they are in your sky. Then hopefully some of the maps have locations for some of the deep sky objects, and you can try to find them by the star hopping method, which is basically using the bright star that it is near and hopping to it from there.

As we have been saying here, a 1x reflex finder does wonders. You can get an original Telrad, or the other ones I told about for $12.00.

BUT...if the moon is out...LOOK AT THAT FIRST! Good views thru a scope your size.

But while you can oooh and awww at the moon, it becomes more alive when you get a moon map and start locating and skeching some of those crators...it's like your on another world ( and you are!)

Talking about new toys, I just got my Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binocs yesterday. Checked 'em out on the sky...and I just about shit my pants! What a view on those things even in my light polluted sky! I could see tons of star clusters ( M13 in hercules) and more. What a deal for $64.00...highly recommended. Now I have to find a way to hold them comfortably or mount them on my tripod. I still have the tripod from my little refractor which might be perfect for it. Need to get the right screw from the hardware store however.

BTW vurt...downloading CASS right now!

TC

i have a starglobe,from the national geographic
i use it as a lamp in my tudio but it also shows start positions is this the smae thing?
it sorta projects shadows on the walls in the direction you want to be aiming


anyway,got home today,screwed it all together now just waiting for twilight


so what did you think of cassiopia then

If that was your first PC piece, I am impressed. Good spacing of the different instruments and even a melody! ( coming from vurt...thats something! )

RE: Planishere, yeah, while your light thing is very cool for the studio ( now you got me to want one for mine!! )it won't help you when you go outside with the scope. That "Astronomy the definitive Guide" book I mentioned for $12.00 has everything to get you started, including the monthly sky charts as well as detailed skyhopping charts, and cool pics and up-to date info. But the sky and telescope link has an interactive sky chart you can print out. Plus there are good astronomy PC programs for free, like the ones mentioned on this thread. The Hsky is a good one.

Let us know how you make out on the scope.

TC

glad you enjoyed the track
as for tonights star gazing
bloody clouds

Hi all

I can get on line for a while now..but getting cable installed tommarrow..YIPEE!

Hows the scope vurt?

Been doing some more home brew with mine.

I got some used binocs froma flea market, and after I found out it was totally misaligned, read on the net how to make stuff with old binocs.

so..I made a nice 6x50MM finder for my scope using the 50MM front lens of the binocs, and using tape and plastic tubes to make it fit snuggly, attached it to my "bad" 6x30 finder I originally got with my scope. My plan is to scan with it while it's on the scope, and when I see a cluster or something interesting, simply zoom in on it, and have a look in the bigger scope.

I also was able to create a .965 adapter from the "bad" barlow lens my refractor came with, so now I can use my .965 eyepieces on my larger scope. Nice views as well. I have 3 .965 eyepieces.( 22MM, 20MM and 6MM ) Also, using the adapter , the eyepiece left over from the bad binocs fits perfectly into it, so know I have another eyepiece to work with!

so now I have a "super scope" !

I also used the tripod left over from my refractor ( which was reallllll bad) and used it for my new Celestron Skymaster 15x70 binocs. Found a rod, and installed it in the middle so I can get some altitude for looking at zenith objects ( or whatever) works pretty well. and getting some good views..but been getting cloudy days as well..but maybe..Tonight will be good!

any more homebrew from you folks?

TimC

stormy here at home on my nights off so still not had chance to do any stargazing...







but,its looking like a couple of clear nights over the weekend

ill let you guys know

any luck with the scope? If the moon is out...look at that FIRST!!

I don't think ay planets are out now, but only in the early ( EARLY) morning.

Just found out my brother ( who is a trucker..and good money too) has a celestron Go-To scope. He is in Wash. state, but might get together sometime and do star gazing together. Small world!!...er...GALAXY!

TC

TC

Been having an interesting week, astronomy wise.

The other night, I put out my rig in the backyard right before sundown in order to come out later in the evening with everything already set up.

Aroung 11:00, I come out. Most of my stuff is already DRENCHED FROM DEW. After wipping off my telrad , I am trying to find M13. I look up in the sky, compare charts and aim my telrad to where I "think" M13 was ( where I "thought" the keystone was) Could not find it. Tried with Binocs..there was so much dew, I gave up. Images in the scope looked liked big blobs of light. Then my red lamp fell down and broke. Tried to get other objects, but the images again were not good. NOT A GOOD NIGHT. I packed it in. 1 1/2 hours wasted. ( but learned to not set up HOURS in advance)


Last night I decided to use my binocs only for the session and to try to have some fun. Had a good time. I was able to find M13, and the keystone was NOT where i thought it was, so now I know where it is Went around the whole sky looking at clusters..M7 in sagg, M31 in Andromeda ( and could see some of the extended nebula and not just the nucleus) The double cluster in PERS which was by far the best view I have ever seen of them ( using 15x70 Celestron SkyMaster binocs) I gasped on how wonderfull it looked! I was also treated to a special event. I was looking at the Zenith, when right in my FOV a bright meteor came thru. Very bright orange, and could even see the shadow as it sped thru. What a sight! the coolest thing I have seen so far! It was very WIDE in my FOV as well. Then to top the evening off, the pleiades rose and what a view in binocs as well. I went in very satisfied.

Any of you guys have good and bad days? ( Astronomy -wise)

TC

we never discussed the virtues of dew sheilds, did we..?

One of the most essential & cheapest investments for viewing more than 5 minutes. The also function as excellent light bafles.

If you don't want to get a commercial one, simply get some of the Kid's construction paper & glue it around the base of the scopes business end.

Also, make sure that when you are acclimating your scope to outdoor temertures (this can take up to one hour, so you WERE doing it corectly, Tim..), that the scope is parrallel with the ground, & not pointed up, as naturaly, condensation will form very quickly..this applies to all lenses, binos, occulars, etc..

Get a lens heater & this won't be an issue for you anymore.

Hi Donavan
Thanks for the tips. RE: Business end: on a reflector is this the Primary Mirror end, or the secondary mirror end? ( maybe a dumb Q)

Looked up on the net for a dew cap for the Telrad. They make commercial ones, that even transforms it into a diagonal viewer for zenith viewing! $35.00 but might be worth it sometime.Right now, I found a perfectly shapped cardboard "wrapper" that fits over it perfectly.

Finally got some red cellaphane from a party store, and wrapped a "lantern" I have, and attached it to the bottom area of my tripod, with a piece of wood I found that fits perfectly inside the telescope mounting legs and goes on top of the eyepiece holder ( which is real hard to use) so now I have a portable "desk and red light" ..so set up time is much more reduced. Just haul my scope ( which is under a canopy and already outdoors) to the grass, my chair, and I'm set up.

ahh... the wonders of the backyard astronomer

TC

Sorry, Tim, I meant the end pointing towards the sky. That's where a dew shield is applied.

Dew shields are also excellent light baffles & can enhance contrast on moonlit nights when light scatter from a full or near full moon can wash out your image contrast.

A construction paper one only has enoug integrity to hold up one night at a time, but it's so cheap you can make em dozens of times before you equate the cost of a commercial dew shield.

Of course, once you buy one, that's that.

You choice, but you're the hands on type if I know anything..There's other materials besides construction paper you can use. All you need is a strip of velcro on both ends & make sure the material is cut to the exact length of your outer tube's diameter & badda-boom-badda-bing, you're done