This was one of those days where you plan every and nature tries its best to ruin your plans. I'd contacted a couple of members that it was going to be clear down at Bragan so a star party was formed. The forecast showed it would be clear for 21:00 but of course it wouldn't be. I was there first, just after 20:30 so I turned of the engine, put back the seat and turned on Classic FM and lay back to have a snooze until the other members arrived. It was 21:15 when the first car showed up and it was still cloudy and it stayed that way until near midnight. It took patience but once the skies did clear the clarity on the stars and the milky way was stunning. It was the kind of sky you'd happily just lay down and stare up at all night and not even worry about looking through a scope but I had my 14" with me so of course lots of observations were going to be made.
Seeing = 4
Trans = 4
Equipment = 14" Skyliner
Location = Bragan
Start Time = 00:40
M82 = A lovely view, with fine details to take in around the central region with dark lanes and features running throughout.
M97 = An average view.
M108 = Bright with decent detail.
NGC891 = Simply stunning!! It was like looking at a black and white photograph. The galaxy really stood out, with a beautiful bright core with that perfect fried egg shape. The edge on disk stretching out with the bold dark lane running right through the view. Wonderful details and clearly seen. A really are treat to see this galaxy so good.
M33 = Really good. Two spiral arms clearly seen with nice details.
M1 = Another average view but the 'S' shape easily seen with out any need for filters.
M78 = No discernible details but bright and the nebula was large.
M42 = I think this is the best view I've ever had. Breathtaking levels of detail all over the FOV. Great levels of varying contrast in and around the nebula giving a superb sense of dimension.
M79 = A first time observing this and a fantastic object. Stars resolving wonderfully with a bright core.
NGC2903 = A very nice galaxy. Nice spiral shape with equally as pleasant varying levels of contrast throughout the galaxy.
M109 = Rather disappointing.
NGC6503 = Appearing to be almost edge on and looking very nice. Bright with solid structure.
M63 = An average observation.
M94 = A decent view, some details were apparent with averted vision.
Finish = 04:20
I left the site with a wonderful feeling of satisfaction and contentment. The quality of the sky was what you'd wish for every observing night. The clarity of the constellations was picturesque, with all the stars looking extra bright, sharp and next to no atmospheric twinkle - Sirius was even very steady. The milky way was very strong and prominent, arching right through Cygnus all they through to Monoceros. Getting to see Canis Major and Lepus in their entirety was so thrilling.
A night to remember, certainly worth loosing sleep over and it will take a lot to beat it.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
30th October 2010 - Report
This was an interesting night, not only because it was nice and clear but because I had just got home from holiday and got all my scope gear into the car the moment I got home.
I was much later arriving at the site than I had planned but another member from the club was already there before me so it was just a matter of getting set up and observing.
Seeing = 4-5
Trans = 3
Equipment = 14" Skywatcher Dob
Location = Bragan
Star Time = 21:16
NGC891 = Faint but well seen with averted vision. The shape was well seen with the lovely dark features running through the centre of the centre of the core all the way out to the edges of the disk.
M33 = A really nice and fine view! The central core easily seen with two spiral arms whipping around is a wonderful arching shape in a ghostly appearance and the emission nebula, whose NGC number escapes me at the moment, was very bight and easy to spot.
NGC7331 = A remarkable view! Detail wasn't brilliant, at first, but I could see three other members of the Deer Lick group. I spent a long time observing this sight and as seeing conditions got better I could even see spiral arms on one of the galaxies and moving the scope really made the details of 7331 jump out.
No doubt about it, the best observation I've ever had of this object and group.
Stephen's Quintet = Incredible!! A very emotional moment for me, bringing tears to my eyes. All five members of the group were standing out really well and with averted vision spiral arms started to appear on one and maybe two of the galaxies. A truly thrilling observation for me, I spent a long time on this too and this object alone justifies the money I spent on this scope.
NGC7662 = A really nice view. Excellent structure with a strong presence of the colour blue.
M74 = Very nice looking. The bright core and milky looking disc were easy see, with a dark region surrounding the core but no sighting of any spiral arms.
M77 = A very bright core with a faint/hazy disk.
NGC7339 & 7332 = A fine sight. Both looking bright and sharp with some lovely details the be had in 7339.
NGC6826 = Very strong with the central star very bright and obvious. The nebula was displaying a greenish colour too.
NGC6946 = Barely visible, just a ghostly presence.
Jupiter = Exceptional details once again.
M1 = Very dull indeed. Even with a UHC-S filter it just about managed to display the nebula in that 'S' shape you expect to see.
Finish = 00:26
I was much later arriving at the site than I had planned but another member from the club was already there before me so it was just a matter of getting set up and observing.
Seeing = 4-5
Trans = 3
Equipment = 14" Skywatcher Dob
Location = Bragan
Star Time = 21:16
NGC891 = Faint but well seen with averted vision. The shape was well seen with the lovely dark features running through the centre of the centre of the core all the way out to the edges of the disk.
M33 = A really nice and fine view! The central core easily seen with two spiral arms whipping around is a wonderful arching shape in a ghostly appearance and the emission nebula, whose NGC number escapes me at the moment, was very bight and easy to spot.
NGC7331 = A remarkable view! Detail wasn't brilliant, at first, but I could see three other members of the Deer Lick group. I spent a long time observing this sight and as seeing conditions got better I could even see spiral arms on one of the galaxies and moving the scope really made the details of 7331 jump out.
No doubt about it, the best observation I've ever had of this object and group.
Stephen's Quintet = Incredible!! A very emotional moment for me, bringing tears to my eyes. All five members of the group were standing out really well and with averted vision spiral arms started to appear on one and maybe two of the galaxies. A truly thrilling observation for me, I spent a long time on this too and this object alone justifies the money I spent on this scope.
NGC7662 = A really nice view. Excellent structure with a strong presence of the colour blue.
M74 = Very nice looking. The bright core and milky looking disc were easy see, with a dark region surrounding the core but no sighting of any spiral arms.
M77 = A very bright core with a faint/hazy disk.
NGC7339 & 7332 = A fine sight. Both looking bright and sharp with some lovely details the be had in 7339.
NGC6826 = Very strong with the central star very bright and obvious. The nebula was displaying a greenish colour too.
NGC6946 = Barely visible, just a ghostly presence.
Jupiter = Exceptional details once again.
M1 = Very dull indeed. Even with a UHC-S filter it just about managed to display the nebula in that 'S' shape you expect to see.
Finish = 00:26
Sunday, 17 October 2010
16th October 2010 - Report
Today was my lucky day. A spell of dry sunny weather with a good clear night forecast. I did not expect to get using my new scope so soon! I was able to have first light from the night before but that was only to be sure that I could set it up and to check the optics.
I arrived at Bragan nice an early, around 18:50, so I could take my time in setting up and try to get some photos taken of my new setup.
Firstly, the scope itself. I am really impressed with the optical quality of the scope, it has already provided me with some of the best views I've ever had so I can feel many years of rewarding nights and a good relationship developing.
The bad news, where is the bad new? Sadly there is plenty. GOTO doesn't seem to work and Auto tracking gave up on my half way through the observing session but I think this is my mistake than anything because when I got home I took the manual out again and read through it and (because of my dyslexia I did not see how obvious this was) saw that there are two ways of aligning this mount, while so far I've been setting it up very similar to how I would with the EQ6 Pro. Sadly that means waiting for another clear night to try all this out again.
Apart from the mounts troubles it was a fantastic night with a nice turn out of other club members. Including myself, my brother and some other guy who came up to do some astrophotography there was 9 of us there. The crack was excellent and the observing was equally as good despite a very bright moon.
I took a look around the moon before I began my session and the views were extremely crisp and clean with sharp focus all the way down to 323x. One of the members is highly knowledgeable of the moon so he was able to guide me to places I normally wouldn't have taken much notice of - it was a long time since I enjoyed observing the moon like that.
One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that my mount got christened. While setting up the base I walked back to the car to get some more equipment when a big black Labrador dog came walking past, went over to my scope, cocked its leg and took a leak on it! Luckily it wasn't much and I had a window cleaning scrim to clean it off. What a start for a new scope though. No wonder the GOTO didn't work.
Equipment = Skyliner 14"
Location = Bragan
Seeing = 3\4
Trans = 2
Start Time = 20:07
M57 = The finest structure I've seen in a long time. Even the central star was making an appearance through moments of steady seeing.
M13 = A breathtaking view. I never seen so many stars resolved so clearly in the eye piece before.
Juipter = A mind blowing view. I never seen Jupiter look this good. The GRS was so plainly obvious and rich in a red colour. The details in the bands were beyond 'wow', small white ovals, streaks and gaps all along the northern band. There was also a lovely shadow transit from one of the outer moons and then later a fresh shadow transit from Ganymede, which was really strong and showing up on everyone scopes. I could also see Ganymede itself moving across the disc of Jupiter. I could also see several other spots along the southern region and I lost count of all the details between the bands and zones.
If these are the kind of views I can expect from this scope then I am going to have some fantastic observing days ahead of me.
M76 = Lovely structure, displaying a strong dumbbell shape with nice dark features in the centre region.
M103 = Very pleasing and nice varying star colours through out the cluster.
M27 = The moon light really washed this nebula out but the shape of the dumbbell was still strong and easy to make out.
Eta Cas = A sublime view! The intensity of colour from the secondary star was nothing I had seen before, the most vibrant shade of dark blood red/brown I have ever seen. A truly unique star and double system.
NGC 891 = Barely visible. Averted vision allowed me to see a ghostly shape of the galaxy but the moon light was too much.
Finish = 00:00
So, overall an excellent night - GOTO issues aside - with some views being the best I've ever had. I really pray for clear nights during the new moon phase next month. I am itching so badly to get some galaxy observing done.
Below are a few photos taken:
I arrived at Bragan nice an early, around 18:50, so I could take my time in setting up and try to get some photos taken of my new setup.
Firstly, the scope itself. I am really impressed with the optical quality of the scope, it has already provided me with some of the best views I've ever had so I can feel many years of rewarding nights and a good relationship developing.
The bad news, where is the bad new? Sadly there is plenty. GOTO doesn't seem to work and Auto tracking gave up on my half way through the observing session but I think this is my mistake than anything because when I got home I took the manual out again and read through it and (because of my dyslexia I did not see how obvious this was) saw that there are two ways of aligning this mount, while so far I've been setting it up very similar to how I would with the EQ6 Pro. Sadly that means waiting for another clear night to try all this out again.
Apart from the mounts troubles it was a fantastic night with a nice turn out of other club members. Including myself, my brother and some other guy who came up to do some astrophotography there was 9 of us there. The crack was excellent and the observing was equally as good despite a very bright moon.
I took a look around the moon before I began my session and the views were extremely crisp and clean with sharp focus all the way down to 323x. One of the members is highly knowledgeable of the moon so he was able to guide me to places I normally wouldn't have taken much notice of - it was a long time since I enjoyed observing the moon like that.
One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that my mount got christened. While setting up the base I walked back to the car to get some more equipment when a big black Labrador dog came walking past, went over to my scope, cocked its leg and took a leak on it! Luckily it wasn't much and I had a window cleaning scrim to clean it off. What a start for a new scope though. No wonder the GOTO didn't work.
Equipment = Skyliner 14"
Location = Bragan
Seeing = 3\4
Trans = 2
Start Time = 20:07
M57 = The finest structure I've seen in a long time. Even the central star was making an appearance through moments of steady seeing.
M13 = A breathtaking view. I never seen so many stars resolved so clearly in the eye piece before.
Juipter = A mind blowing view. I never seen Jupiter look this good. The GRS was so plainly obvious and rich in a red colour. The details in the bands were beyond 'wow', small white ovals, streaks and gaps all along the northern band. There was also a lovely shadow transit from one of the outer moons and then later a fresh shadow transit from Ganymede, which was really strong and showing up on everyone scopes. I could also see Ganymede itself moving across the disc of Jupiter. I could also see several other spots along the southern region and I lost count of all the details between the bands and zones.
If these are the kind of views I can expect from this scope then I am going to have some fantastic observing days ahead of me.
M76 = Lovely structure, displaying a strong dumbbell shape with nice dark features in the centre region.
M103 = Very pleasing and nice varying star colours through out the cluster.
M27 = The moon light really washed this nebula out but the shape of the dumbbell was still strong and easy to make out.
Eta Cas = A sublime view! The intensity of colour from the secondary star was nothing I had seen before, the most vibrant shade of dark blood red/brown I have ever seen. A truly unique star and double system.
NGC 891 = Barely visible. Averted vision allowed me to see a ghostly shape of the galaxy but the moon light was too much.
Finish = 00:00
So, overall an excellent night - GOTO issues aside - with some views being the best I've ever had. I really pray for clear nights during the new moon phase next month. I am itching so badly to get some galaxy observing done.
Below are a few photos taken:
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
New telescope ordered
After years of saving up for a new scope I finally made the deal. I had pre-ordered a Skywatcher Skylinker 350P GO-TO at Firstlightoptics.com and Steve phoned me yesterday to say they are in stock.
All I could do was whip out the plastic card and make the payment!
I am really looking forward to this scope and it will be nice to get to see it and, hopefully, get to use it before I go away on holidays at the end of the month.
I'll take photos and videos and upload them a few days after it arrives.
All I could do was whip out the plastic card and make the payment!
I am really looking forward to this scope and it will be nice to get to see it and, hopefully, get to use it before I go away on holidays at the end of the month.
I'll take photos and videos and upload them a few days after it arrives.
Monday, 11 October 2010
10th October 2010 - Report
Dry weather at last but the air quality is very poor with a thick haze and a muggy feel when outside. Still though, it was a clear night, warm and I was in the mood for observing so I got all set up and got stuck into double stars once again.
It's all I could do with the terrible sky quality but double stars never get boring to me so I was happy enough. Especially so when the night was very mild. In fact I spent the whole session observing in my bed clothes. So a light fleece, a pair of cotton sports bottoms and my comfy slippers was more than enough to keep me warm.
Seeing - 2
Trans - 1
Equipment = EQ6 Pro, 10" Newt and laptop.
Location = Home
Start Time = 20:50
M57 = I choose this to start with so I could determine the observing conditions and make final decision on what I will observe. The view was better than I expected.
NGC 7331 = Again a test object to see how galaxies would hold up under the conditions. The result, very badly. A very poor view with only the bright core to be seen. So it was back to double star observing for sure now.
Matar = The star itself is yellowish with the secondary a pale white/blue shade with a large separation.
M15 = This was really showing up well in the muggy sky. Stars resolved well, only the overall brightness was affected.
32 Pegasi = A white coloured primary star with a rather faint secondary star, I could not pick up any hints of colour.
33 Pegasi = The primary star is orange/red in colour with the secondary nicely seperated, about a magnitude fainter and displaying a pale white/blue colour.
HIP108119 = A nice double. Very much like a smaller version of Albireo in Cygnus, colours were very much the same.
HIP114183 = Not much to look at with this double. The secondary star was very hard to see due to the conditions.
HIP115417 = This is a nice beauty of a double. Both stars a deep reddish shade with the secondary very close and very faint but a very fun and challenging to see.
HIP116961 = Another lovely pair with the primary being a deep red with the secondary nice separated and appearing very faint and blue in colour.
HIP115800 = A delightful little pair. So small and so close together it would be easy to mistake this pair as one star under low or medium power. I found that 175x gave the most pleasing view.
Comet Hartley (130R) I am not much of a comet observer or fan but of all the comets I've looked at over the last 10 years this feels as the most disappointing. I think most of the disappointment comes purely from the silly hype it is getting on Sky at Night and other astro websites.
All I could see was the bright core surrounding the nebulous and a hazy cloud around it. You'd think it was a faint galaxy if you didn't know there was a comet there.
Finish Time = 22:07
It's all I could do with the terrible sky quality but double stars never get boring to me so I was happy enough. Especially so when the night was very mild. In fact I spent the whole session observing in my bed clothes. So a light fleece, a pair of cotton sports bottoms and my comfy slippers was more than enough to keep me warm.
Seeing - 2
Trans - 1
Equipment = EQ6 Pro, 10" Newt and laptop.
Location = Home
Start Time = 20:50
M57 = I choose this to start with so I could determine the observing conditions and make final decision on what I will observe. The view was better than I expected.
NGC 7331 = Again a test object to see how galaxies would hold up under the conditions. The result, very badly. A very poor view with only the bright core to be seen. So it was back to double star observing for sure now.
Matar = The star itself is yellowish with the secondary a pale white/blue shade with a large separation.
M15 = This was really showing up well in the muggy sky. Stars resolved well, only the overall brightness was affected.
32 Pegasi = A white coloured primary star with a rather faint secondary star, I could not pick up any hints of colour.
33 Pegasi = The primary star is orange/red in colour with the secondary nicely seperated, about a magnitude fainter and displaying a pale white/blue colour.
HIP108119 = A nice double. Very much like a smaller version of Albireo in Cygnus, colours were very much the same.
HIP114183 = Not much to look at with this double. The secondary star was very hard to see due to the conditions.
HIP115417 = This is a nice beauty of a double. Both stars a deep reddish shade with the secondary very close and very faint but a very fun and challenging to see.
HIP116961 = Another lovely pair with the primary being a deep red with the secondary nice separated and appearing very faint and blue in colour.
HIP115800 = A delightful little pair. So small and so close together it would be easy to mistake this pair as one star under low or medium power. I found that 175x gave the most pleasing view.
Comet Hartley (130R) I am not much of a comet observer or fan but of all the comets I've looked at over the last 10 years this feels as the most disappointing. I think most of the disappointment comes purely from the silly hype it is getting on Sky at Night and other astro websites.
All I could see was the bright core surrounding the nebulous and a hazy cloud around it. You'd think it was a faint galaxy if you didn't know there was a comet there.
Finish Time = 22:07
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
30th/31st August 2010 - Report
Another beautiful day and with no wind. I was very tempted to go observing at Bragan but with a busy day ahead of me in the morning I decided to stay at home and make the most of my time.
The plan for tonight is to finish of my double tour in Cassiopeia and then make my way onto some of the doubles in Cepheus and then start to capture those images of Jupiter and the Moon that I tried to get from the other night.
Seeing = 3
Trans = 2
Equipment = EQ6 Pro, 4" Refractor, Laptop and ToUcam.
Location = Home
Start Time = 22:48
Eat Cas = It is nice to start my night off with a good old favourite. Looking really good with strong colours.
Lambada Cas = A might find double. A very tight pair and the secondary is very faint, which can easily be overlooked by the brightness of the primary star. A great sight and well worth the effort.
Sigma Cas = Another tight pair and another beautiful view. 196x splits this double very nicely. Very little colour to pick up on, both very white.
TYC 3664 = An interesting view. Even at 196x the pair seems to be touching and both are similar size. If it were not for the decent seeing conditions I would not have seen this well enough to tell it was a double.
HIP398 = Another little gem and a real test of eye sight. The secondary star is so faint it took me some time to see it but once I did it was a pleasure. I highly recommend this, if just for the fun of the effort at least.
6 Cas = Almost identical to 398, with the differences being the primary star an orange colour and the secondary on the opposite side of the primary.
Pi Cep = Primary star is a lovely orange/red with the secondary very tight to the primary.
Alfirk = This made a lovely change with a lime green coloured primary star. The secondary is well separated.
HIP109474 = Average looking pair. Not much to write about here.
Kurhah = A lovely sight and a great way to end my session on doubles for the night. Strong colours dominated the view of this double, that provides a memorable view.
Uranus = 196x gave a nice view. The planet disk was apparent and there was also a nice hint of pale green.
Neptune = More star like than planet in appearance but there was a hint of blue.
Jupiter = A quality view. The 8 mm gave the best view with excellent detail in and around the zones and bands. With my imaging problems fixed from the previous nights griefs I got the camera into the eye piece and began recording my AVIs
Moon = I did not bother with a visual observation this time, I went straight into imaging. All equipment worked really well and I achieved very good focus.
Finish Time = 01:06
I had a great time out. Highly fulfilling and that nice feeling of a great night of observing being done.
My imagine results were rather good. Not brilliant but with the short time I spent on them I am pleased with the results.
The plan for tonight is to finish of my double tour in Cassiopeia and then make my way onto some of the doubles in Cepheus and then start to capture those images of Jupiter and the Moon that I tried to get from the other night.
Seeing = 3
Trans = 2
Equipment = EQ6 Pro, 4" Refractor, Laptop and ToUcam.
Location = Home
Start Time = 22:48
Eat Cas = It is nice to start my night off with a good old favourite. Looking really good with strong colours.
Lambada Cas = A might find double. A very tight pair and the secondary is very faint, which can easily be overlooked by the brightness of the primary star. A great sight and well worth the effort.
Sigma Cas = Another tight pair and another beautiful view. 196x splits this double very nicely. Very little colour to pick up on, both very white.
TYC 3664 = An interesting view. Even at 196x the pair seems to be touching and both are similar size. If it were not for the decent seeing conditions I would not have seen this well enough to tell it was a double.
HIP398 = Another little gem and a real test of eye sight. The secondary star is so faint it took me some time to see it but once I did it was a pleasure. I highly recommend this, if just for the fun of the effort at least.
6 Cas = Almost identical to 398, with the differences being the primary star an orange colour and the secondary on the opposite side of the primary.
Pi Cep = Primary star is a lovely orange/red with the secondary very tight to the primary.
Alfirk = This made a lovely change with a lime green coloured primary star. The secondary is well separated.
HIP109474 = Average looking pair. Not much to write about here.
Kurhah = A lovely sight and a great way to end my session on doubles for the night. Strong colours dominated the view of this double, that provides a memorable view.
Uranus = 196x gave a nice view. The planet disk was apparent and there was also a nice hint of pale green.
Neptune = More star like than planet in appearance but there was a hint of blue.
Jupiter = A quality view. The 8 mm gave the best view with excellent detail in and around the zones and bands. With my imaging problems fixed from the previous nights griefs I got the camera into the eye piece and began recording my AVIs
Moon = I did not bother with a visual observation this time, I went straight into imaging. All equipment worked really well and I achieved very good focus.
Finish Time = 01:06
I had a great time out. Highly fulfilling and that nice feeling of a great night of observing being done.
My imagine results were rather good. Not brilliant but with the short time I spent on them I am pleased with the results.
Monday, 30 August 2010
29th/30th August 2010 - Report
It was a beautiful day with strong winds but those winds calmed down to gentle breezes by night time. The sky quality was very good with a great freshness in the air but it was also very chilly for the time of year so unlike my other nights out at home observing in my bed clothes and slippers I had to dress up for this one.
The plan tonight is to observe double stars in or around Cassiopeia and then, once rising high enough, attempt to image Jupiter and the Moon.
Seeing = 3
Trans = 3
Equipment = EQ6 Pro, 4" Refractor, Laptop with Starry Night and ToUcam Pro.
Location = Home
Start Time = 22:27
HIP8362 = A rather bland looking double at first appearance. A well separated pair and the primary star displays a strong gold colour.
HIP9312 = This is a fun double. The secondary star is so small and faint that I could only see it with averted vision. There were no apparent colours to me but a very nice pair regardless.
Iota Cass = A stunning triple! It has been a long time since I've seen any new triple systems and this one certainly has the wow factor to it. It takes a lot to split the star into all three members. My 8.1mm Hyperion showed two stars but averted vision kept making me think that I was seeing something very close to the primary star, so I put in the 5.1mm and sure enough there was a third star. Faint and very close to it's parent star. Starry nights' online info about the system said that the two stars are 100AU and 300 AU away from Iota. That to me was a rather mind blowing fact, considering that most doubles you look at are many times that distance from their parent stars. A thrilling observation and one I spend a long time looking at.
48 Cass = Quite a lovely but extremely tight pair which took all the magnification I could manage to split but once split it was a fine sight indeed.
HIP8626 = A standard looking double. Well separated with and orange coloured primary star.
HIP5950 = Very plain and standard looking indeed, with a large separation.
Psi Cass = Beautiful double. The primary star is large and golden yellow in colour with the secondary star a small and faint with a pale white appearance.
Theta Cass = A very tight double that needed the 5.1mm to split and a very pleasing sight to see, which seems to be a recurring pleasure with all the tight doubles tonight.
Moon = I decided that it was now time to start capturing some AVIs in the hope to make a small mosaic of the terminator. It took a long time for me to get things working because during set-up and trying to focus the image on my laptop screen the drivers for the cam corrupted and resulted in my seeing nothing but a black image no matter what I did. So I spent a long time downloading new drivers, editing the inf files so they would work with Windows 7. In the end I got all working and was able to capture 7 AVIs of the moon and two test AVIs of Jupiter. After this I packed up and went to bed and while in bed I had the laptop with me to try stacking the AVIs to preview the results but I was quickly disappointed to discover that during my annoyance of have to fix the cam I forgot to set the resolution to its highest so all my recordings were tiny and useless.
At least everything is working again and will, hopefully, be problem free the next night I use this equipment.
Finish Time = 01:44
The plan tonight is to observe double stars in or around Cassiopeia and then, once rising high enough, attempt to image Jupiter and the Moon.
Seeing = 3
Trans = 3
Equipment = EQ6 Pro, 4" Refractor, Laptop with Starry Night and ToUcam Pro.
Location = Home
Start Time = 22:27
HIP8362 = A rather bland looking double at first appearance. A well separated pair and the primary star displays a strong gold colour.
HIP9312 = This is a fun double. The secondary star is so small and faint that I could only see it with averted vision. There were no apparent colours to me but a very nice pair regardless.
Iota Cass = A stunning triple! It has been a long time since I've seen any new triple systems and this one certainly has the wow factor to it. It takes a lot to split the star into all three members. My 8.1mm Hyperion showed two stars but averted vision kept making me think that I was seeing something very close to the primary star, so I put in the 5.1mm and sure enough there was a third star. Faint and very close to it's parent star. Starry nights' online info about the system said that the two stars are 100AU and 300 AU away from Iota. That to me was a rather mind blowing fact, considering that most doubles you look at are many times that distance from their parent stars. A thrilling observation and one I spend a long time looking at.
48 Cass = Quite a lovely but extremely tight pair which took all the magnification I could manage to split but once split it was a fine sight indeed.
HIP8626 = A standard looking double. Well separated with and orange coloured primary star.
HIP5950 = Very plain and standard looking indeed, with a large separation.
Psi Cass = Beautiful double. The primary star is large and golden yellow in colour with the secondary star a small and faint with a pale white appearance.
Theta Cass = A very tight double that needed the 5.1mm to split and a very pleasing sight to see, which seems to be a recurring pleasure with all the tight doubles tonight.
Moon = I decided that it was now time to start capturing some AVIs in the hope to make a small mosaic of the terminator. It took a long time for me to get things working because during set-up and trying to focus the image on my laptop screen the drivers for the cam corrupted and resulted in my seeing nothing but a black image no matter what I did. So I spent a long time downloading new drivers, editing the inf files so they would work with Windows 7. In the end I got all working and was able to capture 7 AVIs of the moon and two test AVIs of Jupiter. After this I packed up and went to bed and while in bed I had the laptop with me to try stacking the AVIs to preview the results but I was quickly disappointed to discover that during my annoyance of have to fix the cam I forgot to set the resolution to its highest so all my recordings were tiny and useless.
At least everything is working again and will, hopefully, be problem free the next night I use this equipment.
Finish Time = 01:44
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