Home Forums RAC Main Forum General Discussion Observing tonight?

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  • #10757
    Luka B
    Participant

      I was thinking the same thing.  I'll try to get there earlier. I might try to get a few more of the winter objects off the binocular deep sky list, and maybe take some images of the Pleiades and the double cluster. 

      #10758
      sregener
      Participant

        My van is stuck in ice.  Won't move a lick.  Sorry, but I can't make it.  Looks like the back deck for me…

        #10759
        Rick Murray
        Participant

          Got the scope out last night to get a good look at Mars. The atmosphere wasn't as steady as I thought it would be. I thought there was a 2 second window where saw some kind of definition…maybe….I'll have to try again.

          Happy trails

          Rick

          #10760
          sregener
          Participant

            I managed to capture 5 Herschel 400s from my deck last night, all OCs in and around Monoceros, which is a very productive night for me.  I'm guessing I would have gotten only 1 or 2 without the O'Meara guide – his descriptions and pictures helped me get positive IDs on several.  Transparency was pretty good.  Seeing was so-so.

            I also observed Mars around 8:30 CST and, for the first time I can recall, saw real detail on the planet.  200X wasn't too much for the seeing; about once every 2-3 seconds, the view would be very sharp for a fraction of a second before going fuzzy again.  The tracking platform really helped me out as I wasn't nudging the scope during those fractions of a second.  The northern polar ice cap was plainly visible, and there appeared to be a much larger white area on the southern edge.  I could also make out some dark features across the face of the planet, and they really popped with a #25 filter.

            #10761
            Dean Johnson
            Participant

              Hello astronomy fans! I got out tonight for four hours. I looked at Sirius for 20 minutes and I swear I think I could see hints of Sirius B. I'll have to try again on a real steady night. There was a persistant breeze tonight that shook the scope a little.

              Mars got the naked eye, binocular and telescopic treatment. I could even see a thin dark band low in the southern hemisphere tonight along with a very prominent N. polar ice cap. My best look at it so far this go round.

              Five Lunar II targets went down tonight, the Aristarchus Plateau, Crater Marian, crater Gruithuisen and domes Gruithuisen Gamma and Delta, the Rumker Hills (Mons Rumker) and the Tycho rays. A very good night for lunar observing.

              Saturn finished off the night. Thin rings and two moons, Titan to the west and one to the east.

              A glorious night for astronomy! ;D

              #10762
              Dean Johnson
              Participant

                Hello everyone! I had a great night tonight. I went out and set up at 6:15 p.m. because I knew that I'd be racing the two day old gibbous Moon for time.

                Venus was first up. It's low, round and the colors are bad, but it was nice to see again. I looked at Sirius and since the atmosphere was a lot steadier tonight, I could definately see Sirius B. It doesn't hold direct vision, but with averted it pops in and out of view during periods of steady seeing.

                I got a naked eye, binocular and telescopic observations of Mars. The Read Planet reaches its western stationary position on March 11th.

                I nailed 7 Herschel 400 objects tonight! The first for me since last fall. All galaxies in Ursa Major. NGC's 3556, 3310, 3610, 3613 and 3819 (a Herschel 400 2 for 1), 3665 and 3675. 3310, 3613/3619 and 3675 were the best looking. I'm sitting at 282 for the Herschel 400.

                Moonrise came at 9:03 p.m. I got an observation on R Leporis, Algol was at a minimum tonight, I recorded the position of asteroid 4 Vesta, watched the Moon thru binoculars for a while and finished with Saturn. Titan to the west and two other moons to the east.  4 hrs. tonight,  22 y.t.d. and 1202 total on my Celestron G8. AGNFA!!!

                #10763
                Rick Murray
                Participant

                  Tried again to zero in on Mars…The atmosphere wasn't great, but still coudn't get any definition. I have tried my adjustable polarized flter, red and yellow and still not abe to get good resolution. Too cheap a lens, or too fast of a focuser.?. (I'll go with the cheap lens – I need a new one  ;D).  It's good to see some clear nights again. Very cloudy winter.

                  Happy Trails

                  Rick

                  #10764
                  sregener
                  Participant

                    Rick, what telescope and eyepiece are you using?  How confident are you that your scope was properly cooled down and collimated?  Were you aiming directly above roofs or pavement that might have been releasing heat?

                    Mars is a tricky one for seeing detail on, even under the best of conditions.  It takes a good long look to really spot much on most nights, on the order of 5-10 minutes.

                    #10765
                    Dean Johnson
                    Participant

                      Telescopically, I got a great look at Mars last night. Not much surface detail, but the N. polar ice cap was as sharp as I've ever seen it. No color aberration and Mars is showing a gibbous phase now that we're pulling ahead of it. I had very steady skies.

                      It takes my Celestron G8 a good 10 to 15 minutes to cool down and that is after a cold five minute drive with no heat on in the van. Once it settles in, it does pretty good. No urban "heat island" effects on the Flatin Farm. 😀

                      #10766
                      Luka B
                      Participant

                        Any interest in going to Keller tonight? Moonrise is at 10:19 PM so we'd have several good hours of darkness.  My intention right now is to go, probably right after dark.

                        #10767
                        Rick Murray
                        Participant

                          I cooled down my 12" Dob for tree hours along with my lens case. I'm using a 10mm lens, so that puts me @ 150 magnification. Without some kind of flter Mars seems too bright to get any detail, similar to Venus. From what I'm hearing from the rest of you, noboby uses filters when observing Mars .?.?  No roofs….no pavemets. I did think the atmosphere was more stable last night…just couldn't focus as well as I thougt should have been able to. I'll give it another try tonigt along with a look at Saturn to compare and re-colimnate. Couldn't split Serius.
                          Thanks for your input.

                          Happy Trails

                          Rick

                          #10768
                          sregener
                          Participant

                            I've used a Red #25 and #23 filter to some effect on Mars, but I would describe the difference as subtle.  It would not make a difference between seeing no detail on the planet and going "WOW!"

                            You may need a cooling fan for that big mirror.  If the temperature is dropping more than about 1.5 degrees an hour, air cooling isn't going to keep up.  I have found that when I am doing planetary observing, having the fan on makes a huge difference in what I can see.

                            I'm using a single-speed Synta Crayford on my f/4.7 and while I sometimes wish for a little finer control, it works adequately.

                            #10769
                            Rick Murray
                            Participant

                              I was finally able to see some definition in Mars. After remembering north is south through my Dob I could see the northern ice cap. On a bright planet it was even brighter, almost like a glare. At times I thought I could see some darker shading, but then I also thought I could see three dark stripes at times. I won't claim to have seen any major definition. I did get the best look I think I ever have at Mars. I had to use my polarized filter to get that view. It was too bright without it.
                              It was good to see Saturn again…I've missed it. The atmosphere was more steady tonight than last night, in my opinion. I did a quick look at the Eskimo & Owl nebulas, M35, 36, 37, & 38 just for practice.

                              Happy Trails

                              Rick

                              #10770
                              sregener
                              Participant

                                Good for you, Rick!  Mars is a tough one and it takes a while to really get to see it.  The good thing with colored filters is that they both cut down on the amount of light and they also increase contrast for certain features.  On nights of poorer seeing, you may find an off-axis aperture mask makes a big difference.  Cooling may very well be your issue, too, and last night may have had more steady temperatures.  Try to track that as you go along…

                                #10771
                                Dean Johnson
                                Participant

                                  Hello astronomy fans! I got out for another 4 hours last night and nabbed 9 Herschel 400 objects, an asteroid Vesta position sighting and Rimae Cauchy, a Lunar II target.

                                  The Herschels were all galaxies: NGC's 3245, 3277, 3294, 3344, 3377, 3379, 3384, 3395, and 3432. The best of the bunch were 3294 and 3379/3384, a Herschel 400 "2 for 1".
                                  You may also know 3379 as M105 in Leo. NGC 3389 can be seen with them in the same FOV, but isn't a Herschel 400 object.

                                  Great to see that others have been getting out! I think our long cloudy winter is coming to an end.

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