"NGC 4567/4568 Siamese Twins Virgo"
As winter gives way to spring, the weather warms up and the bright constellations of winter begin to fade into the west, while a different set of constellations emerge from the east. Winter is great for visual observing as it holds some of the brightest and most interesting DSO's (M42, the great nebula in Orion; M45, the Pleiades Cluster, and the double cluster in Perseus immediately spring to mind). That and plus the longer nights and clearer and steadier skies. Now that I have imaged most of the brighter fare, and re-imaged a lot of the more popular objects with my Meade DSI II OSC camera, it was back to the books time for me to do research on some of the other DSO's I have not imaged, which are attainable with my equipment. The advantage of imaging over visual is that a lot of the minute detail that is lost with observing with smaller apertures from less than perfect skies become an easy catch. Therefor my plan was to make a list of bright (relatively speaking!) spiral galaxies, seeing that we are now just about ready to make the hyperspace jump into the realm of galaxies. Leo, the lion rises earlier and earlier in the night and can now be comfortably observed at about 10.30 pm. The forest of galaxies in Virgo-Coma Berenices comes up a little later. By 12 midnight, most of these galaxies are high in the sky!
"M58 Virgo"
"M61 Virgo"
For this purpose, I needed a reference that had black and white images of galaxies and technical data on the objects. Maps wasn't a pre-requisite as I was going to use the GOTO on my NexStar mount anyways. The book I pulled from my DSO library was Robert Allen Thompson's Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders. This book was reviewed in my last blog so I will not go into the details. This book fulfilled all my requirements. With that I set out to make a list. I focused mostly on the constellations covered by the realm of galaxies, namely Virgo, Coma Berenices and Canes Venatici. As I had imaged some of the galaxies in this region, I had to go back and forth with my list to make sure there were no overlaps and if these galaxies have been imaged with the DSI II. My plan is to image the brighter Messier's before delving into the NGC and IC galaxies. The list I came up with for phase 1 included M58, M61, M88, M90, M91, M98, M99, M100, and at the last minute I added the Siamese Twins NGC 4567. Seeing I had just procured a brand new high capacity battery for my HP Pavillion DV2000 laptop, I have now effectively stretched my mobile imaging time by double (meaning at minimum, if the battery works as promised, I should get about 5 hours worth of imaging!). That's plenty seeing how the last battery only lasted at max 2 1/2 hours.
"M88 Coma"
"M90 Virgo"
"M91 Coma"
Fortunately for me, the GOTO worked pretty well right off the bat. I think the trick to getting your GOTO to be more spot on is to select a alignment star that is as close to your targets as possible. That is unless you are targeting objects that cover the entire sky. Thankfully that time has passed for me and I am now narrowing down my imaging window to just the Coma-Virgo region. Things progressed rather smoothy and in a little under 2 1/2 hours I had imaged all my targets, and threw in a few repetitions such as M49, that bright elliptical in Virgo; galactic smiley face M84/M86 group; as well as M60. I was a real happy camper at the end of the night. Having bagged all my objects, plus a couple of others, and even did two hours of visual observing while waiting for Virgo and Coma to rise higher in the sky. So yes the next couple of post you see from me will probably be galaxy images as I slowly, but surely, make my way through the throngs of island universe in this part of the neighborhood. Peace out!
"M98 Coma"
"M99 Coma"
"M100 Coma"
I see that Saratoga Gap is just a tad darker brown than Malibu, according to the Clear Sky Chart color code. Are the skies there still grey, like in Malibu?
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to doing some more galaxy hunting in Lebec if the weather is clear in a couple of weeks. Lebec does not have the grey skies that Malibu has, easier to pick up galaxies there.
Not as grey as Malibu. At Malibu if you look towards the south east, the skies are pretty washed out from the light dome coming from LA. This is not the case here. At the moment I don't really have the urge to check out darker skies as I am doing mostly imaging. But I plan to get back to visual at some stage, and when I do, I will check out the green/blue zone skies. Driving distance is comparable to what we get at Pinos, although I am not so sure about safety, which is a bit of a concern.
ReplyDeleteI really need to go and meet up with club members from the San Jose Astronomy Society. Maybe this coming dark sky weekend if the weather is clear.
Tomorrow is the South Bay Astronomical Society meeting day. Not many people compared to the Santa Monica Astronomy Club, but it's only a 5 minute bus ride from my home.
ReplyDeleteThat's a big plus if you ask me. Sometimes smaller is better. More intimate. Might do some planet observing this weekend seeing that the moon is full. Want to give my Star Seeker 5" some air time...
ReplyDeleteDidn't go to Club meeting yesterday, but I wish I had gone. Went to Barney's Beanery in Pasadena instead.
ReplyDeleteHaven't done any astro work in two months.
I see that the Orion StarSeeker II 5" Newtonian has been discontinued. I'm still thinking about getting a closed tube 5" Newtonian on an EQ mount, if the price is right (below $200).
You talking about the whole scope or just the OTA?
DeleteWhole scope - OTA & EQ2-type mount.
DeleteMost of those go for over $200 if you are talking about the parabolic f/5. You could probably get the longer tubed version one of an EQ2 for less than $200, although the mirrors are spherical.
DeleteNext week or the week after, definitely need to start doing some more deep-sky work.
ReplyDeleteJust pulled the trigger on a new 150/750mm Newtonian OTA with 2" focuser. At only $199.95 with tube rings, a 30mm finder scope and a 25mm EP thrown in, it would have been foolish not to snap it up. Same price as the Orion Short Tube 80A OTA that I purchased over two years ago.
ReplyDeleteNow I'll have two 5.9" F/5 scopes - one to be used standing up (this one) and the other to be used sitting down on the ground (StarBlast 6)
Woah that is avery good deal for the scope. Where did you get it from? As mentioned in my FB page though, I can see you using the 6" OTA with your VersaGo mount on trips to dark skies rather than carrying the whole 6" XLT. The OTA is heavier than the 130 f/5 ST by quite a margin, and the EQ3 mount is a whole different beast in comparison to its smaller brethren. Carrying it around on public transport, even with a dedicated Orion bag is going to be a major chore!
ReplyDeleteActually, I cancelled the order on the Celestron Omni XLT 150 OTA ($199) because someone alerted me to an even better deal:
ReplyDeleteThe entire package - Celestron Omni XLT 150 OTA w/accessories (tube rings, finder, 25mm EP) AND the Omni CG-4 EQ mount thrown in - for only $349 (no shipping, no sales tax)!!!
Probably the best telescope deal in 2015 so far. Over $100 cheaper than the usual discounted price, which is $469.95. So you see why I couldn't waste time when I saw this offer, had to pull the trigger ASAP. This scope/mount combo is of a better quality than the comparable 150/750mm Orion Astroview 6 package - which is essentially a Starblast 6 OTA mounted on an Orion Astroview EQ. Although both are considered in the same EQ3 class, the Omni CG-4 has a higher weight load capacity than the Orion Astroview (15 lb. vs. 12 lb.), meaning it should provide a more stable support. And the Omni XLT 150 OTA is considered to be more ruggedly built than the Starblast 6 OTA.
The deal was/is offered by Optics Planet - I also had a 10% coupon which knocked the price down further.
ReplyDeleteI tested carrying the 12 lbs. 150/750mm OTA (Starblast 6) alone in an Orion bag - it was no sweat. The tripod is another 12.5 lbs. and the two counterweights together weigh 11 lbs. The weights will go in my backpack. Anyways, looking forward to seeing if I can walk with all of this on my body for at least a quarter of a mile non-stop.
Good luck. It was no fun walking with my C6 and Vixen Porta alone and that is heaps lighter. I hated carrying my C6 and EQ3 mount with the counterweights when back in oz. Puts a strain on the back and that is no fun. I have put a self imposed no astrobuy rule for now as I want to wait and see what my next step up will be. Don't want to go buying small knick knacks so I can save for the next biggie. In any case I have really lost interest in visual observing and am fully concentrating on imaging for now (just casual glancing is okay). When I am ready I will spring for the 14" and above class.
ReplyDeleteIf I find the 6" F/5 OTA & EQ3 combo too heavy (I definitely do not want to permanently damage my back!), then I'll switch from the EQ3 to the Versa Go II, as you suggested earlier. But I was looking for an EQ3-type mount to handle my 4.5" Powerseeker and eventually my 5" Bushnell Ares as well - the EQ2 I have is adequate for calm nights, but a bit too wobbly for breezier evenings. So I definitely plan to transport the EQ3 a lot to darker sky sites, at least with lighter OTAs (e.g. Powerseeker 114, Bushnell Ares 5, Celestron 102GT if I don't feel like using the GOTO mount).
ReplyDeleteEven though at $349 this was a bargain, it's still the most expensive purchase I made for a complete scope/mount package. For me, this is as big as I will ever go in terms of scope and mount size - I don't see myself observing with anything bigger in my lifetime.
I dug out my Starblast 6 from storage and used it for the very first time since purchasing it over 4 years ago. I had the tabletop mount on the ground and used the scope sitting down, cross-legged. The Starblast and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Omni XLT 150 Newtonian. Looking forward to comparing the OTA build quality and optics between the two scopes.
The chinese Synta 6" f/5 are very good quality scopes and you won't be disappointed. EQ3 handles the 6" like a champ. You won't have any problems with shakes for sure. As said its that transporting that is the problem with the OTA mount combo. Might be better in terms of weigh if you were using the smaller OTA's with that said mount. You can even go as far as motorizing the mount for simple tracking.
ReplyDeleteI am still sitting on the fence with the EQ class GOTO mounts. I find it an awesome challenge to use my minimalistic gear to capture DSO images. I know if I step up the images are going to get way better as I will be able to expose for longer. That said, I will also have to purchase a second imager to act as an autoguider, so it is not a one off purchase. I rather spend that moolah on a truss dob :)
My most expensive purchase was the 10" f/5 GS dob. I paid $550AUD for that. The prices have gone up since I got my dob in the early days
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm really looking forward to seeing the Omni CG4 in the flesh and testing it out on my scopes in terms of stability and how well it manually tracks. As well as it's weight. Unfortunately, what I'm reading about it is that it's a great manual mount, but it doesn't work well with a motor on it because of the way it is designed.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was thinking the next logical step would be for you to get a sturdy EQ that will allow for more precise tracking and use of your larger scopes to image. An EQ4-type mount at the very least (20 lbs. weight load capacity), like the Orion Sky View Pro, with an electronic drive.
Agree. I am actually considering a mount larger than the Sky View Pro. If I do spring for one, it would probably be an Orion Sirius. The Atlas ones are a beast! This will probably live in the yard though as I have no wish to carry it up and down
ReplyDeleteOrion Sirius GoTo mount - 30 lb. weight load capacity - hmmm.
ReplyDeleteOh, did you see Ed Ting's recent article on his collection of Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrains?
As I mentioned to you the last time we met, I'll be in the Bay Area on the weekend of May 15th for my niece's graduation from UC Berkeley. I'll stay around the Oakland area, but I might be able to come down to your part of town (San Jose). It'll be a new moon weekend as well - if the weather forecast is clear, I'll bring a telescope.
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ReplyDeleteYup that's the one. If I do get it I can mount my C8 on it for imaging. All I need is a focal reducer for the SCT.
ReplyDeleteI love Ed's article on the SCT's. He has a serious collection of scopes there! Wonder if he is married hahahaha. I am sure his wife would be fuming with all those LARGE scopes in the living room. At least your collection is all small scopes that can be easily stowed away.
Do let me know if you are coming. We can go observing together. That would be super awesome! We can go visit Orion together!
I don't know - if he keeps them in the house, probably not. He has a large collection of refractors as well. If he's married, maybe he has a huge garage where he stores them in. Most of my scopes are stored in bags (Orion, Meade, one Tasco) at my storage room, some (Powerseeker 114, Starblast 4.5, Starblast 6, Short Tube 80A) are at home.
ReplyDeleteOK - if I take the train to NoCal, I can bring one of my larger scopes; otherwise it'll be a small scope on an alt-az mount (if by plane). Also depends on the weather the weekend of the 15th. I will keep you updated on my arrival and departure dates. Would like to visit the Orion store.
It looks like it is his house hahaha. Oh well maybe if he is married his wife also loves astronomy. I have never seen another person have as many telescopes as he has in the house. Most people keep theirs in a den or like you say the garage!
ReplyDeleteDo keep me posted. Even if the weather is bad, we can meet to catch up and go to the Orion store :)
I think Rod Mollise keeps his scopes open (not stored in bags) in his house as well. All of my scopes are stored in bags and that saves a lot of space in my storeroom and at home.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try to book my flight/train and hotel tonight, so I should know when I'll arrive and depart by tomorrow. Looking forward to this trip, since I haven't visited in NoCal in 12 years or so. And I've never been to UC Berkeley either.
Also looking forward to catching up with you and visiting the Orion store.
ReplyDeleteYup I have seen Uncle Rod's pics of his scopes and they are all out and not in bags. I have all my scopes out for most part with the exception of the GOTO since that is the one that travels the most with me.
ReplyDeleteIt will be fun. Here's hoping the weather stays clear for that new moon weekend. I might do visual if we observe together so I don't go all crazy with the imaging.
Just checked out his "Urban astronomy" book from the library. I like it, because he describes the urban views of the brightest DSOs with his smaller ST80 and 4.25" Newts as well as his larger Schmidt-Cassegrains.
ReplyDeleteWill let you know my dates of availability in NoCal once I've made my bookings.
Which one if this? Is this the one by Rod Mollise? If so it is a great book. Loving the red zone imaging and observing at the moment.
ReplyDeleteDo keep me posted!
Yes, I was referring to Rod's book - he recommends the 6-inch F/5 equatorially mounted Newtonian (like the one I just got) for urban observing, since they are inexpensive (less than $400 back in 2005 when he wrote the book, but not that cheap anymore).
ReplyDeleteI will continue to use my smaller scopes (4.5" or less) at darker sky sites and reserve my two bigger 5.9" scopes for urban observing....
I will be staying in Sunnyvale (not far from the Orion Cupertino store and Saratoga Gap) on Saturday May 16th. Clear weekend projected so far. Hope you'll be free that day (and evening). Will give you more info via email.
Yes Rod's book is very good. What made you change your mind about using the EQ3 mounted 6" f/5? Did you give it a test run on the weekend? A 6" scope, like I have mentioned in the past is the minimum aperture for meaningful observation from urban skies. The class scope breaks apart globulars at higher powers and enables you to see detail in Jupiter's cloud belts!!!!
ReplyDeleteSunnyvale is where my office/lab is located. I will keep myself free that day since you are visiting! We can do coffee and maybe dinner, plus observing too......once you have confirmed your address let me know!!
I bagged (as in imaged) a couple of galaxies in Sextant's from home last weekend, and hope to do the mag 12 and above ones this weekend from Saratoga Gap...will post soon......they are mostly elliptical's so not the most visually appealing
ReplyDeleteI still have a lot of work to do with my smaller scopes, don't want to start using the 5.9" at darker sites just yet. As you and Rod Mollise mentioned, it's an adequate size for urban observing and that's what I'm going to use it for (at least for now).
ReplyDeleteI tested it Saturday night on Jupiter using 125X and 250X. I saw more cloud belts than I had ever seen before; the GRS was visible as well.
With the Omni CG-4 mount, the setting circles are more sophisticated (includes a Vernier scale), so that they can be used to help find targets. The scope has a hole in the polar axis to insert a polar scope in.
Will give you the logistics of my trip shortly - via email.
Yup it is. Its amazing what you can see with a 6" class scope. As I said many objects come alive in that size scope. Jupiter is a wonder for sure. So much more is visible on the planets surface that you could spend time just observing the changes.
ReplyDeleteKeep me posted.