Posts Made By: Rick Wiseman

Inge,

Thank you for the wonderful posting of your observations. I thought we had a poor Winter for observing here - but 3 months! Wow!

I understand about "unplanned" observing sessions - did you read an earlier thread about "trash viewing"? This happens when one takes out the trash to the curb, and sees stars overhead, and hurries to get the binoculars for a little observing.

Do you have a smaller, "grab and go" telescope to use when a brief clearing appears through the clouds?

Dmitri, since you are not in Sweden, I take it you have a vacation trip to Brazil? We await your observations from the southern hemisphere.

Regards from Ohio,
Rick

Inge,

Thank you again for the nice report on your observations. These are an inspiration to me to get out and observe. It seems you are following up on some of the discussions we wrote about the other day: the spiral arms in M81. I am glad you are able to see them so well.

"A pretty bright aurora was a disturbing factor" !! I wish we had that "disturbing factor" a little more often here! At this latitude we see the aurora perhaps one or two nights a year, and the bright aurora with curtains and streamers perhaps once every five years or so. We have a saying here in the US: "Familiarity breeds contempt." This may apply in your case.

We had clear skies here last night, too. But I was involved in some business related to our village, and was not able to get out to observe. I kept looking out the window to see if Sirius was still there! My wife asked "Why do you keep looking outside?"

Regards,
Rick Wiseman

Inge,

I don't think this thread proceeded the way you thought it would!

Your concept of the density of isophotes is very interesting. I remember way back in college, studying the physiology of vision, that certain receptors of the eye were trained for detecting sharp edges, others for detecting motion, etc. Perhaps someone is reading this thread that can describe these receptors better than I.

This physiology verifies your logic exactly, that closer isophotes ahould be easier to detect by the edge detectors. The motion receptors explain why it is sometimes of benefit to tap the scope a bit to move the FOV , making dim objects detectable.

Also interesting is to think of the background light "raising the water" so to speak, and flooding over the lowest isophotes.

Regards,
Rick W

Inge,

I enjoyed the descriptions of your observations. I am particularly moved by your comment about the real nature of the enormous number of faint smudges of light in the Coma galaxy cluster. Each a separate GALAXY, with billions of stars. What can be out there among them?

This feeling alone could make getting a bigger scope a necessity.

Ahh, aperture fever . . .

Perhaps you can gain a little consolation about going back to your 12.5” in some of your earlier threads. Recall your goal – you like to see something new every session. If you get an 18” scope, there will be infinitely more new things to see, and maybe then you could never “make it around the sky”.

You recall I wrote that I do the same as you with the 12.5” with my 3.5” and 4.5” scopes, only on brighter objects. “It is just as fun and rewarding with my smaller aperture scopes - until I run out of new things to discover.” I don’t know how many years it will take to run out of new things to discover with a 4.5”.

“The direct view through the telescope is much more thrilling” than photographs. Also a wonderful comment. I tend to see long-exposure astrophotos as beautiful but somewhat unreal and inaccessable.

One last idea to think about: how does increasing aperture affect your concept of closely spaced isophotes? I think increasing aperture does the same thing as exaggerating the vertical scale on a relief map or graph. But increased aperture also raises the background light level a bit to flood over some of the lowest isophotes.

Regards,
Rick Wiseman

Jeff,

I bought my Meade AT-90 refractor through HSN last year. I really love my telescope, read some of my posts in other sections. HSN was fine, but the Meade Customer Service was not helpful at all with and electronic problem I was having.

Anyway, I agree with you about the on-screen advertizing being misleading. This goes back to the old maxim, "Let the Buyer Beware."

I had the experience and knowledge about telescopes to make a good choice, but I know most people watching HSN don't have a clue.

The result is, HSN and Meade make a lot of sales, and many of the scopes end up unused in the closet or attic. Check out your local garage sales. The shame is, that there is interest in astronomical observing, but this budding interest is abused for profit, and snuffed out.

Rick W

Bill,

The seeing not good here in Ohio? Never! I'm about 80 miles north of you, and I know what you mean. Today, beautiful blue clear sky. Forecast for tonight, becoming overcast with showers late. Aughhhhh!

I am looking at getting a higher power EP - currently I have a 7.5 mm Plossl. Several times I knew the seeing would support higher power. I think I want to find a UO 5mm Ortho, which would give a magnification of about 57 times the diameter of my objective in inches.

Question, do you remove the Paracor when you use shorter focal length eyepieces?

Rick W also in Ohio

Inge,

Its amazing how many objects you are able to find in a few hours or so.

It is also amazing, that you have clouds for three months during the winter then daylight from what, May 1 until August 1? And auroras when the sky is dark!

You certainly make the most of your time available, I really enjoy all of your observation reports.

Catch a lot of fish! 8)

Rick W

Inge,

I was going to take a look for M83 with my 90mm or 4.5" - whenever the sky clears up! It better hurry up, though, the moon is coming around to new again.

I'll let you all know if I see it!

RW

In 1970 my brother in law lent me a 3" reflector with a BAD tripod mount and NO focuser. You had to slide the plastic eyepiece in and out until you got a clear image. But I saw Saturn and Jupiter well enough to get the lifetime bug. I had to give it back when my nephew got big enough to use it.

I built a 4-1/2" f4 reflector - using a Coulter (Idyllwild, CA) kit - around 1976 - again with no focuser. I still use this today, on an old camera tripod. I am working on a Dobsonian mount for it I write this. It picks out dim galaxies pretty well.

A year ago my wife bought a Meade DS90-AT 90mm f11 refractor. I use this for high power views.

Someday, I may buy a "real" telescope - probably using the Astromart ads! But I make the best of what I have.

Clear skies finally again tonight!!!!! Regards,

Rick W

Dave,

This is a great list. The evening of May 4, I worked just about this same list, except I didn't try for M53 and M63. I successfully hit on about 6 of the others.

I have really been pounding the area south of Beta Corvi, looking for M68, but I just can't seem to find it. M104 the Sombrero has also been avoiding detection.

I will keep after them! I am using a 90mm f11 refractor.

Rick W