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Quick session in the backyard
Location: Moorooka, Brisbane
Date:Time: 18/7 8:45pm - 10:00pm
Seeing: mostly stable (8)
Transparency: smudge of the Milky Way in Scorpio, no moon or clouds (6)
Equipment: 12" f4.9 Dobsonian
I managed to grab a quick session in the backyard. Sadly both neighbours had lights on so the backyard had a little bit of extraneous light. I tucked myself away in a darkish corner and did what I could with my hoodie.
I had a few goals in mind. Firstly to try out my new 8mm Delos, secondly to continue on through my abbreviated Dunlop list (100 objects), and thirdly to get more of an understanding of my ES 20mm 100°.
Saturn through the 8mm Delos was stunning. It gave a crisp clear, detailed image. The Cassini division was sharp with what looked like 2 other rings closer in, including a darker ring near the planet. The darker hemisphere of the planet had a vague sense of texture to it. At least 4 small moons closely encircled the planet.
I did look at a few other objects with the 8mm but think a dark site is required to really see if it can function as a higher power galaxy eyepiece, which is how I'd like to use it progressing from Ethos 13 (133x with Paracorr and EP 2.3) to Delos 10 (150x and EP 2) to Delos 8 (187x and EP 1.6)
Next were the Dunlop objects:
NGC6563 (nebula) 172x/150x (10mm Delos with and without Paracorr): Nice small dense, clear circular patch with UHC filter attached to the Paracorr. Without the UHC (and Paracorr) it was nicely placed in a faint, dispersed star field. It seemed denser in the lower portion and despite the lack of contrast this was my favoured view.
NGC6723 (Globular) 187x (8mm Delos): A peppery globular with quite a few resolvable faint stars. Had a slightly patchy look (uneven density). Excellently framed in the FoV. Quite intriguing.
NGC6752 (Pavo Globular) 187x (8mm Delos): My favourite object tonight. It's definitely on par with Omega Centauri and 47 Tuc, not only in terms of brightness and size but also its unique shape. It had a small dense core with tendrils of stars encircling and extending from this core. It was framed and articulated beautifully in the 8mm Delos.
NGC6744 (Galaxy) 133x (Ethos) and 150x (Delos 10): The location was easy to find with averted vision. There was the vaguest hint of a swirl, which I later confirmed with the image I had of it in AstroPlanner. It's one for a dark sky!
I have about 20 objects to go on my Dunlop list, many of which are galaxies, so a visit to Lake Moogerah should knock them off :-)
The ES 20mm 100° I tested out in the area around Zeta Scorpii. Basically I found that a Paracorr (I have a type 1) with my 20mm and my f4.9 scope was absolutely necessary. There was some astigmatism towards the edge (and perhaps some residual coma) but nothing particularly off putting when viewing centrally. Without a Paracorr I was in warp drive!
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