[AZ-Observing] Re: Saturn and Comet Machholz

The seeing was a little better here earlier that night (Wed 1/12 9pm), around
a 7, and I could use 250X on my 100mm ED refractor. I use a 9mm Nagler on a
Televue 2.5X Barlow to get 250X, an equivalent 3.6mm, still giving a good
field and adequate eye relief.

Variable double star Iota Cass was a challenge triple for me at 2" and 7".
It's a beaut! Bright Star Atlas says 2.5" (2000). Also Sigma Cass at 3" was a
tough but beautiful split, blue with the companion a fuzzy green, nice! It's
about a degree S of NGC 7789, the White Rose Cluster.

I use this nifty animated website (Damian Peach's) for seeing comparisons:

http://uk.geocities.com/dpeach_78/pickering.htm

Jack


> Howdy all;
>
> Just a quick report.  Using the "new" 9.25 inch Celestron SCT in my
> backyard observatory, I observed Saturn and Comet Machholz tonight
> (Wed).
>
> The seeing was rated at 5/10, so the highest useful power was 200X with
> a 12mm Lanthanum eyepiece.  Saturn was good, but not great, at that
> power and it certainly is surrounded by little satellites.  I got to
> thinking about the fact that a probe from the third planet is orbiting
> the sixth planet-amazing.  Cassini's division was easy, but there where
> no markings on the ball of Saturn.  Save the high power for another
> night.
>
> Comet Machholz was nice, even in the city lights.  It was easy to sweep
> up in the 8X50 finder scope and with a 32mm Konig eyepiece the comet was
> light green in color and displayed three layers, getting brighter toward
> an almost stellar nucleus.  At this low power the coma really grew in
> size when averted vision was used.
>
> Hope that the clouds will go away for a while so we can follow the
> comet;
>
> Steve Coe


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