[AZ-Observing] Re: [sac-forum] Saddle Mountain This Weekend?
- From: Steve Malmkar <zrx.steve@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: sac-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:57:01 -0700 (PDT)
Last Friday was my first SAC meeting. I went to Saddle Mountain last night. I
came from Ahwatukee and I found it via GPS with no problem though traffic was
heavy though town. Steve (?) came out as well. I don't remember his last name
(sorry Steve), but he's a SAC member, veterinarian, and uses a 10" truss dob.
He said he was looking at clusters in Cygnus. I had observed with Steve once
before about a year ago at Antennas.
There were high wispy clouds overhead when we got there and thicker cloud cover
in the distance, but we both thought it was clearing off overhead which it did.
The skyglow from the Palo Verde nuclear plant was very bright. By the time we
setup the clouds overhead had opened up and the first hour was pretty good, but
seeing deteriorated after that. Steve gave up about 9:00ish due to poor seeing
conditions. Seeing briefly improved and then deteriorated again until it got
to 100% cloud cover. I snoozed in the camper for an hour hoping it would clear
off which it didn't, so I packed up and left about 1:00 a.m. I was serenaded
by a bunch of coyotes as I was breaking down which was really cool but sorta
spooky too.
I'm working with a new G11, an F/4 - 8" Newt, and Mallincam. I've been using
it from the backyard, but this was it's first time I've used the G11 in the
field. I wanted to do a shakedown before the All Arizona Star Party next
weekend. I started off with a pointing issue that I'm guessing was a balance
or clutch too loose (slipping) issue. I re-balanced and checked everything and
then then did a cold start and added 5-7 stars to the pointing model and things
were better but not 100% fixed after that. I tried going to M57 and it wasn't
in the FOV. I brought Vega up and did a 'Synchronize' and then did a Goto M57
(close to vega) and it was right in the middle of the FOV. I have further work
to do here.
M27 dumbbell nebula and M57 ring were beautiful on Mallincam.. I tried UHC and
OIII filters on them but I preferred the unfiltered view, plus the filters
change focus. I also tried a Bahtinov mask which worked well.
Mallincam acts like an 8mm eyepiece with a 50 degree field of view. The newt
has an 800mm focal length. I tried the Mallincam focal reducer which is .75 FR
(focal reducer) which acts like a 10.5mm eyepiece with a 50mm FOV, and then
added 10mm spacer(s) to get to .65 FR and then .55 FR. They all worked well.
I also tried an Antares .5 FR with various spacers but the quality at the edge
is not very good. I preferred the Mallincam focal reducer.
Steve
________________________________
From: Richard Harshaw <rharshaw2@xxxxxxx>
To: sac-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sun, October 4, 2009 9:14:36 AM
Subject: [sac-forum] Saddle Mountain This Weekend?
Anyone planning on going to the Saddle Mountain site for
either Friday or Saturday (October 9 and10)? Iâ??m thinking of making a
run out here, if the weather cooperates.
Richard Harshaw
Brilliant Sky Observatory
Cave Creek, AZ
As Einstein told his biographer Carl Selig: "I have no special
talents. I am only passionately curious."
-- Simon Singh in
"The Big Bang"
--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please
send personal replies to the author, not the list.
Other related posts:
