#92-Small Telescope Adventures, Part 10

The Olcott Project:  Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Nights 16, 17, 18

I have now passed fifty objects with Space Eye, as our waxing moon clear spell continues.  It looks like it could go for 8 nights in a row, which would be a record for me, and doubtless this area of Canada.  Lunar work and double stars continue to hold my interest, and I always have a long look at Jupiter.  Looking at Jupiter is a good way to judge seeing, which is usually better a few hours after sunset.

Object #46--double star Struve 1579 (Star 65, Ursa Majoris):  6.7-7/63":  South preceding Chi (x), this double is easy to identify because of its brightness and wide separation.  The primary star is noticeably brighter than the secondary.  There is also a faint, close C member, but I could not see it.  Olcott gives 6.5 and 6.8 for the main pair.  An easy double for a 2".

Object #47--Lunar Crater Eratosthenes:  From Olcott's Plate VI, he also devotes a short factual paragraph to it on the facing page.  The crater is 60 km across, and is attached to the southern extremity of the Apennine Mtns.  The tip of a central peak was observed, lit up from within the shadowed half of the crater, near its terminator. The crater has mountains and rough areas on three sides.  This area is beautifully suited to Space Eye.  Seen when the moon was 8.5 days old.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Eratosthenes_lunar_crater_map.jpg

Object #48--double star Delta Geminorum:  3.5-8.1/5".6:  Olcott gives the distance as 7", so the pair has closed somewhat (confirmed with the Washington Double Star Catalogue).  This makes it beyond mere "difficult" with a 2" glass.  Deb spotted it first at 75x, and finally I did, too.  100x didn't help much, but it could be glimpsed later at 60x, once we knew where it was.  Olcott says Yellow-Red or Purple.  The main star seemed white to me; the tiny one is barely glimpsed with averted vision. 

http://www.carbonar.es/s33/Geminis/DeltaGem-ila.jpg

 

Object #49--double star Epsilon Bootes:  2.6-4.8/2".9:  This is a startling object, even at 30x.  Blue and red appear side by side on the same star, making it seem like the optics are out of whack.  The colours blend together in the center.  Even at 75x I am not certain of a clean split, but the remarkable colour contrast is truly astounding!  Olcott devotes a full paragraph to this pair, which is Struve's "pulcherrima," because of its extreme beauty.  In the line notes to the star Olcott says "Orange-Green.  A superb object.  Test for 2-inch glass."  I saw deep, deep orange and blue, so orange I would actually say red.  I will be back here often, trying for a perfect split.
Update:  I recently got a clean split at 75x and 100x, deep yellow and rich blue!!

http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/images/NJP/epsBootes-Avg-Gamma05-BRGB.jpg

Object #50--double star Struve 1850 (Bootes):  7.6-7.7/26":  As the moon continues to wax brighter, I continue to avoid clusters and the like, sticking to double stars I can find in my bright, moonlit suburban sky.  Split at 30x, but much better at 60x.  Olcott gives mistaken magnitudes of 6.1 and 6.7, so I had been expecting a somewhat brighter pair.  He also says Yellow-Blue.  I see white and ivory.  The pair lies between Arcturus, a beautiful bright yellow star in Space Eye, and Gamma Bootes.

http://www.carbonar.es/s33/Bootes/Tvazquez-Stf1850.jpg

Object #51--Lunar Crater Copernicus:  From Plate VII in Olcott, he says: "Copernicus is conspicuous.  It contains 8 central peaks, 3 of which are bright ones, and one is 2400' high."  The crater was amazing (seen at 9.5 days), especially the walls opposite the shadowed side.  Many layers of wall can be studied, with some very bright spots.  The crater floor appears smooth in Space Eye, except for the two central peaks that can be seen.  The crater is 93 km across and 3760m deep.  Not far away was Erastosthenes, studied the previous night and still looking fine.  Reinhold was lovely tonight, at 48km in diameter.  Reinhold B is 24 km across; Fauth is 12 km, and tiny Guy Lussac A is 14 km.  Guy Lussac itself appeared as mountain walls.  All of these objects showed well in Space Eye.

 http://astronomer.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Copernicus-Crater-2.jpg

In the 10 o'clock position to Copernicus (center) is Erastothenes again.  In the 2 o'clock position, near Copernicus, is tiny Fauth.  Though a joined double crater, it appeared as one to me.  Right of it is Reinhold B, and right beside it is Reinhold.  At the 8 o'clock position near Copernicus is tiny Guy Lussec A, attached to Guy Lussec.  The latter appeared to me as mountains. 

Object #52--double star Epsilon Gemini:  3.1-9.6/110":  Olcott gives 4 and 10 magnitude at 112".  This is a nice easy double for Space Eye, and it's also easy to locate using Olcott's map of Gemini.  Split at 30x, it was better at 60x.  The primary star appears white.

Epsilon is near the center of the map.

http://www.sciencecenter.net/whatsup/drawings/gm-stars.jpg

Object #53--double star Delta Bootes:  3.6-7.9/110":  Olcott gives 3.5 and 7.5 at 105".  He gives the colours as yellow and blue.  Delta is easy to locate, extending a line from Arcturus through Epsilon Bootes, extending it the same length again.  The primary star is yellow; the secondary is too faint to see colour.  Both stars seen steadily at 30x; I also observed it at 60x.

http://a.gerard4.free.fr/illustrations/Boo/49_delta_boo.jpg

Object #54--Lunar Crater Gassendi:  It has been so much fun observing the waxing moon six nights in a row with Space Eye!  This crater was right at the terminator last night (10.5 day old moon) and was really spectacular.  Olcott says "There are many curious clefts in the wall of Gassendi."  I was able to use 100x with great success tonight, now having sufficient experience with Space Eye to use such a power.  Gassendi is referred to as a walled plain, and is 110 km across.  Gassendi A (33 km) breaks the wall in the south.  The smaller crater showed a teeny tiny central peak, the only light seen from within the otherwise darkened crater.  Gassendi B (26 km) is attached on the south to A.  The north section of Gassendi's wall is missing as seen with the 2", opening directly on to Mare Humorum.  The floor of the main crater appears very rough.  The walls, lit dramatically, were splendid!  Two central peaks were very prominent and bright.

 Gassendi, with A and B to the south.

http://www.chabotspace.org/assets/astrophotos/rachel/Moon-Gassendi-CR-0409.jpg

It's been an incredible run of 7 clear nights in a row, from April 11th through April 17th.  The night of the 11th I spent with the 12" in Leo at the club observatory near Comber, but the other six nights saw me on my own back deck with Space Eye.  

Mapman Mike