#82 Small Telescope Adventures: Part 5

The Olcott Project:  Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Night 6

Welcome back Space Eye fans!  The night of October 18th was a classic one, cold, dry and very clear.  However, I used my entire observing time hunting galaxies in Pegasus with the 12".  Despite a low 6-day old moon, I began picking off faint galaxies just after 9:30 pm.  I had a lovely tree blocking my view of the moon, which didn't set until 10:45 pm.  

The night of the 19th was clear but hazy.  However, it was actually warm out.  Deb and I undertook our first lunar observation (7-day moon) with our new 50 mm refractor.  As usual, Space Eye did not disappoint.  Small refractors usually excel at lunar observing, and our scope proved quite amazing.  Due to rather windy conditions we limited ourselves to 30x and 60x, using only the 20 mm and 10 mm Plossls that came with the kit.  They were more than adequate for the job at hand.

We worked off of Olcott's Moon Chart V, selecting two craters to focus on.  We spent about 30 minutes observing them, and Deb even did a little sketch (see below).  Here are my observing notes, followed by Olcott's comments:

Objects #24a and 24b:  Two lunar craters, Albategnius and Hipparchus:  Moon Plate V from the Field Book of the Skies:  These two craters are very conspicuous at first quarter moon, and lie at the very center and along the terminator.  We observed them at 30x and 60x.  The interior of Alba was completely in dark shadow, except for the tip of its central peak, along with one other summit closer to the rim towards the terminator.  Hipparchus was 90% lit.  Since they were both stacked one on top of the other right at the terminator, it is easy to tell that Alba is a deep crater and Hipparchus is not.  Several smaller craters could be seen inside Hipparchus.  Halley, a smaller crater between the two main ones, was prominent, as was Horrocks, at the opposite tip of Hipparchus.  Halley is 22 miles across, while Horrocks is 18 miles in diameter.  Alba is 82 miles (not 65, as mistakenly reported by Olcott in the Field Book), and Hipparchus is 91 miles.  Upon observing them it is easily apparent that they are similarly sized.  The same can be said of Halley and Horrocks, which require at least a 2" scope to be clearly seen.  They were clearly seen.  Other details could be viewed inside Hipparchus, and the rim of Alba was wonderfully distorted and ravaged.

Deb's sketch of an area of the 7-day old moon, observing at 60x with Space Eye.

Here is what Olcott says:  "About the center of the moon, just west of the terminator, lie Albategnius, 65 miles across, and north of it Hipparchus, 90 miles in diameter.  The latter exhibits signs of deterioration and is presumably older than Albategnius, which is very deep and comparatively perfect."

 Olcott discusses several other lunar sights located on Chart V, but we will save them for another first quarter moon session.  As we are coming up towards full moon, we hope to grab another lunar session or two soon.  Please stay tuned!
Mapman Mike

#81 Small Telescope Adventures: Part 4

The Olcott Project:  Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Nights 4 & 5

We have managed to squeeze two more clear nights out of the October new moon session.  I am still hard at work with the 12", and recently completed observations of "Stephan's Quintet" in Pegasus, along with eg 7331 and its attendant galaxies.  We take time out to work with Space Eye from time to time during these clear nights, finding it just as addictive as observing with our bigger scopes.

The night of October 10th began as a hazy mess.  We drove to Hallam Observatory anyway, thinking that we might just set up the 2" and review some of the already seen objects.  Well, the night didn't turn out to be so great for galaxy hunting, so the 12" stayed inside the VW Tiguan.  However, the haze lifted enough to provide us with a pretty decent night of observing.  We set up Deb's 6", along with Space Eye, and we ended up comparing views.  The 6" has about 9x the light gathering power of the 2", so there isn't much to compare.  I ended up using the 2" exclusively that night, adding 7 new objects to our ever-growing list.

Each time we use the scope we get better at finding objects using Olcott's charts.  A big part of this new-found success is the red dot finder now installed, replacing the 5 x 20 toy finder scope.  We are finding the alt-azumith's up and down locking device a bit of a pain, especially when the scope is pointed high.  Once an object is sighted and the device is "locked," there is some play in the system, causing the tube to fall just a bit short of where it was placed.  We are learning to compensate, however.  Also, when the knob is tightened, it really needs to be tightened.  A few times I thought I had tightened it and the eyepiece gracefully descended to a vertical position.  There are no problems with the side to side controls.  Both slow motion controls work flawlessly, too, and the focusser has loosened just enough to make it perfect for getting that exact image of a star.

Object #14:  M13:  20'; Vis. 5.8; Br. * mag. 11.9:  We had a good, long look at the grand-daddy of northern sky globular clusters, and Space Eye did not disappoint!  At 30x the center blazes with light.  Three distinct levels of brightness can be observed, as the cluster fades outwards.  A large area of very faint haze surrounds the central, brighter areas.  At 60x the texture of the cluster becomes granular.  At 75x 3 or 4 stars can be seen, winking in and out.  Fun!  Olcott devotes five paragraphs to this cluster, but only on his binocular and naked eye observing page!

http://www.vcastro.com/messier/page004/html/04-0811_m13_gk0r3006_std.jpg

Object #15:  Delta Herculis:  3.2-8/11":  Not an easy double star for a 2" scope.  But what are all my years of observing experience for, if not for challenges like this one?  We split it at 60x, but the two stars appeared very close.  It's very likely that a trained eye is needed here.  The primary star is white.

http://www.astrosurf.com/bolteau/etoilesdoubles/delta-herculis.jpg

Object #16:  Beta Lyra:  A multiple star with 4 members:

     3-6.7/46"

       -9.2/67"

      -9.8/86"

On the first night I misread Olcott's list and left out the 9.8 mag. member.  However, that was remedied on the 11th of October, when we reviewed the whole system.  Three star members are observable at 30x, and the fourth at 60x.  Beta also is a gateway star to M 57.  Olcott discusses Beta's variable characteristics, as it is one of the most famous variables in the sky.  It was considerably dimmer than Gamma tonight.

http://i0.wp.com/www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/beta_lyrae.gif

Object #17:  M57 "Ring Nebula:"  76"; Vis. 8.8:  Small, faint but quite distinct at 30x, I reached here using the slow motion controls from Beta Lyra.  60x and averted vision really help with the view, though the dark center is elusive and challenging.  75x (Epic 11 8 mm) gives really decent views of a now dark-centered ghostly object.  It appears to be pretty large in this range, and very round.  This marks Space Eye's first planetary nebula!  Olcott says: "The "+" [on his chart of Lyra] marks the location of the famous "Ring Nebula," a wonderful sight in our largest telescopes."

http://www.jagowds.com/_jap/gfx/deepsky/m57_042404.jpg

Object #18:  NGC oc 663:  15'; Mag. 7.1; Br. * mag. 9:  Observed both nights (10th and 11th), I really enjoyed spending time here.  This is another open cluster success for Space Eye.  I enjoyed long looks using 30x, in addition to sweeping the area slowly.  40x and 60x were also used with success.  Along with several obvious brighter stars, many faint ones were also seen.  The cluster field fits nicely at 60x.  The surrounding area is also rich with stars, making for fine sweeping with the slow motion controls.  Recommended for 50mm apertures.

http://www.jagowds.com/_jap/gfx/deepsky/m57_042404.jpg

Object #19:  Struve 163 (Cass):  A triple star. 6.2-8.2/35"  -9.7/115":  On the 10th I overlooked the fainter star, so we redid it on the 11th.  Nothing was split at 30x.  However, at 60x a lovely gold and blue pair resolved, though somewhat faint.  It looks much more impressive in the 6", but it isn't too bad in the 2".  The third member was seen at 60x and 75x under excellent skies on the 11th.  It may have been visible on the 10th under less favourable sky conditions, but I did not look for it.

http://www.deepskywatch.com/images/sketches/struve-163-sketch-s.jpg

Object #20:  NGC oc 7789:  25': Vis. 6.7; Br. * mag. 10:  Olcott places the cluster on his Cassiopeia chart, and says:  "NGC 7789 was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783."  That's not much of an incentive to go looking for it, but experienced observers will know that this is one of the most remarkable open clusters in the sky.  In my 12" scope at 136x (82 degree field) I am left speechless and breathless every time I observe it.  It is a challenge, however, for the 2".  I located it both nights, even though I really wasn't expecting to find it.  The given magnitude is deceiving.  Due to its vast size it is very faint.  We found it at 30x, though it was better at 40x, where a few stars began to resolve.  It was too faint for 60x to be of any use.  It looks like a ghostly, round, very faint cloud.  I was thrilled to even find it!  A second look on the much better night of the 11th showed very tiny stars resolving across the entire hazy patch at 40x.  Definitely worth a stop for veteran sky viewers.

http://www.walter-hohmann-sternwarte.de/galerie-dateien/offene_sternhaufen/NGC7789-20120907_kl.jpg

Observing Night #5

The night of October 11th gave us a near-perfect sky.  Much of the time I was hunting galaxies with the 12", but we took time out to add a few new objects to Space Eye's ever-growing list.  We had quick looks at Messier 8, 20 and 21 in Sagittarius, but I did not take any notes.  We'll wait until next summer for these, and many others, in that fabulous constellation.  Here are three new objects added to our list.  Pretty soon we will be halfway through our goal of 60 objects, and we haven't even started on the moon or planets yet!  I'm thinking this project may easily reach 100 objects.

 Object #21:  NGC oc 752:  75'; Mag. 5.7; Br. * mag. 8:  The cluster is easy to find thanks to a wide double star (56 Andromedae: 6-6/189"), a lovely object on its own, but lying just south of this remarkable open cluster.  Both members of the double are white, and it can be seen in binoculars.  The cluster can best be appreciated at 30x, using the slow motion controls to drive around its nearly endless circumference.  This is one of the largest and richest clusters one could imagine, and would be a perfect candidate for our 4" Astroscan.  However, the 2" shows it in its full splendour, too.  This one is worth many more visits!  Olcott merely places the cluster on his Andromeda chart.  However, he does mention the double star:  "The double star 56 can be separated with a field glass if it is held steady..."

 A nice image, showing the adjacent double star 56 Andromedae.

http://www.amateurastronomy.co.uk/constels/and/ngc752.gif

Object #22:  Messier 42 & 43 "The Great Nebula:"  Wow!  Certainly one of the finest objects for a small telescope, it is totally enthralling and amazing in Space Eye!  It appeared far brighter than I expected, and a lot of detail can be observed, even at 30x.  We viewed it around 1 am, and it wasn't even that high yet.  The Trapezium star group was bright and very appealing.  60x shows off the nebula to great advantage, with dark and light areas mingling and curling like smoke.  This is truly remarkable in the 2", and should get some oohs and ahhs at open houses and star parties, especially if someone has never seen it before.  Obviously it is worth many repeat visits.  Olcott devotes several paragraphs to it on his binocular page.  On the telescope page he says:  "Of course observe the nebula.  An excellent way to do this is to sight the telescope in advance of the nebula, and allow this to creep into the field.  A far better idea of the extent of the luminosity can be obtained by using this method.  Only a long exposure photograph can show the true vastness of this wonder of the skies."  Perhaps, but a 50 mm will not disappoint.

https://www.google.ca/search?client=tablet-unknown&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1360&bih=631&q=delta+herculis&oq=delta+herculis&gs_l=img.12..0i24.1585.4928.0.7128.14.10.0.4.4.0.126.993.2j7.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.13.1004.nv6SdVRqaDM#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=messier+42&imgrc=_

Object #23:  Messier 1 "Crab Nebula:"  I had zero expectations for this faint object, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when we located it at 30x without much trouble!  Apparently all of the faint galaxy work I do with the 12" has paid off!  The Crab was really faint, but nonetheless quite unmistakable.  It was oval, and though fairly small, we found that using averted vision and cupping our hands around the eyepiece really helped to bring it out from the background.  Huzzah!  Olcott says:  "The + shows the location [on his chart of Taurus] of the famous "Crab Nebula," the first nebula discovered by Messier.  It takes a powerful telescope to bring out any detail."  This one is for experts only.  There is not much here to see for a novice.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/guy.m/Sketches/DSO/M1.jpg

Until next time, clear skies to all!

Mapman Mike 

#80 Small Telescope Adventures, Part 3

The Olcott Project:  Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Nights 2 & 3

We have had two fine nights of observing since my last blog entry, and we managed to view an additional 8 objects with our newest telescope, the Space Eye 2" refractor from Vixen!  The very first thing we did was go back and re-observe NGC 457 (see entry for Object #2 for the update).  We observed Objects 6 through 8 on October 5th, and Objects 9 through 13 on October 7th.  Both nights had very fine conditions until clouds rolled in shortly after midnight.  Our list of objects is viewed in no particular order, just whatever strikes our fancy.

Object #6: NGC oc 225:  Mag. 7; 15'; Br. * mag. 9.3:  Merely listed on Olcott's map of Cassiopeia, the open cluster is located north preceding Gamma (2) Cass.  While a pretty fine object in the 6" and 12", this one likely requires a 3" scope to look somewhat impressive.  It's unique half-circle shape was noted, with about a dozen faint stars seen at 60x.  The central area appears dark at 30x, but 60x resolves some stars in there.  Not really recommended for a 50 mm, though it certainly can be viewed.

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/0/n0225.jpg

Object # 7:  Messier 31:  The "Great Nebula" in Andromeda is one of the finest objects in the heavens for small telescopes, and it looks marvelous in the Space Eye!  The mid-section is enormous and bright at 30x.  By using the slow motion controls the full extent of the galaxy can be traced at the eyepiece.  As a bonus, adjacent M32 is an easy object to see, a very bright star-like object.  It resembles a star that will not focus properly.  As an even further bonus, Messier 110 is no problem at all for this scope in a dark sky, its oval shape being easy to make out at 30x.  All three objects can be made to fit in the same field of view.  Don't miss this one with Space Eye!  In the section of his handbook discussing Andromeda for the unaided eye and field glass, Olcott uses almost a full page to talk about this object.

http://www.vcastro.com/messier/page004/html/04-0811_m31_result01_std.jpg

Object #8:  Double Cluster in Perseus:  NGC oc 869 and oc 884:  Olcott says of these objects:  "The famous double cluster is a wonderful object.  It should be observed with low power.  One of the finest clusters for a small telescope.  The field is simply sown with scintillating stars, and the contrasting colors are very beautiful."   In other words, folks, you miss this one at your peril.  It looks fabulous in the 2" scope!  At first it seems like the pair of open clusters may not reveal much charm at 30x.  However, once a satisfactory focus is achieved, stars begin to pop out everywhere!  While resolution improves at 60x, our best view was with my Epic 2, 15mm, giving 40x.  This was the perfect vantage point to bathe in stars!  Serious observing work can be done here.  Bonus:  Follow Deb's "Trail of Breadcrumbs" north from NGC 869 (the densest of the pair).  A string of a dozen or so bright stars leads soon to Stock 2, a massive open cluster rich with bright stars.  I was able to easily navigate here using the slow motion controls.  All three clusters are highly recommended for a 2" scope.  

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Double_Cluster.jpg/300px-Double_Cluster.jpg

After two nights of using the new scope, it became obvious that the 5 X 20 finder had to go.  We replaced it with a red dot one for the third night, having better success with locating objects.  Remember, however,  that we are only using the star charts in Olcott for navigation.  Of course we know the location of many of these objects without any aid. These next five objects were all observed on the third night out, using the red dot finder.   

Object #9:  Alpha Cass (Shedar):  2.5-9.0/64":  Another challenge double for our 50 mm telescope, this one has similar magnitudes to Polaris (see Object # 5).  However, the separation distance here is much greater.  Not split at 30x, and at first not with 60x either.  We used my Epic 2, 8 mm eyepiece (75x) and got it right away.  Afterwards, we could see it minutely at 60x.  Recommended only as a test for your eyes and your objective lens.  Olcott says:  "The star Alpha Cass is 181 light years distant from us.  It is a star of the solar type."

http://www.daviddarling.info/images/Alpha_Cassiopeiae.jpg

Object #10:  Eta Cass:  3.6-7.4/9":  A very close pair, best split at 60x.  Yellow and white, possibly bluish.  Following Alpha in the sky (east of it), it is very close to that star.  A much better object for the 2".  Olcott says:  "Eta was discovered by Herschel in 1779.  It is a binary with a period of more than 500 years.  It is about 17 light years distant."  Though it is a bit of a challenge, this was a pretty decent double for Space Eye.

 

http://www.solstation.com/stars/etacas2.jpg

Object #11:  Messier 52:  16'; mag. 6.9; Br. * mag. 11:  This is a very fine open cluster in Cassiopeia through the 6", and absolutely breath-taking in the 12"; so how does M52 look in the 2"?  Aside from two brighter stars within, the cluster stars themselves begin at mag. 11.  So it's not going to be a blaze of light!  Once focused at 30x the main bright star (mag. 8?) is seen to be surrounded by a faint "mist."  60x resolves about a dozen tiny, very faint stars!  Not a showpiece for the crowds, but a nice little object for expert observers.  It does push the limits of the Space Eye, something it seems to handle well.  Well done, Space Eye!

 

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/7/n7654.jpg

Object #12:  Messier 34:  25'; mag. 5.2; Br. * mag. 9:  A truly fine object for the 2", this open cluster in Perseus can be seen well at 30x.  It is a very large group, and the eye is kept busy.  The central knot showed well, and several bright stars are also seen in the outskirts.  Recommended, even for star parties.  Olcott says:  "The several other clusters indicated on the [Perseus] chart are good objects for a 3" telescope, particularly M 34, which lies about halfway between Algol and Gamma Andromeda."

 

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/1/n1039.jpg

Object #13:  Messier 45:  The Pleiades:  This open cluster is a showstopper in the 2"!  A bit of nebulosity could even be seen around Alcyone, the brightest member.  Views were best at 30x, though even here the slow motion controls were needed to sweep around the cluster, which more than fills the viewfinder.  This object is really fun to view, and it would easily wow people at a star party.  The bonus here is how easy it is to find!  Olcott says:  "Many consider the cluster of the Pleiades the most attractive of all the star groups.  In an opera or field glass they present a charming appearance."  On the telescope page he continues:  "Alcyone, the brightest star in the Pleiades, is a very beautiful object."  One certainly can't argue with that.

 

http://www.constellation-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Pleiades-Messier-45.jpg
 

Clear skies!

 
Mapman Mike

#79 Small Telescope Adventures, Part 2: First Light with the Space Eye 50 mm Refractor

First light for Space Eye came the same day we received it (see Part 1).  However, the night was mostly cloudy, very windy, and pretty chilly.  We didn't even bother setting up Deb's 6".  Set up time from car to observing takes about 2 minutes, so we really liked that part of our evening.  We were at our favourite dark sky site outside of Windsor, ON, though we may as well have observed from our light-polluted back deck at home.

Our first project with the new scope is a tribute to a fellow blogger who appears to have abandoned his cause, or perhaps run into some other type of difficulty.  His idea for observing objects with a 2" scope got me thinking.  Here is his blog, not updated now for many years:

http://small-telescopes.blogspot.ca/

His project was to observe 50 objects with a 2" scope; ours is 60 objects, one for each dollar spent on the scope.  Like him, we will limit ourselves to only 10 lunar sites.  However, we are going to use William T. Olcott's "Field Book of the Skies" to select our objects.  So here we go!

 My own copy of this incredible book.

Object #1: Mizar, Ursa Major:  First light went to the Horse and Rider, Mizar (mag. 2) and Alcor (mag. 5).  Both stars were seen in the 5x20 finder.  At 30x there is a fainter star midway between the two naked eye stars, forming a triangle with them.  Deb then went on to split Mizar first (2.4-4/14"), at 30x.  My eyes were watery from the wind, but I eventually got it, too.  At 60x it is a beautiful object, with a possible slight colour difference, the fainter star yellowish and the primary white.  Star images seemed excellent, despite passing clouds and a lot of turbulence tonight.  Had this been the only object seen tonight, it would have been enough to tell us that we had a very good little telescope on our hands.  This was no toy.  Unfortunately, the wind hampered most steady views.  Olcott tells us that this was the first double star ever discovered, by Riccioli in 1850.  In 1889, Professor Pickering discovered that the star was also a close binary.  He goes on to say that the star has the distinction of being the first one photographed by Bond, using the collodion process (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collodion_process).  To us, it looked something like this at 60x, minus background stars:

http://www.perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/archives/000603.html

Mizar is a gem object in a good 2" glass, and we are glad we chose it to be our first object!

Object #2: Oc 457, Cassiopeia:  Mag. 6.4; 20'; Br. * mag. 8.6:  This object appears on Olcott's map of the constellation, south preceding Delta.  In the comments section he is rather concise:  "The cluster NGC 457 is an elegant group."  Who could resist a come-on like that?  In the 6" and 12" mirrors this is a great showpiece cluster.  What would it look like in a 2"?

Despite several attempts at long looks at oc 457, the clouds and wind thwarted us.  30x showed us about a dozen bouncing stars, using averted vision.  60x gives a much better view, and many more stars can be seen.  However, we enjoyed our best views (a few seconds at a time) using my Epic 11 8 mm eyepiece, giving 75x.  I am not adverse to using other eyepieces, provided we used the given ones first.  It becomes pretty amazing at this range, with a ton of resolved stars showing clearly, along with the two brightest ones.  I did not have enough clear sky time to actually count stars, but there were more than 20.  Perhaps I will return on a better night.  However, it does seem that this telescope will shine prominently in the study of open clusters and double stars!  It looked a bit like this to us, only jiggly.

NGC oc 457

http://www.graphitegalaxy.com/index.cgi?showsketch=8 

Object #3:  Messier 15, Pegasus:  Mag. 6.3; 18'; Br. * mag. 12.6:  Easily picked up at 30x, the globular cluster appeared remarkably bright and concentrated.  60x will show the brighter star just north.  At this range the center is very bright and star-like, surrounded by a larger area of bright haze, and then again by fainter haze.  Obviously we will not be resolving many globulars with this scope, but the bright ones will be easy to see.  Olcott includes this as the only deep sky object on his telescope map of Pegasus.  His brief text line reads: "The cluster M15 was discovered by Maraldi in 1745."

 M15.  No stars resolved for us, but the star north could be seen.

http://www.astroimages.de/pics/gallery/full/M15-20080928.jpg

Object #4:  B Cygni (Albireo):  3.2-5.4/35":  Easily the highlight of the night, colours and star images were outstanding!  We have a winning scope on our hands!  Deep golden yellow and very blue, surrounded by a rich star field.  Viewed at 30x and 60x, in between the clouds.  Olcott claims yellow and lilac, and says "very fine."  He continues below the chart with: "Many consider B Cygni the finest double star in the sky.  Its contrasting colours, gold and blue, are very beautiful."

Albireo.

http://i1.wp.com/astrobob.areavoices.com/files/2013/07/Albireo-Chumack.jpg?resize=960%2C762

Object #5:  Alpha Ursa Minoris (Polaris):  2.5-8.8/19":  Olcott claims this to be "not an easy object in a 3" glass."  Ponder, then, the plight of the lowly 2" glass.  However, we split it!  I spotted it first at 75x, impossibly tiny and faint and quite close to the primary.  When it comes to star images and splitting doubles, refractors rule.  We were able to (barely) glimpse it afterwards at 60x, once we knew where to look (just above it in the eyepiece, as in 12 o'clock high).

Polaris

http://jeffreysboldlygoingnowhere.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Polaris.jpg

Three doubles, an open cluster and a globular later we packed up our gear (3-4 minutes) and headed home.  We are now five objects into our 60-object Olcott project.  I hope you will join us for the rest of them in the coming months, under the heading "Adventures with a Small Telescope."  I doubt that a new astronomer on his/her first night out would have had our success, especially with the crappy weather.  Our long experience with telescopes, the night sky, reading charts, dark adaptation for the eye, and using averted vision all came into play.  We were able to turn an otherwise unusable night into a modest success!

 

Mapman Mike

 

#78 Small Telescope Adventures: Part 1, The New Scope

It was a completely exhausting and wonderful September observing session, and we actually had five fine nights in a row, along with three others.  So Sagittarius is now completed with the 12", and will be summarized here soon.  October is already turning out to be one of the worst sessions, joining several other months from 2015 for that dubious distinction.

One of the more charming astronomy blogs out there was this older one, concerning a man in Singapore trying to observe 50 objects with a toy 50 mm refractor which he purchased from Toys R Us.   http://small-telescopes.blogspot.ca/.  I had enjoyed reading and following this blog in the past when it suddenly ceased to update.  I thought that someday I might wish to do a similar project.  After all, observing Messier objects with a 12" scope isn't much of a challenge, though it is fun and they are awfully bright.  I began to wonder how many of them could be seen with a 2" scope.  One night after observing and getting the big scope packed up and back into the vehicle, I took my 2" finderscope (8x) and had a look around.  I was amazed at the detail I could see in several bright objects, and this got my brain ticking.

The upshot is that Deb and I have just purchased a 2" refractor, and we have found an initial project to carry out with it.  Due to the fact that the Singapore blogger either lost interest in his project or has become incapable of observing, or is deceased (if anyone has info on him please contact me), Deb and I wish to follow in his footsteps, with a few differences.  First of all, we did not want a "toy" telescope, but rather the best instrument we could find at a very inexpensive price.  We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.  Secondly, we did not wish to observe from massively light-polluted skies as our blogger colleague had, but rather from our usual dark sky site at our club's observatory near Comber, Ontario, Canada (Hallam Observatory).  Thirdly, we have chosen to observe 60 objects (related to the price we paid) all selected from Olcott's wonderful "Observing Handbook of the Skies," 1954 edition updated by Mayall.  This was my very first astronomy book back in the day.  We will use only the charts and objects from within the pages of this amazing little reference book.

Now, on to the new scope itself.  After extensive on-line research (and following up on a good lead) we chose this one:

 To say that I absolutely love the large box it came in would be a gross understatement.  I felt like a kid again, getting his first scope!

 Yup.  Slow motion controls on a 50 mm refractor.  And apparently you can switch eyepieces!

 Apparently this scope is about the actual size of Jupiter!  Look at all that detail we will be able to see!!

 Seriously, though, besides the slow motion controls this box of goodies features eyepieces with two magnifications, ones that are actually usable!  Well done, Vixen!!  There is no 575x to be seen, nor a 3x Barlow, nor any Barlow, but two decent 1.25" Plossls, non-plastic.

What's in the box?  An amazing tripod (Vixen uses the same one for their 70 mm scope) and solid alt-azimuth mount.  A 600 mm F12 2" refractor, and a 5x20 finderscope.  While many parts are plastic, they seem quite solid.  The tripod is aluminum.  The two eyepieces are Plossls (20 mm and 10 mm).  The rack and pinion focus is tight and very responsive.

 From box to assembly took around 7 minutes.  Here is the finished, ready-to-use scope.

 Usually seen at the eyepiece of a 6" Orion Star Blaster Intelliscope, Deb contemplates the daytime universe with the newest addition to our telescope domain instead.  She is looking directly at the sun (just joking).

 Himself, awaiting first light.

 

And now, on to the price.  The scope retails in Canada at around $125, with free shipping.  Added to the price is our miserable HST, which at 13% would raise the price to $140 Can.  However, since we live in a border town with the USA, we are able to order from there, fetch it from our UPS mailbox, and cross over the border and back home with it.  We found the scope on-line for $60 US at B & H in New Jersey.  Free shipping.  Free red flashlight bonus.  No tax, as it was being shipped to Michigan.  We declared the scope (and some martial arts attire) when coming back home, and were not asked to pay duty.  So, the scope cost us exactly $59.95 US.  We had to cross to Detroit anyway, so no real extra cost was involved.  Thus we will search for 60 objects from Olcott's book, costing us $1 US apiece!  Object #60 will be a bargain at $0.95!

All we needed now was a dark and cloudless sky.  The next post will deal with our "first light" experience with the Space Eye.  I hope you will join us.

 

Mapman Mike