TS Optics (GSO) 150mm Newtonian

[Nightspore]

This picture is from last year.

 

 

I really should set this up soon for the Jupiter opposition.

[+Bino-viewer]

Jupiters too low for me just yet from home if i'm doing an evening session.

I need to wait about another month to have my first look at it this apparition.

 

And i  will only have about a 2 hour window to see it due to trees and houses getting in the way.

 

I'm getting fed up with all the decent planets always hugging the southern skys.

Its high time they got a spurt on to a better altitude !!

 

But i'm afraid we are looking at 2 - 3 years for Jupiter, 5 - 7 years for Saturn.

Hey, i might be retired before i get to see Saturn properly again !!! ?

 

[Nightspore]

I live a fair bit above mean sea level, but Jupiter and Saturn are still low. I think Jupiter will be low at opposition although higher than Antares. I have a window for Antares as it moves between the gap between my house and my neighbour's house.

 

 

With the Newtonian set as far north on my second lawn as it can go I can get a pretty decent view of the plane of the ecliptic. 

[+Bino-viewer]

I remember trying to split Antares last year (no joy) and then seeing if i could see nearby M4 (success ?)

[Nightspore]

I looked for M4 a few nights ago with my ED80, but the transparency wouldn't allow me to see it. Antares is an interesting star, you'll need 50 ~ 60x to split it.

 

[+Bino-viewer]

More than that, excellent seeing, but alas from the UK we rarely get that, coupled to the fact that from

Derby its simply too low to split.

 

However, throwing excellent optics into the mix may give me a better chance.

To be continued...

 

(Through my Newtonian last year, it looked rather like a Kaleidoscope view !! ) ?

[Nightspore]

Yes, seeing and transparency are really important. Better optics make the difference, much as I love my ST102 it doesn't have the optics of my 102mm Starwave or Evostars.

[Nightspore]

D-Day!

 

[Nightspore]

OK, polar alignment next ...

[Nightspore]

Polar alignment went pretty well.

 

 

I had a weird problem with the EQ5 RA clutch. When the RA was locked the locking lever was making contact with the slow motion knob. I just haven't encountered this before. It was like it had shifted in some way.

 

 

I fixed it by unscrewing the lever itself and taking it off. I then discovered that it can apparently be rotated into a different position and screwed back on. The lever clears the slo mo knob again now when fully tightened.

 

 

Above you can see with the declination clutch lever (shown above) it has a Phillip's screw holding the lever on to its spigot.

 

 

[Nightspore]

Oh yeah, ignore the apostrophe in Phillips. lol

[Nightspore]

I had a much better view of Jupiter Sunday night/Monday morning. The conditions were much better and I got 180x with a 5mm Vixen SLV. Jupiter was so bright I needed to stack Baader Neodymium and Baader Single Polariser filters to stop the glare. I'm a happier bunny now.

[Nightspore]

I found the picture of my SLV's.

 

 

I bought the 6mm & 5mm  primarily for my older 130mm Newtonian but they give the same magnifications in my f/6, 150mm Newtonian. With the f/6 the 6mm gives a 1mm exit pupil for 150x and the 5mm gives 0.8mm for 180x. I'm not sure of the FOV's as I doubt the Vixen claim of 50 degrees, but possibly around 18 arc minutes for the 6mm. The 4mm is the most recently acquired and gives me 225x. Too powerful for Jupiter but can sometimes be good for Saturn and Mars. I don't know about this Saturn opposition as it will be low. The SLV's are a bit like good ortho's but with better eye relief and a larger eye lens. Unfortunately they have shiny field stops so not so good for the Moon.