Tweedledee Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Just had a short session with the Sky Watcher ST120 on the AZ4. It works well with my big eyepieces, but I need to have the scope pushed well forwards on the dovetail to get it to balance. Also, leaving off the finder makes makes balancing a bit easier.The comet was really washed out due to the proximity of the bright moon. I think I had a better view of it several nights ago in the 15x70's when the moon was further away. Knew it's position from Darrens post with the star map, and found it straight away by sighting along the tube without even bothering to fit a finder. Used the 25mm 100 degree ES eyepiece giving 24x and a massive 4.2 degree field of view. This real field in the ST120 is the same size as the real field in the bins, but the comet had far less contrast in the bright moonshine and actually looked slightly smaller than it did in the bins! So a little disappointing tonight. Seemed to get a slightly better view in the 9mm 120 degree ES at 67x and a 2.1 degree field, but the comet still showed nothing but a round smudge brightening towards the centre.Had a look at M42 with the TV 17mm Ethos giving 35x and a 2.8 degree field, and although the nebula was fairly dismal in the moonlight, the trapezium look great. Putting in the ES 9mm 120 degree really put some space in between the trapezium stars and the star clusters above and below the nebula gave a very pleasing view. The Pleiades Looked great and nicely framed in the big 9mm eyepiece.Can't wait to have another look in a few days time with the moon below the horizon. Johnnyaardvark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nice report Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I am hoping to get it when it's a bit higher in the sky, as well as the moon being out of the way. It says a lot for your eyepieces that you don't need a finder on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 It says a lot for your eyepieces that you don't need a finder on. These £50 quid eyepieces from the US do at least have some advantages +Ibbo and BAZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Bargain at 4 times the price!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 On nights like that, I snap the Moon. Am I in the minority? When I say I like snapping the Moon best when it is near full, you'll probably think I'm crazy but I love the ray systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now