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Cosmic
Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 190
Location: Dunfermline
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 Posted: Dec 09 09:52 Post subject: M1 The Crab Nebula |
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I have been looking for the Crab nebula for months now, last night I finally got to see it!
Bear in mind where I am it is heavily light polluted and there was a very bright moon out last night. I knew it would be a faint object but reasoned my 12" Dob would easily be able to see it. How wrong I was.
The magnitude 3.0 star close by might as well have been the Sun in my eyepiece. very bright indeed. I had looked at various star maps and M1 is shown as being very close to this. I used a 26mm plossl and my light pollution filter to darken the sky a bit but still no luck. I decided to do a wide sweep of the area in the azimuth. Suddenly I detected a faint but very large (about twice the size of the moon) patch I stopped the scope but it seemed to disappear so moving the scope forwards and backwards in rapid succession I picked it up against the moving background.
I switched to 12.5 plossl and saw a darker patch in the ellptical shape but alas no central star. I can't wait for a darker site to see this little beauty that has eluded me for so long.
This may seem a little dramatic to those of you who have probably seen it so many times but to me it was like the Holy Grail.
Also had some more fine views of M42 in Orion and M36 in Auriga.
I then turned the scope to the moon and WOW! what a magnificent site, so easily overlooked is our near neighbour but well worth the time and effort. I must invest in a moon filter though as in a 12" it is very overpowering.
Anyway that was my experience last night and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 
Cosmic
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When I was a child I had a dream......now I own a telescope ....it's no longer a dream. |
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bwh
Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 146
Location: Dalgety Bay
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| Posted: Dec 13 19:51 Post subject: |
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whats the focal lenth of your 12inch monster ... so we now what mag you looking at....
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bwh
Meade 8inch (228mm) LX5 Smidt-Cassegrain fl=2000
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Cosmic
Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 190
Location: Dunfermline
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| Posted: Dec 15 10:18 Post subject: Crabs |
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Brian
F/5
That would make it around 120x @12.5mm yes?
Cosmic
_________________
Meade LX90 UHTC 8" SCT
Celestron Nexstar 5SE SCT
Mintron MTV-12V6HC-EX ccd video cam
15x70 Astro Binoculars 10x50 Binoculars
When I was a child I had a dream......now I own a telescope ....it's no longer a dream. |
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