A brief session - Clouds again

Well, I got outside with the scope again last night. The evening started with the promise of being crisp and clear. Whilst I was out earlier in the evening, I managed a little by eye, seeing, Mars, Orion, Auriga, Gemini, and others, the usual suspects of a winters night sky. I got home again, sorted out a number of things that needed doing, and collected my gear together, including the planned session from a few nights ago.

On this occasion, I'd grabbed my laptop and webcam with the new nosepiece fitted as I'd intended to give it a try out. Well, first off, once outside about 2100 the sky was nice and clear all around. I aligned the scope on M45, fired up the laptop, plugged in the webcam and tried to focus. Nothing but noise on the screen. Blast it. I went through the entire range of focus travel, removed and put back the extension tube, tried the 45 prism diagonal, all to no avail. Ah well, tis not to be. Have to rethink and revisist this one at some point, when I've got a more up to date webcam with a ccd instead of a cmos sensor.

I popped in my 10mm Plossl instead and started work on the variable star epsilon aurigae that I'd agreed to try and do. After moving the scope backwards and forwards between Auriga B and C (these two are just either side of the magnitude range of epsilon) I went to epsilon, and decided that I couldn't really tell which it was nearer and hopped between the three for some time more. I then decided it was about mid way between the two. Now if B is 3.9 and C 2.6, I'd guess that 3.3 would seem fair. It's probably way out, but I guess you gotta start somewhere.

I had a look at the old favourites M42/M43 in Orion. I'm definitely getting better at seeing what's there. I could see the stars in the trapezium. Then onto the Pleiades for a look. It was now that I spotted the dark looming shapes sweeping in from the west, blotting out the stars as they came, of those pesky blighted clouds again. Oh phuey. As they were moving in from the west, I moved the scope and lined up on Saturn (in the east), thinking this would give me a while at least before the sky was covered. After a few minutes watching this wonderful sight (I'm sure I could see some shadow on the surface from the rings, or is that on the rings from the planet. Hmm hard to tell), someone indoors turned on the kitchen light almost in the mouth of my scope tube. Given how quickly the clouds were coming in, it wasn't really too much of a problem, but it certainly ruined my adapted eyes. Ah well, packed up and took it all back in again.

Later that evening, reading the forums, I decided I'd invest in a Baader Hyperion eyepiece (that's on sale on a forum) that will fill a hole in my collection, probably make a very good afocal photography eyepiece, and that I'm probably going to regret doing. Not regret from the point of view that the eyepiece is bad in anyway, oh no, more that am I going to end up replacing my entire collection. That's gonna cost ...

I now have the option on two eq mounts second hand. One a skywatcher eq2. Well known make, should take my little Konus for visual use without any problems. The other a Seben that in theory could take the weight of a 4" frac (my Konus is a 3). Ah decisions, decisions. They are both the same price. I think I'll probably go for the skywatcher, at least that way, I know there'll be plenty of people who have similar mounts and can advise on how to use it. The Seben mount, may well be made by Synta also and therefore not be an issue. I almost wish that only one was available.

Watch this space for a decision on the mount shortly. I'll also post my thoughts and impressions on the Hyperion once it's arrived.