Look Up! November 2008 HantsAstro.org
ISSN 1758-2210
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Buyers Guide Part 2 news | reviews | views | what’s on | out there
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Butser Ancient Farm under a dark sky... Butser Ancient Farm is naturally shielded from the worst of the light pollution from three sides. It is ideal for deep sky observing, imaging and getting the best out of your telescope. Skies have been recorded here down (so far!) to Magnitude 20.7 per ArcSecond, and are as good as the West Country or the Norfolk Coast. For only £4 per session you can experience dark skies in a tranquil and safe setting. If it’s cold, a warm and welcoming fire awaits you in the ancient roundhouse.
Just off the A3, south of Butser Hill, and 10 miles north of Portsmouth it has easy access from all points of the compass, is an hour and a half from London, and twenty minutes from the South Coast.
For further info and to book yourself a Pass, please contact HantsAstro on 023 9261 7092 or by e-mail: subscribe@hantsastro.org TM
Cover: Skywatcher ED80 on HEQ5 at Butser Ancient Farm Oct 2008- Picture by Graham Green
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contents Look Up! November 2008 edition 07 News HantsAstro - October’s progress & Telescope Amnesty - UK’s 1st IYA2009 event.
Hampshire is our Playground
Page 4-5
TM
Report - Chariot of Fire? The Answer
Page 6
Pictures
Page 7&13
So that’s what it was....!
Ant Emberson & Martin Saban-Smith show two
First Type
very different paths to imaging the Moon & Stars
Review
Page 8-11
Reviews
Page 12
Buyers Guide Part 2
Page 14-17
Ady Jurd’s visit to the J F Kennedy Space Centre, United States Baader Hyperion Eyepiece Range & StarGPS AutoStar Handset Upgrade Small refractors and what to look for... Meade ETX series Review
Out There
Page 19
Look Up in November
Page 20
Astronomy in Hampshire for November
What’s in the Sky tonight for this month TM
Contacts and Details David Woods - Editor & Publisher Look Up! eZine Editorial David Woods - david.woods@hantsastro.org Web Site: - www.hantsastro.org Tel: 023 9261 7092 Fax: 023 9257 0283 Skype: iodesign Post: HantsAstro.org 11 Drift Road, Clanfield, Hants PO8 0JJ Look Up! Electronic Magazine is published 1st of the month ISSN 1758-2210 This eZine is published on behalf of the HantsAstro.orgTM. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor, Publisher, Sponsors or Advertisers of HantsAstro,org. HantsAstroTM is a society member of the Federation of Astronomical Societies (www.fedastro.org.uk). Where Links take you to other sites, the Editor, Publisher and Webmaster cannot be held responsible for the content of those sites. HantsAstro.orgTM and Look Up! eZine and related devices are protected by registered copyright ©2008 All Rights Reserved. HantsAstroTM a trading name of I.O Design Limited. No reproduction of any material is permitted without express permission of the owners.
Welcome to the 7th issue of Look Up! eZine. We’re starting to get more feedback on the magazine and more pictures are proving popular judging by the increasing number of downloads. Many readers are printing it out! We’re keeping to about 20-24 pages maximum and are working towards a printerfriendly option for the re-vamped magazine early next year. In the meantime, read on! October was yet another busy month for the group with two outings at INTECH and a boost in membership. ‘Look Up’ is shifting it’s focus to things more astronomical and we are working harder than ever to bring you more info on what’s happening in the area and beyond. There are also plans being made for what we are doing for 2009 and we would warmly welcome any input from our members and readers of Look Up! Now that it’s being downloaded in over 45 countries, and the International Year of Astronomy is starting in just two months time - we’d love to hear from you! For the observing sessions, it’s still free at INTECH. Plus Butser offers a fantastic site, and the ClearSkies forecasts are working so there will be some great clear (and cold!) nights viewing in November. Wrap up warm!
David Woods: Founder
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NEWS
The Moon at INTECH - Matt Lawes - 16th Oct 2008
amazing these little mobile phones... try it for yourself!
HantsAstro in November Chilly Nights....
November is always a great month... the Constellation
Orion always signals the start of the winter observing season for me and many others. It’s one of those objects that always looks great, whichever way you choose to view it, naked eye, binoculars or telescope. Two months after launching our observing sessions, attendance is building slowly but steadily due to the weather. November is already shaping up to be a much colder month which increases the chances of clear nights. The ClearSkies forecasts are working although we need to look at transparency also, as one night was showing as 74% cloud, but it was high and thin, so many objects still could be seen. Matt Lawes of Astronomia took an afocal picture of the Moon with his mobile phone though a small ED66 refractor, which kind of proved the point! No matter what data of technical guessing games we play, the only way sometimes if it is a bit 50/50 weatherwise, is to just get out there and have a go. You never know, you might get a good result. The start of the month saw HantsAstro
exhibiting at the National Space Week at INTECH on the 4th of October. It nearly didn’t happen as my car terminally broke down en-route to the venue. Steve George came to the rescue and we were up and running again well before midday, with Graham Green setting up the stand which meant we were holding our own against some major exhibitors. Thanks again Team! By the time I arrived, the stand was busy and it was like that all day. Over 20 application forms were handed out and several people joined in the following days. The feedback from our stand is that even though we are a young group we are seen as quite established, and professional looking. Importantly though, the real message seems to be getting through; people like us because we are active and offer a lighter look at astronomy. It’s great to see an increasing number of women joining, which proves that this hobby is no longer the preserve of the beardy 1970’s mathematician types, with strange tank-tops and who only drink real ale... sounds a bit like my dad, actually. Away Missions We are beginning to formulate some plans for next year and some of these will be revealed in the December edition of Look Up! (we’re not being secretive, it’s just that some things take time to work out...). The next few months are going to be spent
concentrating on our observing nights and improving the forecasting so more people can come and enjoy the night sky. We are trying to meet three times a month in spite of the weather, which isn’t bad, as some groups out there can only manage once. The away missions will serve to increase the frequency with a couple of nights observing or imaging in one hit, with new sites being identified across the South-East and South-West of the UK. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and we are planning some events of our own as well as our now well-oiled exhibition stand at a variety of events run at Butser Ancient Farm and INTECH. I nearly forgot to mention that the group is getting close to a hundred members strong and we may need some volunteers to help out with a couple of the planned events. If you want to help out then please get in touch. Talk Talk Another thing, even if it’s a bit cloudy when we do meet up we can socialise! Some of our observers come for that very reason and this seems to become a sort of plethora of open-air talks with people sharing info on telescopes and imaging. A lot of people have registered that they would like to attend lectures and seminars and this is something we are looking to do for 2009, but we wish to offer something of value and real fun and not in the format currently offered.
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Report INTECH Telescope Amnesty
The Planetarium is always a crowd-pleaser...
INTECH Telescope Amnesty 2008 With over 100 people attending the first telescope amnesty of it’s kind in the UK, it was great to see so many people (nearly 70!) out on the Terrace before the planetarium show looking through telescopes and binoculars, learning how to see more of the night sky. We were blessed too with a clear sky and many objects were seen, which just added to the buzz.. With Basingstoke, Cody, Newbury and ourselves supplying people and telescopes to look through, there was a wide range on offer and many comparisons were conducted I’m sure. As the official co-hosts we were running around and learnt some important lessons on how to best assist in events like this in the future, but everything was under control, and with Jenny at the helm it all went very smoothly.
slick, polished and well delivered. The questions and answer session at the end of the show was good too. It was also good to see so many HantsAstro members who attended the event, many of whom I knew by e-mail but had never actually met until then. I hope to see you all soon observing with us. Six new members joined too which pushed our membership to nearly 100! Thanks to all that attended and we hope to have another Amnesty early in 2009. David Woods
HantsAstro. Stand and Delivered.
The crowd assembled in the big dome for a special show conducted by Ninian Boyle and Pete Lawrence from the BBC Sky at Night Team. The show consisted of a tour of the Winter night sky and some explanations of what is happening up above, which were both informative and at times amusing! As you can see the from the main picture, the planetarium offered up a truly mesmerising sight, in all it’s high resolution glory. Ninian & Pete’s presentation was quite
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View
Chariot of Fire
The Answer... a man-made object. All across Southern Europe reports were
made across several web sites about an unusually large fireball making its way across the sky and apparently breaking up over Brittany, France. At the same time Andy Smith was recording a radio signature that matched the time and pattern that Graham Green captured in this photograph. Earlier that day, 14 hours to be precise, a Proton M rocket body 2008 046D launched from the Balkanour Space Centre in Khazakstan, formally in Russia. It’s payload was 3 GLONASS satellites for the Russian GPS system, each weighing in at 2200kgs each.. The satellites, much like the American and European systems, were launched into a high earth geo-stationery orbit
and the rocket body successfully deployed it’s cargo and returned to earth to burn up in the atmosphere,. Normally this would have happened over water and away from land. For some reason, as yet unknown, it kind of overshot and was seen on a clear night. Some of these launches have gone wrong too, earlier this year a rocket exploded 139 seconds after launch and another landed near a town. Dozens of vehicles are launched every year and although lots of technology is used to ensure delivery, sometimes we get a rare chance to see .these manmade bodies re-enter and burn-up relatively close by. -DW
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The Moon - SkyMax 127 - Antony Emberson
Sky Watcher 127 Maksutov-Cassegrain mounted on a Sky Watcher HEQ5 Pro with Phiilips ToUCam
In the first part of our buyer guide in last months edition of Look Up! we reviewed the SkyMax range of telescopes. This mosaic of images illustrate perfectly the optical qualities of this little telescope, and the possibilities it can unlock. Ant’s setup is typical of how amateur astronomers can upgrade and modify their equipment as their experience grows to extend and develop skills. It also proves that even a modestly priced telescope can be very useable. SkyWatcher’s HEQ5 mount is a popular choice for astro-imaging, as it is very stable and tracks extremely well, and can handle a good range of telescope sizes.
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NASA J F Kennedy Space Centre
Words & Pictures: Adrian Jurd Due to the storm, the operations of the centre were running very late and the first bus tour around the centre scheduled for 10.30 am did not actually leave until 11.45 am which caused real problems later on. Whilst waiting for the tour, I casually slipped out of the queue and left my wife and son so I could take some photos of the Rocket Garden that contained some Redstone, Atlas and Titan rockets that first put NASA Astronauts into space! These rockets towered over me and I began to wonder what sort of men would be crazy enough to sit on top of a potential bomb, very brave ones I thought! We finally got onto the air conditioned bus (which was a relief as the temperature was in the mid 90’s) and left for our journey around the centre where we would be calling on the LC39 observation gantry to see the LC39A and LC39B launch pads of the Space Shuttles. Followed by a visit to the International Space Station Centre where they assembled the parts for the next mission to the ISS and then finally onto the Apollo/ Saturn V Centre.
Ady at the business end of a 363 feet long Saturn V Rocket
After a long flight to Florida, my wife and my son and I arrived at Orlando International Airport ready for my first visit to the JFK Space Centre, a life long ambition and dream of mine.
On arrival at the JFK space centre we were greeted with a car park that was partially under water due to the previous four days of pouring rain from tropical storm Faye that had also closed the centre for two days, with winds of up to 65mph lashing the Florida area and generally causing chaos.
On the bus we were treated to on board video films about NASA and also to the bus drivers, who spread their undoubted knowledge about NASA. They pointed out the local animals, including the many Alligators that lined the road and also landmarks that included one of the largest buildings in the world, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The VAB is now used to mate the Space Shuttle to the external fuel tank and the two solid rocket boosters, but it was originally built for the Saturn V rocket which was built vertically and stood 363 ft high. The VAB itself is 525
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Apollo 11 Lunar Command Module (One careful owner, only 500 million miles, smokes a bit on start-up... sorry, Ed)
ft tall, 716 ft long and 518 ft wide and the USA flag on the side measured a staggering 209 ft by 100ft and is one of the biggest painted flags in the world! You really do not appreciate the sheer size of this building from the bus, but believe me we were quite a distance from it and it still looked big enough to me! At the LC39 observation gantry, we were hustled into a small room for a film about the Shuttle which lasted around 10 minutes and was very interesting and after the film we were led out to see an exhibition about the Space Shuttle and how it functions. Outside the exhibition we managed to get to the top of the observation gantry and we could clearly see the Shuttle launch pads in the distance, and also many other launch pads that are used by NASA and the military, plus we could get a clear view of the VAB and the many other buildings that made up the JFK space centre. We again boarded the bus and now
headed out to the International Space Station Center, on arrival we were informed that there was to be no flash photography or we would possibly set off the delicate fire detection systems. A small but significant thought invaded my mind for a second, do I leave the flash on or not? I decided being thrown to the Alligators would not be a nice experience so I decided to turn the flash off, but I was amazed at how many people did not turn their flashes off. Still I was not going to be Alligator feed they, however, might just be! I was also stunned to learn that the Alligators can climb straight up chain fences, thus all the fences have an inward facing overhang at the top so when the Alligators get to the top, they fall back upon themselves. It made me wonder who found out that they could climb the fences and did they survive the experience of coming face to face with an Alligator! At the International Space Station Centre there were mock ups of the modules that were already in space, sadly the experience of weightlessness
Lots of mock-ups of space craft very informative
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the Moon on the 21st July 1969 and then those immortal words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” We were then bussed to a large hall and on entering, were treated to a real Saturn V rocket laid on its side, to be honest, the films you see on TV of these colossal rockets taking off do not do them justice at all. To actually see one in the flesh, so to speak, struck home to me. How did they make the most powerful rocket ever built fly with computers that were only as powerful as a simple pocket calculator, it beats me!
Life size Apollo 11 Lunar Module was not present and it put a bit of a dampener on the feeling of actually being on the ISS itself, never mind though, in a few years space flight will be as routine as going to the dentist. Hang on I don’t have a dentist, oh well I can always dream, of getting a dentist that is!
seconds all the windows started to rattle behind us as the imaginary rocket fired its main engines and then on lift off, blasted away from Earth for its three day journey to the Moon with three brave Astronauts strapped on top of a rocket with a explosive potential of an atomic bomb.
Once we finished looking at the mock ups we went to the viewing gallery so we could actually see the new ISS modules being assembled for the next Space Shuttle flight to service the ISS. We could actually see people who were working on a module called Leonardo and I did not realise how big these modules were and then I quickly realised just how big the Shuttle must be for them to fit in the cargo bay.
We were then ushered into a theatre with a stage that had the Moons surface mocked up on it and were shown the landing of a full size lunar module and the first steps of Neil Armstrong onto
After taking photos of the entire length of the Saturn V, I looked at all the other exhibits in the hall including Lunar Landers, and Lunar Rovers that were used by Astronauts to practice on before their flights. And I actually touched a real bit of moon rock that had been brought back by a previous Apollo mission, now that’s a first! So that’s… “One small touch by me… and one giant hole in my pay packet to do it” On leaving the hanger we waited what seemed an eternity for the bus to take us back to the main space centre and
...as well as the Space Shuttle
After a few photos (without flash) we were then bussed to the Apollo/ Saturn V centre to be greeted with an experience of the Apollo control room and what happened on the day the Apollo 11 flight took off. The control panels that were below us, which incidentally were the ones actually used, all lit up and three screen above them showed images of the countdown and various other images, when the countdown clock got to around 3
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Continued...
work is on-going
sadly this delay, along with the delays of the morning, left us with no time to see any more of the exhibits, so we decided to go for a simulated Space Shuttle take off instead. The queue for this ride was very long, but finally we entered and were strapped into our seats and experienced a Space Shuttle taking off that combined simulated G, lots of noise and shaking and finally a view of the Earth from orbit, this was one ride not to be missed, especially as the ride cost $60 million Dollars to build. Outside the ride was a life sized mock up Space Shuttle which cost around $6 million to build, however time was not on our side and we missed a visit to this as by now the centre was starting to get ready to close, at what I thought was a very early time of 6pm and we still wanted to look around the rocket area for some more photo opportunities.
In the dying few minutes, and with loud speakers telling us to leave the centre as it was now closed, we managed to see the museum of early space flight, which had exhibits of space suits and other items that were actually used in the early days, but as we were rushed we did not fully take it all in. However a few Astronauts wanted to have their picture taken with me, of course I could not say no to their requests, mind you I did find them all to be a bit two dimensional though!
It was a great day marred by a lack of time to see all the exhibits thanks to tropical storm Faye, so I will be returning again in the future and I would recommend to anyone that the Kennedy Space Centre is a place not to be missed and a place where I finally lived a dream, now where is that $10 million Dollars? Adrian Jurd
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) The flag on the side is 209ft x 100ft... The VAB itself is 525ft tall.
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REVIEW
for further info visit www.stargps.ca
Words: David Woods Picture: Graham Green
StarGPS AutoStar Handset Upgrade $99-199 via online Global Positioning Satellites are a real boon, especially if you move around a lot. If you own a Meade Telescope with an AutoStar handset controller then I guess you do too. But, every time you switch it on, it asks for date - OK. Time, check, lat and long of your location Umm... Unless you researched your site(s) and found this info on the Internet, then the accuracy of your scanning of the heavens will be a bit
frustrating when you start observing or imaging and objects start tracking out of your eyepiece. Now there is an answer. Flash upgrade your hand set via your PC and connect either a dedicated GPS module or a Garmin Etrex or a Geko. Once converted and connected, the handset searches for a GPS signal and sets date, time and position in a second or two, and that’s it! The advantage is that now the telescope can be more
accurately guided via Autostar and this means alignment is quicker and more accurate. It just saves time all round. Not a cheap up grade but useful if you travel and observe from multiple sites. On a German Equatorial mount the only thing that will concern you will be accurate polar alignment, to fully ensure correct tracking. Anything that makes a telescope easier to set up get’s my thumbs up!
1.25” ring to 2” for the increasingly common range of larger focusers suited to astrophotography. Boasting Phantom coatings to boost contrast and sharpness, like the CickStop.
This range offers a very clear step up from the ‘kit’ eyepieces supplied with your telescope and are sensibly priced. The welcome adapters make these eyepieces even better value.
REVIEW Words: David Woods Main Picture: Graham Green
Baader Hyperion eyepiece system £89-£147 Last month we showed you the excellent ClickStop and now we can show you the rest of the system. From 3.5mm to 24mm these eyepieces have a detachable rubber eye cup that reveal a useful M54 thread that provides connections to all sorts of T-Adapters for DSLRs, CCD cameras, and Video cameras. 40mm Tube spacers can be used on DSLR cameras to attain better focusing. At the other end an adapter is provided to convert the standard
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M42 - Orion Nebula - Martin Saban-Smith
Location: My Light Polluted back garden looking towards local Coors brewery, Alton
ORION: Camera: Canon EOS 5D DSLR mounted on motorised EQ mount.. Lens: 76-300mm @ 109mm. Aperture: f/7. Shutter Speed: 3 x 27 seconds and 3 x 36 seconds. ISO 800. Processing: Manually stacked in Photoshop CS2, exposure edited in 32bit for background stars. Image reprocessed in 32bit for nebula information. LP removed and star colour enhanced using Noel Carboni’s photshop actions.
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Buyers Guide Part 2 Refractors -
...all you need to know Sky Watcher ED 80 Pro Series Refractor on a HEQ5 SynScan GOTO Mount
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HantsAstro Buyer Guide - Part 2 Words: David Woods Pictures: Graham Green
Refractors have made a bit of a comeback recently.The earliest 18th century
Newtonian reflectors used polished metal for the first mirror and were well, to be blunt, not that reflective by todays standards and about 30 foot long. Refracting telescopes on the other hand provided excellent images, but the manufacturing processes of the time limited both their physical size and performance. A visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory, near Sidmouth in East Devon will show you how far refractor telescopes have come in the past 130 years, in terms of quality and scale. It will also demonstrate the simplicity of the basic design, which in essence has not changed. The differences in todays modern refracting telescopes is one of advancing quality control, coupled with the cost advantages of mass production. Most of the the recent Apochromatic, Semi-Apo or Petzval offerings from Meade, Vixen and William Optics
are based on late 19th or early 20th technology. No doubt someone somewhere will spring up and tell me otherwise, but it’s still a modern take on an old tried and trusted format. Refractors are one of the most simplest telescopes to own and use, with few hang-ups. Unlike reflectors they are collimated at the factory, so rarely, if ever need collimating, as the optics stay in check, being ideal for travelling if under 4 inch diameter, with a fast ratio. They have no obstruction, so the image remains sharp and has more contrast than a reflector. There are also no ‘diffraction spikes’, from the spider vanes, so are better for astrophotography. Depending on your budget you can choose from a number of different types of optics and materials, such as ‘Extra Low Dispersion’ of ED Glass, Flourite, EPL-51, EPL-53, I could go on, but basically it’s down to the quality of the material and the depth of your pocket.
The main objective with a refractor, is the same for any other telescope: How it uses the available light. With this in mind let’s split this use of a refractor like a Newtonian into two camps: Observing and/or Imaging. Over f7 for visual, great magnification and sharp planetary and star imaging. While below this figure, for deep sky, widefield stuff. Simple? Nope, now the edges are blurred. Over the past few years it’s now possible to buy something like a William Optics Megrez 72FD or Sky Watcher ED80 and use it for almost anything, with only the aperture ultimately holding back the magnification. The optics and materials used are now so good, a small Apochromatic refractor can match a reflector double or even treble its size in terms of the quality of image. Not possible! I hear you say. Well, if you’re looking at the same patch of sky, it’s like a Ferrari and a Truck in a traffic jam: you’re limited by what’s in front of you. In this case atmosphere.
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Different strokes...
A Vixen A70lf Refractor alongside a William Optics Megrez 72FD. The apertures are close but the focal length is easy to see, with the Vixen being 900mm long and f/12.9, but the Megrez is just 432mm. and is more portable, but at a much higher cost and has a wide field of view. Good eyepieces are important, and a steady mount help to offer great views of the night sky.
It is possible to crank up the magnification on a bigger telescope, but sometimes due to condition, it makes the object you are trying to see worse. OK, let’s look at the entry level end of the refractor and this will start to make sense. Vintage telescopes used to be thin, very long tubes with small apertures, and with (at the time), expensively made glass lenses. Now, this is mimicked on cheaper modern telescopes but the long focal length of the telescope say, f/12 are used to offset the use of cheaper, sometimes lower quality optics, in the really bottom end telescopes. Alternatively, it’s designed with planetary/star gazing in mind with better optics and this is reflected in the price and construction. Our Vixen A70lf is an excellent example of a good entry level telescope, that will reveal many details of Jupiter and indicate the position of her moons. Going up in aperture (and price!) will resolve more detail and allow greater magnification, brighter objects and greater limiting magnitude, which will help define fainter objects. The down-side with a high focal length is the narrow field of view, and coupled with potentially high magnification a sturdy mount and tripod is essential. On very cheap ‘telescopes’, this is often a short-cut, along with sometimes
cheap (and dare I say nasty) eyepieces. Unfortunately, it is this sort of set up that should be banned to stop young budding astronomers from using these nasty examples! A rule of thumb is: if the telescope is the same price as mid-range 10x50 binoculars... really, buy the binos, and a star map. They’ll be used more often, and not just for astronomy. The expectation of any telescope is quite high, and the ones that are made of plastic with wobbly mounts, plastic eyepieces claiming 400x600 magnification are disappointing, and I’m being extremely, extremely polite... The 70-90mm aperture range of refractors is really the area to start with and these are usually classed as an ’Achromatic’ refractor which is a more traditional design and works well, but can suffer from chromatic aberration or colour fringing around the edges of objects, false colour. (Although this is also possible on more expensive telescopes!).The HantsAstro way is not to get to hung up on the technicalities unless you wish to specialise. OK, then on to the special stuff. We now enter the exotic world of doublet’s, triplets and special lens coatings and rare-earth element glasses. All are in the pursuit of the perfect, colour free, sharpest, highest contrast images with great detail.
CCD cameras and DLSRs can exploit the latest telescope designs to the nth degree and offer a chance to image stars to Magnitude 20+ with only a 66mm diameter telescope! These fast ratio ‘scopes circa f/5 are several steps up from binoculars in terms of visual observing and more versatile as you can magnify up to ten times more than with a pair of binoculars so can see more. It can be used for imaging via a DSLR or CCD camera or used as a guidescope or even a finder-scope for a larger telescope. It can also be used in the day time too for sports and wildlife observing. Being smaller, and usually around 350-450mm long it can pack away into a backpack and is portable enough to be classed as hand luggage. The refractor has come full circle. Larger telescopes, those over 100mm, raise the game with more light gathering to match reflectors, but then the cost starts to climb rapidly and they are larger and much heavier. Two ‘scopes then? An f/12 for higher magnification and a great start into astronomy, and later, a smaller faster refractor to develop your skills in astrophotography. Yes, it’s one solution, one of many. As you will discover in the third part of our buyers guide, it’s the mixing and matching of different telescopes and costs that will offer you greater flexibility.
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REVIEW
The ubiquitous Meade ETX series
Words: David Woods Picture: Graham Green
Meade ETX GOTO Telescope Range £249 - £699 80, 90,125
A complete system that allows the astronomer to connect a laptop or use the AutoStar hand controller to guide the telescope around the night sky, anywhere.
Overview Maksutov-Cassegrain, again! Why? Do you ask. Well, this is probably the most popular of GOTO starter telescopes, and provides a great basis for starting out in astronomy with the added bonus and advantages of a GOTO Size matters The 80mm is an f/5 refractor and the rest are Maksutov-Cassegrain based. The 90mm is the weapon of choice at £399, as there is a big jump price wise to the 125 which tops out this range of telescope at £699. What’s it like? Very good overall, the much acclaimed 90mm and its smaller brother are ideal starter telescopes, although the 80mm suffers from some bad colouration, giving Jupiter an orangey hue. It’s short focal length betrays it’s humble optics. The 90mm is far better and similar to the SkyMax reviewed last month. The supplied red dot finder is easy to use and great for taking aim. Better than the Sky Watcher in design, but why is it mounted on a flimsy plastic outrigger? The test example we had, was just returned from Meade as it snapped off after being stored in a flight case. The 125 gathers more light and is considered better for astrophotography,
No Polar Alignment needed! Just align two stars and you’re ready to start!
although it’s limited if not used with a equatorial wedge so that it can track properly, as the standard Alt-Azimuth setup tracks simply in a stepped fashion. I saw the steps in the 80mm... Some people complain of small controls. Well, it is a small telescope and there are a number of aftermarket solutions to remedy this, as well as extending it’s usability for imaging. Also moaned about is the quality of the gears (nylon I believe), they are cheap, sloppy and noisy. But this is an entry level telescope and so is a bit unfair, as they are often compared to larger telescopes on German Equatorial Mounts with higher levels of construction, and price. Go to where? These telescopes score massively on their portability and the AutoStar Controller (either 3,500 or 15,000 objects depending on model) allow you to explore the night sky with little knowledge of it and that is a double edged sword. GOTO is a blessing if you are trying to find that elusive object, or it makes you lazy, as there is no need to
star-hop and learn the night sky, so some say. Well, even using the downloadable ‘tour of the night sky’ feature on the handset, you will discover stuff that you never knew and if you did, you’ll see where it is anyway. GOTO makes it all so easy. An external power source is recommended with these telescopes as the 8 AA batteries in the round base don’t last that long, but are often enough for a few observing sessions. There was a 105mm model but that was dropped from the range, probably as it was taking sales away from both the 90mm and 125mm. I nearly bought one but actually went for the SkyMax 102T instead. No batteries required! If you want a telescope with built-in technology, then the Meade ETX range is a benchmark design. Next month the final trio of tests of the baby ‘Maks’ - The Celestron NexStar 4SE, the orange answer to the Meade’s blue ETXs...
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Observing with HantsAstro.
TimeShift Timetable
INTECH
BAF
Site III
November 08 4/18 6/20
1-4
20-30
1-4
20-30
December 08
2/16
4/18
1-4
19-31
1-4
19-31
January 09
6/20
8/22
1-4
17-31
1-4
17-31
February 09
3/17
5/19
1-4
16-28
1-4
16-28
March 09
3/17/31
5/19
1-4
17-31
1-4
17-31
April 09
14/28
16/28
1-4
16-30
1-4
16-30
May 09
TBA
The above table... Our plan is to run up to three sites with fortnightly observing sessions, starting with INTECH and Butser Ancient Farm. Tuesdays/Thursdays are the planned days for INTECH, see the two sets of dates in the first column, which are the first and third weeks of the month. Simple, one night gets called off, then go on to the next slot. (i.e. 4th November is cancelled – we re-arrange for the 6th . If the 18th is cancelled – we re-arrange for the 20th). Butser Ancient Farm observing sessions slide either side of the INTECH observing dates, see the two sets of dates in the second column (BAF). They are at the start/ end of the month. The idea is only to meet and observe on clear nights. That’s why we put the dash from 1-4 or 20-30, it could be any day between 1-4 or 20-30. The key dates with this site are to observe when there is little or no moon at Butser or whichever Tuesday/Thursday is best at INTECH. Site III dates are for other sites we have as reserve, including some planned ‘away missions’. HantsAstro might be able to claim we can avoid light pollution, but clouds and bad weather are something else. However, we do have one or two tricks up our sleeve. The timetable is flexible and hopefully you are too. Check our website for regular weather updates on our ClearSkies page: http://www.hanstastro.org/clearskies.html It views 7 days ahead, is 95% accurate within three days and 100% on the night. Why? Because we’ll be there! Join our group and you will be added to updated alerts regarding our observing sessions that are designed to inform you as accurately as possible that the sky is clear, or if staying at home is better... Not only that, because the sites are so close to us we can check right up to the day before, and on the day itself. Sometimes the weather is like a roll of the dice, cloud is not all bad as a good time can be had for some great views. It can be a close call. Our first meeting on the 11th August proved that! It’s new, it’s working but there is still a margin for error. If you’re game, so are we.
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WHAT’S ON Talks & Seminars November 2008 Hampshire Interesting local Astronomy talks take place in the County nearly every month, so please check the relevant web-site for any updates and contact details.
Southampton Astronomical Society
November 13 - Astronomy with a Small Telescope Speaker - Neil Bone Edmund Kell Unitarian Church Hall, Bellevue Road Southampton - @ 19:30pm Cost £2 Non-members www.southampton-astronomical-society.org.uk
Hampshire Astronomical Group November 14 - Practical Digital Imaging Speaker - Pete Lawrence Clanfield Memorial Hall, South Lane, Clanfield PO8 0RB - @ 19:45pm Cost £2 Non-members www.hantsastro.org.uk
Solent Amateur Astronomers Society November 21 - The Norman Lockyer Observatory Speaker - David Strange Oaklands Community Centre, Fairisle Road Lordshill Southampton SO16 8BY - @ 19:45pm Cost £2 Non-members www.delscope.demon.co.uk/society/home.htm
Basingstoke Astronomical Society November 27 - Photographing the Night Sky Speaker - Nik Sczymanek Cliddesden Primary School, Cliddesden, Basingstoke RG25 2QU - @ 19:00pm Cost £2 Non-members www.basingstokeas.org.uk
Vectis Astronomical Society
November 28 - Historic Telescopes of Cambridge University Speaker - Mark Hurn Newport Parish Church Centre, Town Lane Newport IOW - @ 19:30pm
Cost £2 Non-members www.vectis-astro.org.uk
Border+ November 2008 Talks & Events across the county line. Please check relevant web site for updates and contact details. INTECH Science Centre + Planetarium Winchester, Hants Cost £2 per show in addition to exhibition entry Cost - £6.95 Adults £4.65 under 14’s Check site for schedule www.intech-uk.com Southdowns Planetarium Chichester, West Sussex Various Monthly Shows Check site for details + times and booking Cost - £6 Adults £4 under 16’s www.southdowns.org.uk/sdpt Cody AS Farnborough, Hants www.codyastrosoc.co.uk Farnham AS Farnham, Surrey www.farnham-as.co.uk Guildford AS Guildford, Surrey www.guildfordas.org Newbury AS Newbury, Berkshire www.newburyas.org.uk If you have any talks or events you wish to be included then please get in touch.
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OUT THERE...
Planet+
Our Hampshire Sky - November 2008
November 2008
November Sky
Where the Planets are in our Solar System in November.
Mercury will still be visible in the morning sky this month but soon fades back into the twilight sky passing 4 degrees north of Spica on the 1st.The planet reaches superior conjunction on the 25th. Venus becomes more prominent in the evening sky lying in the south west at twilight at around 17:00 mid-month.Venus is very low as it travels through Sagittarius but it may be worth spending a little time to use Venus to acquaint your self with the region as the planet passes 1 degree south of M8, 2.5 degrees south of M20 and 3 degree south of M21 on the 13th.
Table Key RA - Right Ascension Dec - Declination Constell. - Constellation Elongation - Angle between Sun & Planet as seen from Earth Distance - From Earth in Astronomical Units (AU) = 149.598M Km Magnitude - Brightness Diameter - in ArcSeconds Phase - % Visibility of object disc
Mars is approaching solar conjunction and is therefore unobservable. Jupiter moves in towards Venus on the 30th and they are separated by 2 degrees. Saturn can be found in the pre-dawn sky in the constellation of Leo.With the crescent Moon lying 6 degrees to its south on the 21st making identification a little easier.
Meteors
This month we will be granted with two meteor showers.The Leonid meteor shower will be washed out by the 18 day old Moon on the 17th/18th at its peak.
All Data is based on 15th of the month from Central Hampshire.
The Taurids peak twice. On the 3rd the first peak is favourable as the Moon is only four days old but on the 13th the Moon is close to full phase making this peak unfavourable. The Taurids are known to be ‘slow moving’ and bright with the added possibility of presenting us with some potential fireballs, with this in mind it is worth setting up your camera to capture these!
Next Month. Review of the Meade ETX90 Baader Hyperion EP range StarGPS GOTO upgrade News, Views and more info on our web site. www.hantsastro.org
Full Moon
The full ‘Mourning Moon’, also known as the Fog Moon or Snow Moon, depending on where you live. In the early Celtic society, November was the beginning of the new year…The full Moon may seem large on the 13th as it is at its perigee (closest to the Earth).
Solar System Data for November 2008 Objects
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
The Moon
RA
15h22m22s
14h57m51s
18h12m29s
15h47m01s
19h23m05s
11h25m34s
05h05m14s
Dec
-18°31’20”
-16°16’03”
-25°33’50”
-20°11’50”
-22°26’02”
+05°43’05”
+26°31’10”
Libra
Libra
Sagittarius
Libra
Sagittarius
Leo
Taurus
Constell. Elongation
-------
-6.3°
-39.9°
-6.1°
-56.1°
63.2°
155.0°
0.989 AU
1.403 AU
1.116 AU
2.498 AU
5.616 AU
9.758 AU
0.354 MKm
Magnitude
-26.02
-0.94
-3.95
1.44
-1.91
0.82
-12.23
Diameter
32’20”
04”
14”
03”
35”
17”
33’46”
-------
98%
74%
99%
99%
99%
95%
Distance
Phase
Hampshire is our Playground. Now it’s yours...
If you have any suggestions for improving this star information then please e-mail: david.woods@hantsastro.org
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