Yeah the Top End has it's advantages like dark skies and almost cloud free for half the year, but the wet season will see my Dob stored away for about 4 months and me doing all my observing on the internet.
In preparation for the arrival of the humidity around September/October, I've installed a LED inside the storage cover to stave off mould. The secondary will be wrapped in a plastic bag with a desiccant satchel to remove any moisture.
Just collimated my GSO lazer collimator (thanks for the tips Alex) and at 4 metres it was tracing a 50mm diameter circle on the target wall. That can't have been good and after 10 minutes playing with the tiny allen screws I got it down to a tenth of that. Collimation is so important in fast Dobs like mine so I'll see if it's made a noticeable difference tonight. I also tightened the beam while I was at it so all's ready for tonight's Tele Vue eyepiece christenings. Not a cloud in the sky as well.
Last night was one of the best observing nights I've had to date. The seeing conditions were only slightly better than average, but what was seen was pretty impressive. Unfortunately for the 3rd time in a row I was the only DAG to turn up but at least I had the wife for company (except for that one hour she fell asleep).
Highlights: To start with it was hard to actually settle at the eyepiece for most of the night because of the Southern Delta Aquarids. The display was often spectacular with clusters of meteors making an appearance on occasion. I counted 3 in 10 seconds once and 6 in a minute another time. Several where huge and lit up the sky!
There was also a red/yellow/green shimmering light in the west that seemed to pulsate close to the horizon before setting at about 11pm. I thought it might have been an aircraft but many planes came and went but this thing just seemed to hover over Darwin. The Darwin Cup ball was on so if they were using lazers combined with compatible atmospheric conditions....or....it was a UFO. Either way it wasn't a planet and it was weird.
I waited for Jupiter to rise from the East and there was no mistaking it when it did. This was the first time I set eyes on it (through a telescope) and its 4 big moons and was surprised by the rich colours observed. Being close to the horizon there was a slight shimmer around it but the banding was very clear. 2 o'clock came and so did the dew so it was time to call it a night. The mirrors were fine but the Telrad and eyepieces were starting to fog and it was time to get the other half home.
Collimation I thought the view previously in the 16" was good but I obviously didn't know any better because last night everything seemed a lot sharper and not because I was using premium glass (although that did help). Even the plossls showed the stars as being more defined with less flaring. The lazer now fits within the donut ring fully and setting up with the Cheshire showed that the secondary was just a fraction out. Again thanks Alex for the tips .
TV 24mm Panoptic I'm a beginner and no expert on eyepieces but here are my layman first impressions. Of the 2 new TV eyepieces purchased this was the most comfortable to use and my favourite. Combined with the Paracorr it gave me a power of 86x. The eye relief was just about perfect for me and the field of view although obviously narrower than the Nagler was sufficiently wide enough to drop my jaw more than once. The Paracorr obviously did it's trick with stars in focus its entire FOV. Took in Saturn, M13 and the Eagle, Lagoon and Trifid nebulas and the detail was brighter and better defined than I had observed with my GSO EPs but that could also be the better collimation playing a part as well. I also appreciated leaving the Dob alone for longer before having to adjust it. For a non goto dob, wide FOV Eps are essential in my opinion (FWIW). This Ep will be the one that I'll end up loading first at the beginning of every session.
TV 13T6 Nagler 82 degrees FOV certainly is impressive and it was the first time I've used one this wide. At 159x it gives an impressive view of the same target objects above although you couldn't frame all of the larger nebulas the details within them was fantastic. The 16" aperture obviously helps but the nebulas weren't just pale smudges anymore but positively glowed. Although I liked the Pan more, this EP was also very impressive, especially when viewing Saturn. It took one and a half minutes for it to traverse from one side of the EP to the other, plenty of time to get a good look before going the nudge. There were however two things I didn't like about the 13mmT6. 1st there was some reflection within the EP on bright objects, not a lot but noticeable and correct eye placement usually combats this; which brings me to the 2nd issue which is eye relief. I suspect it will become less of an issue as I grow more familiar with it, but getting your eye at just the right distance from the lens was harder to do than with the Panoptic, especially whilst standing. These are only minor points aren't deal breakers. It certainly wont be finding its way to the classifieds anytime soon. However the 10mm Delos is looking more likely than the 9mmT6 to be my next purchase. Stay tuned.
Astronomik UHC filter I popped this into both TV EPs on occasion, mainly to look at the Nebulas and globulars. It did dim the views a bit but you did have better contrast. All the bright stars were subdued so that instead of being boiling beacons they were little white disks. I however much preferred the luminosity of the Nebulas and clusters without the filter so I doubt I'll use it too often. Looking at Jupiter with it resulted in a red crescent surrounding the planet so it's obviously not of much use there.
Any problems? Yes there was one. The added weight of the Paracorr and not overly heavy TVs means that at altitudes less than 45 degrees the tube nosedives. The tension side knobs helps arrests this downward travel to some extent but I had to hold the tube up whilst looking at Jupiter low on the horizon. There is some ability to adjust the COG by about 25mm but it isn't an easy job. I like the idea of large and heavy felt covered magnets that I can attach to the metal base. Does anyone know of an Australian distributor for this kind of product (the one in the USA doesn't export).
So to sum up the night was a cracker. It was a clear, dark night, the mozzies were in bed by 8pm and I had a couple of new toys and 50 - 60 meteors to keep me entertained. I'm loving this Astronomy thing.
Hi Gino,
I have similar balance problems with my GSO 12", especially with the TV 17 and 22mm. I use a magnet from an old speaker picked up from a car stereo guy's chuckout bin. Costs nothing and sits near the mirror end of the tube all the time. It's just heavy enough to take up the extra weight of the heavier EP's.
Hi Gino
I found it best to balance the scope with the heavier eyepieces inserted in the focuser , then it's simply a matter of loosening or tightening the tension knobs as needed. I think you will find there is plenty of room for adjustment, I balanced my 16 inch with binoviewers inserted and the tension knobs do a reasonable job of holding the scopes altitude with lighter eyepieces.
Its great that someones enjoying their scope as there is not use for one in Melbourne at the moment.
Having another look at the adjustment plates they may not be all that hard to reposition (wish the GSO came with an instruction manual). I've got a speaker magnet but it only weighs 150g. I'd need a couple more to counteract the weight of the Paracorr but my scope might start to look like a Dalek
I might lift the plates 5mm each side and see how that goes. Thanks again everyone.
Just a short update should anyone be interested. I also don't want to be one of those newbies who say hello and are never heard from again.
I've been out to the dark site a number of times now and am slowly getting acquainted with many of the constellations in the night sky. I've started to work through the Messier list (23 and counting) and seen a number of other stunning objects including planetary nebulas such as the ring nebula in Lyra which at my latitude looks sharp and impressive. I can also confirm that I've seen Vesta as well. I also stayed up long enough last saturday night to get a better look at Jupiter and saw Andromeda for the first time. I knew it was big but when I couldn't fit it entirely into the FOV of the 24mm Pan, its immensity became apparent. I forgot to look at it with the GSO 30mm Superview so I will have to give it another crack next time.
I'm also liking the 13 Nagler T6 much more now that I'm getting my eye in the correct position for viewing. It still suffers from eyelash oil smears after each viewing session. I also have the 10mm Delos on order and hope it arrives before the wet season does. With the parracorr it should give me just over 200x magnification so should be good for the moon and planets. Jupiter was still a little low on the horizon when I observe so the 13 Nag was the highest I went last week.
I adjusted the tension knob plates 3mm and that has done the trick with the balance issues. Also have the 150g magnet for fine tuning. I suspect I might have to raise the plates another couple of mm when the heavy Delos arrives.
Anyway, now that I've had over 3 months experience in using the 16 inch GSO Dobsonian, I have nothing but praise for this product. It's not for everyone but it suits my requirements and circumstance well. I just hope the clouds stay away for just a little while longer as every night I've taken the black beast out so far has been relatively cloud free and the viewing somewhat "Stellar".
Last edited by Groboz; 04-09-2011 at 08:12 PM.
Reason: spelling, bloody auto correct : (
Wow, a 16" starter scope?
I remember coveting one of the Meade Starfinder 16" Dobs when I was just getting started, back in the early 1990s. I'd never have lifted it, though, those things were massive!
Once you've got 'your eye in' on the brighter deep sky stuff, that 16" is going to be good on the fainter stuff, especially galaxy clusters and faint nebulae.
As for getting eyelash marks on your eyepieces, that can't be helped. I still get eyelash marks on mine and I have to clean them every so often, to get the marks off.
I hope the wet season holds off for a while longer, so your season doesn't end too quickly.
Got out again last night to do a few hours observing before the moon popped up and before the wet season sets in. The dark site wasn't all that dark or wasn't as dark as previous visits. The bushfires on the horizon might have had something to do with that and it was slightly more humid too. Luckily a slight breeze kept the mozzies at bay.
Last night was also first light for my 10mm Delos and I was most impressed. I don't have the experience to give a knowledgeable and in-depth review except to say that my inexperienced eyes liked the clarity of view it exhibited and the comfort of the 20mm eye relief. I preferred the adjustable eye-guard fully extended and although tricky at first, soon worked out the best position to put my eye socket (just touching).
With my Parracorr the Delos gives me x 209 mag which was the maximum I wanted last night as the seeing was pretty average. Even so I did get a look at Uranus for the first time and Jupiter, even with a boiling atmosphere the detail and colours were amazing. This is a great planetary eyepiece IMO and the 72˚FOV seemed much larger than the +4˚ over the Panoptic. I will however have to adjust the balance of the scope yet once again as at low angles with the Delos the scope wanted to slowly nosedive.
My main mission for the night was to find my first comet, Garradd, which I did relatively easily thanks to the coordinates posted elsewhere on this forum and some tinkering with Stellarium. At first I thought I found another globular but the higher mag of the Delos didn't resolve any of the stars like it did rather impressively with 47 Tuc. A check with Google images confirmed that the smudge with a bright dot was indeed Garradd. It wasn't the long tailed, shuttle-cock shape I was expecting but satisfying to find non the less.
Also knocked off a couple more Messier objects so a pretty busy three hours.
I will try and get out again next weekend but at this time of year it's a day by day proposition. If there aren't any cumulus nimbus clouds on the horizon near dusk then I'm there.
Here's a few pics. 1st is my Eyepiece transport case. Almost full but still space for 1 or 2 more EPs.
Hi Geno I to am in Darwin and a member of DAG's ,,,but work (DLNG Maintance) puts payed to me getting out , hardly never, as break downs always happen on saturday night . . I look forward to meeting you and your beast ! of a scope .
Brian . fellow Darwinite .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Groboz
Hi there my name is Gino, I'm from Darwin, in my 40's and I've been lurking here for about 4 months.
After doing some research, attending a local astronomy course and joining the DAGs (Darwin Astronomy Group) for a couple of nights viewing, I decided to splash out and buy my first serious telescope. It's a GSO 16" truss tube dobsonian from Andrews Communications and boy is it big. I was originally going to get a Skywatcher 14" GOTO but my research indicated that the GSOs had slightly better optics. I also weighed up the convenience of the goto compared with the less complicated (less to go wrong), cheaper and bigger aperture of the GSO and the big, black bad-boy won. Besides, I can always add Argo Navis later if I really need GOTO.
Now some will argue that my first scope should be of a more manageable size etc but I'll qualify my decision by stating that I made sure it would fit in the car before ordering it and that I'm 6'3 , 110kgs and go to the gym 3 times a week. But having said that, the 16 is a beast even for me.... but manageable and boy those views
First light was about 3 weeks ago and I've had it out twice since. Our dark site is located Just 60 kms out of Darwin and the skies are generally pretty good this time of year apart from the odd bit of smoke haze. The wet season however will see the dob hibernate for almost half the year I suspect.
First objects viewed were Saturn (easily saw 4 moons), Omega centauri Alpha Centauri double and the Sombrero galaxy. I've since seen the triffid nebula, more globular clusters than I could count as well as familiarizing myself with the moon. A goto would have found more items once set up but I doubt the set up would have been faster than the GSO which takes me about 20 minutes including collimation with a laser collimator. Besides I'm rather proud that I found the triffid all by myself with a little help from Stellarium.
I've got one GSO wide view 30mm 2" eye piece and 1.25s in 25mm, 15mm 9mm and 6mm. I'm having fun with those and to my inexperienced eyes the views are pretty good. Only problem I'm having at the moment is finding things with the 30mm before scrambling with the adapter ring to fit the appropriate 1.25 eyepiece. Not in a hurry just yet, but I'm thinking of getting a TV 24mm Panoptic for lower power viewing with the new 10mm Delos helping to keep the planets in the FOV for longer. What do people think
I should also point out that the savings I made going for the 16 ($700) has been spent on freight, a Telrad, a lazer (using the DAGs as my personal biological GOTOs), a star-wheel and several books.
Below are some pics of the beast and I'd just like to finish off by saying that I'm really looking forward to learning as much as I can from the people here who have been doing this for much longer than I. What a great resource to have.
Hi Brian, glad to meet your acquaintance even if it's not in person yet. There are a few DAGs coming out of the woodworks, I've met four so far. I'm going to try and get out again over the next two weekends because after that I fear the viewing season will be over. Hope to catch up with you one night.
Sweet Gino . let me know thru here a PM , because as you say the wet is just around the corner, we have to make the most of this beautiful weather .
Brian.
you can buy large magnets that weigh up to a kilo if you glue felt to the outside of it you can use it as a counter weight when using heavier eyepieces. just slap it on at the back somewhere (not the bottom where the mirror is lol) but on the side somewhere and that will solve the problem of the nosedive
you can buy large magnets that weigh up to a kilo if you glue felt to the outside of it you can use it as a counter weight when using heavier eyepieces. just slap it on at the back somewhere (not the bottom where the mirror is lol) but on the side somewhere and that will solve the problem of the nosedive
Thanks, I've seen these for sale in the US but not sure who would sell them in OZ. Anyway my nose diving issues have been addressed simply by raising the tension knob plates another 3 - 4 mm. So all good balance wise. Still have a few more things to do to the scope to improve its performance. After reading some threads about problems with maintaining collimation I did a little experiment last night. I collimated as usual before moving the scope around, up and down and checking the collimation once more and yep, the primary shifted a little. All indications are that the primary mirror springs aren't stiff enough in the GSOs so I will have to replace them.
As for last nights endeavors they were similar to the weeks before with similar conditions of lots of smoke on the horizon leaving the sky above the best viewing. At least I had company last night.
I found Garradd comet again and knocked off another 8 - 10 Messier objects which now accounts for almost a third of the catalog. I'm finding that the 24 Pan and the new 10 Delos are the 2 eye pieces I'm using the most. Nothing wrong with the 13 Nag just that I use the 24 to find the object and change to the Delos if I want more detail.
I spent the last 30 minutes of the evening (midnight) looking at Jupiter with the Delos. The conditions were good enough and the planet high enough that the viewing was spectacular with that EP. I even saw a moon shadow (Io) cast onto one of Jupiter's orange bands.
Got home and 3 hours later it rained. I think my season is now over apart from moon watching from home on select nights.
Thanks everyone for taking an interest in the ravings of a newbie. I'll post again should anything significant happen re the modifications or any new observations I've made.
Last edited by Groboz; 25-09-2011 at 04:33 PM.
Reason: spelling
I am considering getting the 16" too, but I've been told that the diameter of the base is pretty large, and it would be a problem getting it through the door. Would you be able to tell me what the exact dimension of the base is, and also, would it be possible to tip it on its side to get through doorways?
Yeah the base is rather large at 80cm with most standard doorways (in my house at least) measuring 80cm themselves. It's a tight fit and you can tilt them partially but I don't know if the vertical sections of the base will clear the doorway if tilted too far. You may be able to clear one vertical strut diagonally around one door frame, swing the base around to the other side and then back out clearing the other vertical strut. You would need 2 adults to do this as there isn't room to swing around yourself. I hope that made sense. It is heavy and usually if the door doesn't swing fully open you lose another 4 - 5 cm of room to maneuver.
It hasn't been a problem for me because the only door it needs to pass through to get outside is 85cm wide which is plenty of room
On another note I've just discovered the biggest problem with owning this Dob and that is it's too big to take with me on a plane. I've just been posted to a remote community in the south east of the NT for 6 months starting in January so I'm really looking forward to some world class dark skies Unfortunately the trip out there by vehicle would destroy the GSO before it arrived (corrugated roads flood affected and impassable during the wet season) so it's travel by light aircraft. The weight and bulk of the Dob would take up all my luggage allowance leaving me with just the clothes I'd be wearing and a tooth brush.
Anyway, it's back to basics and learning more about the night sky with Skysafari on my Ipad 2 and my new Canon 12x36 II IS binos which should be arriving any day now I was considering buying a more portable 8 or 10 inch Dob but I would be constantly looking at objects and muttering to myself how magnificent it would have looked in the 16
I am considering getting the 16" too, but I've been told that the diameter of the base is pretty large, and it would be a problem getting it through the door. Would you be able to tell me what the exact dimension of the base is, and also, would it be possible to tip it on its side to get through doorways?
Thanks.
Not sure if this would be possible on a GSO dob, but it has solved my issues with the size of the base of the Lightbridge 16. I was unhappy with the bolts through the top base plate being set straight into the chipboard uprights- that's a sure recipe for eventual loose fitting. The other issue was that I would have to dismantle the base plates, including the two metal discs, roller bearing plate, bushing and ring bearing, not to mention undo seven hex bolts, every time I wanted to move the thing. The picture shows my fix: four pine blocks (sections of 150mm Laserframe sanded back to remove the textured finish). These were drilled through to accept 3/8" bolts with wingnuts, and fixed to the top plate with 2 two and a half inch wood screws each. The blocks are too small to interfere with the arc of the scope, but big enough to be robust supports for the sides. It's a piece of cake to unscrew the bolts, lift the sides and then carry the base plates still attached to each other using the blocks as handholds. The seven hex bolts are in the toolbox awaiting a new role in the workshop!
Keltik, could you post a link or PM me about your modifications to your 16" LB base.. I just had mine arrive at Erg's place in Orbost and will be heading down next week to use it and bring it back to Canberra.
Anything that makes the base easier to move/transport would be a huge bonus.
Here is a pic of a modified base.
The bases that come with them move around alot and need gussets on the sides,So what do we do we do this to stop sideways movement.
) and at 4 metres it was tracing a 50mm diameter circle on the target wall. That can't have been good and after 10 minutes playing with the tiny allen screws I got it down to a tenth of that. Collimation is so important in fast Dobs like mine so I'll see if it's made a noticeable difference tonight. I also tightened the beam while I was at it so all's ready for tonight's Tele Vue eyepiece christenings. Not a cloud in the sky as well.
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(the one in the USA doesn't export).
With the parracorr it should give me just over 200x magnification so should be good for the moon and planets. Jupiter was still a little low on the horizon when I observe so the 13 Nag was the highest I went last week.
my name is Gino, I'm from Darwin, in my 40's and I've been lurking here for about 4 months. 
