Bretti 2014

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

thanks Al

picked up a new tarp

and likewise "I could not find anything I didn't know I needed"

geoff

[Shano592 (Shane)]

Hi Glen,

I'd like to get up to Bretti, but I think work is going to get in my way, for the foreseeable future.

Looks like I may have to be content with the Pony Club for the next few months at least.

I'm not ruling Bretti out yet, but I can't commit until probably the week of the event.

[Arthur Alchin (Arthur Alchin)]

No probs Shane, I know what it's like, this is my first break since a week in feb, gets frustrating at times when you see others pushing off and work commitments are in the way

[Arthur Alchin (Arthur Alchin)]

Anybody seen the Russian TAL-2 150mm on ebay?? 3 days left and no bids, an interesting bit of astronomical history

[DENMONKEY (Brett)]

I think I will have 2 more, maybe 3 with me.
They're more interested in camping/social than astronomy as such.
They do have a small scope of sorts that seen light about 3 years ago. I'm hoping the trip will perk their interest a little more

If they come I'll probably grab a spot away from the set up site to make camp and still drive up or walk up to where you guys are be part of the 'event' .

I'm still moving house the weekend before, so providing there are no surprises I'll be there with bells on.

I've not looked forward to something this much for quite a while and I'm heading off to see Queen (or what's left of them ) for the first time on the 26th.

Should be a great weeks of 1sts for me.

[Arthur Alchin (Arthur Alchin)]

Looking forward to catching up, will bring he heater controller with me unless you want to pick it up earlier

[absolut (Rob)]

Hey guys,

Sounds like Aug Bretti will be huge!!

Sadly I can't make it. Other commitments have raised their heads to make the trip unworkable.

I hope you guys have a great great time!!!

Rob

[DENMONKEY (Brett)]

I'll grab it off you up there Arthur if that's ok.
I won't have time between now and then to knock up the straps, so I won't need it before then for testing etc.

see you there.

[glend (Glen)]

For those people considering what days they might want to get to Bretti for this upcoming New Moon period, and seeking the maximum darkness that the site offers, here are the periods of lunar influence (or potential influence) over that week:

Sat the 23rd: Moon sets at 3:31pm * No Moon.
Sun the 24th: Moon rises at astro dawn and sets at 4:24pm * No Moon.
Mon the 25th: Moon rises at dawn and sets at 5:17pm * No Moon
Tue the 26th: Moon rises in daylight and sets at 6:10pm *New Moon
Wed the 27th: Moon rises in daylight and sets at 7:04pm * Min Moon
Thu the 28th: Moon rises in daylight and sets at 7:58pm * Min+ Moon
Fri the 29th: Moon rises in daylight and sets at 8:53pm * Min++ Moon
Sat the 30th: Moon rises in daylight and sets at 9:49pm *Wax 1/8 Moon

As you can see later in the week the Moon starts to make its presence felt again in the early evening but if your prepared to wait for it to set on those days there is no influence.

Truth is the whole week is very good.

[Allan]

I am going to start coming up with observing ideas. One I've noticed straight away is Comet Siding Spring which passes across NGC362 in the SMC. It is moving pretty fast and transits the cluster in about two hours starting 1am on Friday morning while we are at Bretti. I think it will be about mag 8 so will probably get lost while transiting the cluster, but apart from that it will be around all week for us to see.

I remember when we were there this time last year that the Veil was in a good position in the north for us to see. As was M31 rising through the trees on the top of that big peak to the north. Then there are all those galaxies in Fornax and Grus high in the sky.

Anyone else found any good observing ideas for the week?

[glend (Glen)]

Allan, M42, our old friend Orion Nebula, the harbinger of spring is rising in the east earlier each night, it will be up clear of the hill to the east and the trees if youve setup in the right place, up around 36 degree E at 4am and 47 degrees E by 5am if you can wait for it. Mars and Saturn are spending the week travelling very close together ( 3.5 degrees) will be around 54 degrees high in the West at around 7pm on Sunday the 24th, but visible together all week.

Neptune is at Oppostion on the 29th, with its face fully illuminated, so this will be the best week to observe it (7.8 magnitude)

[Allan]

Good one Glen. I have my eye on the planets because I have 2 new pairs of bino eyepieces to try out on them.

[Arthur Alchin (Arthur Alchin)]

Will get the dpust off mine when we are awy, have 2 meets of eyepieces: 7.5s and 40s, what are you using Allan

[Allan]

Arthur, I now have the 21mm Denkmeiers, 15mm TeleVue Plossls, 16mm Brandon's and 18mm Takahashi Abbe Orthos. That's all the options I need with the power switch on the Denk bino's. I may sell some of these pairs off once I have done my comparisons.

[DENMONKEY (Brett)]

I have a set of the WO binos.
A new set of EPs to work with these are on my list of purchases (fair way down the list though) as they didn't come with the original EPs 20mm but came with 2 x 11mm when I picked them up from trade section on here quite a while ago.
I'd like to get something lower powered for a wider field of view.

So I will be interested in which way you go with these Allan

[glend (Glen)]

Just two weeks to go now. I am putting a link here to a Limiting Magnitude Calculator and encourage people to plug their scope details into this calculator to work out your potential visual limiting magnitude at a dark site like Bretti. You may think you know what it is already but manufacturer published figures used in advertising are based on a certain set of assumptions, and plugging in your actual data including site sky condition data will yield different results. So give it a go.

When you get down to Sky Conditions there is a place to enter the Sky Quality Meter reading - use 21.8 which is the typical figure for Bretti. ALso, you can play around with it to see if cleaning your mirror is going to make a difference - and it does. Here is the link:

http://www.cruxis.com/scope/limitingmagnitude.htm


In addition, I have three potential target's for Allan's Observation List:

1. The Seashell Galaxy (NGC 5291) Mag 14.1 which will be just above M83 at 7:35pm on Sunday the 24th (260 W, 50 Alt). This one will test the limiting magnitude and the sky quality.

https://yahoov4s1-a.akamaihd.net/sh/...8bac9039d1.jpg

2. There is a galaxy cluster around (NGC 5903, 5898, etc) around Mag 11.2 located at 286W 66 Alt at 7:35pm.

http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc5898wide.jpg

3. Seyfert's Sextet, NGC 6027, Mag 13.5, 343W 34 Alt.

http://images.sky-map.org/star_image/000/000480.jpeg

These three are all in these positions early in the night (7:35pm) and with good altitude (although Seyfert's Sextet is abit low). Obviously as the night and nights go on during the week there are thousands of others.

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

i have a doctors app on the monday - so tuesday at best before i can travel up

hope to have the scope all back to-gether by then - new base progressing slowly
need new encoders for argo

geoff

[Arthur Alchin (Arthur Alchin)]

All good Geoff, will see ya when ya get there, will be travelling and sitting on the "official" call channel for CBers channel 11, no longer channel 8

[glend (Glen)]

Can we get a roll call going on who is travelling up and when?

I am planning on going up on Sunday the 24th and staying at least until Thursday the 28th depending on some medical appointments. I figured that Sunday is the start of the best moon-less 'window' and any weekend campers at Bretti will be leaving that day.

Anyone else decided yet?

[Allan]

I am going to wait and let the weather decide for me. But anytime there is a good weather window from the Sunday or Monday onwards I will head up there.