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Old 09-04-2018, 09:58 AM
Kunama
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HorseHead in binoculars .....

Never occurred to me to even attempt this until I read Allan's recent report of his APM120BT, so on Saturday night I travelled to a very dark site at Kiandra in the Snowy Mountains.

I set up beside the Link Road at the old mining equipment display and waited for the Sun to set.... This place is so very dark, and with the sounds of a pair of howling dingoes in the valley and the noise of a dozen brumbies just 200 metres away, a rather eerie setting when trying to relax at the eyepiece.

Anyway, after the last light faded, I aligned the AZ-EQ6 and set out to view some faint galaxies and other targets before turning the scope to IC434 and the asterism that lines up with the Horse's neck ....

and there it was, a dark patch that was blocking the light of IC434.... no real definition was seen other than a slightly oblong dark patch along the nebula but it was definitely the Horse.

I also spent a couple of hours viewing a list of NGCs, ICs and M objects but once the temperature dropped below freezing I (nursing the flu at the moment) retreated to the ducted heating of the motorhome.....
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Old 09-04-2018, 11:25 AM
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GUS.K (Ivan)
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Great catch with the Bino's Matt. Saw it last night with my 10 inch and an Hb. In the 18 inch can make it out without filters, but the Hb improves the view significantly( actually looks like a horse head). Tried with an 8 inch, but no luck. Usually if the flame neb shows well, the HH will be easier to see.
Ivan

Last edited by GUS.K; 09-04-2018 at 03:59 PM.
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Old 09-04-2018, 11:54 AM
Kunama
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I was pleased with seeing it Ivan, though no detail was possible with the BinoTak.
I saw the HH recently in Allan's 32" SDM and in that you could count the horse's teeth....

I have previously seen it in my previous 18" and also in the TEC MC albeit very faintly.

The binocular is very enjoyable, once I found the HH on Saturday using binocular vision, I tried to see it with just one side of the scope and could no longer see it nor much of the IC434.
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Old 09-04-2018, 12:47 PM
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GUS.K (Ivan)
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I heard the homonuculus was great through the SDM. As great as it is in an 18in, I can only imagine what it must be like in the 32in.
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Old 09-04-2018, 03:30 PM
astro744
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I always thought the H-Beta filter is required for the Horsehead nebula rather than the O-III as the latter would in fact filter out crucial wavelengths required to see it. The H-Beta filter is also commonly known as the Horeshead nebula filter.
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Old 09-04-2018, 03:52 PM
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Thanks Astro, my mistake, it was an astronomik Hb filter, I was using the 0III for Eta carina and the Vela SNR last night as well.
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Old 09-04-2018, 04:56 PM
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No worries. Thought it didn't sound right. A filter certainly helps but very dark skies are best.
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Old 09-04-2018, 05:43 PM
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It doesn't get much darker than Kiandra in the Kosciusko National Park, altitude 4600ft above sea level, cool, clear, still.....

Nearest light more than 50 kilometres away and that is just a small town...
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Old 09-04-2018, 07:33 PM
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Will need to try Kiandra one day. Was thinking the same last we went to Selwyn.
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Old 09-04-2018, 09:59 PM
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After Coolah, Heathcote looked like mud.
How does this location compare to Coolah?
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Old 10-04-2018, 06:58 AM
Wavytone
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Ah well done. Many years ago when I lived in Canberra and was more accustomed to the cold I once tried to observe with an 8” at DeadHorse Gap - the saddle above Thredbo - in mid January. Even then it was eye wateringly cold and I didn’t last long with ski gear on.

Another I tried was a resort at Shangri-La, 3,200m in Yunnan far southwest China. This had the most stunning night sky I’ve ever seen and was rather warmer being tropical.
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Old 10-04-2018, 07:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Atmos View Post
After Coolah, Heathcote looked like mud.
How does this location compare to Coolah?
Sky conditions were like the Saturday night at Coolah but at 1400m ASL....
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Old 10-04-2018, 01:57 PM
Tropo-Bob (Bob)
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Thanks for sharing Matt. I have never seen the horsehead nebula. What magnification did you use when viewing it?
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