As a child in the 1970s, I loved astronomy and space. It wasn't until I was 20, in 1986, that I was able to get a telescope. If you were alive then ;-) you will remember that 1986 was all about Halley fever. So in April 1986 I finally got a telescope - a modest 5" Newtonian - and with my reference materials (a newspaper article on Halley, a planisphere, and a Patrick Moore book on astronomy that I'd had for years) pointed my new treasure eagerly at where Halley was supposed to be.
Amazing! The eyepiece was filled with a glorious shperical burst of light. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I looked harder at the image - interesting that the diffuse cometary halo semed to resolve into individual points of light ... And no sign of a tail, but then I had heard that this visit of Halley was disappointing. What I was seeing was anything but disappointing. But the longer I looked, the less it looked like what a comet was supposed to look like.
Well, eventually I realised that I was a few degrees off, and what I was looking at was Omega Centauri. Amazing! I was looking for this comet, but was the sky really full of unexpected treasures? I started to slew the scope around (in those days, "slew" was something we did by hand) and came across something that literally took my breaht away. I stopped breathing. There was a little pocket of gems in the sky that Aladdin had left behind. A sparkle of red, blue and green (I'm SURE I remmeber green!) stars in a tiny little treasure-chest just below the Southern Cross.
It was the Jewel Box, and it hooked my into the delights of the sky in a way that has lasted a lifetime.
So, nearly 30 years later, when I finally fulfilled a lifetime's ambition and acquired a new telescope and acmera, and after three months of technical bedding in during which I finally got autoguiding working, there was only one object I could possibly capture.
Meade 10" SCT, F/10, with a Canon EOS 60Da. Next time I'll go for it with my focal reducer to F/6.7, which will enhance the sense of this little treasure of gems secretly buried in the deep south of the sky.
[EDIT - I got that F/6.7 shot last night. Attached. I need to do a better job with the flats I have to get rid of the vignetting at this focal ratio - but it's a steep learning curve, and I'm going one step at a time!]
10x2' exposures, ISO 800.
Thanks for reading this far in the nostalgic musings of a lifetime star addict :-)
Last edited by Jon; 18-02-2013 at 10:22 AM.
Reason: Added extra photo
Great image, Jonathon, and I share your love of the Jewelbox-it takes my breath away every time I look at it!
I also remember being a complete novice at the time of Halleys return, and seeing both omega cent and the comet in binoculars-my wife and I thought there were 2 comets!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane Jon , I was only young in 1986 but still remember my Dad showing all us kids Halley's comet in his binos , I think thats what started me on a life long love of this hobby .
The Photo of the jewl box is nice , you have grabbed have the colours very well .
Brian.
My first telescope as a 13 year old was a 4.5" Tasco reflector, and the Jewelbox Cluster was one of my favourite objects too. My family would always ask me to show it to them when we had the scope out.
I saw the Jewelbox cluster for the first time the other night. It really is awesome. I've tried to take some pics too but they really don't do it any justice.
Yes Chif a 10inch really starts to bring the "Traffic light" colours out nicely , a beautiful object ! .
Brian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chif
I saw the Jewelbox cluster for the first time the other night. It really is awesome. I've tried to take some pics too but they really don't do it any justice.
