Apennines At High Power

[EpickCrom (Joe)]

G'Day Astro friends!

Last night I was observing the waxing gibbous moon with the Apennines Mountains prominent just beyond the terminator using my 10 inch dob just after sunset. The seeing was very stable. Due to the favorable conditions I decided to try something I had not yet tried before, use my 2x Barlow with my Cielo 2.3mm eyepiece for a magnification of 1,044x and view the moon!

I put my eye to the eyepiece not knowing what to expect. WOW! The image scale was HUGE with only slight wavy ness. The highlight was the Apennines Mountains, they looked so close and 3D. I got the sense of looking down from the huge peaks into the shadowed floor way below. The peaks cast jagged shadows and I could actually see texture on the individual peaks and the gaps between them. I actually thought one of them would poke me in the eye!

This was an incredible observation and I just had to share it with you guys. I highly recommend applying the maximum power your scope can muster then taking a look at the moon, especially in good seeing conditions, it was an eye opener for me!

Wishing you all clear skies!!

Joe

[gaseous (Patrick)]

That sounds amazing Joe, glad you get the right conditions for it over there. x1000 in Brisbane would be like looking at the sky while lying on the bottom of a swimming pool.

[EpickCrom (Joe)]

Thanks Patrick.

Most nights have really good seeing over here, although there are some looking from under a swimming pool nights!

My next project is to try observing some DSO's at 1,000x plus. Cheers and clear skies!

[Crater101 (Warren)]

I always find the moon a wonderful viewing target, glad you got the best for a night. The seeing and clouds here have been terrible for the past few days, so I can only say well done.

[Tinderboxsky (Steve)]

Great result, Joe. My few observing experiences like that are etched in my memory.

If you are thinking about some DSO’s to chase at high power, then add Eta Carina, the star, to your list. High power, good to excellent seeing conditions and Eta high in the sky will reveal the two lobes of the Homunculus. It is quite a sight. I could just make out the form of the two lobes through my 140mm refractor at 228X. You should be able to better resolve it with your setup.

Originally Posted by EpickCrom

Thanks Patrick.

Most nights have really good seeing over here, although there are some looking from under a swimming pool nights!

My next project is to try observing some DSO's at 1,000x plus. Cheers and clear skies!

[EpickCrom (Joe)]

Originally Posted by Crater101

I always find the moon a wonderful viewing target, glad you got the best for a night. The seeing and clouds here have been terrible for the past few days, so I can only say well done.

Thank you Warren.

The moon is a deeply rewarding object for observation. Endlessly fascinating!

[EpickCrom (Joe)]

Originally Posted by Tinderboxsky

Great result, Joe. My few observing experiences like that are etched in my memory.

If you are thinking about some DSO’s to chase at high power, then add Eta Carina, the star, to your list. High power, good to excellent seeing conditions and Eta high in the sky will reveal the two lobes of the Homunculus. It is quite a sight. I could just make out the form of the two lobes through my 140mm refractor at 228X. You should be able to better resolve it with your setup.

Thanks for the suggestion of trying the star Eta Carinae Steve! I have observed the Homunculus at around 400x but not yet at 1,000x

I shall wait for a very steady night before attempting it. Wishing you clear and steady skies!

[Dave882 (David)]

Great stuff Joe- very rare that I can push anything above 400x so that must have been absolutely stunning!!
Do you have a set of binoviewers? If not I’d really recommend grabbing one it’ll absolutely transform your planetary/lunar/solar viewing. Only catch is you’d probably run out of light at 1000x but the view at say 700x may well rival it for detail and clarity anyways and it’s much easier on the ol’ eyes too!!
Thanks for sharing

[Startrek (Martin)]

Joe,
Wow, that night must have been really stable. Glad you got to experience that incredible view
I remember back in 2018 down at my coastal dark site retreat using my Televue 4.7mm SX 100 deg eye piece for the very first time in my 12” Goto dob on a clear stable night. The moon was I think around 30 to 40% waxing and the views were incredible, definitely a space walk feeling in lunar orbit and only 320x mag

I can’t image what 1000x would look like !!
It’s a shame we just can’t bottle that view and show others

Thanks for sharing your experiences

Cheers
Martin

[EpickCrom (Joe)]

Originally Posted by Dave882

Great stuff Joe- very rare that I can push anything above 400x so that must have been absolutely stunning!!
Do you have a set of binoviewers? If not I’d really recommend grabbing one it’ll absolutely transform your planetary/lunar/solar viewing. Only catch is you’d probably run out of light at 1000x but the view at say 700x may well rival it for detail and clarity anyways and it’s much easier on the ol’ eyes too!!
Thanks for sharing

Hi David, thank you.

No I do not have bino viewers, they are on my long wishlist ( budget and wife approval pending ) which also includes a 14 inch dob, several Ethos and APM eyepieces, Paracor and filters!

I am regularly surprised at the seeing in Perth, I was surprised that I could get away with such a very high magnification (100x per inch). When the seeing is good here, it's really good!

Clear skies

[EpickCrom (Joe)]

Originally Posted by Startrek

Joe,
Wow, that night must have been really stable. Glad you got to experience that incredible view
I remember back in 2018 down at my coastal dark site retreat using my Televue 4.7mm SX 100 deg eye piece for the very first time in my 12” Goto dob on a clear stable night. The moon was I think around 30 to 40% waxing and the views were incredible, definitely a space walk feeling in lunar orbit and only 320x mag

I can’t image what 1000x would look like !!
It’s a shame we just can’t bottle that view and show others

Thanks for sharing your experiences

Cheers
Martin

Thank you Martin.

Yes, I wish I could somehow bottle the views to share. It was incredible.

Wishing you clear and steady skies!