Thursday 1/12 viewing- Lightbridge 16 "first" light

[Keltik (Trevor)]

Had the LB out last night for the first real observing- up until now I only had the Meade 26mm EP to play with, but yesterday I received an adapter to enable me to use the old Unitron 0.965" EP's I have. I also found, in the back of a workshop drawer, a Celestron 20mm ep that came with the cheap Dick Smith 5" newt I have been messing with the last few years.
The wind was certainly brisk! There were small clouds scooting across the sky which occasionally got in the way, but there were enough big gaps to warrant setting up. I had to rug up just at dusk to set up the big dob, which thankfully took no more than ten or fifteen minutes. I was targeting the Moon and Jupiter, as my suburban Melbourne site is so heavily light-compromised that I figured these would give me less grief than trying to find fainter objects.
First I tried the Celestron 20mm on the Moon. Although the EP is possibly not the world's best, the view was simply amazing...but even a Moon not yet at first quarter is way too bright through this big scope. I stepped away after a minute with one eye quite "dim" ! So I thought I might try Jupiter to the north before I fogged my dark adaptation. It was about 2040h or so Melbourne time. The Unitron 12.5mm EP showed band structure and a tantalising hint of detail in the clouds...but there was a bright blob on the (?NE) limb...that disappeared! It took me a second to realise I had just lined up in time to see an occultation of a moon....but which one? Off to Stellarium to check...Europa! By the time I got back a big bank of cloud had moved up and that was the end of Jupiter. Even before that, though, the detail was very sporadic due to what I expect were patches of vapour preceding the clouds that were racing by.
The area of sky occupied by the Moon was still clear, so I swung the LB round again and got stuck in with the Unitron EP's. I concentrated on keeping the terminator to the right of the field so I wouldn't get too overwhelmed with light. The detail was simply stunning, so much to see and so little of it I knew well enough. Sinuous rilles and long basalt fracture-steps through the Maria Tranquillitatis and Serenitatis, close to the terminator....fantastic numbers of tiny craterlets visible with the 6mm EP which I had never been able to resolve before...two lava domes I had never noticed before which I have now been able to name as the Arago domes...and to my amazement, enough Earthshine on the "night" side to make out the ghost of what must have been Copernicus crater. I was there for about an hour and a half just gawking at all the detail before the chill
(and increasing cloud) made me pack up.
Considering I wasn't expecting to be able to set up due to weather, I had a great evening. This LightBridge 16 is amazing. The eyepiece kit that came with the deal is still on it's way, so I wait with eager anticipation for its arrival!

[FlashDrive (Poppy)]

Good on you Trevor ... getting a " taste " of things to come .. just wait till you get a night of " good seeing " . No clouds ... No moon .. No " heat shimmer " in the upper atmosphere ... a crisp clear evening ... a good set of quality eyepieces ... then your jaw will hit the ground.

Keep going Mate...

Flash

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Congratulations Trevor. Looking forward to more reports.

[Keltik (Trevor)]

Had another go last night, received a new EP in the post from the UK, an eBay purchase of a 9mm TMB "planetary" ep...got some good detail on Jupiter between episodes of 'boiling water"..a dark band in one of the equatorial belts and even a nice view of a "white spot" storm... our Moon was, as usual, amazing, but this lightbucket sure does drag in the photons...I'm still awaiting the eyepiece kit from Bintel, which contains a moonfilter, I think. Seeing went pearshaped at 9.30 last night with very thick, high cirrus...I'm getting about an hour every evening after twilight. I'm also developing muscles from lugging the scope in and out of the garage, even with the little trolley I built for the primary bin. I'll have to include a photo of my new shoulders!