inspirational - 16" binos and spectral...thingy

[silv (Annette)]

just found this website about Newtonian binoculars .
Would you like to look through one of those?
I'm not sure. I might loose interest in my little 8" and the camera images.

The totally different but also inspiring thing I came across here on IIS, yesterday, was the idea of looking at the spectrum of whatever is up there and find out about the chemical properties. Sending star light through a prism like Fraunhofer did, I think.

While I might never look through a 16" bino or never find the courage to dive into that analysis view point,
I find it incredibly enriching how diverse all the options for interests are that can come with this new found hobby.

Just wanted to share the love, I guess. Thanks.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Cool system eh ?
I've been tempted to buy another 4.5" Newt same as my first one and convert the pair into a binoscope. If I see one at the right price it's a 'on' project. I only paid $50 for the first blue newt. I reckon the 'stereo' image must help a lot when viewing with both eyes.

[silv (Annette)]

a 3D image. awe !

I've been tempted to buy another 4.5" Newt same as my first one and convert the pair into a binoscope.

wouldn't that be awesome!!
aren't you building your own obs as well?
imagine sitting comfortably in an elevated chushioned chair with those binos in front of your eyes...

the DIY angle of our allrounder hobby is beckoning me from afar with a
challenging grin
(I bought pliers today and a phillips screw driver! ha! to exchange the focuser with a GSO one. I think, the tube holes will need amending. and guess what: I own a drill, already )

so much to enjoy. even in rainy winter.

[erick (Eric)]

I have looked through a 14" bino-newt - at Omega Centauri. OMG!

So I have two 8" reflector tube units waiting for time for me to design and construct. I've already bought the suite of eyepiece pairs that I want to use!

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by silv

The totally different but also inspiring thing I came across here on IIS, yesterday, was the idea of looking at the spectrum of whatever is up there and find out about the chemical properties. Sending star light through a prism like Fraunhofer did, I think.

It is surpisingly easy and inexpensive to get into as well, I bought one of these http://www.rspec-astro.com/star-analyser/ and was launched into a whole new world...

[silv (Annette)]

erick - I soooo hope you will soon find/make time for your binos!
I imagine, having looked through those only once must make normal 1-eye observing a stale dish.
if only for a little while....

[silv (Annette)]

Poita, it was you, yes! thanks for posting that link again.

I once understood what Fraunhofer was doing, there. But it didn't stick in my brain.
I imagine there's quite some theoretical (software and chemistry) learning involved?
How would the image be captured live and get displayed in that graph...
(sounds expensive to me. one of those 4000$ CCD cameras??)

but once the mystery of capturing and reading the data is solved - the imagination can kick in.
this star is in a stage where it emits more and more such-and-such atoms.
what if a planet in its vicinity by pure chance just now developed life forms? how would they evolve - directed by that particular chemistry that has dominated the area around the star for a while?

story lines form in my head. I'm no actual writer. but this stuff triggers a gene, apparently.

what do you "do" with the information you gather, Poita?

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by silv

just found this website about Newtonian binoculars .
Would you like to look through one of those?
I'm not sure. I might loose interest in my little 8" and the camera images.

In my experience, the primary advantage of binocular telescopes can be described as mostly qualitative in nature. You don't need stupendous aperture to access this aspect of the observing experience... a pair of 8" bino's deliver it in spades. That is not to say that large aperture bino's aren't worth the effort (which can be considerable) The views are jaw dropping.

You are also correct in saying that they will spoil you for ever, however.

[silv (Annette)]

Clive - hey

forever? oh bummer. that's a long time, man.

oh no - you said "however". well, that sounds less doomed, then.

I hope you still have yours?

That was 10 years ago when you wrote your story.
What happend in your astronomy life since then ... ? I hope you didn't make too many enemies with your "sorry, your time is up, let someone else have a look'."

(the story gene kicks in again)

[clive milne]

Incidentally... just invested in a Nikon Nav HW 17.
I believe this to be optimum eyepiece for binocular newtonians.

[silv (Annette)]

well, it makes me feel good that I can still recognize them as eyepieces.
20" binos are cooking with water, too, aye.

Enjoy!

[silv (Annette)]

I would be interested in the reasons, though. And I'm sure others will be, too.

Why are these particular ones good for newtonian binoculars?

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by silv

That was 10 years ago when you wrote your story.
What happend in your astronomy life since then ... ?

Hey Silv....
Ahhh well...
For the most part, other interests took primacy of place (audio engineering and the music/dance scene), but that's another (long) story.

I did occasionally drag them out when friends were holding events/ dance parties... sometimes as many as 600 people would be there. The reaction from people who have their first view of the night sky through a 20" binocular was invariably priceless. Without doubt the best moment I had with them was with a young girl who wasn't even interested in looking (her friends physically forced her on to the ladder) It was literally 5 minutes before sunrise, (essentially broad daylight) there was Saturn floating on a blue background.... perfect seeing and in 3D (or what your brain perceives to be 3D) As she climbed back down off the ladder, she was so deeply moved by the experience she was sobbing and her face was stained with tears.

"Oh my God... I never knew"

[clive milne]

Originally Posted by silv

I would be interested in the reasons, though. And I'm sure others will be, too.

Why are these particular ones good for newtonian binoculars?

For a 20" F/5 binocular , the sweet spot is around a 15 to 17mm eyepiece.
It delivers the best compromise of resolution, field contrast and field of view.

The HW 17's give the same AFOV as 22 Naglers, better contrast, better correction and a more accessible exit pupil than the greatly revered Tele Vue Ethos. They also come with a a supplementary field lens that converts them to a 14mm eyepiece.

The eyepiece barrel is also just small enough such that the bridge of your nose doesn't make things too uncomfortable.

best

~c

[clive milne]

Incidentally, one of the benefits of binoculars is that your brain is able to access a greater level of detail with two eyes compared to one.... meaning that in practicable terms, you can use a lower power (with the inherent FOV advantage) and still perceive the same level of resolution.

You should see M42 at high power in good seeing... The first time I saw it I stood there in disbelief... I had assumed that the fine detail in the nebula was something that could only be seen in hubble pics.

The following image might give you an idea of the experience, or my memory of it at least. You obviously don't see the same level of contrast, but you are at a level of spatial resolution where you can start to see a a fair chunk of the stuff that is in that pic... it is no longer just a milky cloud.



You can perhaps understand why this might spoil you.

[silv (Annette)]

no, you don't see that. no. no you don;t.

(anyway, that's MY orion nebula! my own! it's the reason why I had to embark on this adventure...and it has to be blue! my 200mm camera lens captured it in blue in those 2 precious seconds in January! *grumblegrumblegrumble*)

no you don't see that colour.

DO you see COLOUR????

[silv (Annette)]

sometimes as many as 600 people would be there. The reaction from people who have their first view of the night sky through a 20" binocular was invariably priceless. Without doubt the best moment I had with them was with a young girl who wasn't even interested in looking (her friends physically forced her on to the ladder) It was literally 5 minutes before sunrise, (essentially broad daylight) there was Saturn floating on a blue background.... perfect seeing and in 3D (or what your brain perceives to be 3D) As she climbed back down off the ladder, she was so deeply moved by the experience she was sobbing and her face was stained with tears.

"Oh my God... I never knew"

*swoon*

(I'm a girl. I mean, I am really.)

P.S. xtasy and some amphetamines and the dawn after a great night out... I can relate to the tears from when I was young. for nowadays apparently lesser reasons than the view through 20" binos, though.

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

As Peter said, even the simple Star Analyser (or Rainbow Optics) grating will show a surprising amount of spectral detail in the stars.
You will quickly recognise the "fingerprints" of the various stellar classifications and be able to monitor nova, variable stars and much more.
"Amateur Spectroscopy - The final frontier - to boldly go where few have gone before"

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by silv

Poita, it was you, yes! thanks for posting that link again.

I once understood what Fraunhofer was doing, there. But it didn't stick in my brain.
I imagine there's quite some theoretical (software and chemistry) learning involved?
How would the image be captured live and get displayed in that graph...
(sounds expensive to me. one of those 4000$ CCD cameras??)

but once the mystery of capturing and reading the data is solved - the imagination can kick in.
this star is in a stage where it emits more and more such-and-such atoms.
what if a planet in its vicinity by pure chance just now developed life forms? how would they evolve - directed by that particular chemistry that has dominated the area around the star for a while?

story lines form in my head. I'm no actual writer. but this stuff triggers a gene, apparently.

what do you "do" with the information you gather, Poita?

Nope not expensive at all, you can even use a webcam, but I'm using a DMK21 which can be had for around $250 these days.
The software is inexpensive too, and there is a 30 day trial version. You should take the plunge it is an interesting diversion!
See here:
http://www.rspec-astro.com/getting_started/

[silv (Annette)]

oh, that's good, then.

I only now "found out" that you can see the doppler shift in the absorption lines, too. thats good to know, isn't it.
whether to wave the star on its way
or put more beer in the fridge for when it swings by.