The binoculars are from Andrews. http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm Giant 20 X 80 TRIPLET, semi-APO binoculars, $199.00 AUD
I knew where the galaxies were before hand, some are more than a smudge (M66, M96) and some are difficult (M95, NGC 3628). I am 58, I lie on a lounge, rest my head on a reclining backrest, rest my elbows on armrests and hold the far end of the binoculars.
My lounge is here: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/a...4&d=1156281094
I think your some kind of Zen Master with Bino's Glen . I'm yet to view some galaxies with my 12" Dob, so feel some what embarrassed. The weather has been real crap around these parts since i got the damn thing, or at least when I get time of work.
Seriously, I would really like to pull off some obs like that with a pair of bino's too. I guess the challenge puts a whole new perspective on star gazing & perhaps even gives a new found respect for what smaller instruments can do.
Cheers Glen ...............sorry to be off topic, my apologies.
Set up the 30X100 binos for a quick look at comet Lulin tonight, did not expect to much. Wow! Great view, the lenght from head to tip of tail about two degrees, (or the entire FOV for thes binos). And very well defined.
Dark adaption is a must, at least 5 min I found, just long enough for a nice cup of tea.
Used the time adapting to have a look at M44 The Beehive, Galaxies M65 and M66, and I think M105 (the nearby stars matched the chart from memory) very faint however.
With 20x80s Lulin's dust tail was 1.7 degrees long in pa 110 at 2:15 am AEDT on 27/2. The comet is on the left of mag 3.8 rho Leonis.
Lulin will be near Regulus for the next two nights and near M44 on 6/3 and 7/3.
After the 11/3 full moon the comet will be near the PNe NGC 2392 on 15/3 and 16/3.
Noticed a few stars outside so out for a look at Lulin - hadnt seen for > a week, and was brighter than when I saw it last.
In binoc the tail was very evident, and looked amazing!! I cant remember seeing a tail of a comet before in binoc, but must have waaay back. It was a beautiful sight.
Took a few pics, then a quick look through the scope, then the clouds rolled in.
Noticed about 3 swift, short meteors tumbling down through Leo as well, in about 10 minute period??
Here are Starry night screen charts for the next two nights. Last night it was really easy to find and nice and bright, so hopefully these nights will be no different. Bino's terrific.
Great view of Lulin from 200km west of Brisbane overnight - dark, cloud free, some moisture in the air 11PM thru to 3AM (plenty of time to dark adapt).
Comet clearly visible naked eye with tail.
Support Glen's comments. Simply stunning in 20x80 binos with approx 2 deg of tail.
Took a series of images as it slid past rho Leonis and want to put them into an animation.
Anyone any good tips for rolling DSLR images into an animated gif?
Finally got a look at Lulin last night. There was a lot of cloud around so I just set up my Megrez 90 on the balcony. Managed to get some fleeting glimpses until the clouds opened up for a while around 11:30pm. No tail really visible due to light pollution but a nice coma with bright nucleus. Tried using a deep sky filter to improve the contrast but it also dimmed the view of course - no substitute for a dark sky.
Unlikely I'll be able to get away from the city in the next few days so that's probably the best I'll see of it. I'll just live vicariously through other people's photos!
Lulin's tail was about 1.75 degrees long in pa 110 with 20x80 binoculars at 10pm AEDT on 27/2.
With the naked eye the comet was nearly as bright (maybe mag 4.8) as the star 31 Leonis (mag 4.4).
Had another look last night (still clear skies ) ... what a beautiful comet, tho they are all bful. I thought that the tail seemed to have widened a bit up around head of comet ?? (in binoc).
Mag 4.8 Glen ... thats great, thank you.
Lulin's tail is longer tonight, March 1, about 2.1 degrees in pa 110 at 1:30 am AEDT (UT+11). The tail might be longer than 2.1 deg but Regulus gets in the way with a 3.2 degree field on my 20x80s. The tail definitely extends to the mag 7.1 star HIP 49328.
Comet Lulin is still about mag 5. Nice and clear here tonight with a warm dry westerly blowing.
You lucky so and sos. Lulin has been a total failure in Melbourne due to smoke haze. Barely visible even in an 8"DOB. Just the faintest image of a wisp of nothingness.
Robert
Does anyone have a mag estimate for tonight? First clear night in Christchurch for a while and I managed to see Lulin east of M44 with 7x50s. Looked faint, no tail visible, though right over city, so quite a lot of light pollution
Hi all, those concerned with a mag for the comet, try finding a 4.5 or 5 star and defocus the star till its around 10' to 15' diameter and you'll see what the comet is supposed to look like. The mag estimates are not based on galaxies or globular clusters, but on defocussed stars!
Hope this helps trying to find out if you can see the comet in light polluted areas, if you defocus a mag 5 star to the diameter i mentioned and the light from the star is extiguished from view then you'll need to find a darker sky!
I just came in from having a go at Lulin in 10X50s.
05:50 UT, March 5 (01:50 local AST) minus 10 deg C, nippy NW breeze blowing, nice darksky location with Lulin about 30 degrees up in SSW, but Quarter Moon is still present in the WNW, putting a fair amount of light into a slightly hazy sky.
The view does not compare with the great view I had on Feb 27th under clear, dark sky and no moon. It stood out even to naked-eye. No naked-eye view tonight, Moonlight is affecting the contrast greatly.
The one strong point of interest is seeing Lulin in same field as M44, about 3 degrees separation, comet east and a bit below the BeeHive. That is nice to see. With a little averted imagination I only make out about 0.5 degree tail. Binocular out of focus mag estimate, at best 6.0 (using HIP43957 (6.2), 63 Cancri (5.7) and HIP43427 (6.4)).
Perhaps when the moon drops I'll get up and have another look, it will be a little closer to M44 too.
Sherm
Last edited by sherm; 05-03-2009 at 05:28 PM.
Reason: misplaced word
. I'm yet to view some galaxies with my 12" Dob, so feel some what embarrassed. The weather has been real crap around these parts since i got the damn thing, or at least when I get time of work.
...............sorry to be off topic, my apologies.
