warm evening (Toronto)

Kiron arrived, on bicycle, at approx. 10:45 PM, keen to do some astronomical observing.

Instrument: Questar 3½-inch Mak
Mount: equatorial table-top legs
Method: star hopping

When Kiron and I learned we were neighbours at some RASC Toronto Centre meeting (or perhaps during a NOVA course), we hatched plans to observe together. He asked if I would mind inviting him over when I was going to view from my back garden. As a new member without a telescope (and temporarily without binoculars) trying to work on his Explore the Universe Certificate, Kiron needs to lean on us. He attends RASC City Observing Sessions. He had recently attended the Open House at the CAO. I often enjoy observing with company so I emailed and phoned him in the afternoon to say I was intending to get out. He accepted my offer.

He brought his bike 'round back. We surveyed the sky. At first I mistook Arcturus for Saturn. Oops. That was Boötes overhead; Leo in the west. Ah, I spotted Mars below the sickle.

By 10:56 PM, we were on Saturn with the RASC's Questar. I started us off at low power, using the 40-80x eyepiece. Once again, I was impressed with the clarity of the view, despite old, tired eyepieces. Saturn and Titan were crisp and clear. I had Stellarium running on the red film-shielded battery-powered netbook nearby. I let Kiron fly the 'scope.

The software showed many moons flanking the amazing planet, Titan, Iapetus, and Hyperion to one side; Rhea, Dione, and Tethys opposite. (Mimas and Enceladus were tangled in the rings.) However we could not see any of the other moons at this low power (and small aperture). We moved the 'scope to a different spot on the picnic table to afford more comfortable viewing. Easy with this little thing! Then we switched to 80x, with the flick of a lever. The equatorial belt popped! Slightly whiter than the north and south regions. Some striations in the upper hemisphere. Also at 80x, I could just barely see moons on the west side of the rings. Computer says Rhea is 10.3, Dione is 10.9, and Tethys is 10.8. I could only see two, with averted vision, in momentary moments of stable seeing. So I must have been seeing Tethys on the inside and Rhea on the wing...

Kiron asked many questions about the view orientation. We discussed how a Newtonian generally rotates the image whereas a catadioptric, with mirror diagonal (like the Questar), laterally inverts. Stellarium was helpful for quickly portraying the normal, naked eye or binocular view, versus what the telescope was showing. I pointed to Polaris through the trees. It helped him get his cardinal points and a better sense of the ecliptic in the sky.

We discussed how, at this time, with Saturn's ring plane in-line with us that the rings became a pointer, showing the clearly showing the ecliptic. I think that further helped Kiron get his bearings.

The Oregon Scientific weather station said 56% humidity and 22.7°C air temperature at 11:31. Although I wondered if it was still transitioning from the living room readings.

We doubled the magnification with the 80-160x eyepiece. That left moon was now easy peasy. I asked Kiron to check the computer as I described the view. The moon I clearly saw at one ring width (or slightly more) from the planet he said was Dione! What? But it's fainter of the group. I tried to see Tethys between - no joy. I think I caught Rhea further out, at one point. Is the seeing worse now? Kiron returned to the eyepiece but was having a hard time seeing these faint moons. I wondered out loud if we were at the mag limit of this instrument. I encouraged him to try averted vision techniques.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed my new log book, the Stargazing Journal. It reminded me to capture details like conditions (clear skies, warm, 27°C when I checked Env Can at 9:30-ish, humid, no wind) and the Moon phase. Curiously, I discovered that there's not enough space for the full date! Sheesh, I hate that, you know, when a form doesn't leave enough space! Never noticed that... Maybe it's assumed that you will only supply the day and month and that in the journal elsewhere you'd note the year. I entered "2010" in the large gap between the Moon Phase label and the Moon icon.

I expected the circle for the Field Drawing to remain blank for the evening. Didn't feel like sketching. For future sessions, I shall roll backward, i.e. find unused blank circles. I'll just need to carefully date those drawings...

We agreed that the sky conditions were not as good as before (and they weren't great then). It had been pretty hot during the day and now everything was cooling off. Probably producing a lot of disturbances. I saw stars flickering. Also, Saturn was at 32° elevation... So we were going through a good piece of air.

I did a naked eye star test with the Little Dipper. Sadly, I could not see any of the stars fainter than γ (gamma) at mag 3.1. I could not see any of the 4.4 stars. So the transparency is not very good either.

Stupid Cherny neighbours to the east had all the lights on, as usual. Everyone else was pretty good. Dark in the west house. When Kris settled in his bedroom, we said hello through the window. He immediately closed his blinds and dimmed the overhead. Thanks, dude.

Kiron had questions about magnification and focal lengths. This evening I was quoting powers whereas during the Open House with the C14 I was referring to eyepiece focal lengths. He wondered why I had switched. I explained it was simply because the Questar people, in their wisdom, providing a turn-key solution, had pre-printed the eyepieces with the power values, vs. the focal length. But this also reminded I had not crunched any of the other numbers yet. I didn't know our field of view. I didn't know the upper and lower magnification limits.

At 12:15, Kiron thought that the view was improved slightly. I reminded him of the “magic number” time for urban viewing: after midnight, that light pollution usually decreases. He had heard that too. He reported being able to easily see Dione now.

I could feel the air cooling quickly. The weather station confirmed it: the temp is now 21.4. Humidity was rising; 58% now.

We discussed bright stars, in the winter and summer constellations. I popped into wikipedia (handy wifi working well) and we learned that in fact Arcturus was number 3! We're lucky to be able to see many from Canada.

1. Sirius
2. Canopus
3. Arcturus
4. Alpha Centauri
5. Vega
6. Rigel
7. Procyon
8. Achernar
9. Betelgeuse

I suggested at 12:30 we try some double stars. We moved to Mizar and Alcor. It was very pleasing in the Questar at 40x. Sidus Ludoviciana sitting in the middle. Hint of colour between the famous pair. I asked Kiron his impressions. He thought Mizar A and B the same bluish white colour whereas Alcor had a touch of yellow.

The dew shield of the Questar kept slipping down. Not enough friction any more... But then it is 56 years old!

I cracked open The Cambridge Double Star Atlas (DSA) and found Ursa Major on map 4. It showed Mizar as a double (aka Σ1744) and the nearby Alcor. It does not note the Sidus Ludoviciana between. But then this atlas only goes down to slightly below mag 7.5. (Stellarium says it's 7.5 mag.)

My green laser was helpful for Kiron getting his orientation in the sky and seeing Alcor in relation to Mizar. We wondered, if in very dark skies, we might be able to resolve Sidus Ludoviciana naked eye. Something to try at the CAO. Or next Mew Lake visit?

Using the atlas, I noticed that 78 Ursa Majoris was a double. So we went on a hunt to find it. Kiron first tried star hopping but was not satisfied. I took a shot at it. From ε (epsilon) UMa, I located 78. But as I threw more power at it, I still could not split it. A quick check in Stellarium suggested it was a tight double. Too much for the Questar perhaps.

We moved to Cor Caroli. Took me a few minutes to finally tag it being at a slightly awkward angle in the sky. At 1:10, at 40x, we enjoyed the colourful pair. It's on map 9 in DSA, also noted as Σ1692. This is gonna be a great set of charts to work through... I explained how Canes Venatici represented the hunting dogs nipping at the heals of the big bear. I also outlined, with the laser, Boötes.

It was late and we were both yawning. Kiron said that he had to work on Monday with a 9:00 AM start. I packed up as he gathered a few more photons.

As he glanced to the front yard, he spotted the nearly full Moon. He asked if the telescope would work on it. You bet! But I reminded him it would blow out his night vision. So we jostled the little 'scope to a good spot and took in the gibbous waning Moon at 40x. Very bright but very beautiful. Copernicus was incredible bright (excuse me, Tycho). I noticed an incredibly dark crater eastern limb (Grimaldi). Kiron enjoyed the detail along the terminator. I could hear him breathing, taking it in.

I hope I haven't created a monster or two using this crazy telescope.

That was a fun session. Not too hot. Not too many mozzies.

§

This was a very interesting experience for me, using the Questar. This might be the right kind of 'scope for me to get, in terms of small, portable, quick-to-set-up instrument. I didn't think twice about using it, the view orientations. It was very comfortable using at the picnic table. Quick and convenient to move, if we needed to. So, form factor, tracking, equatorial orientation, all good. The aperture is an issue but, well, that's the key concession for this compact size.

Questars are not in my budget. I'll begin to research the current options for small, table-top catadioptrics...