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[patrickm]

Stopped working on a project at 3:30 this morning. On my way upstairs, I remembered that Saturn was up and visible! A quick look out the window with binos confirmed, and the slightest view of the Saturnian rings reminded me why it is my favorite planet to view.

I could not resist taking my new 10" Sumerian travel scope out the front door for a quick look. It's been set up on the living room for over a week now, waiting.

I plopped down in the sidewalk across the street. My new laser collimator made quick work of the job in the cold. My finder is not properly aligned, but I know where it's off and quickly found a tiny Saturn in my 24mm Panoptic. The rings have opened up and three moons off to the right! After a while, I dropped in my 6mm Ortho. Seeing didn't quite hold steady for this jump, but it did pop in a few times.

I tried again to used my 8mm TV Ethos, but I cannot get it to focus. Not even close! In fact, it looks broken through the eyepiece. Using the collimator as counterweight on the base, I found the same with my 13mm TV Ethos. WTF?

Supposedly four moons there, but I could only make out three. Hmm...

Anyway, it was cold. I was beat. I called it a night, very happy to have remade the acquaintance of my old friend, Saturno. The dob had already paid dividends.

[Paulie pchris00]

The rings are indeed opening nicely. Even with bad seeing in my 6", the Cassini Division is visible easily to me for the first time since I've been viewing Saturn.

I'm very curious to see the ring system through bino-viewers.

Also looking forward to trying to find ring spokes with the 16".

A

[magic612]

I am not a morning person, and even when forecast to be clear, my luck would be I'd get up early only to discover that the ringed planet was obscured by clouds. So I'll probably wait until the weather warms a bit in a few months before waiting up for the ringed friend. And all this, while I encourage others in my videos to get out there and look.... of course, I'm referring to those staying up WAY late, or the super-early risers.

Patrick, how do your eyepieces look broken? Like the glass lenses inside are cracked, or what? That just seems weird that you can't get them to focus in your scope.

[patrickm]

Jan 11, 2012 18:32:41 GMT -6 magic612 said:

And all this, while I encourage others in my videos to get out there and look.... of course, I'm referring to those staying up WAY late, or the super-early risers.

Well, I was still up. Luckily my brain clicked enough to remember. Wish I'd taken a stab at Mars before packing up but I spaced.

Jan 11, 2012 18:32:41 GMT -6 magic612 said:

Patrick, how do your eyepieces look broken? Like the glass lenses inside are cracked, or what? That just seems weird that you can't get them to focus in your scope.

Well, when you hold an eyepiece up to your eye, sorta like that. It's not out of focus, it's just blobby. No matter how far in or out I rack the Moonlite, or if I use 1.25" or 2". I really have no idea. Am 95% certain the EPs are fine. I dunno.