Where I am at New Scope Research

In my research, I have discovered that the Obsession 22" UC has some issues and IF I go that way, 

1. Collimation Shift while using the scope. Many report that the Obsession UC's shift collimation during the night as they are used. I don't want to spend my observing session having to always pull out my Howie Glatter TuPlug and 2" laser collimator and collimate. 

2. Light coming into the focuser. The light baffle that comes with the scope doesn't block all light coming in. I know with both my 14" and my 17.5"  I had to make new baffles to make sure I block out any additional light across from the focuser. This isn't a deal breaker for me because there are times at some of my dark sites, I don't attach the baffle and I don't see the difference when I do put it on. A couple of sites  I do need the baffle. 

This is one solution a couple of owners have done: 

Protostar Flockboard UTA baffle for stray light shielding. This comes in handy when viewing from the bright neighborhood as all the houses have an assortment of outdoor lighting. The stock semi-circle kydex baffle peaked at 11", this one is 15" and goes all the way around. For viewing in heavy light pollution, this should cut down on spurious lights quite a bit! I followed another person's post on here when following this one. Needed 73" x 16" of flockboard from Protostar (they shipped very fast) and used some 1/16" rubber fender trim for the top edge and velcro around the seam and base to attach to the scope.

In several posts I read it is mentioned that the reason they don't think a single ring on a Ultra Light is good on the OTA is the traditional model protects the secondary from dew. I'll be honest. I have a 1000 Oaks Dew Controller and each of my secondary mirrors has a dew heater strip. I have only used the ones on the secondary 4 times in 16 years. Simply put, where I observe I don't get dew/frost on the secondary. If I order one, I would include this to be safe. I have needed it for my eyepiece and my finder and Telrad, but the secondary is good. Then the only thing I need to watch is to provide light shielding. 

3.  In some instances there is the dreaded "altitude drive cable unspooling" which IS a major pain. To solve this issue  one owner installed a single M6 thumbscrew as a stop for the lever so it can still go far enough back to use smoothly in manual mode, but not too far back to unspool. Spare parts + 10 minutes to drill and tap. He hasn't had it happen again since  he put this in. Here are some images showing that modification. 

This was another solution a UC15 owner had: 

 I had this issue on my UC15 and simply added a lightweight second spring alongside the existing spring. By lightweigt, I mean something you would find inside click ball point pen. It maintains a light tension on the cable to allow manual slewing with no cable derailment no matter the position of the disengaged drive lever.

3. Boundary layer fans for the front of the scope. I like this mod, and may actually do something similar on the 17.5. However, I don't find an issue cooling a mirror here in northern Utah too often. Usually I can get them at equi"librium before I start observing. 

"Installed some non-invasive boundary layer fans by using 3 small 40mm Sunon Maglev fans; these clamp on and can stay installed even for transport and with the dust cover on. Installed 3 in a triangle pattern to help dissipate the boundary layer evenly during early viewing." 

4. Another concern is the rocking of the scope between 30 degrees and 45 degrees, the unsteadiness of the scope and the loss of collimation. Here was one solution: 

Full Length Teflon Bearings

This teflon bearing is a bit different than most dobs - I got it and it was the entire length of the bearing. This caused a variety of problems - from loss of collimation, to problems with accuracy on my Argo Navis. The entire dob would rock when it was positioned between 35 to 40 degrees, which was disconcerting to say the least. I talked with Dave Kriege and the decision was made to remove the Teflon strips and fashion 2 4" sections to be attached to the ends of each bearing, secured by contact cement. It was a relatively simple fix, but the improvement it made was HUGE! The scope is rock-solid steady now, and collimation moves < 0.5mm from flat through the arc to vertical! I didn't have a tool to measure the exact shift, but it was barily anything - certainly nothing to complain about.

 So the Obsession 22" UC is a wonderful scope for views, all users agree on that save one. However, the scope holding collimation, stray light into the focuser and the the dreaded altitude drive cable unspooling and the rocking from 30 degrees to 40 degrees or so are resolvable issues. It just takes tinkering. EVERY scope I have owned require some tinkering to make them work as I want them. I need to find the weight and find out for me if I can load and unload this scope on my own from the back of my Subaru Ascent. 

My next review tomorrow will be on the Waite Renegade 20" or 22" telescope. 

 

Review of New Telescopes

 I am going to be evaluating based on reviews and communications I have with the builders on the following builders to pick one to build for me a 22 inch dob.  I love my 17.5 inch and I have put a lot of work into making that dob work for me and I'll keep using it. However, I want to push my observing to the next level and to do that I need a larger dob.  

The increase will be around .45 to .47 if I have done my math right, so not a huge increase but for some of the more fainter items I am getting into, that can make or break what I see. So far I have narrowed my search to these builders: 

a 22" New Moon Telescopes; A Waite Renegade 22" telescope; an Obsession 22" UC, and a 22" DocTelescope.  

I will be evaluating each here but will post images of them here in the blog. Look for me to update my post as I learn more about the pros and cons of each builder.  

New Moon 22" Dob: 

I'm not sure if Ryan at New Moon is still doing the UC concept in picture two, but that is the one I would be most interested in. Love this buld! 

Waite Renegade 20" or 22" Dob

Love the look and design of this one.  

DocTelescopes (Made in Italy): 

I am VERY intrigued an interested in learning more about this scope. I really like it! 

Obsession 22" UC Telescope

I will share what I learn as I research and communicate with each builder. I will then share my decision and why I made the decision I made. 

I'm adding a couple more to the list to look at: 

SpicaEyes Telescopes 

LINK

Taurus Telescopes

LINK

 Well, I am getting better and feel better today. Felt a lot better after a good 12 hour sleep last night and a nap this afternoon. I feel about 85% like me which is a huge improvement. So I wanted to share a digital sketch I did based off a sketch I did in October 2018 of NGC 1360 The Robin's Egg Planetary Nebula.  

Here is the original sketch: 

Here is the digital version based on my observing notes and the sketch above: 

I still personally prefer the raw sketch but the digital one was easier to add the color as when I did the original, I did not have color chalk pastel with me. The digital shows more of the spiral structure my notes had in it. I would love to hear which you think is better. 

Interesting Video on Humans Colonizing Proxima Centauri B (Sci Fi)

 Okay, not observing nor astronomical related, and there are errors in the narration, but I found the following two videos very interesting on humans colonizing Proxima Centauri B.  Enjoy! 

Video 1 

 

Video 2 

Messier 15 with Pease 1 from November 30th, 2024

 I wasn't going to publish this, just keep this one to me. However, after processing the sketch I want to share the final version here on my blog. This is a sketch of Messier 15 in my 17.5 dob f 4/4; with a variety of eyepieces. I used the 22mm T4 Nagler to get there and observe and sketch and increase magnification down to the 10mm, the 7mm and then the 5mm Pentax XW's. The Paracorr Type II was in for all eyepieces. 

Pease 1 did show itself with the filter though it drowns out some of the stars. I placed in very faintly in the sketch and perhaps will label it one of these days. I have been suffering from Influenza A this weekend and through this week so my observing during this week will be very limited. I am hoping the weather cooperates next week so I can get out. 

Messier 15 showed itself wonderfully that night and I hope I have done it justice. Please click on the sketch to see it in full size. I did not complete the entire star field as I wanted to work on improving the quality of my globular cluster sketching. It is an object I feel I lack some skill with. Anyway, good improvement on this one. Done on black sketching paper with chalk pastel, white pencil and gel pen. Cleared up in GIMP. 

The Increase of Light Pollution at my Observing Sites

 I shared this in a post over at CloudyNights and thought it would be good to document this here, in my blog. We are slowly losing the battle over the darkness of our skies and with the emphasis on building here along the Wasatch Front, I do not see that war being won. Our best effort is to try to educate and perhaps mitigate however slightly, the impact of LP on our skies.

I also believe more and more people in the hobby are not visual observers like me, but are imagers. Thus the sky may not matter to them as much.  Are our skies getting lighter? Data and experience show they are. 

Of my dark sites, one in the Unita Mountains has stayed basically the same but it is a two and a half to three hour remote drive and is only available from June through October. However, even there I am starting to see a slight decline. Of late I can go into late October as we aren't getting the snow we used it until later in the season it seems. Of my sites within 1 1/2 hours of my home there is an impact from all the building going on. I'll share SQM L data since 2014. Elizabeth Ridge measurements are done in late July to early August during my annual visit there (I camp over for 2-3 days).  Cedar Mountain is listed here for September Readings as I usually go there in the later spring, summer and into the fall. Forest Road 006 is my main site and these measurements are from October of the year listed. Readings are at zenith and to the south as the southern sky is usually the darkest for me at these sites.  

 

Year           Site                                                    Reading SQM L 

2015   Elizabeth Ridge UT                                     21.9

2015     Forest Road 006 West Desert, UT             21.84

2015     Cedar Mnt Wilderness West Desert UT     21.85

2015 Conger Springs Western Utah                        21.94

2016     Elizabeth Ridge, UT                                   21.89

2016     Forest Road 006, West Desert UT            21.84

2016     Cedar Mnt Wilderness West Desert UT    21.86

2016 Conger Springs Western Utah                       21.95

2017    Elizabeth Ridge UT                                   21.89

2017    Forest Road 006 West Desert UT            21.89

2017    Cedar Mnt Wilderness West Desert UT   21.85

2018    Elizabeth Ridge UT                                  21.91

2018    Forest Road 006 West Desert UT           21.83

2018 Cedar Mnt Wilderness West Desert UT     21.82

2018 Conger Springs Western UT                       21.94

 2019   Elizabeth Ridge UT                                  21.91

2019   Forest Road 006 West Desert UT           21.81

2019   Cedar Mnt Wilderness West Desert UT  21.80

2020   Elizabeth Ridge UT                                21.91

2020   Forest Road 006 West Desert UT          21.79

2020   Cedar Mnt Wildernness W.D. UT           21.78

2021   Elizabeth Ridge UT                                 21.9

2021    FR 006 WD UT                                      21.75

2021   Cedar Mnt Wilderness WD UT               21.77

2022  Elizabeth Ridge UT                                 21.88

2022  FR006 WD UT                                        21.73

2022  Cedar Mnt Wildnerness WD UT             21.74

2023   Elizabeth Ridge UT                               21.89

2023   FR006 WD UT                                      21.7

2023   Cedar Mnt Wilderness WD UT             21.73

2024  Elizabeth Ridge UT                               21.87

2024  FR006 WD UT                                      21.72

2024 Cedar Mnt Wilderness WD UT              21.69

2024 Conger Springs Western UT                   21.9

 

Elizabeth Ridge has held pretty constant though I must say the light domes in the far distance from Salt Lake area are increasing in height slowly, even from there. I'd say we are up to the 10% to 14% range on the horizon if I am looking southwest toward that region. This is the only site that east, north and south are the best. Even there I am seeing a reduction in darkness. 

Forest Road 006 which is my main observing site is really starting to be impacted by all the growth in the south/west Salt Lake Valley and in the Utah County area, especially as Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain continue their growth.  I've seen a decline of over .14 in 10 years of keeping SQM L readings at this site. 

Cedar Mnt Wilderness which I enjoy as there are wild horses out there and other animals and such, is really getting impacted as the Tooele valley and southern Davis County and the western part of Salt Lake County continues to grow and grow rapidly. 

Now, having said that, the skies are still plenty dark. The SQM only tells part of the story. I have nights that are those nights and for that I am grateful for where I live. However, I think over the next 10 years I'll see Elizabeth Ridge drop down into the 216 to 21.7 and Forest Road 006 and Cedar Wilderness will go from the lower 21.7 to the lower 21.5's.

Again, SQM L readings are only part of the decline. More noticeable to me is the increase of the light domes. I mentioned the increase at Elizabeth Ridge. At Forest Road 006 the Salt Lake/Utah County light dome has increased from about 10% above the horizon in 2014 to now it is about 20% if I am looking east. I very rarely observing looking east, waiting for those objects to transition to a better portion of the sky later in the night. At the Cedar Mountain Wilderness it is perhaps a little worse. There in 2014 I would say the light dome to the east was about 10% also but is now approaching 25% or so because Salt Lake is directly east of that location. Forest Road 006 is more southerly from the Salt Lake/Utah County dome which impacts view to the Northeast and east. 

Also, IF I want to observe on Forest Road 006 on a Friday, I need to be out there by 3:00 p.m. to get my site. That is the greatest impact. People have discovered the site and ATV on it. From 2005 to 2018 I could go out almost any day and only have 1 or 2 people disperse camping about a half mile to a mile away. It is far more on the weekend. I now go there during the week as there is still nobody out there then. It is the same with Cedar Wilderness. More people in the area so more have discovered that. It is why I am taking day driving trips out to the West Desert to find new locations and yes, I am being selfish and not sharing them unless it is with a local amateur whom I know. 

I have always and continue to observe in the southeastern, southern and western skies at Forest Road and Cedar Mnt Wilderness, as these are the darkest, especially south and west and of course approaching zenith. 

Conger Springs is a different beast. It is very remote, harsh and very, very dark. Probably the darkest site I've been to. During the day you may get an occasional fossil hunter out here (there are some good fossils out there) but they are friendly and leave you alone. You can rock hound by the springs. I usually set up well before the springs.  You can see the Salt Lake light dome to the northeast faintly, and the Las Vegas light dome far to the south (I assume it is Las Vegas but is is a dome and it is south of the location but no impact).  Hot hot in the summer during the day, cold at night even in the summer and really cold in the winter.  Thanks for the post, as you have made me put Conger Springs back on my places to observe and I may plan a late spring trip out there. BTW if anyone goes there, during the day you can hike up to Conger Mountain which has marvelous views all around. I like it better than Great Basin Natl Park because it is so remote and there are no lights out there. No facilities but I can manage that. 

So to answer the original question, no my skies are not getting darker. They are dark, but not as dark as they once were and there are more people out using the areas I use to observe. I've played with the idea of looking for a piece of remote remote land I can put a trailer on or build a small cabin and observatory and go and observe from. Maybe, maybe not. We'll see. I still enjoy loading up, the drive out, setting up and enjoying my time out under the stars. However, the days for the western US being great for observing are slowly degrading and over the next 100 years they will be come probably more like the central and then eastern US than they are now. I won't be here so I'll enjoy what I have. 

This is the road out to Conger Springs and is near where one location on the road where I will pull off and setup and observe and camp.  Wonderful dark skies. 

 

Road leading into Conger Springs with Conger Mountain behind it. Anywhere off this road is outstanding. Little shade during the day so be prepared if you go in the summer! 

My main observing site out here. There is a place just up the road by a BLM coral and I usually observe just after that unless the BLM is there. Then I go about a mile down the road to a second site. If your local and want to try out it late spring or this next summer let me know! 

Visual and Observations January 16th 2025

 So Thursday night after getting home from a job, I set up the 17.5 in the backyard as I wanted to fine tune some things and do a tune up on the scope. As I did so I noticed two items in the sky that I ended up looking at. The first was Venus and Saturn, which enter into conjunction with each other on January 17th and today, January 18th.  The weather here is not good for this so what do I do on a cloudy night? I process my images and make a sketch to capture what I did. 

I looked at Venus and Saturn visually and then turned the 17.5 on them. Not the best of conditions and I did not include any moons of Saturn or other stars, just the capture of the two planets here. I started visually, them moved to 10x25 Nikon binoculars, then to the scope. Venus showed some mottling which I tried to capture here and was murky a little, which I also think I capture. Saturn was showing good though. 

I didn't turn the scope on this next sketch as I had done my tune up and broken it down and put it away.  As I scanned the sky, I noticed that Mars was right by both Castor and Pollux in Gemini. I had seen the Moon occult Mars on Monday, January 13th. So here was another opportunity to just look up and enjoy the night sky. Nothing special, just fun to look up even if it is with one's own eyes or with a set of binoculars. 

NGC 1535 Planetary Nebula in Eridanus

 One more comparison. NGC 1535 a PN in Eridanus.  Here is the raw sketch and then the digital version. In this case I love both sketches. The digital really reflects what I saw as does the raw sketch. You can decide. The only thing on the raw sketch is I did it in a teal blue but that didn't come out. 

This is the digital version in the 5mm and 3.5mm Pentax XW.  

Digital vs Raw sketch of NGC 2392

 So since it is so cloudy tonight, I decided to recreate my sketch of NGC 2392 from December 31st, 2024 to a digital rendering. Here is the result and the comparison. 

Here is the original sketch which I really like minus the slight notch of white near the central star. I feel that the really reflects what I saw in my 17.5" that night. 

Here is the digital rendering of the sketch that I made with a slightly wider field  of view. It is good and close to what I observed but not like the original. Stars are nice and rounded but I still prefer the sketch I made at the scope above. 

Messier 46, 47 NGC 2438, Messier 50

 Well, I am finding that even when the moon is wanning it is a great time for open clusters besides doubles! I got out and observed two more open clusters and spent about 3 hours sketching these. I uploaded the sketch into GIMP, digitalized them and share them here. I REALLY like doing this with open clusters. I will add the sketch I did of the planetary nebula in M46, NGC 2438 after I have some time to take the image and upload it here. 

Messier 46 another OC sketch I am really happy with! 

2. Messier 47. I am okay with this sketch minus the two pencils streaks that left a couple of black patches in the light. 

Messier 50, another sketch I really like how it came out. 

NGC 2281 in Aurgia, another sketch I like how it came out. 

Observing Double Stars by Agnes Clarke

 Just wanted to share a resource that I am late to the game with. Agnes Clarke has a wonderful guide for Observing Double Stars at this LINK.  You can download the book for free on the PDF versions. I have it, print off the page or pages I am going to use, put them in a sheet protector and they work great! I you have a chance check it out if you're interested! 

Here is what one page looks like: 

Messier 36, 37 & 38 in Auriga

 Well I have wanted to sketch these for a while and I spent about 4 hours last night in the cold of Utah's West Desert doing just that. I needed to get out. This will be corny but my wife and I watch British Mystery Shows and I just finished George Gently and then yesterday Vera. I am a fan of both shows as is my wife. However, with the end of Vera, I felt a reminder of how rapidly time here goes by. That show lasted 14 years; I was 46 when it started. Soon to be 60 it really hit me hard how much my life, while I should say lifestyle can change over the next 14 years. I loaded up the minimal items I needed, my 17.5 dob, my eyepieces, dew heater, battery to run the dew heater, and after layering up, headed out. 

That drive made me really think where I want to be in the next year, the next five years and the next 15 years (granted, if I make it that long).  I've lost over 140 lbs over 5 years and I swim for an hour six days a week. I want my health to remain as healthy as it can over the next 15 years. I will lose another 20-25 lbs which will help but I also face some really hard facts. I have kidney disease, diagnosed 7 years ago and though I seem to be stable at stage 3b, I have to be careful now about the stress I add to my life so, the food I eat, the lifestyle I maintain to hopefully remain at that stage for the rest of my life. That is an unknown. 

I've reached the point with my wife, that come May of 2025 we will be debt free. The only debt we will carry is the mortgage so we have a tax deduction. We'll keep the money we need to pay off our home if needed, but for now we want the tax deductions that come with it. Financially we'll be okay but we are starting to adjust our life to living on our projected retirement amount. That way we are prepared in the next 5-7 years for me, 8-10 years for my wife, to be retired and hopefully enjoy our retirement. Anyway, I am squirreling I guess. Bottom line, I realized yesterday just how mortal I am and how important it is to maximize each day I have for I do not know how many I actually do have left! 

So it was cold where I observed, but the sky cleared out and the stars and winter Milky Way showed in all their glory! I had a pack of coyotes for awhile yipping and howling nearby and I enjoyed their distant sounds that evening. There is a peace in the West Desert here during the winter that is unique from any other season. There are far less people out there, this night I was the only one. There is a stillness that penetrates the soul, and reconnects me with the universe of which I am just a small part of. After all my thoughts of being mortal, observing reinforced this principal as what I was observing had existed long before me, and will continue to exit long after me. However, I am a part of this universe, I have been made from the very elements it has created and as with all things created in this universe, I will evolve, grow older, fade away and eventually die and I am okay with that. I suddenly felt a closeness to my wife and my adult children and grand children, remembering how important they and friends are in my life. In the end, it is people in our lives, our family, our friends, those who are a part of our circle. Our interaction with them and our interconnections are what  matter most. Funny how a solitary hobby reinforces that to me isn't it? 

Here is what the road out and location looked like: 

At the turn it looked muddy and wet . . . 

Fresh snow had fallen this weekend . . . 

Looking back east toward the Sheeprocks 

After all this contemplation, I decided it was time to go to work and do what I came to do. I moved the scope to Auriga and using the 22mm Nagler T4 easily found each target. I went to them in order, M36, M37 and M38.  I sketched them and made notes using the 10mm, 14mm & 20mm Pentax XW; the 22mm Nagler and the 26mm Nagler. I also had my Paracorr II in the Moonlite focuser.  Then after coming home I uploaded them into Here is a digitalized version of the work.  I took my sketch, uploaded them into GIMP and then rounded the stars and added some soft glow to recapture what I saw in the eyepiece.  I am very happy with the result. 

1. Messier 36 

2. Messier 37 (my favorite of all 3). 

3. Messier 38

Messier 35

 So on my last observing trip to the West Desert, one item I sketched roughly and transferred to a digital format is Messier 35.  Here is the rendition. Notes on the sketch. 

Okay in review my field sketches this digital sketch was done with the 14mm, 10mm and 7mm Pentax XW.  

This one was done with the 22mm T4 and 26mm Nagler. North is up in this sketch. 

Doubles January 9th, 2025

 Got out and saw some double stars. I messed up on my date and put 1/8/25 on some. It was 1/9/25. Used my XT10 with Paracorr Type 2 and 22mm T4 Nagler as finder, 10mm, 7mm and 5mm Pentax XW for the observations. 

This is h3945 the winter Alberio in Canis Major in the wide field view with the 26mm Nagler. I accidently put the J in the description in the close in view.