Deep space

Frustrating BUT Rewarding - Joe's First Time Solidary Excursion

By: Charter Member Joe Goffeney

It's finally here -- the new Deep Space Hunter® 10-inch Reflector I took the Club's 6" Dobsonian Telescope out on a solitary excursion Saturday, January 18th and these are the notes that I wrote concerning that little solo (in more ways than one) trip:

Even with a full moon and a second rate location (out behind Lone Mountain) I had one heck of a lot of fun. This was my very first experience in viewing through a telescope that I set up and aligned by myself .... frustrating, but rewarding!

The viewing of Jupiter was very good indeed, and 4 of the moons were in perfect vertical alignment, 1 above and 3 below. Saturn is still in a wonderful position relative to the Earth to see the rings and has the added (for me essential) virtue of being easy to find. The Orion Nebula was quite spectacular, especially through the 9mm eyepiece, but I'll tell ya, that Dob is a bugger to keep a viewing object in sight when using the higher power eyepieces. I actually used the 25mm about 90% of the time.... it is so much more forgiving.

Oh yeah! .. all seven stars of the Pleides were out in force and could even be seen with my 7x35 binoculars. I suppose if I were to be really forthright, the trip would be notable more for what I couldn't find than by what I did....! But who's counting?

Anyway, by 10:00 the moon was way up in the sky and it was hard to see much; it was cold, I was out of coffee, and there were critter noises coming out of the bushes, so I packed it in. You know what? I think I like 90 degree Summer viewing better!

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Last updated: Friday December 09, 2005.