Look Up!

October 2008
HantsAstro.org TM
ISSN 1758-2210

Buyers Guide Part I

TM

news | reviews | views | what’s on | out there

Butser Ancient Farm
under a dark sky...
Butser Ancient Farm is naturally shielded from the worst of the light
pollution from three sides. It is ideal for deep sky observing and imaging
and getting the best out of your telescope. Skies have been recorded
here down (so far!) to Magnitude 20.7 per ArcSecond, and are as good as
the West Country or the Norfolk Coast.

For only £4 per session you can experience dark skies in a tranquil and
safe setting. If it’s cold, a warm and welcoming fire awaits you in the
ancient roundhouse.

Just off the A3, south of Butser Hill, and 10 miles north of Portsmouth it has
easy access from all points of the compass, and is an hour and a half from
London, and twenty minutes from the South Coast.

For further info and to book yourself a Pass,

please contact HantsAstro on 023 9261 7092
TM

or by e-mail: subscribe@hantsastro.org
Cover: Meade ETX90 - Picture by Graham Green
for review photoshoot with a Canon EOS 350 DLSR. TM
Telescope supplied by Neil Phillipson of Astronomia of
Dorking.

contents
Hampshire is our Playground

Look Up! October 2008 edition 06

News Page 4
HantsAstro - September was aflame!
TM

Report - Chariot of Fire?

HantsAstro Exclusive! Fireball seen across Europe.
First Analysis. We bagged the only image..!
Page 6
First Type
What a month that was!
Herstmonceux was a real boon
Picture Page 9 for the group with nearly twenty
Richie Jarvis - a 6” Newtonian? Impressive... members joining during the festival
and the week after. Our first
Review Page 10 observing sessions were a real eye-
Yes, we called it Herstmonsoon... and loved it! opener and we now have a fleet of
eight telescopes with every size and
type of aperture catered for.
Review Page 11 All we need is you. The launch
Baader Hyperion ClickStop 8-24mm Zoom Eyepiece
of our ClearSkies page with
accurate weather reporting from
Buyers Guide Part I Page 12-16 astroforecast.org, is becoming
Small ‘scopes and binoculars. SkyMax 102T Review something we can really trust as
an observing group. As accurate
Out There Page 19 weather reports are a pre-requiste
Astronomy in Hampshire for October if you do what we do.
We’re also attending The National
Look Up in October Page 20 Space Week event on the 4th
Oct at INTECH, Winchester and
What’s in the Sky tonight for this month
TM then 22nd Oct is the long awaited
Contacts and Details Telescope Amnesty, starting
at 6pm. We kick off the event
as co-hosts with a free drop-in
David Woods - Editor & Publisher advice session, with our own Core
Team members and our fleet
Look Up! eZine Editorial of telescopes. Then at 8pm a
David Woods - david.woods@hantsastro.org fantastic Planetarium Show with
Web Site: - www.hantsastro.org Ninian Boyle and Pete Lawrence
Tel: 023 9261 7092 Fax: 023 9257 0283 Skype: iodesign of BBC Sky@Night fame will show
Post: HantsAstro.org 11 Drift Road, Clanfield, Hants PO8 0JJ you what you can do with your
Look Up! Electronic Magazine is published 1st of the month ISSN 1758-2210
telescope. Our observing sessions
This eZine is published on behalf of the HantsAstro.orgTM. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those
are becoming something a bit
of the Editor, Publisher, Sponsors or Advertisers of HantsAstro,org. HantsAstroTM is a society member of the Federation of Astronomical
Societies (www.fedastro.org.uk).
special too, see pages 4-7.
Is it the shape of things to come?
Where Links take you to other sites, the Editor, Publisher and Webmaster cannot be held responsible for the content of those sites.
David Woods: Founder
HantsAstro.orgTM and Look Up! eZine and related devices are protected by registered copyright ©2008 All Rights Reserved. HantsAstroTM
a trading name of I.O Design Limited. No reproduction of any material is permitted without express permission of the owners. HantsAstro.org

03
NEWS Observing at INTECH - 25th Sept 2008

HantsAstro in DSLR cameras and astrophotography, is accurate to the hour on the night
October not forgetting the higher end CCD
cameras that are now breaking onto
itself. This accuracy was proven again
at INTECH.
September was aflame! the scene in ever-increasing numbers.
26th Sept – INTECH, Winchester.
Before we start with 19th Sept - Butser Ancient Farm This was one of those nights when
Graham disappeared and took loads it could have gone either way, but by
October let’s look back at the past of photographs during the evening of trusting my instincts and the weather
month. We kicked off the month with
both the site and the observers that forecasts that we claim on the website,
the group attending the Herstmonceux
attended, as well as all the lovely kit we were not wrong. In the next few
Astronomy Festival on the 6th
that turned up. pages you can read all about the fireball
September, which we are reporting on
Bizarrely, one of the things the group is event so I will not go on about it here.
in Page 10.
trying to prove is that you don’t need Disappointingly the lights didn’t go off
For HantsAstro it was a resounding
fancy equipment to enjoy astronomy, from the building until 9:30 p.m. They
success, as we have now had a big leap
however, most of the telescopes that were still not fully out on the outside
in membership and are rapidly heading
arrived were real astro-imagers delight. of the building, this is something
towards 90 members which is our
We had our own 10 inch dobsonian, we are seeking to resolve with the
biggest growth since we started! Nearly
my LXD75 and the baby Megrez management team and are working
50% in one month. We made quite a
72FD, but these were overshadowed towards a solution. We know they
number of new friends that week-end.
by Ady’s brand spanking new LX200 will do everything they can, as they are
Our exhibition stand attracted a lot of
ACF. It kind of stole the show and it starting to see the benefits of having
attention and was very striking. We
well deserved to, as the views it served group like HantsAstro there...
wanted to make an impact and I think
up were utterly stunning. Tackling
that we did just that. The next couple
difficult targets like Neptune and the Even with the lights on, we were
weeks were spent sorting out the new
elusive Uranus proved a piece of cake still able to record magnitude 20 arc
Membership applications.
from his top-of-the-line telescope. The second dark skies, which just goes to
only downside of it was it’s incredible illustrate the potential of this site.
Sorry again to those that had to wait
weight, it is more of a transportable
for a reply regarding their application, it
instrument and a portable one. What we did discover, is that the
caught us by surprise.
Holiday Inn are constructing a new
Everyone who attended really enjoyed hotel at the entrance to the site which
We have cleared most of the back
themselves, which at the end of the will boast 120 rooms. No doubt it will
log now and are getting the magazine
day (or night!) is what we are all about. also boast parking for 120 cars, and of
together for the next few issues. A
This night proved many things, firstly course all the insecurity lighting that
lot of work has been done on our
that even with a little cloud some great goes with it.That’s twelve months away.
new buyer’s guide series which will be
observing can take place, and that dew It almost goes without saying we will
running for the next three months in
can be a real problem. Importantly be having a little chat with them to
the magazine. In January and February
it proved that weather forecasting see how much this may affect future
there will be two extra supplements for
04
NEWS Observing at BUTSER - 19th Sept 2008

observing at this site. If we can assist

them in reducing light pollution for
their financial benefit as well as that of
the environment, then everyone wins.
Something tells me though, the rules
and regulations don’t allow for any kind
of leeway when looking at the night
sky. With ever-increasing energy costs
I’m sure that any business will want to
revisit the way that they illuminate their
place of business, while maintaining the
perceived safety and security of the
public.
to turn down the light? Due to many requests, and some
Watch this space, because if any group
serious box ticking on the application
can make a positive change or rise to a
Buyer’s Guide forms, we are arranging a series of
challenge, we can.
When Christmas comes it’s never a ‘ away missions’. Some of these will
good idea to be a turkey, or in fact include day trips, and some of them will
I can only hope that we are able to seek
to buy one especially if it’s in the actually be observing sessions outside
some resolution to the insidious nature
form of a telescope. That said, many of Hampshire.
of light pollution that now threatens
the future use of this site. telescopes are not that bad nowadays,
however, it really is the subtle nuances I would welcome any requests or
It’s one of our advantages that we
of engineering and build quality that ideas so that we can put this out to
are able to migrate from site to site
separate the men from the boys when the membership and see how it flies.
if required and we are lucky that as a
it comes to constructing a decent The most obvious first trip should be
group we are quite portable. There are
optical instrument. Like any investment, Greenwich in London. Hands up who
some astronomical societies out there
of either time or money or both, it’s a wants to go to that? Let me know and
with large observatory complexes
good idea to get an overview. For those I will get some numbers and costs
that are blighted with increasing light
new to astronomy I hope it helps you together.
pollution over them and this is a real
issue. For us it’s a real disappointment, make the right choice, and those who
are the real die-hards amongst you, Weather forecasting is now quite
but hopefully it’s a resolvable one. On
that you find some useful info as well. accurate regarding these sessions and
two occasions when we have been
we will only cancel if the cloud cover
there before for evaluation with Core
The real challenge is where we translate is greater than 50%, or if there is a
Team members, we are always amazed
this buyers’ guide to the website which predicted severe dew problem or just
to see the ISS greeting us, and on this
is something that we will be looking to plain damp. The more we use these
night a spectacular event unfolded
do over the Christmas period. It should sites then the more we can improve
before our eyes.
prove unique and very relevant for the our service to our members, and it
UK astronomy scene. also gives us a bit more of a voice.
In spite of these potential problems
it was probably one of the most
We had quite a response from last We work with the site owners
memorable nights of observing that
month’s request for a new strapline for to provide a safe and enjoyable
anyone could possibly recall. The
the group and several new examples environment, and a lot of work is done
Andromeda galaxy was easily seen
have come to light, these will be posted outside of the group to ensure that
in the 4, 5 and 6 inch telescopes and
on the website in due course. The this happens. The least we can do is
was a great comparison. Jupiter was
competition is still open and a shiny turn up, so please do, you’ll have a great
an easy target although a little low in
unopened box containing Red Shift Six night out for sure. I look forward to
the sky. But it was the event at Five to
awaits the winning strapline. We will seeing you all soon.
Ten that really, really rocked our world.
As I said, every time we are here close the competition on the first of David Woods
something special happens. Let’s see December and make an announcement HantsAstro.org
what October brings, maybe a chance via e-mail to the group.
Out there
05
Chariot of Fire!

Fireball Sighting seen across UK

& Europe Photo: Graham Green Processing & Mapping: Martin Saban-Smith
Editorial/Research: David Woods

They say sometimes the best spot, silent, waiting, observing. Trying to magnificent yet dramatic destruction
absorb and understand what we were of an object in our atmosphere. The
things in life are free. In this seeing, then suddenly someone turned question remains, what is it and where
instance no one could argue that fact.
round and said quick take a picture! did it come from? Over the next few
On the 25th of September, our first
Graham was tending to his camera, days and after much research, many
real observing session at the INTECH
he looked over his shoulder and saw more reports came to light across the
Science Centre and Planetarium, our
the fireball, and at first it didn’t register. web and via e-mail to us, as we posted
observing group was witness to a rarely
Then he quickly swung round and the the picture on the front page of our
seen event in the sky. Travelling slowly
shot you see above you is the result. It website and on several forums online.
from west to east until it disappeared
is, as far as we know, the only image of A picture was beginning to build. It
over the horizon, a fireball was seen
this event. This fireball was seen and appears that there is some real science
tearing across the sky and leaving behind
reported to us from as far north as that exists in this picture and further
it a trail which at first sight looks like the
Manchester, along the South Coast and analysis and enhancements reveal
contrail from a jet engine, but this was
across to France. Luckily the skies were more of the story.
no ordinary flight. For several seconds
clear long enough for us to see this
all those present were rooted to the
06
Chariot of Fire!
Could it be a defunct satellite that was
knocked out of orbit or some other
man-made object? Could it be some
remnant of the Comet 2P/Enkle, or
something more worrying, like a rogue
chunk of ice and rock?
If you look at the enhancement of the
fireball itself, it appears that this object
was tumbling and rotating at speed as
it fell through sky and was not travelling
in a straight line. It was actually being
slowed by the atmosphere as you can
clearly see the curve in its trajectory. It
is also a clean burn, which when ana-
lysed is unlikely to be a small body of
Observing at INTECH - 25th Sept 2008
ice and rock as this would break up into
smaller pieces. If it is something from
outside our orbit, then hopefully this
image should help produce a code of
probability regarding its origin. If there
are any other images that match what
we have, then we would be interested
to see those too.
Now we have dissected this image, we
have published it in full and would wel-
come any input in finding the answer
to the source of this object and it’s de-
mise. If anyone in the UK or abroad
has seen this object, then please write
in to us, as we will compile all the rel-
evant data and send it to Spaceguard
UK as well as other interested parties.
After calling them, we discovered that
many objects like this are never report-
ed or even seen, which indeed makes
this a rare event and we were lucky to
be able to witness it.
Hopefully by next month we shall have
a much clearer picture of what hap-
pened that night. If this isn’t a good
enough reason to turn up at one of
our observing nights, then I don’t know
what is!
-David Woods
07
Telescope Amnesty!
22 Oct 2008 FREE advice session, followed by Planetarium Show.
With the HantsAstro online astronomy group, and members of the
BBC Sky at Night team.

Advice session: 6:00pm - 7:45pm, completely FREE Bring your kit to INTECH for free
advice on how to get the best from it. Arrive any time after 6:00pm for this drop-in event.

Volunteers from local astronomy societies and universities will join members of the BBC Sky at
Night team to help you use your equipment for an early evening observation on the INTECH
terrace. While youre here, try out other equipment, get advice on what to buy
(or not to buy!), and find out about local astronomical societies. INTECHs friends the online
astronomy group HantsAstro will be helping with this event - ask them about their free observing
nights at the INTECH site! No tickets for this event - just drop in anytime from 6:00pm to 7:45pm.

Special planetarium show: 8:00pm - 8:45pm ‘A Guide to the Splendours of the Winter
Night Sky’ For one night only; a show by Pete Lawrence and Ninian Boyle from the BBC Sky at
Night team. Join our two expert astronomers as they take you on a trip across the winter night sky,
showing you some wondrous sights that will delight and astound. There’s something for everyone
here, from craters on the Moon to distant galaxies.

Come along, enjoy the show and prepare to be inspired.

INTECH Planetarium
Telegraph Way, Morn Hill, Winchester, SO21 1HZ

Bookings: Tel: 01962 86379

Email:htct@intech-uk.com

Price: £6 adults / £5 concessions

Age restriction: 8+ only.

08
 NGC7635 - Bubble Nebula - Richie Jarvis
Location: South Chailey, East Sussex  Equipment: GSO GS-150 Newt’ SXV-H9 CCD

The image itself is only 1392 x 1040 pixels, as its

taken with a small format CCD (the SXV-H9).
The Ha filter is a 13nm Astronomiks filter I picked Imaging Gear -
up second hand recently for £60. Small is beautiful
Processing wise, quite simple really - The
Luminance exposure were binned 1x1 (full size
- 1392 x 1040), the HaGB frames were binned 2x2
(half-size frames - gives a x4 boost at the cost of
lesser resolution. I stacked each ‘colour’, and ran
DDP against them in MaximDL. To tighten the
stars, I saved the Luminance layer in SBIG format,
and performed a Lucy-Richardson deconvolve in
the freeware CCDsharp from SBIG. To avoid a bug
in MaximDL, I doubled the size of the HaGB layers
to be 1392 x 1040.

09
Review
Herstmonceux Astronomy Fair

The clouds cleared and again we were

the only ones who saw the stars

‘Herstmonsoon’ 2008 Sunday on the other hand was not to be as spectacular

With that title you would imagine that the weekend was
a total washout, but no. Despite the torrential downfalls of
Friday and Saturday night, the rain clouds parted in the early
hours of Saturday revealing a star studded spectacle.
This was dominated by the rising of the Pleiades, with
pyrotechnics kindly provided by the Piscids meteor shower.
Our friend Matt spotted several in less than an hour!
(The Piscids hit maximum on the ninth with an expected
ZHR of 5).
With an unexpected dark sky and Dave behind the focuser
of his Megrez 72, I naturally grabbed my camera and in the
style of David Bellamy, gaited through the swampy grounds
of the former RGO.
(outside the beer tent!). Although the rain had stopped at
around midnight, the cloud persisted. The only option left
was to continue with the consumption of the Astro-beer/
wine back at the ‘observation tents’ with a little light acoustic
accompaniment (apologies to all the angry and sometimes
quite aggressive Astro-sleepers – sorry guys) and many thanx
to ‘Rocket-man’ for his bard style jokes…
Graham Green
We meet the ultimate astronomer
Sir Patrick Moore...

As the CMOS sensor within my camera set busy in collecting

the nocturnal photons, I could not help but chuckle at the
amount of tents with the rumblings of stertorous astronomers.
Never the less on went the imaging, the results of which I
hope you will agree, are quite stunning.

10
Review
Baader
Planetarium
Hyperion ClickStop
Zoom 8-24mm
£147
Zoom Eyepieces are normally
viewed with a tinge of suspicion. The
more lenses and mirrors the place
between you and your object, then
usually the worst it will look. Like ours
when you’re out on the field carrying
lots of eyepieces can be literally a
real handful. Baader planetarium offer
a solution with their new Hyperion
eyepiece range. Firstly it’s useful,
because you can adapt it to fit either 2
inch or 1 ¼ inch eyepieces. Secondly,
you can attach a T-adapter so you can
fit your camera to it. And in this case it
offers four magnifications from 24 mm
down to 8mm, and is parfocal, which
means it stays in focus. As an all in one
upgrade it comes fully recommended.
A 5 in 1 eyepiece, 8, 12, 16, 20 &
24mm with a wide field of 68° at
8mm. Sorted! Downside, it’s a bit heavy
as you’d expect, but being chunky it’s
hard to lose.
The ‘Phantom coatings’ do an excellent
job of making your image clear bright
and contrasty. I was so impressed I
bought one myself. It may well be the
price of a small telescope, but this
versatility and quality make this an
ideal upgrade for a small refractor or
Dobsonian and the astronomer on
the move. I used it on both, and its
convenience was apparent. As optics
improve, we will no doubt see more
accessories like this.
This is a wise investment. - DW
Thanks to Astronomia for suppling this eyepiece
and making me poorer wracked with guilt but
elated. If you wish to feel a simalar way, give Neil or
Matt a call at Astronomia on 01306 640714.
Or visit their website: www.astronomia.co.uk
11
Buyers Guide Part I

Meade ETX90
GOTO Telescope

12
HantsAstro Buyer Guide - Part 1
Now, we’re not trying
to replace any books from
eminent experts of which there are
many, but buyers’ guides fall distinctly
into two categories: factual and technical
or factual and personal. This I guess,
must be the latter, as the technical stuff
isn’t really needed until such time as
you really get into astronomy. What we
are trying to prove as a group, is that
you don’t need to buy expensive kit in
order to get a good view or to learn
the sky. Buying a telescope is a bit like
buying a camera, the most expensive
one you can buy doesn’t automatically
make you a great photographer, merely
a better equipped one.
Ironically some of my best photographs
were taken when I was just starting out
in photography, with the most basic
of equipment. Astronomy is a little
different because at the end of the day
what you are seeing is an infinite view,
and it’s the quality of equipment that
defines what you see, as well as your
location and seeing conditions.
Manufacturers of telescopes have some basic rules and once you understand the
architecture that makes a good telescope, then it’s quite easy to identify one.
But without reinventing the wheel or going over stuff you can find on the web,
we are going to hang our hat on some typical examples of good scopes that are
affordable. In fact, if you turn up to one of our observing sessions you’ll find that
we use the ‘scopes a regular basis. Our list follows thus:
Aperture Ratio Focal Length
70 mm Vixen Refractor f/12 .9 900 mm
102 mm SkyWatcher SkyMax102 f1/2.74 1300 mm
130 mm SkyWatcher 130M f/6.92 900 mm
150 mm SkyWatcher 150P f/5 750 mm
150mm Optrons 150-1400 f/9.3 1400 mm
200 mm Meade LX10 f/10 2000 mm
250 mm Revelation 10 f/5 1250mm
What I have deliberately left out now is the type of telescope. Basically it comes
down to three things that you can see from the above table. This dictates the
amount of light you can gather, and the focal ratio is dictated by the length of the
light path of a particular scope. I’ll let you into a little secret, physically telescopes
are rarely made over 1 metre in length, otherwise it would be too big and too
heavy! Example. A 12 inch Newtonian scope which is F5 in length, is five times
longer than the diameter of it’s aperture. So, that would mean the tube length
would be a whopping 60 inches or 5 foot long in old money.
Try getting that on the back seat of your car! During the 70s and 80s something
called aperture fever took hold, because basically the more light you can gather,
then the better the view. For the most part that’s true, which is why some of
the largest optical telescopes in the world have giant mirrors that catch the light
13
from the furthest edges of space. But
you and me want to look at the stars,
and do it cheaply. So manufacturers,
for reasons of production costs more
than anything else, keep their scopes
to a manageable size. Now - before
the techie guys throw their hands up
in horror, I’m talking about telescopes
that cost less than £1500. You can get
specialist big stuff but that’s not what
we’re discussing here.
If the second column was headed
with the type of telescope, then that
would define the manner in which
the light is gathered. A Refractor is
by far the simplest set up along with
the Newtonian reflector, which simply
is nothing more than a tube and two
mirrors in critical alignment. Refractor’s
use lenses instead of mirrors.
Over the years prices have come
down and build quality has improved,
but the early market was flooded with
cheap and sometimes quite horrible
telescopes which did a lot to put the
astronomer off from pursuing his or
her hobby. Unless you go for the really
cheap end of the market it’s now
difficult to buy a really bad telescope.
But here we are dealing with photons
of light that have travelled many
thousands of light years, and that’s lots
of zeros in terms of miles. So when
it reaches your eye you want to make
sure you can get the best possible image
for your budget. It’s the pursuit of this
which makes astronomy an interesting
subject, purely on a technical level.
So why the difference?
In 2009 we celebrate 400 years of
the telescope So it’s quite an old
technology which has been refined
over the centuries and there have been
many variations on a theme, and the
table illustrated pretty much defines
that. Latest designs have folded up the
light path so it is possible to emulate
some of the longest focal lengths, which
are ideal for looking at stars and planets
and working at high magnifications.
Recently, due to better mirrors and
optics, faster and faster telescopes in
terms of focal ratio, have come to the
fore. These are particularly suitable for
finding deep sky objects, and they work
just like your camera lens. A pin hole
camera will take a sharp picture only
in bright light, if you want to do the
same thing when it’s darker, that hole
needs to be bigger, but then it can get
out of focus. That’s where good optics
come in. Astrophotography relies
heavily on fast telescopes to capture
the nebulous clouds of stars, and those
wondrous Hubble like pictures you see Refractor 150mm f8 Considered a big
in our magazine and others. telescope. It is at 4 foot long!
Depending on what kind of astronomy
you wish to do, will define what sort
of scope you may first buy. That’s the
point of this guide, to show you the
difference between the telescopes and
what they can do, so you can head off
in a particular direction. In the main,
if you’re new to astronomy you might
require an instrument that is a good all
rounder, and these readily exist.
As you get more into this astronomy
lark, you may discover, like the rest of
us, one telescope is not enough! So, in
the later part of this guide we will go on
discuss the finer points if you’re looking
to upgrade. Over the past five or six
years the edges have blurred between Schmidt-Newtonian 200mm f5
the different types of telescopes, which (standard Newt’s are open and use
means choosing the right one is harder. spider vanes instead of glass. Glass
In fact, the vast majority of them are variant eliminates those diffraction
quite good. spikes for nicer looking images...)
Eventually we will be looking to put
this information we are compiling
online and hopefully will have
produced a definitive list of telescopes
that currently available in the United
Kingdom. The long-term goal of this is
to then create reviews from as many
types of experiences as possible, and
that’s where you all come in. All your
comments and feedback are very
welcome, as we all shape astronomy in
our own way by what we buy and how
we use it.
Therefore,in this part we’ll start off with
my experience, with the SkyWatcher Schmidt-Cassegrain 200mm f10
SkyMax 102T. So let’s get started! (stubby tube folds up the light path un-
less you like 6ft long telescopes!)
14
REVIEW
Words: David Woods
SkyWatcher
Maksutov
Telescope Range
£129 - £399
80, 90, 102, 127
Overview
This type of telescope is a prime example
of how the market has changed over
recent years. It takes a modern design,
namely a Maksutov-Cassegrain, and
using modern production techniques
turns it into something quite affordable.
This type of telescope is a simple design
and therefore quite cheap to produce
and, after my very bad experience with
a cheap Newtonian reflector, this was
quite a revelation!
Size matters
80 mm aperture is not much for a large
pair of binoculars but the advantage
with a small telescope is that you
can change magnification. This was
discussed in the first edition of Look
Up! magazine and, starting at £129
including the mount, it’s a great way of
getting into astronomy. However, this
design of telescope, uses quite a thick
mirror which takes a long time to cool
down, especially at large apertures.
So if you want to use this type, it’s best
to stick it outside to let it cool down,
that way you can get the best out of
any telescope and this is no different.
The 127 mm can take over an hour
to cool down, and compared to the
smallest version, pulls in a massive
amount of light. 55% more that the
102mm version...
I picked the 102 mm version as it was
smaller, a bit quicker to cool down and
a bit lighter, so that meant it was the
ultimate grab and go telescope.
The SkyMax 102T OTA
Because of its design it folds the light
path up at about the 1300 mm focal
length range, which makes them ideal
for gazing at stars and planets. The
size of each model improves it’s light
gathering power. The 127 version is
not too bad with galaxies and some
nebulous either, however, it’s still
running at about f/12.
I have to admit I still hanker after the
127 version but am still glad of my
purchase. These can either be bought
with a German Equatorial Mount or,
as an optical tube assembly (OTA) if
you want to mount them on a simpler
photographic tripod. However, in
the case of the 127, make sure it’s a
beefy tripod like a video version, as
it’s steadier and can handle the extra
weight.
What’s it like?
Very good overall, the much acclaimed
127 and its smaller brother’s are ideal
starter Scopes if you want something
smaller than a refractor or Newtonian
reflector. The supplied red dot finder is
easy to use and great for taking aim.
All starter telescopes should be
supplied with them ideally, as most
6x30mm finderscopes supplied with
entry-level telescopes aren’t really
a great deal of use. It’s one of the
reasons why most people recommend
50 mm binoculars as the minimum
for stargazing, as anything smaller just
doesn’t capture enough light! Apart
from the cooling down time which is
overcome easily by planning ahead, the
downside is that it has a large central
obstruction from the secondary mirror,
which is the other side of that silver
bit in the middle of the front lens. The
primary mirror at the back is a bit like
a fat, thick Polo Mint, which is where
the light travels through to the diagonal
prism and your eyepiece. It has less
contrast than a Newtonian reflector
as a result, so the star field does not
appear as dark as it would on a decent
sized reflector.
A refractor does not have this problem
as there is no obstruction to block out
the light. The optics produce a clear
and sharp image, which is a testament
to the build quality.
The latest version uses something called
a SupaTrak Mount. This is very similar
to the Celestron Nexstar and some
of the small Meade GOTO refractor
telescopes, in that it uses a dual axis
drive system to track your objects. This
is a big step up from a standard manual
mount. Being Alt-azimuth, lining it up
with the polestar is not as critical, as
it is with a German Equatorial Mount
in order to keep the object in the eye
piece and tracking properly.
For our observing sessions this is one
of the quickest telescopes, next to our
Dobsonsian, to set up. As an alternative
to a long wheelbase refractor and for
its price its a good buy.
15

Getting started
If you search the Web you’ll find most
recommendations will be that you start
off with a star map and a good pair
of binoculars. Yes, that’s very true, but
what pair of binoculars should you get?
If you are starting out, then a cheap pair
will suffice. A pair of 50mm binoculars
not beyond 12 times magnification is a
very good choice. Anything bigger will
be too heavy for you to hold for any
period of time. Anything much smaller,
say less than 30 mm, won’t really gather
enough light to be that useful. There
are also image stabilising binoculars
which are available priced from couple
of hundred pounds. These offer a
surprisingly good alternative, but they
do come at a price.
Most people start off with a 5 or 6
inch diameter reflecting telescope on
a cheap Equatorial Mount.
The SkyMax review illustrates that
there is an alternative. Next month
we’ll be looking at refractors at both
the low end and high end of what is
available and what the differences are
between them. The third instalment will
be reflectors and the larger apertures,
plus we will be touching on some of
the more specialist stuff later on.
The telescopes we have at our
observing sessions reflect what is
currently available on the market and
are available for you to use if you join
us on a session. This will get you out
there and let you try the different types
of telescope, to discover which one is
best for you. It’s not something you will
discover simply by reading reviews.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of
astronomy is getting to learn how to
navigate your way around the night
sky, and this is far more rewarding than
just using a straightforward GOTO
telescope, which some may consider
cheating. If you are trying to discover
an elusive object or home in on a
planet that is millions and millions of
miles away, then this type of telescope
has many advantages and has recently
come down in price.
The Meade ETX range of telescopes
are developed for just that kind of
astronomy. They are very similar to the
SkyMax, but are computer-controlled
and take much of the guess work out
of finding your way around the sky.
The 80 mm entry-level version of the
range is good, but the ETX90 has long
held a reputation of being the definitive
...this is what it’s all about
starter telescope for many reasons.
It offers good light grasp along with
computer control and it’s possible to
even do some basic astrophotography
with it!
That’s the point, buying a telescope
is indeed an investment and is not
something that anyone wants to grow
out of. Getting hold of a good all-
round telescope is wise, as it will allow
you to discover different aspects of
the night sky and allow you to develop
your interest in any area.
If you haven’t got one, then a star map
of some kind is a must, then just use
the optical instruments you were born
with, your own eyes. Drive out into
the dark countryside, make sure you’re
dressed warmly, wait about 20 minutes
for your eyes to adapt and see if you
can spot the Milky Way traversing over
the top of you.
You already have a pair of binoculars
called eyeballs and they are about
5mm wide. They work well, even with
glasses.
So, just Look Up!
16
 Advertisement

solar eclipse

On 22nd July 2009 the Why are you featuring the Tidal Bore off opportunity offer tours that show
as well? China in an exciting and vibrant way,
world will witness the Tidal Bores are a rare phenomena along side the stunning natural events.
longest total solar eclipse resulting from the gravitational pull of
the sun and moon that are not yet fully Are you offering just one Eclipse
in over a century - the likes explained by science and are found in itinerary?
of which will not be seen again for
only a few locations around the world. No. In addition to the Eclipse and
another 100 years.
When deciding on the best viewing Tidal Bore, which is available as a tour
Many Eclipse enthusiasts are planning
location for the Eclipse, our local on it’s own, we are now operating
to go to China to view the event and
researchers suggested the Qiantang several departures which also include
several China tours that include the
Tidal Bore as an additional option. Both the ancient capitals of Beijing and Xian,
Eclipse have recently appeared on the
the Eclipse and the Tidal Bore happen the Great Wall, UNESCO sites like the
market.
to fall on the 15th day of Chinese Summer Palace andTerracotta Warriors
lunar calendar, thus we developed and other the famous locations like the
The most characteristic feature of
the idea of combining the two natural Three Gorges.
your eclipse tour is viewing the eclipse
phenonmum into one tour.
in a private site, how did you manage
How is the market reaction?
to do that?
Are other tour operators offering Much better than we expected –
Chartering private sites is not easy in
Eclipse packages? we originally planned to operate two
China and we have made use of our
Due to the popularity of this event, other tours only but due to demand from
extensive local networks to achieve
operators, who traditionally specialise people wanting to see more of China
this. After short-listing several locations
either in astrology tours or China have as well as the Eclipse, we have extended
along the Central-line between
constructed Eclipse packages. Many of this to 6. Numbers are limited due to
Shanghai and Hangzhou, finding our
them however are taking spectators to using a private Eclipse location however
own site was an intricate process. In
the public beaches so have probably and places on the tours are filling up
selecting the most suitable location,
not inspected the sites or studied the quickly.
we worked with the Beijing’s Central
area. Since we introduced the Tidal
Astronomy Department and drew
Bore as an added feature, other tour The Total Solar Eclipse viewing takes
from NASA research. Although the
operators have done the same. With place in July 2009.
Umbral Shadow covers a vast area,
some however, the location and timing
many places are either unsuitable due
is unsuitable – we have seen at least Interested Parties can visit Oriental
to their proximity to large cities (thus
one operator arrange to take their Travel’s dedicated solar eclipse tour
pollution and tall buildings) or belong
guests to the Tidal Bore the day before website:
to the government and can not be
the Eclipse. We know for a fact that the http://solar-eclipse.orientaltravel.co.uk
used.
monthly tidal movement will not occur or call on 0207 6324550
the day before, so they may have some (Greg Stoneham) for a copy of their
Our site will be exclusive to our guests:
disappointed customers! brochure.
Managed flat grassland, with available
cover in case of rain and with the
Oriental Travel is a China specialist.
added beauty of a pond and traditional
What is the company background?
pavilion. As it is our own site, it is also
In addition to cultural travel and
possible to arrange refreshments while
holidays, as a niche tour operator and
we wait for the eclipse. There are a
China specialist for over 8 years, we
few public spaces such as along the
have worked with many organisations
coastline, which other tour operators
including charities, schools and
have chosen. We have avoided
government departments and have
such locations as we expect tens of
pioneered specialist tour themes
thousands of local people to flock
such as modern art, geography and
them on the eclipse day, thus they will
traditional gardens. The 2009 Eclipse
be very crowded.
has provided us with a fantastic one-
17
Observing with HantsAstro.

TimeShift Timetable
INTECH BAF Site III

September 08 X 25th X 19th Not used...

October 08 7/21 9/23 1-5 20-31 1-5 20-31

November 08 4/18 6/20 1-4 20-30 1-4 20-30

December 08 2/16 4/18 1-4 19-31 1-4 19-31

January 09 6/20 8/22 1-4 17-31 1-4 17-31

February 09 3/17 5/19 1-4 16-28 1-4 16-28

March 09 3/17/31 5/19 1-4 17-31 1-4 17-31

April 09 14/28 16/28 1-4 16-30 1-4 16-30

The above table...

Our plan is to run up to three sites with fortnightly observing sessions, starting with
INTECH and Butser Ancient Farm. Tuesdays/Thursdays are the planned days for
INTECH, see the two sets of dates in the first column, which are the first and third
weeks of the month. Simple, one night gets called off, then go on to the next slot. (i.e.
7th October is cancelled – we re-arrange for the 9th . If the 21st is cancelled –
we re-arrange for the 23rd.)
Butser Ancient Farm observing sessions slide either side of the INTECH observing
dates, see the two sets of dates in the second column (BAF). They are at the start/
end of the month. The idea is only to meet and observe on clear nights. That’s why
we put the dash from 1-4 or 22-30, it could be any day between 1-4 or 22-30. The
key dates with this site are to observe when there is little or no moon at Butser or
whichever Tuesday/Thursday is best at INTECH. Site III dates are for other sites we
have as reserve, including some planned ‘away missions’.
HantsAstro might be able to claim we can avoid light pollution, but clouds and bad
weather are something else. However, we do have one or two tricks up our sleeve.
The timetable is flexible and hopefully you are too. Check our website for regular
weather updates on our ClearSkies page: http://www.hanstastro.org/clearskies.html
It views 7 days ahead, is 95% accurate within three days and 100% on the night.
Why? Because we’ll be there! Join our group and you will be added to updated alerts
regarding our observing sessions that are designed to inform you as accurately as
possible that the sky is clear, or if staying at home is better...
Not only that, because the sites are so close to us we can check right up to the day
before, and on the day itself. Sometimes the weather is like a roll of the dice, cloud is
not all bad as a good time can be had for some great views. It can be a close call.
Our first meeting on the 11th August proved that!

It’s new, it’s working but there is still a margin for error. If you’re game, so are we.
18
WHAT’S ON Border+
October 2008
Talks & Seminars Talks & Events across the
county line. Please check
October 2008 Hampshire relevant website for updates
and contact details.
Interesting local Astronomy talks take place in the County
nearly every month, so please check the relevant website for INTECH Science Centre
+ Planetarium
any updates and contact details. Winchester, Hants

Southampton Astronomical Society Telescope Amnesty 22 October

October 09 - Titan 6pm £6/5 see site for details!
Speaker - Jerry Workman Cost £2 per show in
Edmund Kell Unitarian Church Hall, addition to exhibition entry
Bellevue Road Southampton - @ 19:30pm Cost - £6.95 Adults
Cost £2 Non-members £4.65 under 14’s
www.southampton-astronomical-society.org.uk Check site for schedule
www.intech-uk.com
Hampshire Astronomical Group
October 10 - An MOT for Hubble Southdowns Planetarium
Speaker - Dr John Mason Chichester, West Sussex
Clanfield Memorial Hall, Various Monthly Shows
South Lane, Clanfield PO8 0RB - @ 19:45pm Check site for details + times
Cost £2 Non-members and booking
www.hantsastro.org.uk Cost - £6 Adults
£4 under 16’s
Solent Amateur Astronomers Society www.southdowns.org.uk/sdpt
October 21 - AGM
See site for details
www.delscope.demon.co.uk/society/home.htm Cody AS
Farnborough, Hants
www.codyastrosoc.co.uk
Basingstoke Astronomical Society
October 23 - From Solar System to edge of the Universe
Farnham AS
Speaker - Dr Robin Catchpole
Farnham, Surrey
Cliddesden Primary School,
www.farnham-as.co.uk
Cliddesden, Basingstoke RG25 2QU - @ 19:00pm
Cost £2 Non-members
Guildford AS
www.basingstokeas.org.uk
Guildford, Surrey
www.guildfordas.org
Vectis Astronomical Society
October 24 - Beyond the Eyepiece Newbury AS
Speaker - Peter Burgess Newbury, Berkshire
Newport Parish Church Centre, www.newburyas.org.uk
Newport IOW - @ 19:30pm

19
OUT THERE... Planet+
Our Hampshire Sky - October 2008 October 2008
October Sky
Where the Planets are
Mercury will be visible in the morning sky in the south east towards the middle in our Solar System in
of the month. The planet reaches a peak between the 22nd and 27th at an October.
altitude of 10 degrees, 40 minutes before sunrise. On the 27th the thin (2%)
crescent Moon will look fab close to Mercury. Venus tracks southwards along Table Key
the horizon in the evening sky and will remain quite low for a while. On the 1st RA - Right Ascension
at 18:30 UT the moon sets 5.5 degrees of Venus. Dec - Declination
Constell. - Constellation
Jupiter is a good evening object and crosses the meridian mid-month. On the
Elongation - Angle between Sun &
evening of the 7th Jupiter is 6 degrees North West of the first quarter Moon at
Planet as seen from Earth
19:00 UT. Saturn will become noticeable in the morning sky best seen 31st at
05:00 UT in the constellation of Leo. Distance - From Earth in
Astronomical Units (AU)
= 149.598M Km
Meteors
Magnitude - Brightness
The Orionids are associated with Comet Halley and are unfavourable this year
thanks to the bright gibbous Moon (!) with a maximum on the 21st; the ZHR is Diameter - in ArcSeconds
25 meteors per hour. Phase - % Visibility of object disc

Full Moon All Data is based on 15th of the

The full ‘Blood Moon’, this name traditionally reflects the final harvest of month from Central Hampshire.
livestock also referred to as the ‘Hunter’s moon’, a name given to the first full
moon after the harvest Moon on the 15th Sept. In the early hours of the 22nd
there is an opportunity to see the Moon pass close to the Beehive Cluster Next Month.
(M44) in Cancer, use a small telescope or a pair of binoculars to get the best
view. Review of the
Meade ETX90
Clocks Back! Baader Hyperion EP range
British Summer Time ends at 02:00 BST on 26th October. Clocks “fall back” StarGPS GOTO upgrade
one hour! News, Views and more info on
our web site.
www.hantsastro.org
Solar System Data for October 2008
Objects Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn The Moon
RA 13h21m22s 12h28m58s 15h31m26s 14h20m05s 19h03m39s 11h14m24s 01h22m32s
Dec +08°34’26” -02°29’01” -19°58’18” -13°55’09” -22°58’26” +06°47’32” 13°07’41”
Constell. Virgo Virgo Libra Virgo Sagittarius Leo Pisces
Elongation ------- -14.4° -33.4° -15.4° -82.6° 35.2° -175.4°
Distance 0.997 AU 0.780 AU 1.309 AU 2.497 AU 5.174 AU 10.142 AU 0.362 MKm
Magnitude -26.01 -1.07 -3.85 1.59 -2.07 0.80 -12.73
Diameter 32’04” 08” 12” 03” 38” 16” 32’58”
Phase ------- 20% 82% 99% 99% 99% 99%

If you have any suggestions for improving

this star information then please e-mail:
Hampshire is our Playground. Now it’s yours... david.woods@hantsastro.org

20