90 MilliMeters

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ScienceDaily (2010-01-17) — Researchers of the University of Granada have conducted the most complete analysis of the chemical composition and evolutionary state of a spectral type R carbon star. The presence of carbon is essential for the possible development of life in the universe, and therefore explaining its origin is of vital importance. [Read more...]

First, a follow up on the DEC balancing issue. I did get it balanced in DEC. I had to move the OTA back as far as possible in the tube rings and slide the whole assembly back almost to its limits to achieve good balance.

First Light.

As many astronomers know, first light is one of the most important events of any new telescope. It allows you to look at a well known object and get a idea of how good your telescope is going to be. For this celebrated event, I chose M 31, often referred to as the “Great Andromeda Nebula”.

Now, before I go any further, I need to tell you about the sky conditions here in Harleysville, PA. Lots of sky glow from light pollution. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the worst, my location rates a 3. The faintest visible star is magnitude 4.5 when transparency is at it’s best. On this night transparency was just that but seeing was just moderate and M 31 is at the zenith. I dropped in my Meade Series 5000 20 mm Plõssl which gives me x37.5. I got a clear, crisp view with pinpoint star images. The brightest portion of M 31 is well defined and I can see M110 at the edge of the eyepiece. I increased the power to x53.5 with my Meade Series 5000 14 mm eyepiece. This gave me the best view. The galaxies central region is stunning and with averted vision I can detect a dark lane across the width of the eyepiece.

Next up, the Double Cluster h and Chi Perseus (NGC 869 & NGC 884). For this I dropped in the 25 mm Plössl that was supplied with the Celestron XLT 150R. I don’t know much about this eyepiece except that it gives me x30. The entire Double Cluster is visible in the eyepiece. What a sight!. The star images are pinpoint sharp, clear to the edge of the FOV. The Double Cluster has always been one of my favorite deep sky objects.

All told, out-of-the-box, the Celestron XLT 150R is easy to assemble, setup and use. Take your time to balance this instrument. A little trial and error is all it takes. This telescope offers clear, crisp views and is a good value for the money. I’d recommend the Celestron XLT 150R to any beginner or intermediate level amateur astronomer.

Clear Skies,

- Dan

Disclosure

The Celestron Omni XLT 150R arrived Wednseday, November 18th. Of course I didn’t get to take it out of the box until Friday and start to putting it together. After a quick read through the manual, I unpacked the mount and started assembling. The process went very smooth. The mount, Celestron’s CG-4, which is a EQ mount, sits atop of a heavy-duty stainless steel tripod with 1¾” legs. Once I had the unit assembled, I attached the optical tube. The dovetail mounting system is a refreshing change from some of the older OTA attaching methods I’ve used in the past. This package came with a couple of features I didn’t expect like the azimuth adjustment and provisions for adding a polar alignment scope.

Time to balance the telescope. Balancing the mount in RA was a straight forward process. Celestron includes two counter weights (7lbs. and 4lbs.) with the CG-4 mount that make RA balance easy. Balancing in DEC is quite another matter. In the manual, Celestron states, “The Omni XLT150R is the most difficult to balance depending on the latitude, the accessories used, and which part of the sky the telescope is pointing to. Balance this telescope as best you can.” That’s a heads up. Since the telescope is a 6″ rich field (focal length =  750 mm), it goes without saying the the OTA is going to be heavy toward the front. Balancing in DEC is a little time consuming and at the time I’m writing this I still haven’t achived good balance in DEC. It’s my guess that it can’t really be achived. Like Celestron says, “balance this telescope as best you can”.

If the skies hold out for tonight, I take it out for final adjustments and “First Light”. Stay tuned.

Clear Skies,

- Dan

Disclosure

(PhysOrg.com) — Two teams of astronomers have found a planet outside the solar system that might be orbiting backwards compared to its star’s rotation, a discovery that could shed light on how unique the relatively perfect alignment of our solar system is compared to that of other planetary systems.

I came across an article on Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews the other day that just made me want to grab my 10×50 binoculars and go have a look. Of course, it was cloudy, so much for that good feeling. But, there is nothing like a great article about observing deep sky objects to get the juices flowing. Phil Harrington, the author of Touring the Universe through Binoculars, takes you on a tour of the famous Double Cluster in Perseus and into Cassiopeia. Read the article here. Be sure to check out Phil’s Website at http://www.philharrington.net/index.htm.