Deb, Your post was not too long. I enjoyed reading about the doubles you split. Thanks for keeping us up to date. Brent --- UTAHDEB@aol.com wrote:
Hello Gang,
Last night I set up my 8" SCT on my driveway to try a few doubles. I started out observing in 90 degree heat so the seeing was only fair to good. I waited for the scope to reach thermal equilibrium till it got dark. I was star-hopping so I picked doubles that were naked eye.
I turned to Gamma Virginis. I put in the 7mm Nagler to give me 285X. I could see two orange stars thinly separated. I had my mom confirm the separation. There was definitely a thin gap between the two orange stars. Nice beautiful tight pair. Will have to try it again next week with the 15"
Next was the Double-Double, Epsilon Lyrae. Easily split at 285X- both pairs visable
On to Pi Bootes. This is a nice pair, blue-white primary and white secondary. There is only a .9 magnitude difference between the stars with a separation of 5.6". An easy split at 285X.
By 11:30 pm, Antares was rising so I decided to give it a try. This star is a brilliant orange color. The star was dancing around but I saw a hint of green at the edge. I thought I saw the green secondary in fleeting moments of seeing but I will have to try this one at a higher elevation. This is a challenge to split. I tried again when it rose higher in the sky with the 8mm Plossl but still had a tough time with this pair
My next target was Alpha Herculis. This summer showpiece double was much easier to split. At 285X, I could see the blue-green secondary next to the orange primary. This gives a nice color contrast. The 8mm Plossl gave a cleaner view. I can see why double-star observers prefer Plossls over Naglers. There are less reflections due to the 4-element design.
My last target was Delta Herculis. This one was a bit of a challenge but I managed to view a faint 8.2 mag violet secondary. This pair looked great at 250X with the 8mm Plossl. Seeing had improved somewhat and I was higher in the sky. With doubles, seeing is very important.
Clear and Dark Skies to all,
Debbie
ps - hope this post wasn't too long
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