Struve 3051

 
John M. Ryan
Star: Struve 3051
Date & Time: Monday July 8, 2002,
9:00UTC
Seeing: 6-7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency:  <1-10, 10 best>
Location of site: Barreras, Salamanca, Spain.
Site classification: Rural, Suburban
Sky darkness: 5+  <Limiting magnitude>
Conditions: No moon , clear, medium wind with temp. about 12º C
Telescope: TeleVue 101 refractor mounted on a Losmandy GM8
Eyepieces: 10mm, 6.4 plossels and 3mm Radian
Magnification: 54X, 84X and 180X
Harshaw Scale: 3 <1-5; 1 best> 
No trouble finding this and made a clean split with the 10 mm plossel at  54X. Both components dim but are easy to see. The double is in a sparse field and both components are white. 

Ambience: The weather is beginning to act normal for the summer in our part of Spain. The last eight nights that we spent in the village I was able to get out seven times to do some viewing. I spent most of the nights with the new homemade 12.5" Dob sucking in the photons. Things like the Dumbell M27 and the dim galaxies like M101 really stand out in the larger aperature. I can see why Mary and Eddie like their big "Monacles". The night was very quiet except for some cows that ware bawling in a corral close to the village because they took their calves from them. 
 
 
 
 

 


 
Steve Bodin
Star: Struve 3051
Date & Time: July 19 and 20, 2002
Seeing: 3 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Transparency: fair
Location: Silverdale WA, USA
47N,123W
Site classification: Suburban
Sky darkness: 4.5 <Limiting magnitude>
Telescope: Meade 107D on ETX mount
for visual and 17.5 inch DOB for video
Eyepieces: 24mm Koenig, 19mm Televue,
10mm Homebuilt, 7mm Ortho
Magnification: 42x, 52x,100x,143x
Additional: PC164C video
Faint in my little 4 inch, could not tell any color other than blue. Measured with the Bigdog 17 at 17.4 sec and 23 deg PA, also two faint companions of 10th and 12th mag at 239.4 sec, 005 deg PA and 118 sec at 315 deg PA.




 

 
 
Luis Argüelles
Star: Struve 3051
Date & Time: 13, August, 2002, 
00:15 am local time
Seeing: 6->7 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>. 
Transparency: 7
Location of site: Sena de Luna, Spain
Elevation: 1,200 m.
Site classification: Rural
Temperature: 16ºC
Humidity: ~ 45%
Sky darkness: ~4.5 <Limiting magnitude> 
Telescope: Takahashi FS-102
Mount: Vixen GP w/Skysensor 2000
Eyepieces: 20mm Eudiascopic
Magnification: 41x
HS: -- <1-5 Scale (1 best)>
     
Observed with the 20mm Eudiascopic at 41x, it yields an easy split at this magnification. Anyway due to the not very good seeing the secondary comes and goes from time to time. Color of primary is yellowish-white. No color perception for secondary.
 
Ambience. The dogs always bark and people from the hotel joins us. In order to have more observing time, I aim the S33 Cassegrain to Sagitarius and invite people to scan  the area using the RA and Dec shafts (as of this writing, the S33 scope is not motorized). People plays with the telescope and after 5-10 minutes they say 'thanks' and go away but a young couple enjoy a lot and after 30 minutes or so they discover M11. The image is impressive. In my opinion, better than the one from a C11 located in suburban skies. I put the Tak on M11 and the S33 scope wins hands-down. What a view!. I suspect the S33 scope has got its first mission: the young couple is hooked.

Before calling it a night, I aim the Tak towards M31, M32 and M110 with the 35mm Eudiascopic. As usual, a majestic sight.

 
 


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