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12" Zhumell Dobsonian Review and First Light
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| Pardon the rope, the Telrad was not permanently attached at the time fo the photo! |
The scope arrived in good shape in undamaged boxes. I had it put together in an hour and that was taking my time. This is a huge scope for one person to safely maneuver. I'll be happy to have it in a permanent location with shed that will get rolled back during use.
Collimation before first light was a bit tricky. I'd read that the laser collimators that ship with these are out of collimation themselves and are of no use until they are collimated first. I set about doing that but adjustment screws are of a size (allen wrench) I do not have. Luckily my observing buddy Russ had his. Getting the secondary aligned was easy enough. The primary mirror, on the other hand, not so much. It seems that the tension springs in the adjustment bolts are pretty weak. As I turned them this way and that it became clear that I was going to have a hard time getting the mirror where it needed to go. Then it occurred to me that the lock screws, while not intended for adjustment, often do effect the mirror when tightened down so I tried turning a them a bit and presto, I had a collimated mirror.
This is a big mirror that will often need cooling down which is why they include a fan. I have not used it yet because I had it out in the shade on the first day and in the well house the second day so it was cooled off and ready to go at dark.
A few words about the hardware on the scope before I delve into what I saw with it. Everything seems very solid. I've not used the finder scope yet because I ordered a Telrad and have used it both nights. That said, the finder seems decent in terms of construction. The big plastic cover for the OTA (optical tube assembly) is a pretty loose fit so I'll have to do something about that. Of course the stand is particle board like all of these mass production units but seems solid enough for now. Movement of the scope is very smooth and it is very well balanced. I WILL upgrade to a home built birch plywood stand at some point. All in all, the scope seems very well built. I've encountered no problem other than the above mentioned weak tension springs on the collimation screws that I'll replace and the loose cover. As you can see from the photo, this is a huge scope and not something I want to move much.
The dual-speed Crayford focuser is very smooth and a nice upgrade over the focuser on the XT8. Being able to fine tune the adjustment is a very nice benefit of this focuser.
First Light for the new scope was Friday night and it was perfectly clear for it! My intent was to spend some time just getting familiar with the bigger scope and compare some of the views with what I've seen with the 8". There's no doubt it is impressive.
First object viewed was Jupiter and it looked great. The main difference, given good seeing conditions, is a sharper image. The 8" struggles with the 5mm EP but provides a fairly crisp image with really good seeing conditions. The 12" provides an even sharper image with a few more details in the cloud bands and also seems to have a little more tolerance of poorer conditions though I won't know for certain until I've used it more. Of course the same eyepieces also provide higher magnification due to the different focal length. The 5mm needed for detailed planetary viewing gives me 240x in 8", but 300x in the 12". So, not only is it a sharper image but it is also more magnified. Even better, I could, push it to even higher magnification if given the right eyepieces/barlow whereas 240x is the upward limit for the 8".
Next up for comparison was M31, M32, M110: The Andromeda Galaxy and it's satellites. This is a big and very bright object so what I was hoping for was some detail. With the 8" I get a big and beautiful view but no detail. With the 12" I am seeing some structure. It is especially noticeable with the 11mm Explore Scientific 82 degree (provides a wider field of view than standard lenses). At that level of magnification I am seeing a smaller picture but I do see the dust lanes which I don't think I'm seeing at lower magnification. In all the EPs the 3 objects are beautiful and the more faint M110 is much more defined and easy to see.
Next on the list, the Orion Nebula which never disappoints! In the 8" the nebula presents a fantastic view and in the 12" it is a fantastic view. More detail is visible and some of the dark areas are more pronounced. I'll have to spend more time observing before I can offer any more detail.
Now we are getting closer to those things which I expect will really benefit from the 12". Specifically, globular clusters, faint nebula, and distant galaxies. A great example would be something like NGC 2158 which is very rich open cluster in Gemini which almost seems like a loose globular cluster. In the 8" it presents as a nebulous sphere with little to no resolution of stars. In my first attempt to see it back in September I failed with the 8" due to deteriorating atmospheric conditions. The second attempt the next night was a success but the view provided little detail. By contrast, the 12" presented this cluster as very easy to see and with much greater detail as many stars are resolved. Through the 12" this cluster of stars is now exactly that, a cluster of stars and not just a nebulous sphere.
My next target was the Pacman Nebula, NGC 281 in Cassiopeia. With the 8" I had no success finding it even with the NPB nebula filter. With the 12" it was easy to see.
After that, a trip to Bode's Nebulae, two easily visible galaxies in Ursa Major. These are easy to find, I was hoping for greater detail. Unfortunately I didn't get much but more than likely that was due to my not taking the time. The night was getting on and I wanted to get some of my remaining Herschel 400 so this is by no means conclusive. I fully suspect that when I revisit and spend more time on these I will indeed see some new structure.
Last on the list were my remaining Herschel 400 galaxies in Ursa Major, 11 to 12 magnitude. While the 8" would make these visible they are often incredibly faint. With the 12" they were easy to find with little to no effort... it was so easy I almost felt like I was cheating! They don't provide much in the way of detail but certainly more than is visible with the smaller scope. I'm sure I'll have more to say about viewing these fainter objects as I spend more time with the Z12. Suffice it to say that the light gathering capability of a 12" scope is fantastic.
I'd intended to offer up the second night's viewing but I'm going to save it for the next post as this is getting quite long! Stay tuned.
Just to let you know
A couple posts today… this first is just to let folks know that I WILL get back to permaculture/homestead related writing at some point! But the simple reality is that in the winter there’s not a whole lot going on in that area. At the moment my day-to-day routine consists primarily of reading, occasional freelance web work, starting fires and keeping them going, tending to critters, and getting the telescope out on clear nights. As we get closer to spring I’ll update a bit on the garden and food forest plans.
A Cold and Snowy Night!
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| A 13 second exposure of my scope and all the snow nicely illuminated by the moon! Note Sirius in the lower left corner of the image. Wish I'd gone just a bit higher to fit Orion in the image! |
The viewing was perfect! As cold as it was I was toasty warm with 4 layers on my legs, 2 pair of socks, 4 layers on top and my mittens and ski mask. I was able to get in a little more than an hour looking for my clusters and then spent another half hour looking at Jupiter. NGC 7209 and NGC 6940, both open clusters, were quite beautiful.
As beautiful as the views through the scope were what was most enjoyable was the snow covered landscape all around me. Even before the moon was up there was enough light reflected around by the snow that I could enjoy the view. The higher the moon got the better the scene became! The night was so calm and serene.
Geminids and Galaxies
During the course of the evening I looked at 17 galaxies, 1 globular cluster and easily 100+ meteors. I was looking through the scope most of the night but in the short times I was looking up with just my eyes I would easily see 1-3 a minute sometimes more or less, depending on the time of night.
All together, about 9 hours looking up :)
Finding Bliss in the Universe
Between the moon at the first of the month and the nearly constant cloudiness it’s been hard getting any kind of extended time at the scope. Last night was fantastic and it looks like the forecast for the next 2-3 nights looks great.
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| M81 and M82 |
I’ve always, as long as I can remember, taken note of and appreciated the stars in the night sky. Today, at 43, I can say that I truly understand who and what I am in this universe. Well, I more fully understand. True understanding is just the goal of the process. To be a living being on this beautiful planet, just one of many trillions of planets in the universe, is so amazing. I sometimes feel a bit guilty that I am able to experience such bliss in my life. Wether walking in the woods or looking up at the stars, leading such a simple life and being a part of the greater universe, I can ask for nothing more.
And about last night’s viewing session? I was happy to view thirteen more objects in the Herschel 400 as well as a swing by the two galaxies known as Bode’s Nebulae and a quick view of the Double Cluster in Perseus! Last but not least, Jupiter. I probably spent twenty minutes looking at Jupiter and I have to say, it never get’s old. Each time, each moment, is breath taking. On a good night such as last night, the 5mm EP is fantastic for viewing this beautiful neighbor of ours. The cloud bands and the GRS are crisp and easy to see. Wonderful.
As I spend more time outside at night I am consistently seeing more with my naked eyes, especially on nights with good seeing. Last night, at various points between looking through the EP, I really made it a point to enjoy the naked eye view. In particular, I spent some time gathering up the faint stars and the fuzzy Messier objects. For example, the Beehive Cluster in Cancer was so easy and obvious to see. In fact, I wasn’t even looking for it but was just scanning the sky and it stood out to me. The Double Cluster in Perseus was also an obvious and easy to see object with the naked eye.
A special note about Bode’s Nebulae: What a sight to see them together in one eyepiece! At 11 million light years distance, M81 offers a face view and is interacting with M82 which is a prototype starburst galaxy presenting an elongated view. After weeks of focusing mostly on small and faint galaxies and clusters, anytime I come upon the more easily seen objects I always find myself surprised at just how beautiful and defined they are! These two are a great example of that. I have no doubt that it is just the slow improvement of my viewing skills and my greater awareness of the range of faint objects.
Fire in the sky
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| Image of NGC 7331 and companions |
As far as viewed objects, a few open clusters that were not all that impressive (in part due to the poor atmospheric conditions) as well as three galaxies that were viewed first and were much better thanks to better conditions earlier on. It is amazing how quickly the viewing can change based on humidity, light clouds not often obvious as clouds but there nonetheless.
The best view of the night was NGC 7331. While I was not able to see the small companion galaxies NGC 7331 was very nice.
Also, a note about the images I use. They're not mine and are almost aways taken from Wikipedia. Though they often seem unreal, like paintings, they are not. They are actual images though in almost all cases there is a good amount of processing as is required by astrophotography. Multiple exposures are sometimes layered, color is added, enhanced or balanced, etc.
Dancing with the clouds
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| Image of Jupiter from SkySafari |
Normally, I would not have bothered with such a mixed night but we've had 10 days of pretty cloudy weather and with a few clear nights blotted out by the moon. I was desperate.
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| Sigma Orionis |
Couple hours later, about 10:30pm, I saw Karen post on the FB about being outside viewing so I went out: totally clear. Curse words. Get eyepieces and make a dash for the telescope. Set-up. Sit down. Clouds. More curse words. Wait. Look around. Decide there is enough clear sky to stay out. I spent the next 2 hours, maybe 3 hopping away from clouds, trying to find a few things before being foiled. Lesson learned? If you're desperate and willing to dance with the clouds for awhile, there might be a reward.
I got a fantastic view of Jupiter in the 5mm EP. The cloud bands were crystal clear and I was able to easily make out 3-4 bands. Unfortunately no GRS as it was on the other side of the planet. I also had a good viewing of a couple of planetary nebula. NGC 1535, Cleopatra's Eye, was particularly good. It is a bright blue sphere and with the 5mm EP a bright central core is easily visible. Of course the moon was out so anything faint was out of the question. I ended the night with a great shot of Sigma Orionis, a 5 star (only 4 viewable) system in Orion. Not my photo but this is exactly what I saw. Very cool.
The Whirlpool Galaxy
Even with the lighter sky I believe I was able to make out a hint of the spiral structure. M51 is not alone though, it has a neighbor galaxy, NGC 5195, with which it has been interacting for hundreds of millions of years. In fact it is believed that it is due to these interactions with NGC 5195 that the the spiral structure of M51 is so pronounced. Quite a pair!
In addition to the Whirlpool Galaxy I also got a look at two other Messiers, M89 and M90. I'll definitely revisit both of those when skies are darker. A bonus, the above mentioned NGC 5195 is a member of the Herschel 400! That brings me to 92 of 110 Messier objects and 112 of the 400 Herschels. Not to bad for just over two months of viewing!
Three months ago I would have told you that my brand new 8" Dobsonian telescope would be all I would need. Well, I can tell you, that as much as I enjoy the views that this scope provides, I am excited about someday seeing these objects with a 16" scope. So much of what is now a hint of structure will be far more obvious with a larger scope. That said, I'm happy to have started with the 8" and know that many people use such a scope for many years. It's good to know what is possible with this aperture and, in fact, learning to star hop with it has been a joy, viewing the faint fuzzies with it has required time and effort. I feel like I am earning my way to the next step and will, no doubt, more fully appreciate the better views of the larger scope when the time comes because of my starting point.
Stargazing from the front yard
The cool thing about astronomy? It is also time travel! Did you know that when you look into the night sky your eye is being hit by the actual photons that were put forth by the stars you are looking at? We are connected to those stars through those photons, some of which have been traveling to us for many thousands of years. Look at a neighboring galaxy such as Andromeda and your eyes are connecting with particles that have traveled for 2.5 million years, 5.8 trillion miles each year, and they finally meet you and your eyes. How fantastic is that?
A vintage desk, cooperatively built
I will add that I think that it is products like this that we need to be building in the United States. Built by a cooperative, demonstrating a high quality of workmanship and made of sustainably harvested wood! We often speak of products as "goods" but they are not always good. In this case I think the term fits.Community Playthings has always manufactured products right here in the United States. It all started in 1947 in an old barn in Georgia, supporting a little cooperative community. Not long after, the co-op joined a larger group in New York and brought the business with them. Today, the “community” in Community Playthings is a group of families who earn their living crafting toys and furniture for children. We manufacture primarily in New York and Pennsylvania, with wood responsibly harvested from the Northeastern U.S.
Tiny Cabin and Tiny Workspace Organization
My cabin interior redesign is now finished!!
Here is the finished and now neatly organized corner of my cabin that is the "office". So much better than the unused and oh so messy loft! Everything is now neatly organized on the selves which are now mostly covered by curtains (Thanks Kerry!!) for a tidy appearance.
Not only is the cabin a much more pleasant place to be but keeping it clean is now so much easier. It may just be a change in attitude on my part but yeah, I'm enjoying being organized. It's also nice having a "work space" which is something I've not had for the past few months because I replaced my previous table/desk with a futon.
The paint was a great decision. As much as I enjoyed the plain wood it needed to be protected. The paint has done wonders to brighten the place up and add to the sense of organization and tidiness. Good call!
Progress on Interior Redesign!
Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law my tiny house now has a very different feel and the space is much more effectively used. The sleeping loft that was never used except for a catch all for stuff is now gone and replaced by shelves. The mattress I had underneath is now replaced by a futon under my front window. All the stuff that never had a proper home in the cabin before is now up on shelves... It is all very neat and organized!
It's not done yet. Next weekend my sister is going to sew three curtain panels to cover the lower half of the shelving system which will give it a tidier look and keep dust out.
I also decided to paint. I've been living in it these four years with no finish on the walls because I couldn't make a decision. At this point though the plywood bead board is getting all sorts of funky with dirt, moisture, oil, and light... time for a more uniform look so paint it is!
Interior Redesign
Big things are coming to my little cabin! After four years in the cabin with a guest sleeping loft rarely used I've decided to make a few changes. I am taking out the loft and my bed beneath it and replacing it with a wall of shelves, desk and futon. The poorly organized mess in the loft will be getting neatly organized and should really open up the space. I'll probably do a bit of painting, I've never liked the fake wood exterior of the shelving unit that holds all my clothing. Will be moving my small flatscreen, MacMini, speakers and AppleTV into the top of that unit since those cloths will be organized on the new shelves. My futon is directly across from the unit so it makes for perfect viewing.
What a mess, I can't wait to get it done! Pictures and an update in the next day or so.
Free Range vs Pastured Chickens
Here’s a great video about the difference between “free range eggs” and pastured eggs. This is why I raise my own chickens which are, of course, pastured!
Three weeks with the new iPad
Awhile back I posted about being a freelance tech worker. Here’s another tech related post, originally posted at my MacProductive Blog. For anyone living remotely in a small space the iPad is a perfect choice for computing and for many it may be the best Internet access available.
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago in my iPad 3 Mini Review the increased RAM in the new iPad has made it a much more functional device and I don’t hesitate to switch apps as I work. In fact, thanks to the increased memory, switching between multiple apps is instantaneous. Unlike the first generation iPad, this new iPad truly feels like a powerful computing device.
I’ve compiled a list of my most used apps thus far. A typical day includes the following tasks:
One area I’m still not settled on is task and project tracking. I had been using Wunderlist but switched to Wunderkit in the hopes that some of our community projects might be better coordinated with shared projects. Unfortunately I’ve not had a lot of success getting folks on board with it. As of now there is no app for the iPad so I do most of my Wunderkit tracking via the web app which is not too great on the iPad. The iPhone Wunderkit app is actually pretty good and I may begin using it more.
Another part of my workflow that is a bit clumsy is image creation and editing which still requires that I go to my Mac for Pixelmator or Photoshop. Once I’ve got the image set there I turn on the iPad’s wifi and get the file via CloudConnect. Then I turn off the wifi and upload the file to the server via 4G and CloudConnect. Photoshop Touch has very good reviews so I’ll likely give that a try soon.
Other work related apps that I have but don’t use very often include Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. I can’t imagine not having them and I do expect that they will get a good bit of use.
Dictation
Though it’s technically not an app I have to mention the importance of the new dictation feature. With the original iPad I felt I had to have an external keyboard. I am a very fast typist and using the software keyboard frustrated me. To be fair, I didn’t really give it a chance. The dictation feature in the new iPad has been an amazing benefit to my productivity. It makes sending emails, texting, and even writing articles much easier.
Conclusion
As much as I enjoyed my first generation iPad for reading and casual email, it was never a work tool for me. With so little memory it felt more like a casual device. On the few occasions I tried to use it to get things done I often ended up frustrated. Not so with the new iPad! This is a very capable device easily up to the task of getting actual work done.
Video Tour
In celebration of my four years here at the homestead I thought I would share a little video!
Four years at the Homestead
The following spring we built the chicken coop greenhouse and in early summer we built the kids' cabin. The garden was expanded and more fruit trees were planted. The chickens arrived!! I also began work on the native wildflower Garden in front of my cabin. By the fall of 2009 I had begun to design and implement the various food forests. In addition to the fruit trees I added currants, gooseberries, paw paws, and a fairly large blueberry patch.
In May 2010 we added onto my cabin with a covered front porch and I finished my rain barrel installation. It was another hot, dry summer and I struggled to keep my garden alive. In the fall I began construction of my hugelculture beds. Another big fall project was trenching in our water line from the well house to our two main cabins. We also added onto our well house with a shower house and sleeping loft. Kerry and Greg's cabin was redesigned and the interior nearly finished.
2011 was a summer of refinements and revisions. We finished the interior of the shower house and out house. The interior if Kerry and Greg's cabin was finally finished as well. This was a laid-back summer, we swam a lot and I tried to keep the garden alive! The hugelculture beds performed fantastically.
That about sums it up. It has been a fantastic four years and this place is now my home, sweet home. I am looking forward to many more years here!
Winter's Soul
Something I wrote a couple weeks ago… probably needs a good bit of work still. Not that I’m going anywhere with it, just a bit of reflection.
Taking a walk this morning, it was as though I was seeing the soul of the land. Six months ago life was in full swing as the sun beat down, plants harvesting the energy and releasing it to the insects and animals. But today I see the paper thin remains of an oak leaf hanging on to a branch in sleep. A moss covered vine, spotted with lichen, twists and turns in a pattern I would not have seen in September. Just as our own human lives wind to an end, the land has come to its winter death. The life that is still to be seen consists mainly of nuthatches, chickadees, cedar waxwings and their friends flitting amongst the seeds and berries that will remain for them through the winter, as memories of summer youth. In spring, of course, life will return to the land. The soul that is so easily seen today will be less visible when the new forms, variations and patterns of life return. Life will continue its turn.
Shooting the Recurve!
I just recently traded a website with the folks over at Angler's and Archer's for a new handmade recurve bow and boy lemme tell you, my shoulder hates me now. But what fun! I'm forcing myself to take a couple days off from shooting so I can recover but it's not easy! Tom Dickinson makes these bows by hand from local cherry, walnut and hard maple and they are works of art. He also makes the bow string, cases, quivers, and arrows.
I tried six or so bows and decided on the recurve you see in the image. I've got alot of practicing to do but I've got a knack for it I think. My goal for the next 3 months is to to be able to put 80-90% of my arrows into a 7" circle from a variety of ranges. Thus far I've been shooting from 13-18 yards but would like to have accuracy up to 30 - 40 yards. I'm initially just working on having good form and building up strength in all the muscles involved. My intent is to shoot 60 arrows a day though I expect it will be a month or so before I can do that everyday. I'll work up to it.
I don't see myself hunting anytime soon but I'd like to be good enough that I could hunt if I needed to.