Coe

I went to Coe last night and stayed until around 3:30am. The overflow parking lot was locked again, so I set up the 254mm SCT at the parking lot near the entrance. The limiting magnitude was at least 5.5 and M31 was easily visible with the naked eye. It was the first time I actually could easily see M1 and truly recognize it. M82 showed an obvious dust lane about in the middle. M42 had too much detail to describe, the trapezium components E and F were easily visible.

My object for the night, NGC 7662 (Blue snowball, Caldwell 22, in Andromeda) looked to me like a ball with a brighter inner ring. I did not see a central star, but one close to it (distance about the same as the size of the disc) and with averted vision two other nearby stars popped up. I don't know their magnitude, but you can see the three I mean here.

Jupiter

A first attempt on September 22, 2002 of imaging planet Jupiter with my new 254mm SCT. It sure looked a lot crispier when viewed through the telescope, but the shadow of one of its moons can still seen projected on the sphere here. A combination of many frames taken with a ToUCam Pro webcam in prime focus. No Barlow lens was used.

Saturn

A first attempt on September 18, 2002 to image planet Saturn with my new 254mm SCT using a ToUCam Pro webcam at f/10.

Mizar through my old Newton telescope

A single webcam frame of Mizar and Alcor in the constellation Ursa Major through the 115mm Newton telescope on April 13, 2002. I wasn't (manually) tracking, so the stars appear slightly elongated, even with this short exposure.

Imaging with a 21 year old 115mm Newton

Jupiter on March 19, 2002. The average of many frames taken with a ToUCam Pro webcam in the prime focus of my 1981 115mm/f9 Newton telescope. The mirrors of this telescope are very much in need for re-coating. The views through the telescope are not close to what they once were.

Saturn through the same telescope. Back then I could easily see the Cassini Division and Saturn's cloud belt. Not so anymore.

A shot of the moon.

And one more, but this time using eyepiece projection.