busy day

During the day yesterday, I created a wider hole in the 6" telescope's tailpiece and was able to have the focuser work properly.  I bought a 2-3/8" hole saw, the size needed for the drawtube, but as I started to drill it wandered from center and I knew I would ruin the tailpiece if I continued.  So I got a file and began widening the hole by hand, which took about 40 minutes of effort.  I painted it then installed it in the evening, and had a look at M42 again.  Still a bit of defocus at the outer edges, I'm not sure how much it will bother me, or if there is some error in the lens mounting.  In any case, onward to constructing the mount.

I also spent some time with my 15x70 binoculars, seeing M42, M35, M47, and so on.  Still a very pleasing view and actually comparable to the 6" -- which only prompts me more to transform the 6' into a binoscope, given the views which may be possible.  Fun to see three satellites, one after the other, track north through Orion.

Later in the night I set-up Big Blue, and had a go at some double stars and the moon.  Seeing was only average and transparency was off (and the moon was full), so I stayed at 270x for the session; my sense of separation scale was messed up accordingly:

STF 684: Fine white and yellow, 2-3" at this scale, 2 delta mag. [20,000 light years is actually quite a large distance for the average double star...] 

05H 22M 11.04S +45° 04' 53.9" P.A. 141 SEP 1.5 MAG 7.72,9.34 SP B8III DIST. 5882.35 PC (19188.23 L.Y.)

ES 576: Pretty finder split, white, near equal to 0.5 delta mag. [AC seen; AB 13th mag]

05H 24M 22.85S +42° 36' 37.0" P.A. 237 SEP 42.7 MAG 8.10,8.90 SP A2

NGC 1857 would be a pretty little misty open cluster if not for the moon.  It's in a nice swath of stars of different magnifications and colors.

STF 699: Wide yellow and blue-white, half delta mag.

05H 25M 38.50S +38° 02' 41.1" P.A. 345 SEP 8.9 MAG 7.90,8.61 SP A1V DIST. 308.64 PC (1006.78 L.Y.)

STF 698: Orange-yellow A and lilac B, wide, finder split.  1 delta mag.  Pretty.

05H 25M 12.94S +34° 51' 18.6" P.A. 347 SEP 31.2 MAG 6.65,8.33 SP K2III DIST. 125.47 PC (409.28 L.Y.)

79 Aur: Bright light orange with 2-3 delta mag finder split wide pair.

M38, M36: Surprisingly good, even with the moon.  Fill the field with stars.

BU 1053:  Nice!!  Blazing white and close but nicely split light blue B, 2 delta mag.  Another star, 3 delta ma, is further out, may be a 2+1. [Just a double.]

05H 53M 28.64S +37° 20' 20.7" SEP 1.9 MAG 6.91,8.83 SP F5 DIST. 68.54 PC (223.58 L.Y.)

STF 799: Hairline split but definite in the best moments, white, half delta mag.

05H 52M 13.88S +38° 33' 36.4" P.A. 158 SEP 0.8 MAG 7.30,8.26 SP B8 DIST. 211.86 PC (691.09 L.Y.)

Nu Aur = H 5 90: Bright orange with a much fainter wide split.

05H 51M 29.39S +39° 08' 54.5" P.A. 206 SEP 55.9 MAG 3.97,11.40 SP K0III DIST. 70.62 PC (230.36 L.Y.)

STT 132: White A and slightly red B.  Fine pair but probably ~5".  2 delta mag.

06H 08M 11.68S +37° 58' 57.9" P.A. 332 SEP 1.8 MAG 7.16,9.63 SP A2V DIST. 184.5 PC (601.84 L.Y.)

STT 131: Very close, need seeing to resolve 2 delta mag white A and light blue B

06H 07M 25.84S +36° 16' 28.7" P.A. 277 SEP 1.5 MAG 7.04,9.45 SP B9II DIST. 301.2 PC (982.51 L.Y.)

To end the session I spent about a half hour on the moon using the binoviewers.  I followed the limb all the way around and can confirm, the moon is not round, there are mountains and depressions which cause it not to make a perfect sphere.  I then traversed its face and traced out the varying webs of rays and crater formations.  Very satisfying.