Roger Ivester: Christian; Amateur Astronomer; Cyclist; Freelance Writer And Blogger

Posted December 15, 2015 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

The late Al Nagler (optical engineeer, founder and owner of Televue Optics) and myself at the 2017 Southern Star Astronomy Convention in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.

My former 10-inch f/4.5 EQ model DS-10A pictured below, but sold in February 2026.

It was a large and heavy telescope that I stored in an inside closet, requiring a lot of effort to set up and take down. So, last year (2025) I realized that the time had come for me to find a new owner for this telescope. It was getting heavier and heavier with each passing year. However, this telescope served me well for 34 years, and with more than 2,000 hours under a night sky.

Finding the perfect amateur that could appreciate this special “made in America Meade Newtonian.”

In February of 2026, I was able to find the perfect person who appreciated this pristine 34 year-old imaging Newtonian.

I ordered the telescope from Pauli’s Wholesale Optics in Danbury, Connecticut, on Wednesday, February 5th 1992 at 9:00 PM from the owner himself, Fred Pauli. It was Fred that recommended the 10-inch. This was in the days before email or ordering online. I would purchase a lot of astronomy equipment over the next eight or ten years from Wholesale Optics.

Sometimes I’d call and place an order at 10:00 in the morning, sometimes 10:00 at night, but whenever I’d call, it was always Fred who answered the phone. I’d talk with Fred briefly, give him my Master Card number and would normally receive my order in about a week.

The day the telescope arrived!

When I got home from work on Monday, February 10th, some large brown corrugated boxes were stacked up in front of my garage door. The telescope had arrived! The optical tube was in one box, the mount in a couple more, then the 25-pound counter weight, the mirror and cell in another, and then the focuser box. I still have all of the boxes in the attic over my garage, and one day I hope to bring them down and take to a recycling center.

When I began removing the telescope then assembling, I was or surprised just how large and heavy the optical tube was! The counter weight was 25-pounds…and then a fairly heavy equatorial mount that was in pieces.

I’m really glad I talked with Fred Pauli on that February night, so many years ago, and made the decision, upon his advise, to purchase the 10-inch. At that time, I had no idea I would spend more than 2,000 hours with this telescope under a night sky, over the next 34 years. I would make hundreds and hundreds of observing notes and more than 1,500 pencil sketches using this telescope.

This would seem to be an excessive amount of time, but this was over a 34 year period, and I would seldom observe during the summer months, due to poor transparency.

Yes, if not for Fred Pauli recommending the 10-inch on that night in February 1992, I would not likely pursued amateur astronomy to a serious level, but likely continued as a casual observer. And I would not have met Fred Rayworth of Las Vegas, who along with me, founded the Observer’s Challenge report. The Observer’s Challenge report would not have happened, which has now achieved over 200,000 .pdf worldwide downloads as of March 2026. The report still continues to have high daily downloads, despite the last report report being issued in June 2024.

After years as a observing contributor to the report, Sue French became an administrator in 2018, and then a co-editor with myself in compiling the report for its last five years. It was Sue’s notoriety, as an editor for “Sky & Telescope” magazine that helped gain a wider audience of more serious amateurs. Sue deserves much credit for the report’s success and continued success.

Roger Ivester (North Carolina)

The 6-inch f/6 Newtonian (pictured below) is “now”my largest telescope.

The following 80 mm f/5 refractor was a birthday gift to me from my son, Brad…so this is a special telescope. I have no desire to have a premium apochromatic 80 mm telescope, especially at this point in my life.

Observer’s Challenge Report: An international monthly report that allowed participation by any serious deep-sky observer from anywhere in the world.

The Observer’s Challenge report has received over 200,000 world-wide .pdf downloads (to-date) as of March 2026. The following link is still available for all to use as a reference for about 250 deep-sky objects.

All of the 185 monthly reports are included in the following link for deep-sky objects reference. We decided to end the report with the June 2024 edition, as it was time…

https://rogerivester.com/category/observers-challenge-reports-complete/

My other interest is cycling, with about 135,000 miles to-date. I began riding in June 1979, but never even thought or considered that one day I’d be able to ride 100,000 miles.

The day I logged 60,000 miles (when turning into my driveway) for the very first time, it occurred to me that 100,000 miles was possible. However, from my very first ride in June 1979, it would take me 29 years to achieve this feat, which occurred in October 2009.

A few examples of my pencil sketches as following which were made at the telescope eyepiece without any embellishments or computer enhancements.

Comments: Comments Off on Roger Ivester: Christian; Amateur Astronomer; Cyclist; Freelance Writer And Blogger

Sky-Watcher 130mm Virtuoso GTi GoTo Tabletop Dobsonian Telescope: From Agena Astro And Others

Posted March 29, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

I just saw the following advertisement this weekend (March 29th 2026) and it caught my attention. A 130mm GoTo portable Dobsonian for $495 which includes two eyepieces and a red dot finder. This could make for a great beginner telescope, as the GoTo mount makes finding deep-objects really easy. And the collapsable design makes it very convenient when transporting the telescope.

This telescope would also be excellent for the most advanced, and with many telescopes, due to the size and portability.

Comments: Be the first to comment

The Messier Objects With Small Telescopes From A Suburban Backyard And A Bortle ~ 6.5 Sky

Posted March 24, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Observing The Messier's With A Small Telescope

Over the past year, I’ve discussed observing difficult Messier objects using a small telescope, with a number of amateurs.  Seems that everyone has a list of their most most difficult Messier’s, but most all agree with M74, M76, M97, M101 and M109.  However, we know that the observer, location, and light pollution are all important factors. 

Using a humble 4.5-inch f/8 Newtonian that a friend gave me last year, I observed eight Messier objects from my suburban backyard on Friday night (March 20th.)  The transparency was poor, due to incredible amounts of pollen in the air. The Crab Nebula was easy and bright, but couldn’t see galaxy M109. I decided not to use my 80 mm f/5 refractor due to the poor transparency.

I will “not likely be able to see many of the objects” using the small refractor from my suburban backyard with a Bortle 6.5 sky, and sometimes worse! I’m not even sure about my success with the reflector.

I’ve observed all of the Messier’s many times, but and using a 10-inch f/4.5 Newtonian, from my suburban backyard with ease. And after 15 years (185 consecutive months) of the Observer’s Challenge report, I needed a challenge, but not too difficult, or time consuming. I wanted to have a more relaxed observing project, using two small “economy” telescopes to observe the entire Messier catalog…if possible.

I’ll be taking my time without a completion date, and will observe only when I have the time, or feel like observing. This will not be a priority in my life, as I have so many other things I like to do. The project will not be likely completed this year (2025) but will carryover into 2026.

The fun of this project, or any endeavor in life is the journey, and not the destination.

The two telescopes I plan to use for my Messier quest will be an 80 mm f/5 achromat and a 4.5-inch f/8 Newtonian. It’s interesting to note again….both telescopes were given to me. 🙂

The 80 mm f/5 achromat was a “birthday gift” from my son, making it a special telescope. I use an amici prism diagonal with this telescope for a right angle correct image view. I want my pencil sketches to be scientifically correct, as they appear in the sky and not mirror reversed.

I like the thought of using a humble refractor for my Messier quest and not an expensive apochromatic, which can sell for as much as $1,000.

Expert visual observers, Tony Flanders and Jay Reynolds Freeman share some interesting information regarding the more difficult Messier objects, as following. Remember, Jay saw all of the Herschel 400 objects using a 55 mm Vixen f/8 Fluorite refractor! 

Roger invited me to post my own personal list of the five hardest, and on the whole I find it’s really impossible to say. All the Messier objects are bright and obvious to an experienced observer with a 90-mm scope under dark skies. Once you start to increase the level of light pollution and decrease the aperture, they become harder in varying degrees depending on the precise level of skyglow, the particular instrument, and my own mood and inclination.

For what it’s worth, I looked over my Urban/Suburban Messier Guide, and here are the objects I was unable to see through my 70-mm refractor from my local city park, with skyglow probably a tad worse than 18.0 mpsas:

M20, M26, M59, M61, M68, M73, M74, M76, M83, M90, M91, M95, M98, M99, M100, M101, M107, M108, M109

I was able to see M97 with a filter, but not without one. A filter makes a huge difference for this object, and somewhat less so for M20.

Of these, I’m sure M20, M68, and M83 were hard only because they’re far south, and therefore very low from my latitude of 42N. I’m a little surprised that the open cluster M26 is on my can’t-see list; maybe I should have tried harder.

Of the listed galaxies, I’d say that M74 and M91 are almost certainly intrinsically hardest, ignoring issues with latitude. I’ve also always had problems with M109, due to the combination of small size and fairly low surface brightness, and likely also proximity to bright Gamma UMa (Phecda).

M101 is challenging under bright skies due to its extremely faint core, but even a slight improvement in skyglow makes it relatively easy due to its huge size. M76 is challenging in very small instruments and in conventional binoculars due to its tiny size, but becomes quite easy as I use larger apertures even under very bright skies.

Tony Flanders 

M74 and M76 have given me trouble occasionally.

My problem with M74 is that it has low surface brightness — I have found it with a 7×50 binocular in dark sky, but it becomes more difficult in brighter conditions. More aperture helps — it was no problem in a 12.5 inch Newtonian when observing from a location in the peninsular suburbs of San Francisco.

M76 is simply small in angular size, which makes it difficult for me to verify as non-stellar with low magnification, such as when observed with binoculars. Yet I have found it in a 50 mm refractor with a little more magnification, I think I recall using 24x.

Jay Reynolds Freeman

Comments: Comments Off on The Messier Objects With Small Telescopes From A Suburban Backyard And A Bortle ~ 6.5 Sky

The Most Difficult Objects Of The Herschel-400 List

Posted March 13, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles, Virgo Diamond: Faint Five Star Asterism

Galaxy NGC 6118 (Serpens) and open cluster NGC 6540 (Sagittarius).  

If you are considering taking on the Herschel-400 list:  If can see these two objects, it’s very likely you will be able to see all of the other 398 objects. This is contingent on having an unobstructed sky, and with a minimum of light pollution 

During the winter of 1994, I began my effort to see as many of the H-400 objects as possible from my suburban backyard.  Due to light pollution, trees and obstructions, I knew it would be impossible for me to see the entire list.  I started in earnest and dedicated “the majority of my observing time” for about two years to the list. Many of the small open clusters gave me a problem and were difficult to identify.  I called many of these clusters “non-existent” in my notes.    

I made notes of all the ~250 objects, and sometimes with a pencil sketch of those worthy of a sketch. However, due to trees, houses and light pollution over two year period, I called it quits.  

My story of seeing NGC 6118, which was very difficult from my suburban backyard using a 10-inch f/4.5 EQ Newtonian. I never attempted open cluster NGC 6540, due to its more southerly sky position with severe light pollution.

…I attempted two very early morning observing sessions in March and April of 2024 from my suburban backyard, but again without success. A dark site is really needed to observe any low-surface-brightness galaxy, especially one as dim and faint as NGC 6118.

However, traveling to a dark-site has been over for me now for many years. The disassembly of a heavy equatorial mount and handling a large solid-tube Newtonian, loading, driving, unloading, reassembly, and then having to do it all again, became just too much. I will continue to do my best from the backyard.

Many years ago, I assembled light-block system, made of heavy-duty automotive-marine fabric. This simple, but effective structure has helped me on many occasions over the years to see difficult and faint deep-sky objects. The light-block system is especially helpful in some areas of the southern sky, where light pollution is significant. It’s easy to set up and take down. When the fabric is removed and folded for storage, the steel post and plastic-coated wires remain and are hardly noticeable.

I attribute my ability to finally see NGC 6118 was due to blocking a very bright LED carport light less than 1/8 mile away. This light was shining directly toward my backyard, and brightening up the area of my telescope and observing location significantly. Due to the light pollution in my southern sky…I never even considered open cluster NGC 6540.

Saturday morning; May 11th 2024 @ 1:00 AM, with a 5.0 NELM overhead, but far less in the sky near NGC 6118, due to overlooking the town of Boiling Springs.

With a bit of difficulty and after almost an hour of careful observing, I was finally able to see the galaxy. My portable “make-shift” observatory was the answer to finally seeing this faint and difficult object from my suburban backyard.

I really don’t think this galaxy would be that difficult from a dark-site, and with my 10-inch Newtonian. However, as I’ve mentioned previously, my days of traveling with a telescope have been over for a few years now. I just love the convenience of my backyard and seeing a galaxy this faint, proves that a suburban backyard can still allow effective deep-sky observing.

Description: A tiny and subtle brighter middle, which resembles that of a planetary nebula. And like so many planetary nebulae, when using direct vision, vanishes or winks out. I now know why NGC 6118 is known as “The Blinking Galaxy.” The galaxy has a very faint and diffuse halo with mottling, which is oriented NE-SW.

Roger Ivester

The following are some excerpts from an article by Jay Reynolds Freeman concerning his success in seeing all of the H-400 objects using a Vixen 55 mm f/8 fluorite refractor. Yes…a 55mm refractor!

     “Seduced by exquisite optics and compact size, I bought a used Vixen 55 mm f/8 refractor, whose objective used the optical material fluorite, in April, 1998. To replace by attitude what it lacked in size, I repainted the tube, and named the telescope Refractor Red, for its new, fluorescent color. I mounted it on an altazimuth mounting from an 80 mm refractor, then set out in pursuit of all the Messier objects. I anticipated the search would not be difficult, for three of my previous Messier surveys had been with less aperture. So I decided to try something harder, too — the Astronomical League’s “Herschel 400″ list. That modern selection from the brighter objects discovered by Sir William Herschel, would be challenging.” 

“…As word of my project got around, curious fellow observers asked whether I had tried their favorite difficult Herschel-400 targets. I kept hearing about NGC 6118 and NGC 6540. The former is an obliquely viewed low surface brightness spiral galaxy in eastern Serpens Caput,the latter a little cluster in Sagittarius. One June night, I looked for both from Fremont Peak State Park, a popular observing site near San Juan Bautista, California.” 

“Uncommonly good transparency and an incomplete fog layer on the coastal plain below made the high sky quite dark. The North American Nebula was easy with the naked eye: I could detect the “Gulf of Mexico”within it. I looked for NGC 6118 with two eyepieces, alternating between my 12 mm Brandon and a 20 mm Meade Research Grade Erfle, which gave 22x and a 2.5 mm exit pupil.” 

“With each eyepiece, I saw a faint, diffuse, and not very centrally concentrated glow, popping in and out at the limit of averted vision, at the charted position. Jiggling the telescope, or moving it slightly with the slow motions, helped a bit. The glow was detectable only ten or twenty percent of the time, but it kept reappearing at the same place. Since I did not see similar fluctuations of intensity at random places in the field, I logged it. That was the toughest object in my Herschel-400 survey with Refractor Red.”

“Its difficulty might stem from not having nearly as large or bright a center as most other galaxies. A bright core seems to draw the eye, and to give the brain a reference point for locating the fainter, outer periphery of the object. Since I had an equally good view at 22x and 37x, I suspect that a magnification between those values might have best suited NGC 6118 that night.” 

“Unfortunately, I had not brought a suitable eyepiece. Herschel described NGC 6540 as a faint, sparse, relatively small open cluster, yet what _Millennium_Star_Atlas_ plots is a ten arc-minute globular. Using the 12 mm Brandon, I saw a six or seven arc-minute unresolved circular glow, just barely brighter than the background of the Sagittarius Milky Way, with a smaller, brighter core superimposed.” 

…NGC 6540, was easier than NGC 6118. 

Comments: Comments Off on The Most Difficult Objects Of The Herschel-400 List

Orion Model CT-80 f/5 Achromatic Refractor: A Small Telescope Capable Of Showing Hundreds Of Deep-Sky Objects Even The Entire Messier Catalog From A Dark Site

Posted March 10, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Orion 80mm CT-80 Refractor

The 80 mm f/5 refractor has a fully coated objective lens with one baffle to reduce reflections. A small telescope that has really surprised me with its excellent performance when observing galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and even double stars.

The telescope reviewed and discussed here is an Orion 80 mm achromatic refractor telescope, model CT-80. However, this telescope is no longer available since the closure of Orion Telescope and Binoculars in June 2024. There are many 80 mm refractors available, including apochromatic or ED which are designed primarily for astrophotography.

This 80 mm refractor telescope was a surprise birthday gift from my son, Brad.  So, this is a special telescope to me, and I have no desire to have a premium doublet or triplet.

This telescope was sold as an optical tube assembly only, without any accessories. I have always used an amici diagonal for use with refractors primarily for sketching deep-sky objects, scientifically correct.

Note: I did a review of this “very diagonal” for Orion, which was posted on their site until their closure.

I’ve read quite a few negative articles concerning issues with an amici prism diagonal. However, when comparing many different objects over several nights comparing this diagonal to a “premium enhanced mirror diagonal” costing more than three times the amount….

Conclusion: I could not see or determine any difference when comparing resolution of double stars, contrast in faint nebulae, star magnitudes or viewing of other deep-sky objects.

A refractor with the employ of a standard diagonal, and also Schmidt-Cassegrain or Maksutov’s present a mirror image reversed views.

An example of a correct oriented pencil sketch, indicating the cardinal points.

The Orion CT-80 has a beautiful pearl-white clear coated paint job and was ready to use out of the box. The scope works extremely well with a Vixen GP equatorial mount. The telescope and mount, including a three-pound counterweight can all be carried outside in one trip. 

A good quality equatorial mount is just as important as the telescope.

From the “Observing Handbook and Catalog of Deep-Sky Objects” by Luginbuhl and Skiff regarding using a couple of 60mm refractors in the survey for the handbook…

“Despite its comparatively small size, this sort of instrument is quite useful for deep-sky observing. From a dark site all of the objects in Messier’s list are visible, and some of the best views of galactic nebulae are obtained with these telescopes at very low power.” Luginbuhl and Skiff

When focusing the telescope on planetary features or double stars, they would “snap into focus” which is an indicator of good optics.

My first target was the beautiful double star, Castor in Gemini.  I started with 33x, but this was not enough magnification, but with the employ of a 2.8x Barlow, increasing the magnification to 93x the double was cleanly separated.

The next object was the trapezium in Orion. The four primary components were crisp and clean even at 33x. When increasing the magnification to 93x, the four primary stars were a beautiful sight indeed. The Orion Nebula appeared very bright with excellent contrast.

Galaxies M81 and M82, located in Ursa Major, have always been two of my favorite galaxies. Both galaxies fit nicely within a large 1.8º field of view at a 33x magnification. A beautiful sight!  This took me back more than forty years (1977) when I first observed this galaxy pair with a 4.25-inch f/10 EQ Edmund Newtonian. The portability of this telescope and mount will likely improve my number of deep-sky observations.

Comments: Comments Off on Orion Model CT-80 f/5 Achromatic Refractor: A Small Telescope Capable Of Showing Hundreds Of Deep-Sky Objects Even The Entire Messier Catalog From A Dark Site

My First Photo Of The Moon Using An Orion 80mm Refractor Telescope And A Nikon D3300 DSLR Camera: By Debbie Ivester

Posted March 9, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

 

img_0555

I used an Orion 80mm f/5 refractor telescope and a Nikon D3300 camera for my very first photo of the moon:

Other attempts of the moon:

Easy enough to attach the camera to the telescope:

I changed the “single-screw” attachment ring on the back of the telescope, to a more secure “carbon-fiber” ring with two-screws to more securely hold the camera: Debbie

Comments: Comments Off on My First Photo Of The Moon Using An Orion 80mm Refractor Telescope And A Nikon D3300 DSLR Camera: By Debbie Ivester

The 29-Inch f/4.5 Don Brooks Telescope Which Is One Of The Largest Privately Owned Telescopes In The Region

Posted February 20, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

An observing event was held last night (February 19th 2026) on the campus of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC, featuring a custom made 29-inch telescope by Don Brooks. Don has been active in amateur astronomy for many years, and is currently the President of the Cleveland County Astronomical Society.

It should also be noted: Longtime CCAS member, Steve Davis also attended the event last night. Steve works at the “Bare Dark Sky Observatory at Mayland Earth to Sky Park” and is an operator of the 34-inch telescope. The facility is located in Burnsville, NC and the 34-inch telescope is one of the largest public telescopes in the southeastern US.

I’ve been friends with both Don and Steve for more than 30 years.

The telescope:

It has a 29-inch mirror which was produced by Coulter Optics in California during the 80’s. No one seems to know “definitively” how many 29-inch mirrors were produced. Don is aware of “possibly” eight to ten. However, I communicated with an amateur on (February 20th 2026) living in Minnesota who has one in storage, which would add to the count.

Don built everything (other than the mirror and the focuser) which was an extraordinary task. A mirror this size has incredible weight and the mirror cell must be built strong enough to properly hold and secure without causing stress to the mirror. Building only the mirror cell is an engineering feat in itself.

I can’t properly convey just how difficult building a telescope this size would be, and the mechanical skills required.

Below: Don gets the telescope ready for the evening.

The mirror cell designed and build by Don, is both beautiful and strong with 27-points of support.

Photo of the moon through the telescope using a cellphone:

Screenshot

Custom Focuser:

Rocker Box:

The following photos are from Monday, February 23rd 2026. The temperature was below freezing….not too bad, but with a @ 15-20 mph NW wind!

Don Brooks and Billy Fisher setting up the telescope. It became too cold for me, and had to leave shortly after sunset.

Comments: Comments Off on The 29-Inch f/4.5 Don Brooks Telescope Which Is One Of The Largest Privately Owned Telescopes In The Region

After 34 Years: Time For Another Amateur To Own This Large Newtonian

Posted February 14, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

In about 1991, I began looking for something larger than my 4.5-inch reflector which I was using at that time. The Meade Deep-Space series Newtonian’s consisted of two telescopes: A 10-inch and 16-inch f/4.5 with equatorial mounts.

This was at a time when Meade was building their serious Newtonian’s in their Costa Mesa, facility, which included grinding and polishing mirrors.  All of the hardware, bolts and Allen heads on these telescopes and mounts are SAE, not metric, which goes back to days past.

Astronomy Magazine tested a 10-inch DS-10A (The 10A was an updated version with a 2-inch focuser, setting circles, and RA drive) with the magazine giving the test mirror a rating of a B+.  

So, in February 1992, I purchased the 10-inch from Pauli’s Wholesale Optics, in Danbury Connecticut. It was Fred (the owner of Pauli’s) that recommended this telescope. It was a good decision as I have been successful in making more than 1,500 deep-sky pencil sketches and thousands of observing notes.

The low pedestal mount is ideal for use with an astro-chair, when making observing notes and pencil sketches at the eyepiece. As for me, it’s impossible to observe and sketch while standing.

The new owner of this fabulous telescope which served me well for 34 years. I spent over 2,000 hours under a night sky and thousands of pencil sketches of deep-sky objects, and the scope is still in pristine condition. The telescope was always stored inside and in a padded zip-up bag.

It was a sad day, but a happy day as the “perfect amateur” came to take this scope. I’m sure it will allow him at least 34 years of deep-sky observing also.

The first night out (Friday February 13th 2026) the new owner has already imaged the Orion Nebula, Jupiter and other deep-sky objects. This is actually an imaging telescope, with the mirror moved up for full illumination, and with an RA drive, which I never used. An extender tube is required for visual observing.

The new owner is a professional high-speed video camera expert for industrial applications and also an experienced amateur astronomer.

Yes….the very first images and on the very first night out! I’d say pretty impressive!

Orion Nebula:

Jupiter

M42 (with night vision) I’d like to encourage more people to get into Night Vision Astro.

Galaxy M82

Double Cluster

M1 the Crab Nebula

Comments: Comments Off on After 34 Years: Time For Another Amateur To Own This Large Newtonian

T Corona Borealis: February 2026 Still Waiting And Watching

Posted February 7, 2026 by rogerivester
Categories: T Corona Borealis

The last outburst of T occurred February 9th 1946…80 years ago.  Renowned variable star observer, Leslie Peltier missed the event due to an illness and went back to bed, and seemingly never forgave himself.  He had planned his observation for 2:30 AM.

Coordinates: RA: 15h 59m Dec. +25º 55m

The first observed outburst of T Corona Borealis occurred on the night of May 12th 1866, when the star was about the brightness as Alpha Coronae, magnitude 2.2. (Source: Burnham’s Celestial Handbook; Volume Two; Page 708

Following photos: I’ll post the most current or recent first, and deleting some of the earlier ones, maintaining about ten or so photos for review.

The following photo is from wikisky.org with T marked with an X.

April 2nd 2026 @ 4:45 AM with a full moon:

March 22nd @ 1:57 AM

I’ve deleted most of my cellphone photos from this post, but have included my first (below) from April 26th 2025:

Comments: Comments Off on T Corona Borealis: February 2026 Still Waiting And Watching

Nine-Galaxies Visible In Virgo Within A 1º FoV When Centered On M86: March 16th 1999

Posted December 31, 2025 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

I first found out about the Virgo cluster (nine-galaxies all in a 1º FoV) from Tom Lorenzin, author of “1000+ The Amateur Astronomer’s Field Guide to Deep-Sky Observing” on the evening of the Vernal Equinox 1994. 

Tom asked me if I’d ever viewed all nine galaxies within a 1° field of view, when centered on M86. I had not, but was most anxious to give it a try. However, It would be years later, on the night of March 16th 1999, before I was able to observe the galaxy group.

With my 10-inch f/4.5 reflector using a 20mm UO Erfle eyepiece for a magnification of 57x and a 1.1º true field. However, I could not see three of the fainter galaxies at this magnification.

So, I was able to sketch six of the galaxies, then increased to 160x using the 20mm EP and a 2.8x Barlow and spotted the fainter ones. I then sketched the three faint galaxies in their appropriate positions and tried my best to draw them to scale.  Very faint galaxies “most often” require greater magnification, especially if they have a brighter surface brightness and well concentrated.  

My notes are as follows from March 16th 1999

M84: Bright, with a brighter more concentrated middle, and a mostly round shape.

M86: Bright, brighter middle, round, very similar to M84 but not as well concentrated.

NGC 4387: A very faint mostly round blur. Difficult at best requiring averted vision.

NGC 4388: Low surface brightness, elongated slash with an E-W orientation.

NGC 4402: Very faint slash, low surface brightness.

NGC 4413: Very faint and dim, small, very diffuse with little concentration, mostly round.

NGC 4425: Very faint, elongated, axis NS, small and dim.

NGC 4435: Fairly bright, mostly round, stellar nucleus, smaller than NGC 4438.

NGC 4438: Bright, elongated, with a brighter middle.

The following image from wikisky.org 

Comments: Comments Off on Nine-Galaxies Visible In Virgo Within A 1º FoV When Centered On M86: March 16th 1999

Replacing A 15 Year Old Celestron CGE-Pro NexStar Hand Controller With A NEW NexStar +

Posted December 28, 2025 by rogerivester
Categories: Roger's Articles

For the past year or more, my Celestron CGE-Pro mount was seemingly having a difficult time centering selected deep-sky objects. The motors also did not sound good at times when moving to the selected objects. I also had to perform a factory reset on the settings every few months.

Rather than updating the firm ware for a 15 year “maybe older” hand controller, my son Brad, surprised me with a new Celestron NexStar+. However, I was concerned if it would be compatible with the older mount, but I’m happy to say…it worked perfectly!

I first updated all my site settings using the new hand controller, which is an easy task using my iPhone compass feature for the time, latitude, and longitude. There are other settings such as DST or Standard, and a few others.

Last night, and with a bright moon, I wanted to verify the mount and hand controller in all functions. I began the sequence of the mount start-up. Then the three-star alignment, which after the first star, were all centered in the telescope field-of-view.

The first thing I noticed was the two motors sounded much smoother. I was actually getting concerned the motors might be having problems. I’d read in an article a jerky motion or sound of the motors was a sign that a motor might be going bad. So, I was now feeling really good, but how would the GoTo function perform when locating deep-sky objects?

My first object was the Andromeda galaxy, and with the sound of both motors, and going in different directions, I anxiously waited for it to stop. I then looked into the eyepiece and the galaxy was perfectly centered! The next object would be planetary nebula M57, far to the west from Andromeda, which would make for a great test. The planetary…like Andromeda was “perfectly centered” in the eyepiece. I then selected about 15 other deep-sky objects, including a few double stars. Everything worked perfectly. I was excited to say the least!

I’m so appreciative to Brad for my new hand controller. Despite not ever using the mount, he always seemed to know much more than me, and all the way from the west coast. 🙂 Electronics and electrical stuff are his thing and occupation...not mine for sure.

The CGE-Pro mount has bronze gears and was the most heavy-duty mount ever sold by Celestron, with a 90 pound payload.

The mount works well with a 6-inch Newtonian also as following:

Comments: Comments Off on Replacing A 15 Year Old Celestron CGE-Pro NexStar Hand Controller With A NEW NexStar +

« Older Entries