Deep-Sky Observing And Other

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.

Custom Focuser:

Rocker Box:

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

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.

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:

After removing the mirror, take a sheet of notebook paper, lay on the mirror and trace around the outer perimeter. The following is a 4.5-inch mirror which I center-marked earlier this year.

Fold the circle template in half, then quarter and then make a tiny hole in the center with any small sharp object. Now take a black Sharpie and “lightly dot” the center of the mirror, via the tiny hole. Now you are ready to replace the mirror and begin collimation. I’m not going to discuss collimation in this post, but have provided the following link from “High Point Scientific”…which is excellent.

A collimation tool will be needed: I use a homemade machined collimating tool (see below) which works great. However, consider a Cheshire collimating eyepiece which is not very expensive at all. I have a Cheshire eyepiece, but most often find myself using only my homemade tool. A laser collimator is not necessary.

https://www.highpointscientific.com/astronomy-hub/post/equipment-reviews/cheshire-collimating-eyepiece-guide

A couple photos of my Cheshire eyepiece as following which I also use on occasion:

While the mirror is out, it’s the perfect time to check if cleaning is needed.

The following procedure has allowed me to clean telescope mirrors with excellent results.  It should, however, be noted that your results may vary.  And mirrors coatings are very delicate, so be careful and use good common sense and care.  

https://rogerivester.com/category/how-to-clean-a-telescope-mirror

Latitude: +35º 15′ Time: 9:00 PM

Time: 9:12 PM

Time: 9:13 PM

Time: 9:14 PM

I was surprised to get a phone call at about at 9:45 last night (November 13th) from a long-time friend and amateur, Don Books. He told me that he was seeing some color from his home in South Carolina. I jumped out of bed, got dressed and ran outside, but visually couldn’t see anything from my suburban backyard. However, with a 3-second exposure, again from my iPhone 14, and some color began to appear. It was nothing like the previous but an aurora display none the less. I’m glad Don called, and I share three of those photos as following:

Time 9:56 PM:

Time: 9:57 PM

Time: 10:00 PM and the aurora was already beginning to fade:

(310120) Mullaney = 2011 DR25 Discovery: 2005-12-01 / L. H. Wasserman, R. L. Millis / Kitt Peak / 695 James Mullaney (b. 1940) is an American astronomy popularizer who has written about observing the night sky with naked eye, binoculars, and telescope. A former Curator of the Buhl Planetarium, staff astronomer at Allegheny Observatory, and an editor for Sky & Telescope and Astronomy, he contributed to Carl Sagan’s Cosmos TV series.

Visual observing and locating deep-sky objects manually, making notes and drawing what I see via the eyepiece is fun. I don’t embellish my drawings, but only what I see and with no computer enhancements.

To locate my selected deep-sky objects, for the evening, I just match up my finder view with the atlas and attempt to point the scope at the exact spot.

I use different sizes of brass and steel rings to match my finder(s) field of view. My choice for the last 15 years plus have been the S&T Pocket Sky Atlas’ which are compact and easy to use in the field. The black stars are so much easier to use as compared to atlas’ with white stars on black backgrounds. Plus, I like the larger format pages of the Pocket Sky Atlas’.

If you will notice, I draw circles (on the atlas pages) are for my “selected” objects. I don’t mind all of the drawn circles, soaked pages from dew, which shows the atlas’ have been well used.

A few examples of my humble pencil sketches. I have more than 200 sketches using this format (5 x 8) and about 1,500 using much smaller 3 x 5 cards.

March 26th 2025: After the problems I’ve had over a couple of years I just had to observe galaxy NGC 6118, again in 2025. So, during the late afternoon of March 26th, I set my mount up and pinned my auto-marine fabric to wires to create my light block system in my backyard.

I need or require this (wires and cloth) and in this part of my backyard for southern hemisphere objects only.

3:45 AM: I minimized everything I’d require for an early morning observing session. I included three selected eyepieces in my small Pelican box, not wanting to bring a large box. And I brought all of my necessary items or tools in a small zipper bag: This included pencils, sketch cards, set-up stars, red lights, the large S&T Pocket Alas and other.

When making an early morning observation, it’s important to have everything ready, without the need to run back inside for necessary tools and items forgotten.

4:15 AM: I was looking in the eyepiece and in the area of the galaxy using an 11mm 82º apparent field eyepiece, for a magnification of 104x and a 0.79º true field. I began using field motion and then letting the galaxy drift back into the eyepiece field, and could see a faint elongated blur, with averted vision, but not constantly.

4:45 AM: Increasing the magnification, so I used 2.8x University Optics Klee Barlow, for a magnification of 291x and with a 0.28º true field, but the view was no better. And still only an intermittent blur, but this time more elongated. The galaxy was at such an altitude it was mostly above the light dome. However, there was another problem going on: A wildfire of over over 3,000 acres was raging in Polk County, which is only about 35 miles away. I’m not sure if smoke was an issue or not, but the sky had a reddish look along the horizon. So, probably likely.

5:14 AM: I lifted my eye from the eyepiece and “Gave Up The Ghost” as related to this galaxy for the final time, not likely to return. This galaxy has acted like a ghost for me, now going on two years.

My quest began in the later summer of 2023, and ended on March 27th 2025, but never being able to see the galaxy to a level I would like. Sometimes it’s important to know when good is enough, and time to quit. I made no new sketches or written notes…

This recording and post update @ 4:28 PM (EDT) on March 27th 2025. It was my plans or hope to attempt this galaxy again in the spring of 2025, however, I have not been able to do so. I’d say, most likely….I’ve made my last observation of NGC 6118 known as “The Blinking Galaxy.”

Roger Ivester

Previous observations as following:

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 just continue to do my best from the backyard.

Almost thirty years ago, I fabricated a humble fabric light-block system (as pictured below) which has helped me many times over the years to see difficult and faint galaxies.  It’s easy to set up and take down.

Light pollution will only get worse, so maybe the following inexpensive “light-block” system might work for you also.

I use a medium-duty, lighter weight equatorial mount when observing from my backyard which requires star-hopping….not my GoTo mount from my back deck.

Darker skies from my back deck…

Fortunate for me, I was able to get a problem streetlight in front of my house, changed from a 4,000K LED unshielded light to a 3,000K light with a shield, and with optimum orientation away from my house.

A 5,000K multiple-bulb “residential carport light” is now my greatest problem when observing more southerly deep-sky objects. I have to move from my back-deck to my backyard for all deep-sky objects that are less than “about” +15º north declination.

Good news! The above light has been adjusted as following: February 21st 2025

My plans are now to re-observe NGC 6118 at about 1:00 AM, early May 2025, in an attempt to duplicate my 2024 observation. Will the “Blinking Galaxy” be easier with the now “redirected” 5,000K carport light?

The house is now vacant, waiting for a new owner, and still shines from sunset to sunrise, but now, not toward my house.

Date: May 11th 2024 (early AM observation and seeing NGC 6118) despite looking over the town of Boiling Springs, and the terrible “carport” light

Saturday morning: May 11th 2024 @ 1:00 AM, with a 5.0 NELM overhead, but far less in the location of NGC 6118, due to overlooking the town of Boiling Springs, and the problem “carport light” pictured above.

The following cellphone photo is from that night (May 11th) and beside my telescope. Note the constellation Scorpius toward the right lower corner. Now see the brighter pair of stars, almost in the center of the photo, above or north of Scorpius.

The most northern star, is known as “Yed Prior” at mag. 2.7. The second star toward the south or closest to Scorpius is “Yed Posterior” at mag. 3.2. Now move your telescope slightly to the NE of “Yed Prior” and use your star atlas to dead center, where NGC 6118 should be.

With a bit of difficulty and after almost an hour, I was finally able to see the galaxy. One of my greatest problems had been a pesky LED streetlight in close proximity, shinning directly into my backyard. My portable “make-shift” observatory was the answer to this.

Telescope: 10-inch f/4.5 EQ Newtonian observing notes:

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. The galaxy has a very faint and diffuse irregular halo, which is oriented NE-SW. After observing NGC 6118, it’s easy to understand why its named “The Blinking Galaxy.”