''LUNAR X'' OBSERVED ON NOVEMBER 18

Wednesday , 18 November 2015 ,from 18:00 to 19:00 UT , I witnessed the phenomenon  ''Lunar X'' or ''Werner X ''.

This is a clar-obscur effect on the Moon.

The light and the shadow  ''...creates the  appearance of a letter ' X ' on the rim of the Blanchinus,La Caille  and Purbach craters'' according to Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_X

My observation of the ''Lunar X'' it just happened.

I was actually experimenting the use of an IOR binocular head adapted for astronomical use on my home-made 125mm F/7 Newtonian reflector.

The exquisite main mirror of this reflector was made by late Gavril Beches of Timisoara, a very gifted and self-taught mirror maker and passionate amateur astronomer.

The binocular head was checked , fixed and colimated by Silviu aka ''zoth''.

The adapter to 1,24'' of the bino head was made by Tavi aka ''Erwin''.

First I enjoyed visually the show.

Next I took the afocal pics with my Coolpix S3300 compact digital camera hand held over the right channel /ocular of the binocular head charged with a magnification of 140x.

I rotated the ocular in the drawer and moved the ''Lunar X'' all across the visual field just  to be sure it is not an optical artifact or an aberration.

Lunar X 18.11.15 reflector 125mm

LunarX November 18

LunarX , afocal , 125mm reflector 140x

LUNAR X

LunarX 18.11.2015

Lunar X in bino head 140 x

To be 100% sure it is a good practice to observe the same phenomenon with different instruments.

 Out of curiosity,  I made observations of the ''LunarX'' also with my ''one foot achromatic'' or my short refractor of 45mm aperture and 300mm focus, in the ST mode.

The magnifications used were 30x / Faworski 10 mm Plossl and 75 x / Kasai 4mm Ortho.

At both magnifications the ''Lunar X '' was very nice and clearly visible.

I took some afocal pics at 30 x.

A star in ''occultation danger'' was noticed to the East.

Lunar X and possible occultation in 45mm x 300 mm refractor ,afocal , 30 x

Lunar X 18.11.15 in 45mm refractor 30x

It was a beautiful and unexpected gift ,thank you Lord !

Messier 2 and Messier 110 in my home-made 125mm Newtonian telescope

Globular cluster Messier 2 in Aquarius ,observed on November 10 with my home-made 125mm Newtonian reflector at the magnification of 144x  obtained with a  Tele Vue '' Radian''  6mm ocular.
The central region equal to half of the diameter seam  uniformly brighter than  the peripheral region.
No internal structure nor individual stars were visible.
The edge seem foggy and with averted vision the aspect of the cluster is granular , showing a tendency to eventually resolve to stars in a  telescope of  bigger aperture.

"M2map" by Roberto Mura - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M2map.png#/media/File:M2map.png

An object I presume to be Messier 110 ,a dwarf elliptical galaxy -satellite of the Great Andromeda Galaxy.
As seen at 216x / Kasai 4mm Orthoscopic ocular , in my 125mm reflector on November 10.
In the  35 x visual field of the ''Sirius '' Plossl 25 mm ocular ,this object is visible at PA = 230 to M31.

Pi-1 + HJ 953 Pegasi and 36 Andromedae double star observations

Pi-1 and HJ 953 in Pegas in the same visual field.
Time :November 10.
Condition : seeing Pickering 6-7 , fog.
Instrument :125mm F/7 Newtonian
Magnification : 144x / Tele Vue Radian 6mm.
Resources: Toshimi Taki&Wehner Double Star Atlas.

36 Andromedae
Time : November 10 and 12.
Conditions: seeing Pickering 3-4 ,passing thin clouds on November 12.
Instrument: 125mm F/7 Newtonian / Dobsonian mount.
Magnifications: 144x / Tele Vue Radian 6mm -touching Airy discs on both occasions.For very brief moments the impression of unstable black space between components on Nov.12.
216x / Kasai 4 mm Orthoscopic ocular ,clear split on Nov. 12 with waving but constantly visible black space between main star and companion.

MOON SPLEEN ON GALLICA

http://gallica.bnf.fr/

Messier 33 or Pinwheel Galaxy in my 60x828 mm refractor

Messier 33 or ''Pinwheel  Galaxy'' as seen through my 60x828 mm refractor telescope
on November 1st , 2015.

The magnification of 33x was obtained with a Sirius Plossl 25mm ocular,

field of view = 1,57 degree , a prism diagonal was used.
Only the core of the galaxy was visible.
However, this observation was made from the middle of a 200.000 city.

The very fine objective of this refractor telescope was created by my friend Silviu aka ''zoth''.
S.P.Q.R.

Double/multiple stars in Cygnus :17 Cyg,Sigma 2762,Omega1,S755