Sky & Telescope - November 2021 - 61

This was also the first time I observed under a truly dark
sky. I took my 12.5-inch f/7.8 Dob because the 20-inch
Obsession I'd ordered wouldn't arrive for another month.
The star party was at 7,500 feet altitude in one of the most
isolated - and darkest - locations in the U.S. This is when
I understood that a great sky is at least as good as a bigger
telescope. And this is where I met Chuck Dethloff.
Chuck and his wife Judy were codirectors of the OSP, and
it was Chuck who checked me in for the star party. Later,
when I got to look through his 24-inch f/5 Dob, I was blown
away. Chuck also had this amazing ability to find everything
in the sky without referring to a star atlas. We became
observing buddies and great friends, and I know for sure
that without meeting Chuck I would have ended up watching
a lot more TV.
Experienced Observer: 20-inch f/5
Obsession
The 20-inch Obsession soon arrived, and a month later I had
it under a dark sky. What a thrill! I saw more new objects that
night than I had in the whole previous year, which highlighted
the thinness of my observing experience. The only way to remedy
that was to observe more, and that's what I set out to do.
Racing willy-nilly from one object to the next all night
wasn't sustainable, and I soon realized I needed more stuff
to support both the new telescope and observing: a more
detailed star atlas, a sturdier observing ladder, more eyepieces
and filters. Add to the list warmer clothes and boots,
an adjustable observing chair, portable table, and a red light,
My experience was starting
to catch up to my equipment:
I was seeing a lot more now.
And yet, I yearned for more.
too. I couldn't afford all this at once, but over time this stuff
made my outings more enjoyable.
I also made an equatorial platform based on Tom Osypowski's
design. Tom is one of the most talented, knowledgeable,
and patient people I know. He's renowned for his platforms
and telescopes, so his tips helped me a great deal. The platform
worked like a dream. Now the 20-inch tracked for an
hour before needing to be reset, which made sketching at the
eyepiece much more pleasurable. A few years later I made a
lightweight version, also based on Tom's design.
My first observing plan with the 20-inch was to complete
the Messier list. I was embarrassed to admit I'd been an
amateur astronomer for 25 years and hadn't yet observed all
the Messiers, especially now that I had such a nice telescope.
After finally accomplishing that goal, I tackled the Herschel
I and II lists, and I also completed the Astronomical League's
Galaxy Cluster program. My experience was starting to catch
up to my equipment: I was seeing a lot more now.
And yet, I yearned for more. I began to realize what I could
see with such a large instrument. I not only wanted to observe
the faintest, most difficult targets, but I wanted to discern
every possible detail in the brighter showpiece objects, too.
HIVE OF STARS M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, teems with some 300,000 stars. The cluster was discovered by Edmond Halley, of
comet fame, and cataloged some 50 years later by Charles Messier. The eyepiece sketch at left shows how I interpreted the view through my 8-inch.
At this time of year, you can catch M13 in the early evening, low above the northwestern horizon.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * NOVEMBER 2021 61
M13: STEFAN BINNEWIES / JOSEF PÖPSEL / CAPELLA OBSERVATORY

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Sky & Telescope - November 2021

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