Great video. It felt like being out there at night and looking through the eyepiece. Probably the first video of this kind on the internet. Perhaps comparing the images with and vithout the night vision would be interesting too, but I understand that changing the setup in the focuser all the time isn't very practical thing.
An incredible experience in the field with an excellent guide! Everything it’s just magical, the scope, the views, the coyotes, the sound of crickets! This video is part of my library of favorites right now! Thank you so much!
Hello from the UK. Another great video. I managed to image NEOWISE over a few nights using a Nikon DSLR and a telephoto lens on a driven mount and noticed as it faded it took on a greenish tinge. As a Scot Im glad you mentioned Wilhelmina Fleming as she was of Scots decent who I believe also discovered The Horsehead Nebula. She also discovered 10 novae and over 200 variable stars. Hopefully Pickering didn't claim credit for them too! Keep up the good work your enthusiasm is infectious and followed this scope from the unboxing. Great coyotes btw.
She did discover the Horsehead and a number of other objects. Not bad for a single mom who started out as cleaning lady for the Harvard Observatory. Thanks for posting!
I always get inspired watching your videos. Some day I’m going to get a Hubble optics 14” and a night vision monocular. For now I really enjoy my 8” zhummel z8.
Very cool! Thankyou for sharing! As someone who is very new to astronomy, it's been really hard to find videos where they show you exactly what you would see through the telescope rather then photo shopped, long exposure pictures. I bought a pair of 20x80 Binoculars to get my feet wet and that is a blast, but It's hard to justify spending the big bucks on a nice telescope if you dont know what to expect!
You're welcome. Binoculars are a great way to learn whats up there. Nice for cruising along the Milky Way! Keep in mind how dark your skies are will make just a big a difference, and maybe more, than the size of your scope. DSN
Great observing site and beautiful Dobsonian! That night vision is so cool, it must be awesome to see through the eyepiece. I'll be clusters look amazing as well.
Just discovered your channel and enjoying your videos a ton as I'm a newby to the hobby. In fact it was the comet neowise that spurred me into buying my first telescope. My old eyes and binoculars just werent cutting it anymore. Still learning a lot and thanks for all your work making these videos.
I really enjoyed the video! Nice production value. The drone footage of the site and surrounding area, the nature sounds, the view through the eyepiece with NV and the narration.
Dakota, thank you so much for your kind and useful answer. I reviewed your Introduction to Night Vision video (I forgot about it). Please have a great weekend.
@@DakotaStarryNights - Yes indeed we are! Well done as it appears that both you and I do find great value and mystique in viewing objects. I am still considering upgrading to the latest night vision and after last winter (at Death Valley and the desert in Southern California) I absolute love the performance of televue lenses!
@@scotthelmann5156 No argument there, TeleVue eyepieces are top shelf. And Death Valley at night is pure magic! I'll never forget the night I slept there under the stars years ago. :)
We've got rattle snakes here. I've had a coupe of close calls out in the Badlands. They'll give a shake or two if there's enough time. They don't seem to eat much though, and only want one bite. ;)
Cygnus is an amazing constellation, even more so with night vision after seeing your images. After much searching I finally saw the crescent nebula for the first time, it was a tough find in my 8”. I can see slight nebulosity in the Sadr region but with the night vision, wow!
Now that's way cool! The digital setting circles are the way to go, too. They're simple to operate with a phone and don't introduce a bunch of extra weight and complexity. Congrats!
@@DakotaStarryNights I was curious which eyepieces you would recommend for the UL16? You mentioned the 35mm Panoptic Televue...any others? Also how do these nightvision views compare to the live views through the 16? ( I can understand why you use the nightvision to capture images...it's hard to capture images through a Dob eyepiece otherwise...unless it's a really bright object.)
@@kermitzforg I like to keep the power with these larger aperture scopes on the low side, under 100x and 50x or 35x being the sweet spot for my type of viewing. Larger apertures are more sensitive to atmospheric turbulence, becoming more evident at higher power, which in turn distorts the view. With a dob 82 and 100 degree eyepieces are beneficial as the object stays in view longer before you have to move the scope. And because these larger apertures really come into their own with extended nebulous objects the wider eyepiece designs are great for this. Without night vision I would say the objects are at least 1/2 as bright, providing you're at a good dark site. In an area compromised by light pollution it's far less as bright or not visible at all. That's because with night vision you can use a narrowband Ha filter to block out the light pollution and enhance, or make visible, the object of interest.
@@DakotaStarryNights You DO have me covered! Thanks a bunch for the quick reply, and what's more, you should be on Tong's payroll because your great videos have nearly sold me a HO UL16. If you ever were to sell a plug and play retrofit kit for the low tech azimuth setting circle, I would absolutely consider it. I do my own major auto repairs and am good with drilling and tapping aluminum, but you're handy in a way that I'm not when it comes to those fine tweaks. I have an irrational trepidation about fabricating things from MDF, rubber plugs, and captive bolts. It's embarrassing, really.
@@herrbrahms Well, major auto repairs are way out of league. But you know, the digital setting circles HO has look pretty good and would make for a useful upgrade instead of the low tech alternative.
Hi there I have a celestron cpc 1100, and I cannot see images like that through my telescope. Do I need a bigger telescope? Anything you can recommend?
Hey Donald, keep in mind I was using Night Vision, a PVS14 monocular attached to an eyepiece. At the bottom of the eyepiece was a 12nm Ha filter. Then you add 16" of fast aperture, and with all of that you see a whole lot more. Even with a fast 8" Newtonian and Night Vision, you'll see much more than a cpc 11" or 12" can offer up. For more on NV, have a look at this introduction. ruclips.net/video/6usKtqpVMi8/видео.html Cheers!
I don't use an equatorial "tracking" platform. I built one years ago but eventually found it unnecessary for my style of viewing. ruclips.net/video/2NAlyq0Rf20/видео.html An 82 or 100 degree eyepiece is a big help in this regard, keeping the object in the FOV. What I do use are setting circles to find objects and that is more useful to me. See link above on setting circles. Thanks for posting! Dakota
Dakota, one comment: It is prohibited to export NV devises out of USA. So I will not get one (your goverment says is like a weapon). Do you know some devise not as good but similar with any law restriction?. Thank so much.
Typically exportable night vision goggles are Gen I and Gen II devices. Gen I will not work and Gen II will be a bit better but most likely will be disappointing. :( There are some video cameras that are ok for looking at the Milky Way but not connected to an eyepiece as seen in the video above. Here's a link that you may find useful in your search: www.cloudynights.com/forum/139-night-vision-astronomy/ Clear skies!
Dakota, I have an Obsession 15 "Classic, f 4.5. I live in Guadalajara Mexico and there is a lot of light pollution. Even in the mountains where I am going to observe there is some light pollution. If I buy a night vision eyepiece like the one you use where you look (Dakota looks very dark), do you think I can use it without problems with acceptable or good results? Lastly, could you please tell me which normal and night vision eyepiece you use? Many thanks
¡Buenos días Ricardo! With night vision, a PVS14, and a narrowband Ha filter you will be amazed at what you can see. The Obsession 15" f/4.5 is a great scope for this; plenty of aperture and a fast focal length. I used only two eyepieces for NV. A TeleVue 55mm Plossl and a TeleVue 35mm Panoptic for small planetary nebulae. For galaxies and star clusters I use the NV with a 2" Baader Contrast-Boster filter attached to the bottom of the eyepiece instead of the Ha filter. If you haven't do so already you can check out the NV introduction link above. Thanks for posting. Clear skies!
it's actually very useful to get an idea of the favorable geography of the dark site where he is operating. You can't see much geography at night in a lightless place. Bortle 2 is pretty incredible.
Great video. It felt like being out there at night and looking through the eyepiece. Probably the first video of this kind on the internet. Perhaps comparing the images with and vithout the night vision would be interesting too, but I understand that changing the setup in the focuser all the time isn't very practical thing.
Glad you liked it, thanks!
An incredible experience in the field with an excellent guide! Everything it’s just magical, the scope, the views, the coyotes, the sound of crickets! This video is part of my library of favorites right now! Thank you so much!
Wow, thank you!
Hello from the UK.
Another great video. I managed to image NEOWISE over a few nights using a Nikon DSLR and a telephoto lens on a driven mount and noticed as it faded it took on a greenish tinge.
As a Scot Im glad you mentioned Wilhelmina Fleming as she was of Scots decent who I believe also discovered The Horsehead Nebula. She also discovered 10 novae and over 200 variable stars. Hopefully Pickering didn't claim credit for them too!
Keep up the good work your enthusiasm is infectious and followed this scope from the unboxing.
Great coyotes btw.
She did discover the Horsehead and a number of other objects. Not bad for a single mom who started out as cleaning lady for the Harvard Observatory. Thanks for posting!
Hi Dakota. Fortunatelly I bough my Night Vision Binoviewer (OVNI-B) from France...you are the gilty so thank you so much.
Hey, Ricardo, a big congrats on the NV gear!
I always get inspired watching your videos. Some day I’m going to get a Hubble optics 14” and a night vision monocular. For now I really enjoy my 8” zhummel z8.
Thank you! Zhummel makes a pretty decent dob. I had one and really enjoyed it.
Nothing wrong with an 8". I've seen gorgeous things in an 8" reflector, and I'm a refractor guy lol.
Very cool! Thankyou for sharing! As someone who is very new to astronomy, it's been really hard to find videos where they show you exactly what you would see through the telescope rather then photo shopped, long exposure pictures. I bought a pair of 20x80 Binoculars to get my feet wet and that is a blast, but It's hard to justify spending the big bucks on a nice telescope if you dont know what to expect!
You're welcome. Binoculars are a great way to learn whats up there. Nice for cruising along the Milky Way! Keep in mind how dark your skies are will make just a big a difference, and maybe more, than the size of your scope. DSN
Off topic, I'm digging the lofi music :)
Absolutely impressive
Great observing site and beautiful Dobsonian! That night vision is so cool, it must be awesome to see through the eyepiece. I'll be clusters look amazing as well.
Indeed. :) Thanks!
This one was the best so far.
Just discovered your channel and enjoying your videos a ton as I'm a newby to the hobby. In fact it was the comet neowise that spurred me into buying my first telescope. My old eyes and binoculars just werent cutting it anymore. Still learning a lot and thanks for all your work making these videos.
Thanks, and welcome to Dakota Starry Nights!
I really enjoyed the video! Nice production value. The drone footage of the site and surrounding area, the nature sounds, the view through the eyepiece with NV and the narration.
You're most welcome!
Outstanding!
Thanks. :)
Thank you!
You're welcome. :)
Dakota, thank you so much for your kind and useful answer. I reviewed your Introduction to Night Vision video (I forgot about it). Please have a great weekend.
This is incredible. I am looking forward to buy a 12" Dob with NV gear. Clear skies
Yeah, it's a whole new world with NV! :)
Very cool. Good job of teaching while making the vid!
Thanks:)
Wow! I like your new fast scope and with night vision- it’s amazing! Throughly enjoyed the tour of the sky!!!
Thanks Scott! We're certainty blessed to have dark skies so close to home. :)
@@DakotaStarryNights - Yes indeed we are! Well done as it appears that both you and I do find great value and mystique in viewing objects. I am still considering upgrading to the latest night vision and after last winter (at Death Valley and the desert in Southern California) I absolute love the performance of televue lenses!
@@scotthelmann5156 No argument there, TeleVue eyepieces are top shelf. And Death Valley at night is pure magic! I'll never forget the night I slept there under the stars years ago. :)
excellent
Amazing. It's nice of the Coyotes to warn you of their presence. Here in Oz the Tiger and Brown snakes give you no warning when in the long grass.
We've got rattle snakes here. I've had a coupe of close calls out in the Badlands. They'll give a shake or two if there's enough time. They don't seem to eat much though, and only want one bite. ;)
Cygnus is an amazing constellation, even more so with night vision after seeing your images. After much searching I finally saw the crescent nebula for the first time, it was a tough find in my 8”. I can see slight nebulosity in the Sadr region but with the night vision, wow!
Congrats! I was never able to see the Crescent before NV.
I have a UL16 ordered...I told Tong it was because of your videos on the UL16! I'm getting the digital setting circles and plan to review that.
Now that's way cool! The digital setting circles are the way to go, too. They're simple to operate with a phone and don't introduce a bunch of extra weight and complexity. Congrats!
@@DakotaStarryNights I was curious which eyepieces you would recommend for the UL16? You mentioned the 35mm Panoptic Televue...any others? Also how do these nightvision views compare to the live views through the 16? ( I can understand why you use the nightvision to capture images...it's hard to capture images through a Dob eyepiece otherwise...unless it's a really bright object.)
@@kermitzforg I like to keep the power with these larger aperture scopes on the low side, under 100x and 50x or 35x being the sweet spot for my type of viewing. Larger apertures are more sensitive to atmospheric turbulence, becoming more evident at higher power, which in turn distorts the view. With a dob 82 and 100 degree eyepieces are beneficial as the object stays in view longer before you have to move the scope. And because these larger apertures really come into their own with extended nebulous objects the wider eyepiece designs are great for this. Without night vision I would say the objects are at least 1/2 as bright, providing you're at a good dark site. In an area compromised by light pollution it's far less as bright or not visible at all. That's because with night vision you can use a narrowband Ha filter to block out the light pollution and enhance, or make visible, the object of interest.
Very beautiful. Cant wait to get my own night vision, need to save more money :D
NV is spendy for sure. But right after trying it out I was glad I took the plunge. :)
Did yall see the object moving in the top right corner at 6:24 on the video
Awesome video!
Thank you!
Eddgie Moreno, thank for your advise. I am in Mexico but I have some relatives in Spain. Good night.
Darn it Richard, when you stopped at M17, I thought M16 would be next on your list. Well as they say, always leave them wanting more. :)
Got you covered. Check out ruclips.net/video/qLzgObWv9So/видео.html 23:33 in the timeline. Cheers!
@@DakotaStarryNights You DO have me covered! Thanks a bunch for the quick reply, and what's more, you should be on Tong's payroll because your great videos have nearly sold me a HO UL16. If you ever were to sell a plug and play retrofit kit for the low tech azimuth setting circle, I would absolutely consider it. I do my own major auto repairs and am good with drilling and tapping aluminum, but you're handy in a way that I'm not when it comes to those fine tweaks. I have an irrational trepidation about fabricating things from MDF, rubber plugs, and captive bolts. It's embarrassing, really.
@@herrbrahms Well, major auto repairs are way out of league. But you know, the digital setting circles HO has look pretty good and would make for a useful upgrade instead of the low tech alternative.
Hi there I have a celestron cpc 1100, and I cannot see images like that through my telescope. Do I need a bigger telescope? Anything you can recommend?
Hey Donald, keep in mind I was using Night Vision, a PVS14 monocular attached to an eyepiece. At the bottom of the eyepiece was a 12nm Ha filter. Then you add 16" of fast aperture, and with all of that you see a whole lot more. Even with a fast 8" Newtonian and Night Vision, you'll see much more than a cpc 11" or 12" can offer up. For more on NV, have a look at this introduction. ruclips.net/video/6usKtqpVMi8/видео.html Cheers!
Love it. What do you use for a tracking platform? I need to rig something for my explorer scientific 12-in Dobsonian.
I don't use an equatorial "tracking" platform. I built one years ago but eventually found it unnecessary for my style of viewing. ruclips.net/video/2NAlyq0Rf20/видео.html
An 82 or 100 degree eyepiece is a big help in this regard, keeping the object in the FOV. What I do use are setting circles to find objects and that is more useful to me. See link above on setting circles. Thanks for posting! Dakota
All pictures are live view without stacking ?
Yes, live view with night vision. No stacking.🙂
Dakota, one comment: It is prohibited to export NV devises out of USA. So I will not get one (your goverment says is like a weapon). Do you know some devise not as good but similar with any law restriction?. Thank so much.
Typically exportable night vision goggles are Gen I and Gen II devices. Gen I will not work and Gen II will be a bit better but most likely will be disappointing. :(
There are some video cameras that are ok for looking at the Milky Way but not connected to an eyepiece as seen in the video above. Here's a link that you may find useful in your search: www.cloudynights.com/forum/139-night-vision-astronomy/ Clear skies!
If you are in Europe, there is a Gen 3 night vision dealer in France. www.ovni-nightvision.com/en/
Dakota, I have an Obsession 15 "Classic, f 4.5. I live in Guadalajara Mexico and there is a lot of light pollution. Even in the mountains where I am going to observe there is some light pollution.
If I buy a night vision eyepiece like the one you use where you look (Dakota looks very dark), do you think I can use it without problems with acceptable or good results?
Lastly, could you please tell me which normal and night vision eyepiece you use?
Many thanks
¡Buenos días Ricardo! With night vision, a PVS14, and a narrowband Ha filter you will be amazed at what you can see. The Obsession 15" f/4.5 is a great scope for this; plenty of aperture and a fast focal length. I used only two eyepieces for NV. A TeleVue 55mm Plossl and a TeleVue 35mm Panoptic for small planetary nebulae. For galaxies and star clusters I use the NV with a 2" Baader Contrast-Boster filter attached to the bottom of the eyepiece instead of the Ha filter. If you haven't do so already you can check out the NV introduction link above. Thanks for posting. Clear skies!
Dakota, (let me know what is tour name). Thank you for your kind answer. I will try my best search even in Europa.
the earth is flat
What does the stupid drone footage have to do with what you can see at night. Total thumbs down.
it's actually very useful to get an idea of the favorable geography of the dark site where he is operating. You can't see much geography at night in a lightless place. Bortle 2 is pretty incredible.