I should have mentioned that when I did see the Pup it was fleeting. I do believe I got lucky with a moment of excellent seeing. It makes all the difference. Good luck next winter. Be patient!
Great job Tsula! You are a true inspiration. Thank you for your amazing videos. I can't imagine sheer volume of time it must take to put this all together.
Thanks, Greg. I could have made it much easier on myself by just pulling out the 8" SCT instead of that tiny little refractor. I don't know what got into me to even try such a difficult thing. I wish you clear skies soon.
@@tsulasbigadventures Since when don't you like a challenge, Tsula! 😀 The 8" SCT would have been too easy. Actually, we might have some clear skies for a bit tomorrow and maybe even Sunday. I'm not getting too excited yet. I also want to take a 'baseline' of T Coronae Borealis before it goes nova so if I catch it I can see a before and after. Only problem is it doesn't clear my horizon until about 10:30 each night through April. But, who knows when it's going to blow! It'll be interesting to see, though. (Worth a video?!)
@@gregerianne3880 It's raining all weekend here but I'm hoping it will clear up Sunday. So, here's hoping for clear skies for both of us! I have been watching T Coronae pretty consistently but like you my view to the east is also blocked and I can't see Corona Borealis until very late unless I go out to my secret spot. I might go out there if it clears up. I have video of Corona Borealis but not specifically T Coronae. Since it's only magnitude 10 I'm not sure it would look like much as a single star. Is that what you meant about a 'baseline?" I definitely want to capture it if it suddenly brightens. I think getting pictures of single stars is hard and getting pictures of double stars is very hard. Have you tried that?
@@tsulasbigadventures Ugh, hope it clears for you, Tsula. Yes, I just want to grab a long LRGB exposure (maybe 2-3 min) of T Coronae with a telescope now before it goes nova (if it hasn't already) so I have a reference for later. I'm hoping to take an exposure framed the same way each time I'm able to go out to image other things. 🤞
@@gregerianne3880 Two or three minutes! Well, T Coronae is a faint star (as far as I know it has not gone nova yet) but for a double star that would be completely blown out, I think. I think you have to limit the exposures to about 1/3 second but like I said I have never been able to get a decent photo of a double star.
Sirius is a good boy and so is his little pup. 🌟🐶🤩 But I've always thought of Rigel as Orion's knee, not his foot. Anyway, the collective group - the two dogs, Orion, and Taurus with his red eye and tilted horns - is certainly the sky's most impressive asterism.
I consulted my star names bible What Star Is That (uk publication 1972) which gives the Arabic meanings of star names and for Rigel it describes 'the left leg of the giant'. Incidently Betelgeuse is described as the armpit!
@@starsnstuff842 I guess I was wrong about Rigel. I thought it was his foot. Someone else commented that it was his knee. I only know a little bit of Arabic but perhaps it's like the Spanish word for leg which many Spanish speaking people in California will use to refer to the knee, the foot, and other pieces of the leg. But I have never heard that Betelgeuse is the armpit. I always thought it was Arabic for shoulder. But I'm not expert on star names. Do you recommend that book?
Thank you. The double double seems like child's play compared to the Dog Star and the Pup. It was incredibly hard. I thought I would go blind staring at it.
Thanks! I think it’s amazing that most stars are systems. I’m a firm believer that our universe is endless and that there is life in those galaxies and star systems. You’re very knowledgeable
I did manage to split the two...but not your way, tried but just couldn't get it to work. I did manage by adjusting settings on my phone to lessen the glare.
Thanks, Craig. I split Sirius a few years ago with a much larger aperture telescope. It's much easier with big aperture and you would have no problem with your big C11 as long as the seeing was good.
i tried this last night and all i saw was a blindingly bright star, did you use a filter? i like these challenge videos, it gives us something to do with are gear. i hope you keep doing them
Tsula, you Rock! I’ve tried many many times. What you just told me of where it is currently, I’ll get it. Have you ever seen M57 central star? Again, many many times and nada. I’ve looked with 30” through 2”. Any tips for it? Mike Nuss, Deming, NM
Splitting Sirius requires a lot of lucky seeing and incredible patience. I must have stared at it for an hour waiting for the perfect seeing conditions and for the Pup to pop into view. Hmmm. M57? I have to get back to my log book in Montana to see if I have notes about seeing the central star of M57. It seems like I saw the central star with my 6" Refractor but I have to check my notes to be sure.
Awesome! You saw it! In the picture you drew at 10:30 which direction was the star drifting? Reason I ask is that I "think" I saw it but it was in two different places in relation to the drift of the star which you know that is impossible so I don't know what I saw. Was the pup trailing behind Sirius or to the side? In one of my observations (well actually two) it was to the side but the other it was trailing behind Sirius. I had to use averted vision in every case.
It was to the side. The reason I felt certain that it was the Pup was because it was NE as in the diagram and seemed to be 11 arc seconds away when I compared it to the distance of Rigel B from Rigel A which was also very difficult to split with such a small telescope. I wish I had had my 3mm eyepiece with me and that would have made it much easier for the Pup. What aperture telescope are you using to split Sirius?
@@tsulasbigadventures Awesome! from what you said what I saw those two times would have been to the northeast of Sirius as well using the direction of its drift as an indicator of direction. I was using an Vixen 81s II and a Tele Vue 2x barlow and a Japanese 6mm ortho. Very very difficult to see. It sort of popped in and out in my averted vision.
What do you think our prospects for cloud cover on April 8th is? I was headed to southern Texas. Just wondering what other people are thinking about the possibility of clouds.
I've tried and failed to see the Pup for over 40 years using Newtonians of 6",8",12" and 16" aperture. The trouble is from my site in Central Scotland at 56N Sirius's maximum elevation is only 17 degrees so seeing is nearly always bad. At times I think I may of glimpsed the Pup but I don't tick any object off until I'm 100% certain to of seen it. Next year I'll try out your sticky tape trick!
I know what you mean. I went to Fairbanks, Alaska (64 degrees latitude) in January and Sirius barely skimmed the horizon all night long. I think it would be hard to see it there but in this video I was able to split Sirius from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area which is only 37 degrees latitude. So Sirius was fairly high in the sky. Good luck next time.
I have struggled to see the pup (Sirius B) even after years of trying. I will try again when they are better placed this coming winter. Thanks Tsula.
I should have mentioned that when I did see the Pup it was fleeting. I do believe I got lucky with a moment of excellent seeing. It makes all the difference. Good luck next winter. Be patient!
Great job Tsula! You are a true inspiration. Thank you for your amazing videos. I can't imagine sheer volume of time it must take to put this all together.
Thank you so much. It is a labor of love.
Very cool, Tsula. And with an 80mm refractor, no less! Can't wait for some clear skies to try it myself.
Thanks, Greg. I could have made it much easier on myself by just pulling out the 8" SCT instead of that tiny little refractor. I don't know what got into me to even try such a difficult thing. I wish you clear skies soon.
@@tsulasbigadventures Since when don't you like a challenge, Tsula! 😀 The 8" SCT would have been too easy. Actually, we might have some clear skies for a bit tomorrow and maybe even Sunday. I'm not getting too excited yet. I also want to take a 'baseline' of T Coronae Borealis before it goes nova so if I catch it I can see a before and after. Only problem is it doesn't clear my horizon until about 10:30 each night through April. But, who knows when it's going to blow! It'll be interesting to see, though. (Worth a video?!)
@@gregerianne3880 It's raining all weekend here but I'm hoping it will clear up Sunday. So, here's hoping for clear skies for both of us! I have been watching T Coronae pretty consistently but like you my view to the east is also blocked and I can't see Corona Borealis until very late unless I go out to my secret spot. I might go out there if it clears up. I have video of Corona Borealis but not specifically T Coronae. Since it's only magnitude 10 I'm not sure it would look like much as a single star. Is that what you meant about a 'baseline?" I definitely want to capture it if it suddenly brightens. I think getting pictures of single stars is hard and getting pictures of double stars is very hard. Have you tried that?
@@tsulasbigadventures Ugh, hope it clears for you, Tsula. Yes, I just want to grab a long LRGB exposure (maybe 2-3 min) of T Coronae with a telescope now before it goes nova (if it hasn't already) so I have a reference for later. I'm hoping to take an exposure framed the same way each time I'm able to go out to image other things. 🤞
@@gregerianne3880 Two or three minutes! Well, T Coronae is a faint star (as far as I know it has not gone nova yet) but for a double star that would be completely blown out, I think. I think you have to limit the exposures to about 1/3 second but like I said I have never been able to get a decent photo of a double star.
Sirius is a good boy and so is his little pup. 🌟🐶🤩 But I've always thought of Rigel as Orion's knee, not his foot. Anyway, the collective group - the two dogs, Orion, and Taurus with his red eye and tilted horns - is certainly the sky's most impressive asterism.
It's like a zoo up there!
@@tsulasbigadventures That's why they call it the Zodiac. 🙂
I consulted my star names bible What Star Is That (uk publication 1972) which gives the Arabic meanings of star names and for Rigel it describes 'the left leg of the giant'. Incidently Betelgeuse is described as the armpit!
@@starsnstuff842 I guess I was wrong about Rigel. I thought it was his foot. Someone else commented that it was his knee. I only know a little bit of Arabic but perhaps it's like the Spanish word for leg which many Spanish speaking people in California will use to refer to the knee, the foot, and other pieces of the leg. But I have never heard that Betelgeuse is the armpit. I always thought it was Arabic for shoulder. But I'm not expert on star names. Do you recommend that book?
@@starsnstuff842 Orion is often drawn raising his arm to throw a spear at the Bull, so imagining Betelgeuse as the "armpit" seems appropriate.
I believe I have photographed Sirius with Sirius B. But when I shared the image online people laughed. So thank you. it can be done.👍
I can believe it. Someone didn't believe I saw it with that little telescope and gave my video a dislike. You probably did photograph A & B too.
Congratulations..always good to tick a box and try again next season, one of my faves is the double double Epsilon Lyra
Thank you. The double double seems like child's play compared to the Dog Star and the Pup. It was incredibly hard. I thought I would go blind staring at it.
Thanks! I think it’s amazing that most stars are systems. I’m a firm believer that our universe is endless and that there is life in those galaxies and star systems. You’re very knowledgeable
Thank you, Joe. The universe is amazing. I mean what were the odds that our sun would be one of the few that wasn't a multiple star system.
Clear sky's tonight....will give it a try.😊
Be patient and I hope you have a bigger telescope than I was using. I don't know why I didn't pull out my 8" SCT! It would have been so much easier.
@@tsulasbigadventures I have an 8" dob
I did manage to split the two...but not your way, tried but just couldn't get it to work.
I did manage by adjusting settings on my phone to lessen the glare.
@@mikehicks4411 Congratulations! What do you mean settings on your phone? I'm going to look again tonight with my 8" SCT.
@tsulasbigadventures I use my cell phone camera to capture pictures...I can adjust the ISO and exsposure settings.
Great video! What mount do you have the scope on?
Great video Tsula. As usual you taught me something new. Thanks
Thanks, Craig. I split Sirius a few years ago with a much larger aperture telescope. It's much easier with big aperture and you would have no problem with your big C11 as long as the seeing was good.
@@tsulasbigadventures I use a C14 planet killer
@@craiglowery4427 OOPS! Killer telescope.
Great Content Tsula! Love it.
Thank you so much and thank you for watching.
Thank you.
Thank you!
Love your videos!
Thank you so much!
i tried this last night and all i saw was a blindingly bright star, did you use a filter? i like these challenge videos, it gives us something to do with are gear. i hope you keep doing them
Tsula, you Rock! I’ve tried many many times. What you just told me of where it is currently, I’ll get it. Have you ever seen M57 central star? Again, many many times and nada. I’ve looked with 30” through 2”. Any tips for it? Mike Nuss, Deming, NM
Splitting Sirius requires a lot of lucky seeing and incredible patience. I must have stared at it for an hour waiting for the perfect seeing conditions and for the Pup to pop into view. Hmmm. M57? I have to get back to my log book in Montana to see if I have notes about seeing the central star of M57. It seems like I saw the central star with my 6" Refractor but I have to check my notes to be sure.
Awesome! You saw it! In the picture you drew at 10:30 which direction was the star drifting? Reason I ask is that I "think" I saw it but it was in two different places in relation to the drift of the star which you know that is impossible so I don't know what I saw. Was the pup trailing behind Sirius or to the side? In one of my observations (well actually two) it was to the side but the other it was trailing behind Sirius. I had to use averted vision in every case.
It was to the side. The reason I felt certain that it was the Pup was because it was NE as in the diagram and seemed to be 11 arc seconds away when I compared it to the distance of Rigel B from Rigel A which was also very difficult to split with such a small telescope. I wish I had had my 3mm eyepiece with me and that would have made it much easier for the Pup. What aperture telescope are you using to split Sirius?
@@tsulasbigadventures Awesome! from what you said what I saw those two times would have been to the northeast of Sirius as well using the direction of its drift as an indicator of direction. I was using an Vixen 81s II and a Tele Vue 2x barlow and a Japanese 6mm ortho. Very very difficult to see. It sort of popped in and out in my averted vision.
@@lornaz1975 What? When did you get that telescope? What happened to your Takahashi? Well anyway, congratulations on seeing the Pup.
@@tsulasbigadventures Got that scope from Explore Scientific about around November of last year. Still have the TAKs.
What do you think our prospects for cloud cover on April 8th is? I was headed to southern Texas. Just wondering what other people are thinking about the possibility of clouds.
I've tried and failed to see the Pup for over 40 years using Newtonians of 6",8",12" and 16" aperture.
The trouble is from my site in Central Scotland at 56N Sirius's maximum elevation is only 17 degrees so seeing is nearly always bad.
At times I think I may of glimpsed the Pup but I don't tick any object off until I'm 100% certain to of seen it.
Next year I'll try out your sticky tape trick!
I know what you mean. I went to Fairbanks, Alaska (64 degrees latitude) in January and Sirius barely skimmed the horizon all night long. I think it would be hard to see it there but in this video I was able to split Sirius from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area which is only 37 degrees latitude. So Sirius was fairly high in the sky. Good luck next time.
You need serious seeing to see Sirius, double!
Seriously!