Full/near-full moon and Telrad

Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?


--
Jay Swartzfeger
http://www.swartzfeger.com
Scottsdale, AZ

I don't even bother observing when the moon is out. It washes
out the sky just as bad, and often worse, than man-made light
pollution. I might look at planets, but that's about it.

Jay Swartzfeger wrote:
Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?


--
Jay Swartzfeger
http://www.swartzfeger.com
Scottsdale, AZ

Jay Swartzfeger wrote:

Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?

That's not my experience. I've used a Telrad to sight on the Moon quite
frequently. As for the Orion EZ Finder, it's bright enough to work
during
broad daylight -- let alone moonlight.

- Tony Flanders

Jay Swartzfeger wrote:
Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?



If you know where something is with respect to a bright star, the
telrad's circles are quite useful. BTW, there is an awful lot to
study on the moon... even when near full.

Jay Swartzfeger wrote:
Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?




Don't work in what sense? Are you saying the brightness of the moon is
not allowing you to see the red circles? That should not be the case
when looking anywhere not directly at the moon.

I use mine (both Telrads and Rigel QFs) all times of the month -- e.g.,
for point to Mars even when the moon is bright.

If you are using dimmer guide stars to find a DSO or some such thing --
yes the bright moon can be a problem.

Phil

In article ,
Phil Wheeler wrote:

Don't work in what sense? Are you saying the brightness of the moon is
not allowing you to see the red circles? That should not be the case
when looking anywhere not directly at the moon.

No, the red circles are bright enough, and I like the variable
brightness feature. I had planned on using the Telrad as a starhopping
aid to grab those DSOs I've had problems bagging, but the full/near-full
moon obliterates all but the brightest stars (Rigel, etc.), limiting its
usefulness. I'm guessing it would be the same in the city or under
light-polluted skies.

I use mine (both Telrads and Rigel QFs) all times of the month -- e.g.,
for point to Mars even when the moon is bright.

If you are using dimmer guide stars to find a DSO or some such thing --
yes the bright moon can be a problem.

Yep, that's it -- but once I walked outside last night, I realized I
wouldn't be doing any DSO stuff before I looked through the Telrad. It's
still a newbie mistake I make: going out at night with no pre-planning.
A simple look at the calendar would've told me last night was a moon
night, not a DSO night.

--
Jay Swartzfeger
Scottsdale, AZ

I use my telrad ( can't live without it ) during all my viewing, full moon
to new moon.


--

The Lone Sidewalk Astronomer of Rosamond
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"Jay Swartzfeger" wrote in message
...
Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?


--
Jay Swartzfeger
http://www.swartzfeger.com
Scottsdale, AZ

"Jay Swartzfeger" wrote in message
...
Just received my Telrad, took it out tonight and learned the hard way --
Telrads (and EzFinders, etc.) don't work worth a damn during full moons,
correct? Or am I simply blind?

I was out with mine last Saturday, under a very near full Moon, and had no
trouble sighting on and observing. Now, a bright Moon will wash dimmer
objects out, but that should have little to nothing to do with sighting on
something you can see with your naked eye.

"Jay Swartzfeger" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Phil Wheeler wrote:

Don't work in what sense? Are you saying the brightness of the moon is
not allowing you to see the red circles? That should not be the case
when looking anywhere not directly at the moon.

No, the red circles are bright enough, and I like the variable
brightness feature. I had planned on using the Telrad as a starhopping
aid to grab those DSOs I've had problems bagging, but the full/near-full
moon obliterates all but the brightest stars (Rigel, etc.), limiting its
usefulness. I'm guessing it would be the same in the city or under
light-polluted skies.

I use mine (both Telrads and Rigel QFs) all times of the month -- e.g.,
for point to Mars even when the moon is bright.

If you are using dimmer guide stars to find a DSO or some such thing --
yes the bright moon can be a problem.

Yep, that's it -- but once I walked outside last night, I realized I
wouldn't be doing any DSO stuff before I looked through the Telrad. It's
still a newbie mistake I make: going out at night with no pre-planning.
A simple look at the calendar would've told me last night was a moon
night, not a DSO night.

As pointed out, those circles are a tool. If you know the distance between
two given points, you can use them to guide you to where you want to go.

Jay Swartzfeger wrote:

No, the red circles are bright enough ... but the full/near-full
moon obliterates all but the brightest stars (Rigel, etc.), limiting its
usefulness.

Ah, now I understand what you were saying.

Full Moon under an otherwise pristine sky is a tad darker than a
moonless night
at my home in Cambridge, MA, so I'm pretty familiar with observing
under these
conditions. You might be surprised how many stars you can see if you
try --
somewhere between mag 4.0 and mag 5.0 except right near the Moon, I
would
guess. Of course, you won't be able to see all of those through the
Telrad
window, which darkens the view considerably.

Anyway, that's still enough stars so that I can land a fair number of
DSOs
in a wide-field eyepiece using just the Telrad. It's something you've
got to
practice, mind you. But for the more obscure DSOs, I prefer to hop from
the nearest bright star. Again, a wide-field eyepiece helps a lot for
doing
that. Or a good finderscope.

- Tony Flanders