Hello all!
I have been using the Ranger for just over a month now and it continues to please. The little scope is absolutely wonderful for my situation as it is so easy and quick to set up and there is almost no cooldown time, so I can take advantage of any free, clear moment to view the sky. I have to thank all those who encouraged me to "go for it" and offer this report as an example of the fun I have been having with it.
Sunday the 5th was the first clear night we've had in a while that I was off work. I had promised my wife that we would hit some of the after-holiday sales, but the skies looked so good I tucked the Ranger and tripod in the back of the car and hoped I would get a chance to use it later. After 4 or 5 hours of mall-walking I guess my bride decided that I had earned a reward, so she agreed to come with me to a semi-dark site in the parking lot of a local park.
Transparency was excellent, limiting mag close to 6, and the Milky Way was dimly visible. We set up the Ranger and looked first at M31. It sprawled across the field of the 26mm Plossl at 19x, and showed an almost stellar core. M32 was clearly visible as a fuzzy spot that resembled a small bright globular cluster. The dust lanes of M31 were not visible, though one side of the galaxy appeared more sharply defined, the other more diffuse. I will try this subject again from a real dark site and see if I can make out the lanes with my 70mm ofaperture.
Next we turned to another old favorite, M42 in Orion. Amazing view in the Ranger! The 17mm Plossl gave perhaps the best view, with and without the Ultrablock filter. There were tangled knots of dark clouds in the heart of the nebulae, and the majestic sweeping arms above. The filter revealed even more clumpy detail in the dark structures. Switching to the 7mm Nagler for 69x brought the tiny, sparkling quartet of the Trapezium into view.
I thought we were just getting started when my wife asked if we were through yet. I realized she was not having as much fun as I was in the breezy 40 degree weather, so we took a quick look a Saturn and packedup.
Immediately on arrival at our San Francisco home, I set up the scope on our apartment balcony to see what kind of difference the city skies made. It was still very clear, but light pollution cut the limiting mag to about 4 or 4.5. Under these conditions M42 was noticeably washed out, but still showed a lot of detail even without the filter. The Ultrablock, of course, made an even bigger difference than it had in the 'burbs, but the view was still not as good as we had had earlier.
Next I tried for a target I had not yet tried with this scope- M81 & M82. I thought it would be a futile quest under urban conditions, especially since the filter would be of little help. But wow! I just followed the line from the bowl of the Big Dipper and on my second pass, there they were! Easily visible, though tiny, in the 26mm, and too dim in the 7mm, the 17mm offered the best view. I could still get both in the same field, and there was enough magnification to see M81s oval shape and concentrated center. M82 was quite a bit dimmer and smaller, but its more elongated shape was evident. No sign of the mottled internal structure that I have seen with my 8". Another target to try from a darker site with this scope!
It was getting late now and I packed up for the night, it seemed, after sweeping up a few Milky Way clusters.
Suddenly, we were awakened at about 5 Am by a fire alarm. After making sure it was false, I peeked out the window and saw Mars riding high in the South. Not an opportunity to be missed! 5 minutes later I was peering at the red planet throught the Ranger. The new 2x barlow I was using was a disppointment, as it caused a lot of scattering and reduced contrast. Even so, the North Polar cap was clearly evident as a bright white area at the northern limb. I also though I could make out some darker mottling to the surface, but this was not certain. By the time of opposition in a couple of months I'll have a better barlow and hopefully see more. As it was, I was surprised and pleased to have been able to see the cap easily, and maybe surface detail too, with a 70mm scope at a time when the angular diameter was just over 8 arcseconds.