It’s here! Great success so far.

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Jimbo
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Location: N. Central Illinois

It’s here! Great success so far.

#1 Post by Jimbo » Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:26 pm

It wasn’t supposed to be here until May, but my scope showed up today!! I’m 69 years old, but I feel like a kid on Christmas. They actually sent me a T490B with 20X eyepieces and added the 16X in separate boxes. I will probably never use the 20x but I feel like I got a bonus.
I prepared a slide with water and some debris from our koi pond in our back yard. First thing that popped into view were the egg sacs on a cyclops. Very cool. Further examination showed a rotifer, then many more. Getting a close up view of the “wheels”. Reminds me a street sweeping machine. Next were euglenas, but couldn’t resolve the flagellum. I followed a beautiful ciliate for ten minutes and then it died unfortunately. I think I squished it with the cover slip.
I can’t get the phone adapter to fit right, I will keep trying. Tonight I will put on the dark field condenser and play with that for a while.
I have never uploaded anything in my life , so no pictures yet. I could give you tour of the evening sky wi my telescope, but I’m not good with computers. In fact, all my postings have been from my smart phone. I am sure my son or grandson can educate me!
Anyway, great day and I am quite happy with the scope so far.
Long post, sorry, Jim.

DonSchaeffer
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Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#2 Post by DonSchaeffer » Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:53 pm

Congratulations. You are lucky to have a real pond. Have fun.

ScienceMatters
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Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:46 am

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#3 Post by ScienceMatters » Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:14 am

Exciting! Congratulations on receiving it and getting a great start.

DrPhoxinus
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Location: Rochester Hills, MI

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#4 Post by DrPhoxinus » Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:57 am

The joy of discovery! The theater of the microcosm.
Enjoy it. It is wonderful .

Best Wishes

Gerard

Jimbo
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Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:04 am
Location: N. Central Illinois

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#5 Post by Jimbo » Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:01 am

Yeah, it’s all new and exciting now. I’m still on the hunt for a stentor! Thanks all.

DrPhoxinus
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Location: Rochester Hills, MI

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#6 Post by DrPhoxinus » Thu Apr 22, 2021 1:12 am

There are a lot of cool things to see.
The beating heart of a Daphina
A hydra
A tartigrade
Volvox

Happy hunting

:-)

Jimbo
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#7 Post by Jimbo » Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:46 am

Thank you . This reminds me of when I decided to observe all the Messier objects. This is a list of objects in the night sky that we amateur astronomers go out of our way to look at. Now I have a list in my head of species that I want to find.
I have only observed a few species, so many more to go! Jim.

DrPhoxinus
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#8 Post by DrPhoxinus » Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:58 am

My friend left me a Dobsonian XT12. One needs a hand truck to move it. Southeastern Michigan is probably in the top 10 worst places for Sky watching, Maybe this is why I have 13 microscopes. They never disappoint.

Welcome to the forum, there are experts that know everything and are willing to help.

Gerard

dtsh
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Location: Wisconsin

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#9 Post by dtsh » Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:13 pm

DrPhoxinus wrote:
Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:58 am
My friend left me a Dobsonian XT12. One needs a hand truck to move it. Southeastern Michigan is probably in the top 10 worst places for Sky watching, Maybe this is why I have 13 microscopes. They never disappoint.

Welcome to the forum, there are experts that know everything and are willing to help.

Gerard
Ha! I used my dob regularly when I lived in Chicago (the city proper, not a suburb). The faint fuzzies aren't much of an option, but there's still plenty to look at. Nice part about microscopy, it doesn't matter what te weather is like.

Jimbo
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Location: N. Central Illinois

Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#10 Post by Jimbo » Thu Apr 22, 2021 4:38 pm

DrPhoxinus and dtsh, I just know there are tons of astronomers who have taken up this hobby. I sold my 8” reflector on a GEM mount to a friend who lives on farmland. This is how I paid for the microscope. The whole set up and tear down of the telescope equipment just got to be too much for me to handle. The tripod alone is heavy for me now. Health problems have plagued me the last 4 years and now restricts the activities I can handle.
Microscopy is the perfect hobby for me now. and I can still gaze at the stars at my friend’s house!
What a morning! Tried out dark field this morning and watched a rotifer eat for a while. Then I saw a ciliate in the middle of dividing! I had to add water to the slide and lost the critter(s). I also noticed how moss “leaves” are incredibly beautiful in dark field! Saw my first Phacus swimming with the many Euglenas in the sample. There are some ciliates that I can’t identify, wish I could send a pic. Pink like Blepharisma but short and stubby.
Over and out for now, Jim.

D0c
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#11 Post by D0c » Thu Apr 22, 2021 5:13 pm

I can feel your excitement and enthusiasm it's lovely. Hope you have loads of fun with your new hobby.
Leitz SM-Lux

Jimbo
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#12 Post by Jimbo » Thu Apr 22, 2021 11:54 pm

Thank you DOc. Just ended my 2nd session today. I found a great bonus about dark field... it blocks the “floaters” in my eyes which are quite annoying! Of course, this is only good up to 400X, then df is lost. I think I identified the small ciliates I see a lot of as Chilodon? Star of the show was a Spirostomum that I followed around for a while at 100X, I’m getting better at steering this thing! I can’t wait to show my wife the “dark side!”.
Jim.

Jimbo
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#13 Post by Jimbo » Mon Apr 26, 2021 1:57 pm

Good observing session yesterday. One of the jars has become over run with Euglena. You can’t pick a spot on the slide without seeing one. I believe it’s my fault. Since I saw Euglena I figured they must need sunlight, so I put the jar in full sun for an hour the day before. Perhaps this is what caused the population explosion?
Switched to the jar that has been the best for variety and was rewarded with my first sighting of Vorticella! These are pretty brave little guys because they only retracted the first time I tapped the scope, then they only did it when they felt like it. The other life forms present were Rotifers, Euglena, Spirostomum (these are so cool!) Halteria and one that I can’t identify. I feel so blessed to have that koi pond in the backyard! Someday I will make an expedition to the public pond 4-5 blocks away. I’m still on the hunt for a Stentor!! Out.
Jim.

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75RR
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#14 Post by 75RR » Mon Apr 26, 2021 4:50 pm

Jimbo wrote:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 1:57 pm
Good observing session yesterday. One of the jars has become over run with Euglena. You can’t pick a spot on the slide without seeing one.
You are a fortunate man, they are among my favorite animalcules.

Don't suppose you have considered taking photos through your binocular with a phone camera?
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

Jimbo
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Re: It’s here! Great success so far.

#15 Post by Jimbo » Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:35 pm

75RR, I have taken some videos with my phone, mostly of Rotifers. However, I have never uploaded anything in my life. I apologize for my lack of tech knowledge. Perhaps someday. Jim.

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