Night Vision Astronomy (part 3)

I accompanied my friend to test drive a PS7-3 (a Gen 3 night vision goggle) for sale in Alameda. I brought the Aurora Pro along for comparison.

Observations are definitely better with the PS7 compared to the Aurora Pro: the image is much brighter, the FOV is round and feels larger probably because one is observing through both eyes.

The objective lens can be removed and so we also tried it in a SVBony 60mm F/4 finder scope - giving us 9x roughly. It was a bit more difficult locating objects while standing but should be great when using a reclining chair especially if attached to a parallelogram mount.

After the purchase was completed, we took the PS7-3 back to San Francisco and tried it prime in the Orion XLT 150 newtonian - giving us 29x roughly. We compared the views with the Baader Zoom at 24mm with and without the Aurora Pro. On the telescope, I was getting double images and had trouble achieving perfect focus but still got a good feel for its capabilities. We also briefly tried it with the Barlow but results were unconvincing and there was visible image distortion in the periphery.

Observations

  • Could not see the Milky Way with any of the NV devices
  • M31 Andromeda Galaxy (at 1x, with the SVBony and with the XLT150) - the PS7-3 brightens the image but the galaxy remains a blob in all cases
  • C14 Double Cluster - Perseus (at 1x and with the SVBony) - very easy to locate with the PS7-3
  • M45 Pleiades - Taurus (at 1x, with the SVBony and with the XLT150) - on the telescope it does not quite fit the FOV, more stars are visible but no nebulosity can be seen
  • M36/M37/M38 - visible at 9x but not 1x - better than without NV but not as good as with binoculars under a dark sky
  • M42 Orion Nebula - Taurus (at 1x, with the SVBony and with the XLT150) - again the PS7-3 brightens the image, but does not show outer parts of the nebula - dare I say not as nice as the color view provided by the Aurora Pro on the Dobs
  • tried but failed to see Flame Nebula with PS7-3 on telescope
  • M41 Little Beehive Cluster - Canis Major (at 1x) - sort of visible with both NV devices - not as clear as under a dark sky

Conclusion

The PS7-3 is definitely superior to the Aurora Pro and improves visual observations in the city. It does not however make the view as good as they are under a dark sky. 

In all the forums however, it is recommended to use filter to overcome light pollution. We did not have filters at hand to see if that takes the view to the next level. That should be the next test.