Jiggy 67

4 hours ago, mapstar said:

It only leaked once last year and seam sealer sorted that.

Doesn’t keep the spiders out though! 😀

1 hour ago, wookie1965 said:

How much does that cost may I ask.

1 hour ago, wookie1965 said:

How much does that cost may I ask.

The one I had last week was £350 for five nights, a four birth

…….hence, I’ve started hiring a camper/motor home…..my camping days are done!! 🚍

Another one booked!!

Negative for me

On 07/11/2021 at 18:13, Deadlake said:

Sky Safari 7 is not yet available on a desktop OS. Does anyone know if Sky Safari 6 pro will sync with Sky Safari 7 pro at all? I like to prep on the desktop (6) and then sync to mobile (7) for use, wondered if this is possible, cannot think why not

I had the exact same quandary as you, I plan all my sessions and record all observing on Mac with 6 plus to take outside on my phone, also 6 plus.

 I couldn’t find the answer anywhere to your (and my) question so I just crossed my fingers and took the plunge paying for 7 Pro 🤞

No need to worry, as soon as you sign in to LiveSky everything syncs seamlessly and instantly, everything transfers over including sessions, observations, lists and equipment and…….it looks miles better!! 👍

I haven’t yet created a plan on Mac to take out on my phone but it should work perfectly 

Personally no, I wouldn’t, but I’ve never felt the need to. The panels are well screwed on, the polar scope (and it’s “entry point to the inside”) is well protected with the tight plastic cap, I don’t think there is a need to. Others may disagree but I haven’t had any issues 

1 minute ago, StuartT said:

I bought a bottle of this stuff (thanks for the tip). What I am wondering is can I open up the panel on my EQ6R-Pro and spray some on the gears? I'm concerned that over the long term, condensation might corrode them and affect my tracking. Or would this cause slipping or other issues (I have the newer EQ6R with belts)

I wouldn’t spray it on gears, but they should be greased anyway. It is safe on electronics but it may create the issues you describe on gears. 

I have 6 Plus on my phone and also on my Mac. I think I had to pay twice to get it on two devices. Is that the case with the upgrade??…..Do you have to pay twice??

9 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I live in the Midlands but yes, accidentally travelled down South. 😅

That’ll teach you for missing your stop on the train and ending up in “The South”

Think I will be upgrading. Used SkySafari for a few years on Mac and IPhone and I love it. People say it’s pricey for an app but it’s not just an app, it’s software worthy of more than the “app” label, there are plenty of planetarium “apps” SkySafari does a load more so I think that the current price is a bit of a bargain 

Sounds like you had a great night. Take a look at the Galloway Star Party thread and you will see more pictures of the aurora that we saw from the star party, it was spectacular 

That was a spectacular light show! First time I’ve ever seen them. Thanks to Dai for knocking on my van cos I was inside writing up obs notes

I am a fan of Coxy, I really am, but each successive series appears to be a mission to stand him on top of more and more exotic mountains!

The clock numbers in the polar scope are irrelevant, you just need to match the view in an app, such as PS Align Pro, in your polar scope. However, if you want to get the numbers correct, use this method but the mount must be level to do it:

Place Polaris at the centre of the polar scope. Then using altitude bolt only, place Polaris at the top of the circle. Rotate in RA until 12 o’clock is on Polaris. The polar scope is now calibrated correctly (assuming it’s central in the mount). Now carry out PA and when complete return to the home position..

If I’m understanding correctly, everything you’re doing with the dials is to obtain an accurate home position. It’s hard to follow but is basically what I have done to get a very accurate home position. Instead of doing it every time you set up, just mark the mount up with a permanent marker so you can return to the correct position every time without having to go through the whole process as per this video

Timing is everything, I was actually considering the AZ100 which I knew would be an exercise in over mounting so this will be just right. Looking forward to seeing a photo and specs 👍

Well my rum didn’t go down too well last year so I will be bringing whiskey this year! 😀👍…..seems strange taking a single malt TO Scotland though🤣

HEQ5 minimum I’m afraid. I have an 8 inch on an EQ6 R Pro for visual only after going through all the sizes before reaching the the EQ6 R Pro and I wouldn’t go smaller now (there’s no doubt I have over mounted but better too much than not enough and I wanted to future proof). There’s zero vibration with my current mount but the EQ5 suffered a lot. The dob is a good alternative 

I’ve never understood why we don’t use motion activated lighting. Why do we light areas for no reason where no people are, wasting millions of pounds, using fossil fuels and spoiling the night sky?…bizarre 

Hope your scheme goes well

Good to see you back. I did the same, took a break from astronomy for about 5 years and I’ve been back for a couple of years now. I didn’t realize how much I missed it till I came back but my enthusiasm has returned in buckets. Not just the forum (which is obviously fab) but whole hobby, reading about it, watching YouTube, talking about it….and thinking about new and innovative ways to spend my hard earned cash whilst in the shower!!!!

I have noticed how my work colleagues, knowing I’m an amateur astronomer, have started to come to me with questions, it’s surprising how people want to know more, even if it’s only casual curiosity, and they think I’m really clever when I answer them, clearly I’m not but what I say peaks their interest and that’s really satisfying. 

In my opinion, it’s better coming back the second time than it was the first time around…..enjoy
 

As @ollypenrice hinted at, there is a massive amount of junk orbiting Earth. Could it have been two pieces colliding?…which is worrying because those two pieces would now be thousands of pieces ☹️

12 hours ago, Epick Crom said:

I'll definitely be getting a filter for Christmas.

If you’re putting a Xmas list together, try and squeeze two filters out of the relatives 😀 I think you need both an OIII and a UHC both are great for PN’s but sometimes one will work when the other doesn’t, they seem to g hand in hand. Sometimes with the real faint objects the OIII darkens the image too much which is where the UHC comes in because it doesn’t darken it as much due to the band width. So take advantage of the Xmas spirit, be cheeky and ask for both 🎉🎉😀👍

You’ll soon love those blue circles when you create an observing list as a plan for your nights observing, very useful for planning 👍😀

Telegizmos all day long. Re the Sun, they are lined inside with reflective material for that very reason (I am not aware of any other covers that have this). I leave my mount (and often the scope as well) for months on end in all weather with no issues. I wouldn’t use anything other than the TG

Your scope and all your other equipment will dew up whilst being used outside, sometimes to the point of being soaked. You can minimize this with dew strips etc but at the end of the day, there’s no way of stopping it. To place it in a case will just keep it wet for longer, it would be the last thing I would do. Just take the scope in and leave it with covers off outside the case to warm up gradually and it will be fine