John

Got the following in Leo so far (1 in Leo Minor really): NGC 2903 3 of the Leo Quartet in the lions neck: NGC's 3190, 3193 and 3185. NGC's 3226, 3227 a nice pair just behind Gamma Leonis (Algieba) NGC 3344 (the one in Leo Minor) Messiers 95 and 95 The bright, close pair of M 105 and NGC 3384 NGC's 3412, 3377 and 3367 The famous "Leo Triplet" of course, Messiers 65 and 66 and the Hamburger shaped NGC 3628 Near the star Chertan, NGC 3596 and then down below Iota Leonis for NGC 3705. The sky is a bit milkier now. Can't seem to get galaxies much fainter than mag 11.5 (listed) but their surface brightness is somewhat less than that and some of these are "face ons" which are challenging. Getting cold out there so I might not hold out for the Virgo / Coma groups to rise above the tree line tonight. Enjoyed what I've had though

Me too. I don't do a lot of solar observing but I do like using the Herschel Wedge with my refractor, especially as the Sun is gradually getting more active now Nice to do some warm astronomy as well !

Another decently dark night here. Got the 12 inch dob out. I've been hunting around Ursa Major initially. The list there is: M 81 + M 82 (obligatory !) NGC 3077 NGC 2978 NGC 2787 NGC 2885 M 97 - not a galaxy - the Owl nebula ! (no filter) M 108 NGC 2841 NGC 3198 M 101 (just traces of this big face on galaxy) M 51 + NGC 5195 (obligatory !) Cor Caroli (lovely pair of stars) M 63 Transparency OK but not the best perhaps. Good enough for things high-ish in the sky Just been using the one eyepiece for this task - the ES 17mm / 92 degree monster. 94x magnification and a one degree true field: Having a cuppa then out to hunt in Leo then Virgo / Coma

Yep - I'm getting my 12 inch dob on "the chain" shortly tonight I hope. I can usually see 10+ galaxies in the same field of view with the 12. I was surprised how well the 4.7 inch refractor did though. I've spent the last hour going through Ursa Major galaxies while Leo rises - there are quite a few up there as well !

Good to hear that Derek

Something from the UK Lake District on benefits for tourism: https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/importance-of-dark-skies-to-tourism

Here is one from 2009: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.117-a20

If found that I needed 2 of the Rowan 3.8 kg counterweights when I had my 130mm F/9.2 triplet refractor on the AZ100. The scope weighed 9.5kg and the tripod was the Uni 28. There was no danger of the scope toppling over without the counterweights but I did find that they were needed to get the smoothest action from the altitude slow motion. Fore and aft scope balance was important as well in this respect.

I just don't find that Mike. I keep my eyepieces in a centrally heated room all the time and each one only goes outside when it goes into the scope, then back into the centrally heated room again until needed again. I've observed this way for the past 10 years I guess and I've had no problems whether using simple orthos or very complex hyper-wide eyepieces. I have tried having the eyepieces out with the scope when at star parties and outreach events and have sometimes had problems with fogging when eyepieces have got too cold but never optical issues when they are warm. Interesting how two observers can have very different experiences isn't it but there you go Refractors do need cool down times of course but I have noticed that the Tak FC100 is mininal in this respect. My Vixen ED102 on the other hand seems to need a good 30-40 minutes for the optics to get "on song". Fatter tube and thicker glass perhaps ?

Nice report As Cygnus starts to get higher later in the year I'd recommend anyone who likes nebulae observing and with access to reasonably dark skies to get hold of a decent O-III filter (Astronomik or similar quality) and a low power / wide angle eyepiece in preparation to observe the Veil Nebula Invest in a filter just for one target ?. Well an O-III has a marked effect on a number of targets but, IMHO, the views of the Veil with an O-III and under a reasonably dark sky are worth every penny of the investment A UHC filter will help but an O-III is THE tool for the Veil. This is just half of it !:

The Panoptic 24 is very nice. So is the Explore Scientific 24mm 68 and it's a lot less expensive. The performance differences between today's eyepieces are not that huge to be honest with you. Thats not to say that there are no differences but they can often be quite subtle. Just because an eyepiece costs 4x or more as much as another does not give you 4x more performance I'm afraid. An additional 10-15% more is perhaps more realistic !

My 12 inch dob weighs (all in) about as much as one of the chinese 10 inchers do. Having helped folks set up their 9.25, 10 and 11 inch SCT's I know how heavy those things are With the two counterweights needed to handle my 130mm F/9.2 refractor, the AZ100 is too heavy for me I'm afraid

Looks like you have a 31% chance of visibility where you are Nigel. Probably around 1% up here in Portishead

I'm a big Tele Vue fan but in all honesty I'm sure the Baader Morpheus will give you 100% of the experience with most scopes / targets and, as @jetstream / Gerry says, there are other 100 degree options that make a lot of sense unless you are going to be using them in a really fast scope and are very fussy.

I find they work better when above outside temperature - they don't mist up then when you put your eye to the eye lens !

Not too bizzarre. My 12 inch dob is as quick to setup as any of my refractors.

Wicked man

Yes, I'm happy to make two carries to setup mount / tripod then the scope and similarly when bringing it in. When setup though I do like to be able to move the whole rig a few paces here and there during a session just to make the most of my clear patches of sky here. I would prefer not to have to dismount the scope to do this. Currently I can move all my scopes / mounts around the garden a short, level, distance in one piece. I've owned a couple of setups where that was not possible and this became the main reason that I moved those on.

That looks great Plywood is an excellent material for dob bases. Much better than particle board or MDF. Stronger and lighter.

I agree with the above posters - a Meade 90mm F/11.

I'm glad you are enjoying the FC100 - sounds like it is already doing the business for you ! Mars is much, much smaller now than it was at opposition - it's whizzing away from us and the small pink disk with faint albedo markings is what will will have to put up with now until the next opposition in December 2022. The red / blue tints you saw around the limb of Mars were most likely caused by atmospheric dispersion as Mars is quite close to the horizon mid-evening now.

Their website still seems to be active: http://talteleoptics.com/ Try sending them an e.mail.

If you are looking for galaxies and clusters I would take the filter off the eyepiece. It won't improve your chances. Leo and Virgo are teeming with galaxies that your scope will show but most are faint targets. Make sure your eyes are dark adapted as much as possible. The Orion Nebula rather spoils us I'm afraid because it is so large and bright.

I finished off this session by putting the Ethos 21mm in the 120mm refractor and having a wander around the galactic playground that lies between Denebola and Vindemeatrix (Epsilon Virginis) and in particular the famous Markarian's Chain of galaxies. I must have picked up a dozen or more fuzzy spots, ovals and patches just in a small patch of sky here. I was pleasantly surprised how many of "the chain" were visible in the 12cm aperture. Hopefully I'll get another similar night soon so that I can get my 12 inch dob in amongst these. You literally fall over galaxies at every turn here and it can be darned hard recalling which ones you have actually seen. Literally "Lost in Space" Very nice session, all in all, as the unexpected ones often are !

Switched back to high power to get a lovely view of the fine double star Gamma Virginis (Porrima) and then over to Hercules to get that challenging uneven brightness tight pair Zeta Herculis. Rather unusually the seeing AND the transparency seem good tonight. Zeta split at 225x and upwards. Switched to the zoom to catch the "glittering prizes" of Messier 13 and 92, Hercules magnificent globular clusters. Both showing a nice spray of resolved outer stars at 125x magnification. Getting chilly now though ❄️