Blahblahman

+1 for Keiss. I also motorcycle so can justify the cost over two hobbies. I use a heated vest for all session warmth/comfort and the gloves if using the Bino's but prefer just to keep my hands in my pockets when observing with the 'Scope. If your body is warm, your hands tend not to lose heat so quickly. I also use the same Keiss battery/controller to heat the dew ring on my Objective lens to keep the dew at bay.

Hi Roland, On my C8 Edge, I replaced my Losmandy with a Vixen. The holes are the same for both and you can fix either on the handle side or opposite. If you so wanted, you could fit one on one side, and the other on the other to be able to piggy back other accessories.

Hi Mike, I absolutely hate camping but stayed here for a few nights end of last Summer and really enjoyed it. Kid friendly, with swimming and kayaking on the river Adur and well away from 'hot' touristy spots. I reckon it would be perfect for some star gazing. https://www.newwharfcampsite.co.uk/ Porta loo's onsite and neat shower cubicles, each with their own gas/boiler, and endless supply of piping hot water.

Nice! Its a great chair, but the 'belt' is ridiculously long, so long that in fact, I used it recently as an arm sling after I tore my bicep. Whilst that was repurposed, I used an old nylon belt on the chair that was smaller, the right size and less intrusive. I'd have kept it but I needed it for my outdoor trousers! I've also been considering some sort of torsion spring arrangement to prevent the leg from flopping about. It wouldn't stop you falling backward off the thing if you shifted your weight back but would allow you to one hand move the chair to a new position. Also in plan is a cover/pad of some sort on the seat to be more comfortable on those longer sessions. That said, at less than £100, it's the cheapest bit of kit I've got and probably the most useful. 😀

Wow, wow, wow! For those of us in the South Hampshire (UK), we've had an unprecedented weekend of fine viewing. Warm, clear skies, little to no wind and a new Moon. Sat morning 01:30-03:30, I spent some time simply scanning the sky with no great aim other than to try out my new TV eyepieces. I noted some very interesting objects in Lyra/Cygnus but wasn't able to accurately identify them, so I vowed to get out again this morning to further investigate. I started earlier 11pm Sat night through to 01:30 this morning and I wasn't disappointed. Same great viewing conditions, Milky Way readily visible, shooting stars in Lyra, dozens of Satellites, a deer, two foxes and a very noisy May Bug. I wanted to take time in Leo as this has alluded me for some time but managed to easily observe a dozen or more Galaxies. Some very faint and needed averted vision but nice also to see more than one in a low power eyepiece. This box ticking exercise made me want to move onto more interesting stuff so I picked up M64, the Black Eye galaxy on my way to Lyra/Cygnus. I've mourned the loss of the planets and Orion but I've found a new love for Lyra/Cygnus. So much to see. M57 Ring Nebula... amazing. Able to easily see why it is so named. M27 the Dumbell Nebula, likewise. Both were so clear and well resolved in my 9mm (TV Nagler 255x) that I'm almost tempted to add a 6 or 5mm to my EP arsenal. All in all, a terrific couple of evenings and conditions that I think will be hard to top! Thanks for listening!

What a great eve! I already had plans for Fri but did get some time in between the clouds on Sun to get some good Moon and Venus viewing in. Conditions were actually quite good up to 170x and that was in my back garden in Petersfield with a warm scope. I reckon you had the best of it!

These have all alluded me so far so well done! Once I've found the first one, I think I'll be fine!

Hello Everyone. Firstly, a big thank you for everyone’s contribution and the wealth of info on this site. It’s really helped me to navigate my way in this fantastic, albeit at times, frustrating and expensive hobby. No pain, no gain eh! At the end of last year, I was looking for a hobby that I could do outside on a winters eve but that would also allow a technical element that I can do when not able to indulge in the physical aspect. Visual Astronomy it is then! I bought a cheap scope from Marketplace (Celestron LCM114) but soon realised how limited that was and so decided to go all out with a C8 HD Edge and Goto mount. I’m gradually adding the usual upgrades and some bits and bobs. In fact due today is a WO 2” diagonal! I’m still getting that WOW moment when discovering new objects and have managed a respectable 16x 60-90min sessions since the start of the year. I’m only a 10 min drive from some reasonably dark sky sites (B4 / ~21.20mag) but have yet to find that superdooper spot that’s got it all, accessible, uninterrupted views, a level clean site that has some privacy. The search continues! I hope perhaps to see another member out one day at the numerous sites along the South Downs and if anyone wants company for an viewing session, please feel free to get in touch. David.

I lived in Tucson on the edge of town and remember clearly being able to see the Milky Way. It was 30years ago and that house is now only 1/2 way to the edge of town.

I too live in rural Hampshire and drive 10 mins to a couple of local darker sites. I was at one of those sites a couple of evenings last week. The site is actually a bit of hardcore at a field edge that provides uninterrupted views South/SouthWest but flat(ish) and accessible. The country lane beside seems to have waay more traffic on it than you would think. A car every 5 mins or so. On both days, a yoof in a shouty exhaust'd Golf stopped to give me some grief from the window and drove off. The 2nd time, a couple of days later, he stopped and i think he shouted 'you again!' or similar. I don't have a concern about my own safety, i can look after myself but i want to avoid a situation where for fun, they get out the car, start messing about and knock my 'scope over. You can picture the scene right... ''ere mate, lets have a look...'. I also wonder why he would stop. At the point where he can see my car in his headlights, he wouldn't be able to see me so I do wonder if he is on the look out for lone cars perhaps to break into. No-one else passing seems to find it necessary to slow down/stop! Stay Safe!