faulksy

14 hours ago, niallk said:

Very impressive work!  Looks pure class, and yep smooth movements are so important at the EP 😎

thank you nial 👍

very nice, see you put ptfe on your colimation bolts 👍

original pic. i do look happy as steve said

it used to run on ptfe pads

47 minutes ago, Alan White said:

I love this remake on your fine scope, as Ed said above, smooth movement on a Dobson is a pleasure to use.
Somehow ups had it in my head your scope was all wooden, clearly not from the above.

Is tat sited in a unique looking shed or observatory?

hi Alan, if you go back a few pages it was all wooden. made a new base out of alloy .

it is just sited in there, think there is some pics on here, its a barn shed. just wheel it out and observe. mag 21.5 skys here

1 more pic 🤪

Just now, NGC 1502 said:

Good work, a Dob with smooooth movements is a joy to use😊

BTW your workshop is a whole lot tidier than mine!!

Cheers from Ed.

yes makes a difference, especialy high powers in the dob hole 🤣

Pics now. also lowered the ep height by 50mm

hi everyone. been a while but never gone away.

i have never been totaly happy with the dob movment. have tried all different types of bearing surfaces,polishs and waxs. spaced the teflon different still had to much stiction and movment was right.

gone down the route now of polyurethane coated cam follower bearings, 3 on the ground board ( azy )

and 4 on the rocker bx ( alt )

its took a few months to complete. since sept last year 😄 to be precise @Peter Drew suggested it and a few on cn.

so some pics coming and hopefully some more reports very soon

mike

oh yes movment is awsome. no notchy ness but stays put due to the polyurethane bearing

here you go. its in the observing reports

On 20/08/2023 at 14:33, Marvin Jenkins said:

Amazingly, clear skies for a few nights now but last night was the first night I could capitalise. 
I took out the 5” newt on the AZ5 which is my visual EP setup to track down comet E1 Atlas which according to the charts was racing past my old favourite summer constellation Cygnus.

Alas how I tried. But I couldn’t find it at all despite having observed it a while back with the same setup.

Despite having a virtually full 360 degree unimpeded view I rarely if ever look at low targets to my south. I am in a dark place but my southern horizon is not friendly due to distant large towns. 

However I kicked my north habits to the curb and headed south into Sagittarius. Lots of light glow so I was thinking it was a bust, then moving in a slow spiral pattern I was hit in the eye by M22 without any plan or star hopping.

What an amazing glob! So big I laughed. I didn’t know at the time it was M22 but I committed to memory the star field either side which is kind of triangular on one side and oblong on the other.

What a glob that would be if it were observable to me like a northern target. Best glob in the sky I would say.

Marvin

was looking at that last week from your neck of the woods. was amazing in the e 4.7

were do i start. at the beginning 🤣

here we go. 930 ish mile trip one way takes you to a wonderful camp site in the south of france. right in the heart of the cevennes national park. in one of there dark sky reserves.

the night we got there the milkyway was blazing away, sagitarius was right in your face.

2 nights later scope time

15/8/23 22.15. temp 17 sqm 20.9

lots of old favourirtes but its been over 12months since i looked up with the dob

blue flash neb, dumbell neb,m10, m22,m12, m15 ,m71

foot print nebula nice

wife spotted saturn so quick look there.

then the veil omg this was the best i have ever seen it. ethos 4.7 510x right in your face. more on this later

next blue snowball , m13 with the 4.7 easy to see the prop.

cateye with lovely ctr star. spindle galaxy great shape,m81/82 , little dumbell

neptune lol

saturn neb, little gem neb, owl cluster, ngc 185. carolines rose first for me. m52, bubble nebula, fireworks galaxy very poor. m31 and its other 2 companion galaxys very nice lanes everywere. ngc 6781 and m71 to finish

this was a late finish. but amazing night. one thing struck me. nebula which will be in part 2 were absolutely incredible, so were clusters you could use mega power around 500x and the quality of views didnt drop off. but all galaxys were very poor. was it because of the milkyway so bright reducing the contrast ?

let me know what you think.

part 2 soon

mike

just got home. 25hrs and 920 miles

couldnt  wait to have a brew

On 17/08/2023 at 19:36, Marvin Jenkins said:

Brilliant. At least you didn’t have to let your tyres down to get out.

Marv

Sounds like you know that one marv. 

Good idea that 

16 hours ago, knobby said:

Oh no, hope you're ok !

Yes all good. Few scrapes on the roof box.

Totally forgot it was there. Laughed afterwards 🤣 

23 hours ago, knobby said:

We're all jealous 😂

Hope it stays clear for you 🙏

You wouldn't of been jealous today when we got tha car wedged in a multistorey car park because of the roof box. Think chevy chase in European vacation 🤣

Seen lots last night. Will report soon 

All ready for tonight. Last night was quite poor until silly aclock this morning.  Omega, veil ring etc were good. Galaxy no very so.

Just see arms in m101 

Will put some reports up in the next few days.

Havnt looked through the scope for ages 

Mega sky last night. Milkway was horizon to horizon.  Will check how dark it is tonight must be high 21 though. No lights any were 

Don't know why it sent that again.

Any way what a Incredible place 900 miles straight through 26 hrs travel time 

6 hrs to go before we set off. mega clear there for the next 2 weeks 👍

i will report back with pics.

after this trip i will be at it at home more often, most of my jobs at home are done 👍

anyone else going 16 days left for us. cant wait 🤣