Mark at Beaufort

Thanks Charl - lovely and clear in Hereford - will take out the PST shortly.

When I read this thread I thought I remember this Comet. Checking back I found that I observed it in October 2012 when it had an outburst reaching mag 8. You never know it might do the same again.

Thanks Charl for the images - nice. I have mostly high cloud but I did manage to catch some Prom detail.

I have been modifying my Heritage over some time and I thought I would show what I have done. Starting with the Dob base. I have added an Alt scale and Az scale. Improved the secure knob on the base. Added a compass Added a spirit level. On the main OTA Added new adjustment screws to the secondary (my Bob's Knobs) Added a finder bracket for my 9x50 finderscope Flocked the area behind secondary Painted the edge of the secondary Flocked the inside of the scope Added a neoprene shroud Added yellow stickers to make sure the mirror cell and tube go back into the same screw position Added plumbers tape to the focuser Finally added an additional dovetail to use on a flat alt/az tripod Hopefully these photos will show what I have done. Looking at the photos perhaps I need to clear the main mirror and secondary 🤔

I have high cloud at the moment which is not giving a good view of the Sun. Interesting to see the image from Learmouth, Australia on GONG.

Thanks Rob I will get out the PST +DS and hopefully the Sun will stay out.

Stu that is a nice report to start the morning. I so wish I still had a decent refractor.

That is really good. I tried to produce a similar arrangement for my Skywatcher Heritage 130P. Whereas the Alt scale works reasonable well the Azimuth scale is fixed so I only get a rough idea of the degree position before moving the scope.Photos attached.

Luke - Yes I remember it well. I can recall going out on 29th October 2007 (according to my log) and seeing this hazy object and thinking what is this. I took photos over the follow weeks but cannot find them at the moment. It was a great outburst and an enjoyable Comet to observe. Great photo by the way.

If you go along the projection method make sure you stay with the scope 100% of the time especially if children are around. When I was in the United States for the Venus Transit I was setting up my PST on a tripod and had a separate 90mm Refractor on another tripod for projection. I had not pointed the refractor towards the Sun when a youngest came behind me and looked, before I could stop him, straight into scope. If I had set up that scope first he would have been blinded - hence my statement above. Personally I would prefer to observe the Sun with a solar filter and have always purchased mine from an astro dealer.

If you want to save money you can make your own filter out of Baader film. Here is Pete Lawrence's method - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p014hpkh

I would have thought that the Heritage 76 would work okay with a Baader filter. Make sure you remove the finderscope or cover it up. The projection method can be a simple setup, if you have a refractor, making sure you don't melt your eyepiece which I did. I have used a solar projector to view the Venus Transit in the United States - see below. Really good image but these devices are about £200. I accept the Astromedia could be fun making and testing. My preferred option would be the Heritage 76.

I went to Plymouth and had 100% cloud. Quite an event with a live show from a Hercules aircraft on a large screen. When the live screening showed the total eclipse over the Scilly Isles everyone cheered and then the dark shadow raced towards us which still gives me shivers down my spine. Seen two Annular and one Total since but thinking of 2026 and 2027.

Thanks Antony, Ed and Sam - I will convey this information to the Secretary who was given the scope.

Hello Andy and welcome to SGL. I have the Heritage 130P and I use it for outreach work plus at home for quick grab and go. The mag of 65X is not the limit - in fact I often use mag up to 150X. Had good views the other other night of Jupiter + GRS and Saturn + Cassini division. At outreach events I often show DSOs (Clusters, Globs and Galaxies) As Stu stated above the weakest part is the focuser but that can be improved with PTFE tape. I have made many modifications to the scope including, a few weeks ago, an additional dovetail to use it on a particular alt/az mount. The attached photo shows the addition of a 9x50 finder, plus a neoprene shroud.

My local Astro Society has been given a 10" Newtonian but the mirror appears to be in a poor state. If you have had your mirror recoated recently can you let me know your experience and whether the service was good.

Daz if your main choice in the long term is using a Dob in a manual system you need a wide FOV as you indicated. I have both the 24mm and 16mm ES68 and they are great EPs. However, when I go searching for DSOs my choice goes to the 100 degree EPs - in this respect 20mm and 13mm. The new Nirvana 16mm 82 degree appears good value and I can state that I have the 7mm Nirvana which I use in my 12" f/5 Dob for observing the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. You could purchase this 16mm EP and as Paul73 stated above maybe the 24mm ES82. It depends on when you are thinking of buying these EPs. If you can wait to the star party in early November you can try out my ES68 range. If you coming before then - give me a call and I will come over.

@Stu- whilst checking through my computer files I noticed that I had a diagram of Zeta Hercules which I attach below. I am assuming this is the view through a reflector and it looks like a good time to view this pair looking at the dates.

Fantastic stuff Stu - I have still not split Zeta Hercules despite using many different scopes. I thought I might crack it with my 180mm Mak/Cass but unfortunately not. Clearly I must persevere.

I bought an ironing chair from Aldi several years ago which I find very comfortable when my 12" Dob is viewing DSOs close to the horizon. I also have a higher collapsible stool when objects are much higher.

Alan I think its really good. As you say its low at nearly -31 Dec so very difficult to view, never mind image, here in the UK.

Excellent report Mark - I will certainly have a go with the 12" Dob - whether I am successful only time will tell.

Great catch Chris especially when you consider Saturn's low current height above the horizon. Never seen Enceladus so your report gives me hope with the 12" Dob.

I hope this link works - when I observe Saturn I find it useful to cross reference this website. https://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/saturn_moons/saturn.html

I only used my Heritage 130P but the GRS was quite clear. The seeing was not that great but I did catch Io's shadow during some stable moments. Cloud came over by 11pm which ended the session.