RobertI

From the video, it looks like the dewshield reverses and becomes a slide on protector, very clever!

What a lovely looking piece of kit, perfect for a lightweight mount, clever design fusion of APO scope and SLR lens.

What a great feature!

Paul, you have very similar conditions to Kelling Heath - can't be bad!

Data below from my site on the Essex/Suffolk border. I don't really know what SQM means but I have imaged objects of mag 20 with my lodestar and 30 second exposures, not sure if this confirms the data in any way? It can get very dark overhead on transparent nights, but there are three massive sources of light pollution 10 miles away in each direction (Colchester, Ipswich and Felixstowe docks) so any mist or vapour in the atmosphere and the sky turns orange. I live on a new build and consider myself very lucky to have the majority of the garden streetlight free, although I live in daily fear of the dreaded 'insecurity' lights being installed.

Well done! Keep us posted.

The Occulus is ‘untethered’ so you can take it anywhere and it can be used without access to a phone or internet, but to download apps you need to pair with your smartphone (Android or iOS), be connected to internet via WiFi and use the Occulus app (according to the blurb, I haven’t got the headset yet!).

That's really good to hear Agnes! I don't have the links as I haven't got thet headset yet, but happy to share when I have worked it all out. Actually part of the reason I was attracted to the Occulus (actually VR headsets in general) was the experience of 'being in' some of the virtual landscapes or setting. I loved being able to take myself out of my chaotic day and insert myself into a calm zen-like room overlooking a specacular landscape or on a beach. I can see it being a good relaxation tool and there are some nice looking meditation apps out there. I think that's pretty good value Paul - compares favourably with £250,000 for a seat on Richard Branson's spaceship! Cheap is good Helen! Can't go wrong for that price, the apps look very impressive, let us know how it goes. ?

I recently experienced the Apollo 11 and ISS simulations on a friend’s Occulus Go (virtual reality headset) and was blown away. It was so immersive and realistic, and all for £200. My reaction afterwards was that Elon Musk and Richard Branson are wasting their time with space tourism! When I saw it was reduced to £169 I felt duty bound to place an order, in the name of science of course. ? Should arrive in a few days, i’ll download and review some astro apps if anyone is interested.

Good news Chris. ? The altitude axis on my SkyProdigy is also much noisier than the azimuth. Fortunately it's the azimuth that does most of the slewing so at least its the right way round! Keep us posted on first light part deux.

Unbelievable! ? Hopefully should be with you very soon then.

Have they told you what the problem was and what the fix is?

Great stuff, at least you know the adjusted model will have been fully checked and adjusted (hopefully!). ?

Did you get this problem sorted Chris?

Looks very promising Chris and it's a lot cheaper than a 100mm APO + reducer! Perhaps you could continue the test by piggybacking the scope on the CPC800 for some longer exposures/integrations (when you get it back)? Should be fine for up to 30 seconds in most areas of the sky.

That’s weird but interesting Chris, must be a clue to the cause. Sadly I do not have enough knowledge about the inner workings to guess at the problem, perhaps someone else can.

I don’t think you're alone Chris! It will be interesting to hear FLO’s response, keep us posted.

Hi Chris, my SkyProdigy actually has the problem in the opposite (clockwise) direction to yours, although it doesn’t necessarily mean the motor is turning in a different direction. Does you problem happen at the same point on the azimuth axis, or does it exhibit the same issue wherever it is? Does it actually almost grind to a halt or just slow down? My mount didn’t exhibit the same oscillating and seemed to be struggling much more than yours, but again, doesn’t mean it’s a different problem. Can’t think of what else you could do to troubleshoot short of taking it apart which I guess you don’t want to be doing when it’s still under warranty. ?

Very nice - be sure to post a review when you have used them for observing. ? I can't seem to find much info about how they work?

Damn.

Very useful map, I think the lines should be called ‘Isochrones’! ?

I can see the appeal of buying a quality piece of kit like a Tak, the ownership experience must be wonderful, and it would be nice just to say you've owned one. £665 is a lot for 60mm of aperture though, though not bad for a Tak I guess?I remember looking through an 80mm Tak (approx - don't know the exact model) at the ring nebula at Kelling Heath once and being sorely disappointed, but that was just after I had viewed the Veil nebula through 20" dob! They probably cost about the same!

Well done for finally getting out there Chris and really sorry it didn't go as planned. It's infuriating when technology doesn't do what it's supposed to, especially when observing opportunities are so scarce. Was it WAY off (like half the sky away) or 'just' a degree or so? EDIT- you've answered this while I was typing. I've had so many wasted EAA session over the last few years but finally have a setup which I know well and pretty much works each time, as long as I follow the same process. I'd love to upgrade the mount, scope, camera, etc , but even if I did have the funds, I'd be loathe to touch it, so sitcking with a less than perfect setup! At least you salvaged the evening with some outreach, perhaps you have a budding apprentice there? I popped out for a quick look before bed but conditions were so nice I ended up staying out until 1pm! This was largely thanks to the Heritage 130P+GiroWR+tripod which was so easy to setup (up and runnig in literally 60 seconds) and performed beautifully. If I had been faced with lugging out the C8, Skytee and 2" tripod, I may well have just gone to bed instead! I'll post a report later on. Hope you get the goto sorted.

Thanks Chris, fortunately I have some patio that I can view from, so all is not lost, but it's a squelchy pain!