Space Hopper

Hi. I use 2 bino's : a Baader Max 2 and a Mk5. If i'm doing Lunar (or Solar) and / or Planetary i will pretty much always use a binoviewer. I'll keep one for low power ; usually the Max2 + 24mm eyepieces for general low power observing and if there is a moon or planets on view, i'll use the Mk 5 and crank up the power. I have 2 prism diagonals, one of which is my 'high power diagonal' where a 2.6gpc permanently resides. I'll then use the Mk5 with that and either my 19mm, 15mm or 12mm eyepieces, depending on the seeing is and what sort of conditions there are. (one should always use a GPC for higher power binoviewing, rather than say, a pair of 5mm eyepieces. Reason ? Not only will they give you the required magnification, they will also correct for prism induced sphero-chromatism which becomes all too apparent at higher powers. I only routinely use the 2.6x for high power, as i can focus with no gpc at all in both my scopes, but then keep the magnification low for rich field views of star clusters etc) Using two bino's and diagonals is not a terribly cost effective solution, i know, but i've been doing this hobby more than a few years now, and like most of us, have accumulated bits of gear along the way. I too, no longer use 2" glass and have sold a couple of expensive eyepieces to help finance my current collection and i find the 24mm Panoptic covers almost all of my wide field, low power needs. I used to own a 12" Dob reflector and used a Denkmeier Powerswitch system with it for a time. It was a bit big and bulky and had balance issues but on a good night it gave some stunning views of the brighter Messiers etc. I never used that setup for planetary viewing though, just low power , rich field stuff mostly. But at nearly 54 i'd grown a bit tired of a big heavy solid tube and decided to downsize to my current 140 & 105mm refractors. I've always enjoyed binocular viewing and took to binoviewing straight away. I can appreciate some observers not really taking to them for one reason or another, but i always think with some perseverance, the end views will far out-way any initial niggles once you've found the right set up, and become accustomed to two eyed viewing. As mentioned they are much more relaxing for extended periods of viewing, where say, you can look at a planet for several minutes at a time, without tiring, waiting for those precious few seconds of steady seeing to come along. A good example of this is watching shadow transits on Jupiter, and even trying to spot the moon itself as it traverses the planet. I also use a dedicated Baader 2" mirror diagonal and have a nice wide field 12.5mm eyepiece that i regularly use with it (mono style) with things like double star viewing, sometimes with a Powermate. I had hoped this would be more beneficial when looking for things like Sirius B Pup or the E & F components in M42's trapezium. So far though, this hasn't really helped in that department. I think a-lot of the reasons are down to UK conditions and my 54 year old eyes !! But whether i do bino (most of the time) or mono, for me i still enjoy the views however i observe. Its always just nice to get out with a scope and enjoy the night sky.

The 2.6gpc 'buys you back' 65mm of focus travel. You may even run out of 'out' focus and have to pull out the diagonal a bit. The 1.7x version you have is actually closer to 1.5x

The bad news is the C9.25 HD has just shot up in price to the tune of £600 or so (roughly 25% increase)

@Grant missed this as i was working..... It it available to watch on any other platform ?

Superb....!! 😀👍🏼

T - 15min Launching 17:10 HRS BST approx

Hi folks, For those interested Blue Origin have another 'New Shepherd' launch (NS-15) happening this afternoon from West Texas, USA Launch is scheduled for 16:56 hrs BST (if all goes to plan) These launches, albeit only test flights are always fascinating to watch, particularly the booster landing. Live feed streaming now. Link below :

To go with the picture (on page 3) of my Uni 18, i recently purchased a second hand, but very nice Planet. It needed a different top plate but Berlebach happily obliged in only 2 or 3 days. Here it is doing a solar session with my 105mm APM + DM4 lightweight mount. I'm very impressed with the stability of the planet.

Excellent. Take a look at M37 in Auriga. Its a magical view through a big refractor......

Hopefully an AP purchase coming up later this year for me..... I'm saving up for one of their highly regarded focal reducers for my TEC Expensive, and i could do with the $USD / £UK exchange rate helping me out a bit.....

I'm not required to send the scope back to APM ; there are making the tube there (Phenolic Kruppax) which will then be shipped to me with the 3.5"FT on it. I then need to carry out a transplant operation with the optic 🤯 but Markus has assured me that its easy. What could possibly go wrong.....? 😃

Well......it may sound slightly crazy, but i've decided to retube it and fit the large 3.5" FT focuser. I want to image with it in the near future and have a full frame camera, so plan to use a large type reducer.

Really nice @Marki I'm sure some beautiful views await you. I have the smaller brother (105/650 : No.509) same tube / rings, handle etc, but with the smaller 2.5" focuser. It will shortly be undergoing 'modification'.

The CPC is very big, very heavy. Its an OTA on a fork mount together in one piece. And it weighs 65lbs. I'd consider an 8" Dob first..........

Nice image & congratulations on your retirement. I'm hopefully only 2 or 3 years away myself......

Fujinon 7x50 or 10x50. I have the 7x50 and optically they are very nice indeed. But they are pretty heavy. I also use Canon is 15x50 and 10x30. I love the stabilisation but feel optically they are quite a bit behind the Fujinons. The Canon's price is crazy now as well.

Still no joy with Sirius i'm afraid and it looks as though it will be another failure this apparition 😒 Had a mono session with a well cooled down Tec140FL , one of those fancy Baader diagonals and a Docter 12.5mm UWA with and without a TV Powermate. Seeing seemed reasonable to me tonight but after about 30 mins of trying i gave up and moved on to other things. I'm pretty sure my optical gear was performing optimally and the TEC is a pretty formidable scope at splitting doubles. However Sirius is a different animal. And is often looking like a Kaleidoscope on a poor night. Sadly i'm concluding my eyesight (53 years and changing for the worse) is simply not up to it. Maybe i should have 'got serious about Sirius' 30 years earlier....!!! 🙃

Welcome to the madhouse 😃

Just seen the new prices on Celestron Edge HD scopes. Open mouthed...........the 8" has gone up by a over third !! It was always priced very temptingly compared to its bigger 9.25 brother. I can't see the economic sense by such a large price rise. Its certainly put me off considering one.

This is where EEVA can come in handy for your own safety if you are on your own in a remote spot. I can remember having an encounter with a cow one night in my old DDAS days at our local dark sky site. My heart was pounding a bit that night......

.........and a flask of hot water

If you're going down the bino-viewer route Nicola, i can't recommend the Baader MaxBright Mk2 highly enough. You'll have no issues with eyepiece undercuts with the Max2. Its great value, has a short lightpath when coupled to the Baader diagonals, and using a GPC will solve any focusing issues.

Derby based Bortle 7 Our 2 EMS 'darksites' are about 20mins and 35mins away ; one near Belper, the other Wymeswold. Both about Bortle 4 on a good night i think.

Something comfortable and practical to sit on while you observe. I use a 'Mey' (from Germany) musicians stool. Like this one : https://www.thomann.de/gb/mey_chair_systems_af6_kl_bk.htm

@Stephenstargazer thanks for the breakdown of charges. I'm sure the taxman is homing in.....🤫 My order was €202 (including shipping) and i had the German vat refunded on checkout so paid €173 I'm surprised the goods were not withheld until i'd paid the extra duties. Every time i've ordered from the US i've had to do this and then was able to pick up my goods. Its a straightforward enough process, but does slow everything down and usually adds about a week on to the wait.