Ratlet

I'm going to have to get to a star party to have a look through some refractors.  I've got an ST80- but it is sitting unloved and unused in a box as the few clear nights have been dominated by the Dob.

I'd quite like to see what the fuss is about.

Good luck folks.  Cloud for miles up here.

36 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Bumping for today.

Still on the waiting list?

2 minutes ago, Knighty2112 said:

Here’s my entry. Really captured that black nebulosity well there ‘eh!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took a lot of time processing it well too! Well pleased with the results!  

I think your focus might be a bit off

Belated update after bedding in, only adding because I can't stand threads that don't reach a conclusion.

An update if anyone finds this and wonders how I got on, the scope is brilliant.  Still getting to grips with the fine detail but it is meachnically sound and wasn't a challenge at all moving from slow mo to nudging.

In terms of getting to grips it is just dialing in the tension and balance on the altitufe so far, a bit like backlash, but that'll come.  Azimuth responds well although I have had a bit of a rock on fine adjustments where it kind of rolls back to the direction it was pushed from, almost like it is rolling up a hill and is rolling back.  I should add that the azimuth problem was only really noticeable at x400 power...

No regrets at all and it takes about the same length of time to setup from my shed as the 130pds did.

Had an unexpected clear spell last night just before 10pm.  Still lots of cloud rolling through so decided to try the Dob on the moon.  Seeing looked pretty good with the 16mm Nirvana (x78), with a steady pulse of distortion rather than a wobble.  The detail was very crisp with lots of detail.  It always surprises me how you can get objects well within the shadow that are completely white and likewise how you can have some craters that are well into the light that have deep shadows.  I was quite impressed by this as the scope hadn't much cool down time, just take out from the shed and stick the fan on.  Maybe 10 minutes whilst I got everything going.

Decided to get silly and popped in my SVBONY 3-8mm zoom.  Viewing was still good at 8mm (x156) so wound it out completely to 3mm (x416) which is a country mile above any previous power I've tried.  There was a lot of nudging involved but there was some fantastic sight to see.  There was one of the craters to the North which showed pronounced ridging along one wall.  Almost like a viennetta ice cream.

Given the intermittent cloud I decided to just tool about and practice finding stuff using navigation points and the inclinometer.  Found M3 again easily enough, however it was suffering somewhat from the moon.  Cor Caroli is a little further north and always worth a gander.  It's a lovely pairing and an easy split.  I love the subtle contrast between the white primary and the yellow secondary.  I notice on sky safari that M94 should be nearby so used the inclinometer to get in the right area and with a little scanning about with the 16mm a fuzzy circle wandered into view.  A very impressive object, and almost like a large planetary nebula.  The core was bright and became brighter still with averted vision.  There was a faint nebulous region around this also.  Despite the moon it looked very much like the sketches.  One to go back to if the moon isn't up I think.

The finished product:

Well the kids are going to be home for Easter which basically means that today is the last chance I have for flocking my Dob till after Easter.  I figured I'd document the method I use, which is advised by the late, great @johninderby and is a brilliant way to keep a handle on the flocking material without it sticking to itself.  The basic idea is to make a template of the inside of the scope (holes and all) out of plastic then stick the flocking to that.  This avoids the joy of trying to stick large sheets of sticky material to the inside of a tube.  It's especially useful for smaller Newtoians such as the 130PDS since it can be hard to get space to work on the inside of the tube on that scope due to the smaller aperture.

Today I am working on a StellaLyra 10" Dobsonian. 

Additional materials:

• some flocking material (enough to do the inside of the scope, it doesn't have to be a single sheet.
• A plastic poster cover big enough to do the whole tube, or at least most of it.  I used A0 for this and it wasn't quite big enough.  It's not a big deal though.
• Some masking tape (or sticky tape if like me you can't find yours which was right here 5 minutes ago)
• A craft knife
• A Hole punch or drill. (Not required but makes it easier)
• Some doublesided tape (May not be required).

The first step is to remove the fittings.  In this case I removed the mirror cell (be careful), the top tube ring, the focuser, secondary and the finder shoe.  I did not remove the altitude pivots as I am weak and could not get the screws out.

The next step is to slide the poster tube inside the OTA.  I like to use the weld to line everything up and one end of the scope to make sure that everything is straight and true.  Use bits of tape (masking tape prefered) to secure the plastic in place.  You want to make sure that everything is snug against the walls of the tube.  A Good tip here is to see if the top ring will fit over the top of the plastic.  In my case it did, in other cases like my 130PDS it didn't.  If it does, do everything flush with the end of the tube.  If it doesn't you'll need to put the top ring back in and do everything flush with this.

Secure it at the ends of the tube as well to make sure it is flush.  You want to make sure it is secured at both ends.

The next step is to go around and mark all the holes and where you need to cut.   Make sure that you are careful here.  Measure twice, cut once.  We can now remove the plastic from the tube and cut it.

Be careful and take your time.  I used a hole punch for the smaller hole and a knife to cut out the larger holes.

Now the tricky bit.  Stick the flocking to the plastic.  It helps to get a hand here.  Take your time and try and avoid air bubbles.  IF you get them and can't get rid of it you can pop it and squeeze the air out.  If like me you need more than one bit, try and get a small overlap.  Doing it on a large flat area is much easier than sticking it to the inside of a tube.  I stuck mine to the textured side of the plastic in the hope that it will provide better adhesion.  I also ended up with a small overhang.  I left the protective plastic on this as we've already established the plastic is too small for the tube in this case so this will help cover the gap.

Next step is to give the flocking a quick hoover to removing any loose fibres and grub from it. 

After this you can install the flocking in the tube.  In my case I used the front end ring and the primary mirror cell to hold the plastic, an alternative would be to use double sided tape.  The small gap which can be seen here can be quickly covered with a thin strip of flocking.  I put mine in with an overlap to make sure none of the paint was visible. 

After this you can reinstall all the jewellery, get the secondary in and collimate with your preferred weapon of choice.  I could probably have flocked the focuser, but I don't think it is critical and I needed to pick up the kids.

So that is basically it.  I think it is easier than trying to stick the flocking to the inside of the tube.  Especially if you have a smaller Newtonian or are not an octopus, although your mileage might vary.  Hopefully this will help someone out!

25 minutes ago, josefk said:

i also scavenge "here and there" with a life saving lightweight set-up. Strictly post chips though otherwise there's a good chance i would have burnt the house down by now! 😂

"Hey Google, set a 15 minute, 16 minute, 17 minute, 18 minute, 19 minute and 20 minute timer and phone the fire brigade in 25 minutes."

As it's my first year, I've never known such good Stargazing.

Seriously though, I survived winter by being an astronomical scavenger.  Learning that the 20 minutes whilst the chips were in the oven was usually clear and taking every opportunity to cook dinner.

17 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I'm guessing much lower violent crime rates in the UK allow the police to investigate laser violations there.  We had a case here where it took police 2.5 hours to respond to a DUI/DWI vehicular accident involving injuries because they prioritize homicide investigations much more highly.

More likely that scoring a prosecution against some old boy in his garden with a laser pointer is an easy win and will look good on the statistics.

I doubt that the edges of the flock would have a significant impact on your views.  I guess in theory it could have an impact but whether you could see it.  You'll know when you have a look.  People run cables over the spider for dew heaters and the impact is negligible so a 0.5mm difference in the height of the edge isn't going to impact much I would say.

I used cheap blackboard paint from the local hardware store to do my secondary and it worked pretty well.  I'm not sure that there is much point using super expensive paints on it as with a large number of them whilst they might be perfectly black head on, at slight angles they aren't.  Flocking on the other hand is black from any direction.

Flocking is pretty easy you can either do the tube directly, or get a plastic poster cover (a la this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261693313857?hash=item3cee231341:g:~SIAAOSwAL9UhfqF&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4Kahr5AZ%2FYjD%2Fk9SSxRW4gaB%2FZo2NglX%2FfIfj%2F22dV8MkWbIulTmsi7RF3nGPn59sV1oQzyDkKrzDWiuEwIXWVuMSVDxVneIjZwg6tTt0J1GocuidSQMFUJYMa7vxxAuBxxtEKvlhaKfBZ2wsu2hti8eTZD39ab7gMrp%2FWii8kR4kOfoBDXhumvkEN4fys%2FJHGMPif00KYG39PzfslbB99z9Fe3bdYL%2FNdGpimeUySuX942VFgfPVdjiVmH1wPWY0Sbz%2F%2FfrgfnPXhWt8dh45T6kIUMVk7Ch1%2B4A8Gch69Bf|tkp%3ABFBMiPq_1-Vh) and cut it to fit the tube and holes first.  Then you lay the plastic out, stick the flock to the plastic and cut the holes out of the flock to match.  The whole lot slides in the tube and the tension of the plastic wanting to unroll keeps it to the tube (or you can use doublesided sticky tape for belt and braces.

Why are you wanting to get the 24mm?  You looking for a wider FOV, sharper image?

4 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

Sounds like a good evening.  I think you meant to type "M3 was underwhelming"?

I'll sort that.  M13 was no good.  M3 was fantastic 😁

Bit of an unexpected session last night with Bob the Dob.  Clear outside said marginal but the seeing was pretty good and there wasn't a cloud in sight.

The Dob gave cracking views of the moon.  Along the terminator was fantastic and there was a wealth of detail on display with the  Nirvana 16mm (x78).  Managed a split of Castor with it as well.  I actually panned over to it with the 30mm and whilst I couldn't immediately get a good split there was a definite orange wart visible.  Colour was just as good with the 16mm but the 12mmBST (x104) was less impressive and both stars looked identical in colour.  I now realise there is a third component.  Whilst I saw a another nearby star, I think I was seeing an unrelated one rather than the true third member.

M67 was really nice.  Clusters are ace.  I wrapped up the session with M3 and M13.  M13 was underwhelming, but was about 20 degrees or so up and I suspect hiding in some low cloud.  M3 was fantastic though.  Spent a good while on it, and you were getting that cracking effect like spilled sugar where it is stars on stars and you can't see black between them but you can still tell they are stars.  I bumped the power up with the 12mm and it was a good way of finishing off the evening.

First light for the astronomy chair.  It worked well, but I might replace the strap with a bit of pole or something as it's a bit of a hassle with the leg closing all the time when I move the chair.

Next session I need to do some experimenting.  Went to the optician today and I've got astigmatism in my right (dominant) eye.  Want to see if it is actually having an effect as I don't wear glasses when observing.  I've ordered some contacts as well so hopefully I'll be rocking them soon to test them out as it's a bit (only a tiny bit) of a hassle having to constantly take my glasses of and on for consulting star charts and observing.

I use an old webcam and a ring to fit it to the 2" focuser to line up and align to mirror.  Then laser.

A man much like myself, except I remembered my old login!

Lots of choice on the small scopes.  You've come to the right place, the only thing astronomers love more than spending money on new kit is spending someone else's 🤣

57 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

(120+250)/2=185mm 😈😂……. Like this…..

https://www.telescopengineering.com/telescope/apo180fl-f-7/

it’s only $19,000 and It’s Fluorite 👍

a mere bagatelle

If memory serves when you would normally put in the address for you bias, just type

=2048

Or 1024 to manually set the bias.

You will probably save a lot of money buying seperately.

Thumb screws for the secondary you'll want 35mm M4 thumb screws.  I got mine from AliExpress and they cost £5 for 3 plus delivery.  Or go for bob knobs.

Flocking from FLO:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-flocking-material/black-velour-telescope-flocking-material.html

Or if you prefer a larger sheet from ebay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323948768387?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=qP72aeW5Tae&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=PvuSuZhdTlO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Personally I stuck my flocking to a plastic poster cover to make something like flockboard.  The tension of the poster cover trying to straighten out keeps it open and it means you can fit the flock without worrying about it sticking in the wrong place:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261693313857?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=EKBTSg_tQPW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=PvuSuZhdTlO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

As to the springs, I'm sure someone will be along shortly to advise of the correct thickness and number of turns.

I use one of the cheapy lasers from Amazon.  They have the adjustment holes filled in with silicone, but easily removed for calibrating at home.  

If you get the plus or pro version of sky safari you can configure it to show the view through the eyepiece as well which is fab for star hopping and framing.  @Coco has his showing a telrad display I believe.

You can get pretty close to the orientation  through the eyepiece in a Newtonian by looking at the display upside down. 

I like the Sky at Night episodes when they go and speak to amatuer astronomers.  It's really fascinating hearing people talk about their setups and their process and why they are doing it.

Don't get me wrong, I like all the exciting cutting edge science bits, but I like my science docs 45 minutes long and with an orchestral sound track (that isn't deafeningly loud).

Mark Radice on Refreshing Views on yourube goes a long way to capturing my favourite bits of Sky at Night.

https://youtube.com/@RefreshingViews

I'm a proponent of waiting and seeing on the eyepiece front. 

6 hours ago, bosun21 said:

This type 

I use this one:

https://www.diy.com/departments/mac-allister-non-foldable-hand-truck-250kg-capacity/1357679_BQ.prd?storeId=&&&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlPWgBhDHARIsAH2xdNfAst_f740Qa8GeonZoF4h27LFUbjvZ7nHQAPO-tClsVaPjM_KLzdcaAmZ0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

So long as it's got the fold out toe plate you should be okay.

Get some bungee chord the hold the tube.  I put some bits of foam pipe lagging on my sack barrow to soften it up.  When I move it I have the tube point towards me and secured by the chords.

You will need longer rubber feet if you get the Stellalyra.  I couldn't find any so I used a few penny washers to act as spacers.

33 minutes ago, FrenchyArnaud said:

@FLO 

About that, HONESTLY! 
I really tried to place FLO even though there obviously was nothing in it for me, because I really appreciate the guys who went above an beyond to let me have a guide camera at a price I could afford lately, and were never dismissive with advise while being aware I bought a part second hand on ebay. 
Unfortunately it turned out you can't even mention a brand! When I tried to mention the scope as a SW130PDS, I was gently pushed to re-word as "a small 5" commercial telescope". 
So the camera was not a Cannon 450D but an old DSLR and the120mm was not a zwo but a guide camera. Etc. 

I can see the reasons why. But that felt a bit limiting

I am hought it was the 130pds.  I should try imaging with mine.  Far too much fun with an eyepiece!