wookie1965

I will try zoom with my Tal if I can not get focus with that may as well sell it on. 

1 minute ago, Sunshine said:

Nice! and a nice list of targets you’ve completed. Did the scope leave a lump on your head?

No luckily what also worked with the views is my mum attached some interfacing material to the front of a hoodie blocks all extraneous light. 

Just now, Sunshine said:

What Vixen is that? 

Vixen 102m

OH what a night Started off with Jupiter just to centre my telrad was not that good as the scope had not cooled but make out one band and 4 moons, at first I thought I had a double image but it was two moons close together.

Once aligned sent it to NGC 457 lovely site right in the centre I could only see the chips when out of focus otherwise pin sharp.

Auriga

 M36,M37 and M38.  M37 sparkled great sight in my 12.5mm

NGC 1664 (Kite)  Lovely open cluster.

59 Aur  (SAO 0595 71) Mags of 6.1 + 10.2  Sep of 22.2",   did not expect to get this but with a 6.5mm Pale yellow with a dot at its side.

14 Aur  (SAO 0577 99) Mags of 5.0 +11.1/5.0 + 7.3 Sep  of  10" + 14.1,  Yellow and blue could not see third component 

Bogardus  θ Aur  (SAO 0586 36)  Mags of 2.7 + 7.2 Sep of 3.8"  and mags of 2.7 + 10.1 Sep of 135.3",  White and Olive with a tiny dot far away 

ω Omega Aur  (SAO 0575 48) Mags of 5.0 +8.2 Sep 4.7", Orange/yellow touching a blue star.

26  Aur   (SAO 0582 80) Mags of 5.5 + 8.4 Sep 12.1"  lovely Yellow and Blue pair

41 Aur (SAO 0409 24) Mags of 6.2 + 6.9 Sep 7.6", pair of pale Yellow nearly twin stars.

Tegmine ξ Cancri  (SAO 0976 45) As the scope had cooled now wanted to try this and nearly got it peanut shape with a tiny waist but not a split.

Coma Berenices

Σ 1633    (SAO 0822 54) Mags of 7.0 + 7.1 Sep 8.9", Pair of off White twins

24 Com  (SAO 1001 60) Mags of 5.1 + 6.3 Sep 20.1", lovely Orange and Blue pair

Σ 1685   (SAO 1003 07) Mags of 7.3 + 7.8 Sep 16", Aqua and line pair.

32/33 Com (SAO 1003 11) Mags of 6.5 +7.0 Sep of 195.6", Pale Orange and a off White pair.

Σ1639      (SAO 0822 93) Mags of 6.7 +7.8 Sep 1.7",  white and lime pair only split with a 4mm at x 250

17 Com    (SAO 0823 30) Mags of 5.2 + 6.6 Sep 146.2",  White and Blue White pair.

ΟΣ 266   13h 28.4m  +15° 43‛ Mags of 8.0 +8.4 Sep 2"  Both Lime used 6mm to see a comfortable split.

Canes Venatici

"La Superba"  (SAO 0443 17) Wow really bright red cinder lovely

2CVn      (SAO 0440 97) Mags of 5.9 + 8.7 Sep 11.3",  Ruddy red with silver dot

Σ1645   (SAO 0441 87) Mags 7.5 + 8.1 Sep 9.6" , Pair of off White stars.

α CVn (Cor Coroli)  (SAO 0632 57) Mags of 2.9 + 5.5 Sep 19.3", Bright White with Blue/Green pair 

16/17  (SAO 0633 80) Mags of 6.0 + 6.3 Sep 277.5", Very wide pair Off White and a Blue white stars.

Σ261  (SAO 0633 96) Mags of 7.4 + 7.6 Sep 2.6", Blue whit twins split with a 6mm

Σ 1755 (SAO 0635 93) Mags of 7.3 + 8.1 Sep 4.2", Straw and ice Blue coloured stars here.

M3  Lovely patch but no resolved stars 

after this I stood up banged my head on the scope knocking it out of alignment went to align it again and power pack died gave up then still a great session.

Only one problem I could focus with a 4mm but when putting in the Svbony 8-3mm zoom it would not focus very strange.

Paul

 First night with the Vixen would still be out if my power pack hadn't died. 

I waited up until 10.45pm as it said it would be clear from 9pm as I had been up early like every morning 4.50am could not keep my eyes open. Come down this morning son left me a note saying when he came in at 12.30am it was clearer than he has seen it in months, checked and I was well away and he didn't want to disturb me.

So a session missed until I dont know when.

34 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

Can't see the chips!    🙂

No Peter like you said really happy with the clarity and sharpness thank you.

Just a couple more. 

If the images I have got up to x125 in this scope on the sun it's going to be brilliant on double stars. 

Herschel solar wedge, polarising filter various eyepieces, 12.5mm, 10mm, 8mm and both of my zooms. 

A warm welcome to SGL and some cracking pictures there.

Wow lovely set up. 

Just got this thanks to Mark (callisto) cannot wait to try it on the sun. 

33 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Thanks Paul I appreciate your comment and it was a great shame you couldn't make it, but one of these days.

It is a lovely scope and I count myself fortunate to have got it , but the reality is that I almost certainly see no more than you do with your scopes.

Take care

Thanks Steve I was really looking forward to it, not done any astro since the first week in December, when I found out about this it gave me a nudge to try and sort myself out and stop feeling so bad, I had motivation. 

My son looked at car last night and said best get a mechanic I rang a friend and sent him a video so cambelt change now £400 what could I have bought with that money. 

Gutted beyond belief been feeling terrible all day. Arr well there is always next year if I am here. 

5 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Thanks Mike.

My concerns about it not being stark white but creamy , something I have not seen before on a Vixen, do not matter because there will be none of the original accessories on it.

What a scope I can only dream of something like that.

2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Underwhelming is being kind. I have to say I found the venue and the number of vendors somewhat disappointing. Even the food on offer wasn't what we've been used to, with dry bread with either fatty bacon or the healthier sausage option. I had sausage on a dry bap with what I think was coffee.  That aside, I had chance to meet up with saganite (Steve), who may not be heard from again once his dearly beloved finds out what he's bought. And Alan W and paulastro was there too, making up a small group of SGLers.

I did manage to buy a couple of eyepieces I've been after for a while. Now I have the full range! And also joined the Society for the History of Astronomy, and received a nice welcome pack, a hand full of free magazines and I also bought a couple of second hand books that caught my eye.

I would of loved to have been there could not take the chance on a 200mile round trip with a dodgy water pump been quoted £400 for it to done with a new cambelt.

Well I am gutted I cannot get there had a knocking on the car its either the alternator pully or the cambelt pulleys neither of which I want to be doing a 200mile trip. So trip to the garage Monday morning. 

I was so looking forward to this been really down for a while now not being able to get out because of the weather and medical problems.

Well chaps its the water pump so definitely cambelt change. 

Loads of action cracking drawings Nick. 

Wow that's how you do them brilliant. 

Absolutely brilliant sketches really captured alot of detail there. 

@Stu (Cotterless45) could not remember his password lol. 

1 minute ago, dweller25 said:

Is the crown at the front of the scope, facing incoming light ?

Yes it is the light will hit the crown first before going into the flint on its way to the focuser. 

11 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

@wookie1965

Just for clarity here is a diagram of how the lens arrangement should be, with the crown facing the stars…..

Yes that is what I have now, the flint has 2 pieces of scotch magic tape the third position looks like a piece of tinfoil. 

A devil to keep in place but managed it. 

3 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

 In a Fraunhoffer it's usual for the front Crown element to be convex on both surfaces, while the rear Flint element has a concave surface facing forward while the rear facing surface looks almost Flat, though it isn't. If the flint is forward you may have spherical aberration.

The flint has a flat back and concave front pointing forward the crown to be honest does have two convex surfaces one more so than the other, what flummoxed me was the lens where marked and as most people would do I had the arrows pointing at each other.

Whoever opened it must not be an astronomer as I would think 99.9% would mark them up pointing at each other not both the same way. 

31 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

Perfectly reasonable to have the markings pointing outwards as that is the direction they face.  However, the convention is usually to have the arrows facing each other as the apex of both then also determines the radial location.     🙂

It was dweller25 who said try it and I thought someone else may have marked them that way it was worth a try. 

3 hours ago, dweller25 said:

Result 👍🙂

It was you who suggested flipping the mirror over so both arrows point out not the way I would of marked it but there it is, it was the only configuration left. the person who had it before cut  the back off the little cap on the dust cap  and put solar film in so before I got the wedge out I pointed it at the Sun and just looked through all blurred but when I started to focus I could see the spots I was doing a jig all around the garden.

Put the wedge in and the celestron zoom focused I could not believe how good it looked went down to 8mm and was still focused there were a few whoops of joy I must say.

Cannot wait now get a session in the dark.

Well ladies and gentleman the scope is fixed. I am very surprised that the arrows both point the same way on the glass but its working now.

Thank you everyone that has replied and helped really appreciate it.

Paul