Ganymede12

I tried blowing some of it off with a little hand pump thingy I have (not sure what it’s called). Everything in the photo is stuck on. I just took it outside and it was *just* about able to make out the Leo Trio and maybe also the pinwheel galaxy (though I’m not sure if my brain was just seeing what it wanted to with the latter). If it needs cleaning, how best to go about it?

Thanks for the speedy reply Hallingskies!

Hey guys, It’s been a long while since I’ve been active here, or even been out with my telescope. I looked at my Skyliner 200p’s mirror and it’s collected a lot of dust since I’ve been away from it. Does this much dust warrant a cleaning with water or should I just leave it be?

That's no moon...

Thank you! I’ll certainly give this a look. ?

So I just got out my telescope for the first time in a good few months and after coming back inside I’ve found my mirror to be looking rather dusty. I didnt check the mirror beforehand, so I don’t know if this happened when I brought it back in just now or if this dust accumulated while I was in Uni. I’m trying to fight the urge to remove the mirror and wipe it clean but I know that could scratch it and mike things words. Does this mirror look too dusty to you guys? Should I just leave it as is? (The telescope is a Skyliner-200p dob).

Hey guys! So I'm not at all new to SGL but I've always been in the South Wales group. Although admittedly I'm not as active in the forums as I used to be. Anyway, last September I started studying at the University of Leicester (studying Geology) and it's only now occurred to me to check out the SGL group for the area. I don't get to observe as much as I used to. I joined the Uni's AstroSoc which has so far had just one observing meet and I do have a telescope with me (Heritage 130). I either bus or walk everywhere so if I do go out to use it it'll probably be local. It'd be great to get to know a few of you!

Just had a rather surreal conversation with Dr. Paul Abel of Sky at Night. He's a lecturer here at Leicester University and I wanted to thank him for name dropping the place when I met him a few years back. I also showed him a book I've acquired which has "Stolen by Patrick Moore" written on the inside cover. He confirmed that the writing wasn't his but did tell me that Sir Patrick once said that, if he had done a course at uni, it would've been geology. We also talked about the Ashen lights on account of his latest S@N article.

I can already confirm that Earth collided with a small planet called Thea and that the Moon is made from de Brie. ?

Although I have not been on in a while and haven't had the telescope out in a good while I want to share that I have been accepted into Leicester University for a BSc in Geology. ? The first thing I'll be doing is joining their Astronomical Society that gives its members access to the Uni's telescopes and hosts observing meets and other activities. Dr. Paul Abel lectures their, which is also a plus. Unfortunately I haven't made it to an SGL observing session but I'll be on the forums still, even if you kick me out of the SWVG and I have to join an England based group on the forum! ?

How about next to a Jaffa Cake?

I had an idea for a design for a solar filter in which I put a large sun sheild on the front so that if the telescope moves then the sun won't pass through the sides. I'd also wrap the tube itself as well anyway. Would that work? Oh, and what material should I wrap the flexitube part of the OTA in?

After a bit of a forced break from astronomy I have returned. And to help I've bought a Heritage-130P!

Thanks for sharing! I'll give it a look in. Edit: It looks like the Podcast is still going under the new name "SpaceTime".