DirkSteele

Nicely done.

Seriously! Can you imagine? I told the management to install a telescope. Their lodge in Namibia has a 12” LX200 so they do know about astronomy. I did a lot while I was there. Probably have another three write ups to do based on my observing log.

My signature would indicate that I am fairly well placed to speak about them given I own four of them, being the 105mm f/6.2, the 115mm f/7, the 130mm f/9.25 and the 180mm f/7. If we are speaking about the scopes with LZOS lenses (from Russia), then the quality of the scopes is as good as anything you can buy from any of the premium manufacturers such as TEC, Takahashi or AstroPhysics Inc. The build quality is great and they use Feathertouch focusers which are as good as it gets. I have not really had any experience with their non-LZOS scopes but I imagine they are also very good.

Thanks. I think the experience of star hopping for almost 30 years came into its own on this session, which gave me the time to actually stop and study each cluster rather than rushing to the next. But if I am honest, this might be the most successful star hops I have done in a long time, with very few missed targets and random searches. It was almost as if the stars aligned....

Armed with only a 3" scope, but under a Bortle Class 2 sky (limiting magnitude of +7) on Benguerra Island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mozambique, I attempted to observe every globular in Ophiuchus, which is second only to Sagittarius in number of GCs, in a single session while on holiday in July. Observing report is on the link below. It is quite a long one so you might want your favourite beverage while you read whether I was successful or not. http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2019/08/04/observing-every-globular-cluster-in-ophiuchus-in-a-single-session/ Three inch aperture is not that much, but when the zodiacal light is this bright only 80 minutes after sunset, you might have a chance.... Feedback always appreciated.

If you intend to transport the fragile optical components in the hold of an aircraft, I would think nothing less than a Peli case would do (or similar other brand offering). I would still be a bit nervous about doing that as they are called baggage "throwers" for a reason. I have taken a Peli 1510 in the cabin for long haul no trouble with a 4" refractor in it. Tripod and mount can go in the hold. Plus a Pelican case is a potential theft target as it is clearly holding something more valuable than clothes. Can I assume you are taking the 130PDS? Perhaps if you dont think you can take the whole scope in the cabin, you could remove the primary mirror and take that as carry on to keep it safe and just install and collimate at your destination?

I think it is quite popular in Japan (hence why Taks come with so many extension tubes!). I rarely do it as it is not super comfortable, but I have been known to pull out the diagonal if I am going for something super tough (usual a double split) and want as little junk between me and the wavefront coming in.

The most amazing Google Doodle I have ever seen to mark the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Includes a wonderful 4 minute narration from Michael Collins. Definitely worth a watch.

The &Beyond lodge on Benguerra Island in Mozambique. Latitude is -22 so Saturn crosses the Meridian at the Zenith. Light pollution maps classify as a Bortle 2 sky but it is only just missing being a class 1 by 0.01 (21.99 va 22) on the SQM reading. So it is rather good for a spot of astronomy.

This is the kind of view one could get used to after a long stargazing session that concluded with a sunrise. More DSOs than I can count, plenty of bright meteors with persistent trails, and even grabbed M42 which is rather early in the season. That bright star in the top right is Rigel.

Pleased to report a split with my Tak FC-76 at 90x, which just revealed the tiny grey-green secondary. Seeing was exceptional and Antares was at about 75-80 degree altitude. Which clearly helped a lot... However, a second attempt a few days later ended in failure. Better transparency but poor seeing and I could not see the secondary even at almost 200x, with the primary dancing all around. Was a night for DSOs.

I would not fixate too much on the transmission. Given the glass path length (glass absorbs light as it passes through) in the WX and the number of air to glass surfaces, it was unavoidable that transmission would be in the 80s. From what I have read of performance, no one has complained about image brightness. I would love to try them but given they weigh so much, I am not sure they would be for me as they defeat what I see as the primary advantage of bins, that they are truly grab and go in a way no telescope can be. They certainly feel like an exercise of “because we could” rather than “whether we should” but that does not make the achievement any less amazing.

I know it is a bit of a cheat but I am heading down to an island off the coast of Mozambique so I will have a crack when I am down there. My defense is I will only have a 3" aperture to assist me. Trying to recall if I have ever even attempted it in the UK.

Pulcherrima translates more or less as "most beautiful" and is reportedly what Struve said when he split Izar for the first time. Definitely an appropriate turn of phrase for a wonderful double star.

I am pretty sure when I joined SGL back in 2012 there would have been two scopes in my signature with one more on its way. And that speaks nothing of the new mounts and EPs since then. 👇

This is where I keep going in Namibia. Does not get much better than that. This is where I went on my Honeymoon. This is where I am going on holiday this year. Why do I go to these places?? Because of this!!!! Welcome to central London....

A 76mm tube ring fits perfectly around the 2" Feathtouch and then you are free to mount the finder on it and position as you require. See below for my Tak FC-76 solution. Edit: I see Mark beat me to the punch.

If my 130 were alive it would be convinced I don’t like it. I have probably managed about 6 hours with it since taking delivery. The reality is the last 8 months have been a bit of a disaster for astronomy. First I ended up in hospital (all better now) and since then work has been super busy such that I have only stargazed I think 4 times this year. I suspect that is why I have written up two of those sessions to feel like I am doing a bit more astronomy than I really am. Luckily though a holiday to an island off the coast of Mozambique is coming up and my FC-76 is coming so hopefully that will make up for some lost time.

My wife's family gifted us a weekend away in a wonderful little cottage in Stone in Oxney in Kent. Despite a wet Saturday day time, the forecast for the evening and night looked very promising so I took long my 4.5" refractor. It proved to be a night of globular clusters and a few surprises. Observing report on the link below: http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2019/05/18/a-night-of-astronomy-in-stone-in-oxney-in-kent/ The scope all set up and ready to go, with not a cloud in sight. Clear Skies!

Bit more of an informal club, but the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers in London has a real mix in both age and gender. I imagine the average age is somewhere in the late 30s to early 40s, and while we have plenty pushing into their 50's and 60's, we also get quite a few in their late teens and twenties. While there are certainly more men, on any one month perhaps 25-40% will be female.

You might want to start a new thread for that question to make sure plenty of SGL members see it.

I was in Kent over this past weekend and had a scope with me. Seeing was awful on the Saturday evening. Moon looked like it was being viewed under water and usual double star splits like Izar and Double-Double were proving very difficult!

There are dedicated scope covers available. Here is a comprehensive list from one manufacturer. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telegizmos-telescope-covers.html

There is a reason why this is a chance card in my space Monopoly.... However, in all seriousness, it is a risk we all run every time we observe on all but the very clearest of nights, such is the speed at which rain clouds can roll in. A few drops of rain will not do any lasting damage, but certainly don't abandon your scope to the inclement weather. I personally have a zero tolerance attitude to rain risk. The moment I feel a drop, I will either move the OTA to safety, or use my weather proof telescope cover to protect the scope and mount if cover is not immediately available (star party for example). If the mount is too heavy to move second, it will go under the cover. I also move the scope back to a horizontal position so there is less chance water droplets will make contact with the optics while I grab the cover.