bingevader

Aw, I was hoping this was going to be your second entry! Splitting the double with Steve's bionic eye!

But surely the universe is flat, just like the earth?! 😉 Then there must be an edge!? 🙃😄

Oh, yes! I have that too!

I have an 8" F6 dob too and I am enjoying my gradual transition to 82º EPs. Maybe it is the 'gradual' transition that has made the difference? With several of the EPs I have other people have suggested that there are difficulties. I'm very fortunate not to have experienced them. I have the 7mm, but not the 16mm, because I already have a 14mm and that's lovely. The wider FOV does take a little getting used to and yes, you do have to move your head to get the full FOV. I hope you find a solution, or settle on a FOV that you are more comfortable with.

I don't have a vast collection and only clean when absolutely necessary, so BWF has been a good investment as it does what it says on the bottle. Unless you are desperate, and planning on mixing it in large quantities with tonic, ice and lemon, then you should be fine.

And then I forgot to ask! Don, do you notice any deleterious effects of any of the ingredients on the lens coatings? I use BWF too btw, sparingly.

You need a good make-up remover, Don, not a lens cleaner!

Is this a, nearly Easter, raising the dead thread post?! 🤣

My etx90 is compact, I wouldn't call it small in what it enables me to see. It's the one that goes on holiday with me and is out in the garden when friends are over. We use two 70mm refractors in school which although not 'decent' are priceless. I'm not sure what 'small' refractor the child is using in the picture though, it looks enormous! And I'd struggle to the see representations through my 8", let alone the 70mm! No mention of Galileo or Newton (or Zucchi) and their phenomenal discoveries through small 'scopes, but the sentiment is good.

Sorry, missed this! Happy birthday to you! Don't do Facebook, but will have a look at the website. I'm just down the road, but we have sessions in a school in Bridgend and would be interested in access to a darker location. I'm hoping to get them out to me when things ease a little!

I agree with John, unless it was purchased very recently, then that does seem a lot for a second hand 200P!

Yes I do! I just rotated your drawing same as Carole has done. I don't think you are being fair on yourself to say that it doesn't seem to look anything like the star charts. I just pulled it up in Stellarium, and would consider your sketch a pretty good match. :)

Looks good to me.

Sorry, couldn't let this pass for those on a budget! At half the price, my useless, poor ES UHC filter has enabled me to see the Veil Nebula! Stick to the useful, good filters if you can afford them, by all means.

Could be a very canny props person who will be very happy to rehouse it once the filming is finished? 🤔

I only have two half tidy filters! 😆 They're both still stored in their filter cases, in their original boxes! 🤣

Thanks Steve, but I am being an awkward so and so and would like pneumatic (on grass) and something that didn't increase the height too much. Which is why I am still looking! Nice. had to look it up.

WOW! No 'man-up juice' required! I'm not a small man and I very rarely lift my 8" dob and base in one piece. Wheels maybe? I'm looking to add some to mine, but haven't quite found what I am looking for yet.

I'd keep the dob and buy something smaller. As people have said, an equivalent setup probably won't be much lighter. A smaller setup would be one you could use more often with the dob for the "dob" nights. I suppose that this is how I function at the moment. Life, family and work mean that I don't get out as often as I'd like to. However, some nights I just go out and look up, some I take out the binos, some I use the etx90, but then if I go out and it looks like a "dob" night, then I get out the dob!

Hello Again. As people have suggested, try it outside first, in the day time, pointing away from the sun. Use the 20mm eyepiece and point at something in the distance, a chimney pot or aerial or church steeple. Turn the focuser slowly through the whole length, all the way in to all the way out, until the object is in focus. If the draw tube is moving, the eyepiece is in place and all dust caps are removed, then you should be able to focus on something.

Just not on the sun!

We have a 'scope with the same spec in school. It's lovely on the moon. With the 20mm inserted and nothing else, it should be fine. The finderscope is a pit poop, (best set up in the day, by focusing the 'scope on a distant object and the adjusting the finder) but on the moon, with the 20mm, you should be able to find it by just moving the telescope around until the moon is in the field of view. Best not to try observing from inside the house! Try turning the focus knob so the eyepiece moves all the way in and then turn it slowly out until the moon comes into focus.

Just seen a few crackers! Went to put the rubbish out and there was a big break in the clouds. Saw half a dozen with a couple of really long slow burners. Fantastic!

Congratulations! From small sparks, neutron stars are created!

If Starry Nights came with the 'scope, it would be worth a look, it's not cheap otherwise. Stellarium in free. It's what I use, mostly. I do have Celestron's Sky Portal on my phone, which is good.