Alf Fraser

Did my eyes deceive me or did I see a comet tonight? Looked out of our window this evening at about 19:00 and saw what I thought must be Venus. Got the binoculars out and it appeared to me to be a comet with 2 tails, the main one with a pronounced curve. It was low down and set within about 10 mins. I know there is one due to be visible about now, but I haven't heard much about it recently. What I saw was extremely bright and if it id the expected comet, I'm very suprised I haven't heard more about it in the press.

Didn't have a good night either, though it looks like northerners had a better time than southerners, Went out before sunset to set up scope and thought I'd check out the moon which was fine, Excelent though variable views which improved as it got darker. Thought the 'scenery' on offer was pretty good actually. Some of the time got reasonable views with 7mm lens, other times got severe wobles with a 32mm - seems a lot to do with vapour trails from jets, Tried alligning and had variable success with this also. Did solar system align with the moon before sunset and tracked it for ages but later on tried 2 start alligns with Pollux and Arcturus, then Mizar and Pollux but never seened to get it quite right. I find the red spot too bright and it seems a bit hit and miss. Got it perfect the other night but struggled last night, Gave up long before Saturn was an option.....Wanted a look at M65 but didn't budget for the moon..... Source: Mildly underwealmed

Hi, I'm Al. Chuffed to be able to talk to you all. I used to be into astronomy in the 60s/70s when I was a kid, lapsed, but now my brain's recovered (in some ways) and I've redeveloped my interest in being extraordinarily cold and uncomfortable at night..... As a teenager, my parents provided me with a 70's 60mm refractor and I loved it. I've been doing some research and I've Just ordered a Celestron 8SE. I'm hoping this willl at least match the refractor I used to own. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something to reignite the old interest. Looking for an eyepice that will give me goood viewing of deep space objects with this scope. 25mm comes with the telescope + I've ordered a 7mm Celestron x-cel which I anticipate willl be great for planets under the right conditions. What I'd like to know is, I've got a budget for 1 more eyepiece and I'd like to use it for deep space objects. I'm inclined towards an 18mm but what do you, experienced chaps think?