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Nicola Fletcher

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Posts posted by Nicola Fletcher

  1. I went last week and absolutely loved it too. So interesting to see what the astronauts did with their ‘free time’ on the moon. I think I found the footage from the missions after Apollo 11 the most interesting- I had never seen it before!

    I am glad they’re extending the run - especially since it was made especially for that theatre!

    • Like 1
  2. 18 minutes ago, paulastro said:

    I agree with you Nicola.  But if I was lucky enough to be able to go to the S hemisphere I'd take  something smaller than I use at home  perhaps my four inch triplet or 130PDS.

    That would be amazing.  I would probably choose another top scope if I was able to travel with something bigger. Problem is, there’s a risk with a bigger scope that you might have to check it in. I don’t know if I could cope with the stress of that. If my 4” was airline portable that would be ideal - but I just don’t think it is.  There is zero hassle associated with the 3” that splits in two and goes in my camera bag with my camera and can be mounted on a photo tripod. It also weighs practically nothing. My ears always prick up though when I hear of people bringing bigger scopes on trips away!

    • Like 1
  3. 14 minutes ago, paulastro said:

    Not necessarily, users of other makes and apertures of scope just don't feel the need to go on about them all the time. 

    Personally, I'd prefer to have something with more aperture that was more useful for deep sky as well as planets and double stars 😊.

     

     

     

     

    I know what you mean, but at the end of the day no dob is getting on a plane to go to dark skies in other parts of the world. I hope to go to the southern hemisphere some day and have my trusty little 3” with me. Not as good as the 12” dob for sure, but it gets a lot more use. It’s also great for those nights when you’ve to get up for work the next day and you just want a quick session with practically zero setup and cool-down time. My dob has literally blown me away with incredible views of deep space objects but the little one can give it a run for its money under truly dark skies.

    • Like 3
  4. I don’t know what I’d do if someone told me I had to choose between my FC76DCU and my FC100DZ refractors. Both are fabulous, top quality scopes. I love to travel and I bring the FC76 almost everywhere, but the 4” is just a great all-round, grab and go scope with that extra bit of aperture that makes it great to use at home.

    If I had to choose one of the two now, I think I’d keep the FC76, but I think when I stop travelling so much, the DZ will come out on top. I hate to even say that!

    • Like 4
  5. I hope you have a fantastic time Steve and I’m sure your wife will be there with you in spirit. I will be keeping my fingers crossed that you see some aurora.  You will certainly see fabulous scenery and you might end up ‘collecting’ waterfalls - they are all so beautiful! If you can, stop at Bruarfoss waterfall - the water is blue!. Also Sólheimajökulsvegur glacier - well worth the trip down south to see it. IMG_9658.thumb.jpeg.e8cf90733c6be3785cf411d7f2dc5e80.jpegIMG_9724.thumb.jpeg.81042825d4680e775af53a5ebffb2e36.jpeg

    IMG_9712.jpeg

    • Like 1
  6. 1 hour ago, Highburymark said:

    Four for me.
    Takahashi TSA-120 is my main, does everything scope; Tak Epsilon 130d is my night vision scope (and testing how badly eyepieces perform at F/3.3): TV85 is for solar Ha, travel, and daytime use. And the little Tecnoski 60ED is for light travel and daytime use. 

    406637BB-404F-4AB4-B156-831407933211.jpeg

    Lovely to see an Epsilon - maybe it’s because I’m not an imager but there don’t seem to be many about. You should put a photo on the Show us your Tak thread!

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  7. 1 hour ago, DirkSteele said:

    Forecast was not promising last night for the monthly Baker Street Irregular Astronomers star party in Regent’s Park so I decided to just take the baby. And then loaded him up with an eyepiece that weighs almost as much as he does….

    IMG_4736.thumb.jpeg.610813c957c0610c10721627a82a3633.jpeg

    That’s absolutely brilliant 😂 talk about confusing members of the public - ‘Where do I look?’ Is a valid question! 

     

    11 hours ago, dweller25 said:

    Overall I did not like the M210 as much as the M180 as it was frustrating to use.

    I’m glad you think that @dweller25. I had a hard time choosing between the two. I read everything online that I could and went for the 180. Cool-down time and mounting requirements were my biggest concerns. I got a clear plastic box for the scope and I just put it outside a few hours before use. I really like the fan on the front of it too and will get one for it. In the end, it would be ideal to try these scopes before you buy one but unfortunately I don’t have any neighbours that have both a 180’ and 210! 🙄58F9213F-79C0-49A1-A557-F71D991203BC.thumb.jpeg.926c5f4f984114510aad92f17813c640.jpeg

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  8. 9 hours ago, Cjg said:

    Show your Mum @Stu’s post. 🤣 He’s definitely ‘taken one’ for the forum / astro community in general, being on the way to having a different scope for each day of the month🤣

    I actually can’t wait for the weekend, until I see her, to show her! I’ve nothing compared to many people on this forum 😂

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1
  9. 1 hour ago, Stu said:

    I should probably just plead the fifth here…..

    Currently it sits at 16, with two additional projects yet to be completed.

    EDIT Fogot my Omni 120mm so that’s 17 😬

    Most used are the FC-76DCU, FC100DC, FS-128, 8” f8, 16” and the two PST mods. I should really move a few on, but there are some comparisons I want to make between the ST and LT 80mm, some are kept for sentimental type reasons (Telementor and Alkor) and some like the Genesis and FL102S I just need to use more! Clouds!!! 🤬


    Zeiss Telementor

    TAL Alkor

    77mm f11.8 Hilkin

    ST80

    LT80AZ

    FS-60Q

    FC-76DCU

    FC-100DC

    Genesis

    FL102S

    Vixen 102mm PST Mod

    Celestron Omni 120mm XLT

    FS-128

    AstroSystems 150mm f6

    150mm f10 PST Mod

    Orion Optics 8” f8

    16” f4.2 Truss Dob

     

    150mm f10 Project

    12” f6 (Nichol Mirror set) Truss dob

    This is a great post @Stu for demonstrating to my family that my five scopes could get a whole lot worse. Thank you! 😂

    PS. That really is an amazing collection.

    • Haha 4
  10. My new Mewlon 180C double mounted with an FC100DZ on an AZ-EQ5. I’m still not sure if I like this mount. I’ve started using it in tracking only mode rather than GoTo which is better. The very quick session with the Mewlon was fantastic though - barely first light as the clouds rolled in but M42 and the Pleiades looked fantastic, and the double cluster with the 41mm Panoptic was the best view I’ve ever had of this target. I’m looking forward to getting to know this beautiful scope a lot better!

    IMG_9771.jpeg

    IMG_9764.jpeg

    • Like 13
  11. I’m just back from a week in Iceland and unfortunately didn’t see any Aurora. However the Golden Circle is fantastic, as well as a drive along the south coast taking in the glacier and waterfalls as far as Vik. We stayed at Horel Ranga which has an observatory and Aurora wake up calls (and wonderful food and a beautiful hotel!). Although there was lots of snow about, driving was easy as the roads were cleared and we had no problems getting around the parts of the country we visited. There was a nice amount of darkness with truly spectacular sunrises and sunsets. We had plenty of clear skies - we were just unlucky not to see the Aurora. I might have to visit again in October based on the recommendations you have had already!
     

    However, I was also in Finland last year in late March and I absolutely loved it. We stayed at Arctic Skylight Lodge in their glass cabins and I saw unbelievable Aurora. The food and atmosphere there was so beautiful and I definitely recommend Finland which I think is a bit underrated as an Aurora destination. I’ve attached a few photos of the cabin and some iPhone snaps of the Aurora - one taken through the cabin roof. I do think the cabin made a big difference as we could watch the sky for any aurora without going outside and it meant we didn’t miss any of it. IMG_7377_Original.thumb.jpeg.71a5185452d4758644b48cbd25e1ebd9.jpegIMG_7427.thumb.jpeg.648e0441d284b8a749c0523af6a484f7.jpegIMG_7424.thumb.jpeg.10704fef56b4b4021fafacec39b87e25.jpeg

    • Like 7
  12. I have five, which my mum thinks is way too many and I think is almost enough:

    1. A Takahashi FC76-DCU refractor - my favourite and used all the time.

    2. An Altair Astro 102 ED-R refractor 

    3. A Takahashi FC100DZ refractor 

    4. A 12” Explore Scientific Ultralight dob

    5. A Takahashi Mewlon 180C Dall Kirkham - new and has only been out for one session so far.

    These are all complementary apart from the two 4” apos but I love both of them so much I can’t bear to part with one!

    • Like 11
  13. There are some really excellent resources listed here, thank you! I am also hoping to observe and sketch all of the Messier objects and am patiently working on them bit by bit through the clouds. I have decided not to limit my observing to one scope, but to try and take the time to properly sketch each object every time I am out observing. This means the views will vary from a 3” refractor to a 12” dob, but I am trying to make multiple sketches of some objects using several scopes on different nights. 

    I am also using Mallas’ book and Stephen James O’Meara’s Messier book, but to organise the objects by season, I’ve been using the RASC website which is very useful: http://www.messier.seds.org/xtra/similar/dataRASC.html.

    • Like 3
  14. Thanks for posting details of your setup. I agree that the FC76-DCU is a very special scope and a wonderful travel scope too. 
    I am planning on adding the CQ 1.7x extender to mine at some stage, and I think the longer scope looks very classy with the extender. I use mine as a super portable setup and take it all over the world, so I haven’t felt the need to change the focuser, and I usually pack a 1.25” Tak prism diagonal and three eyepieces, together with a simple red dot finder. This keeps it as lightweight as possible.  
    I love the versatility of this great little scope that gives such fantastic views for its aperture.

    • Like 6
  15. I love how, when I joined as an absolutely clueless - ahem - person, people were so helpful and I could tell that very experienced members were happy to take the time to answer my basic questions.

    Now, it's a friendly place to spend some time reading about lots of different astro goings on, and occasionally chipping in if I feel like I have something to contribute. There's almost no backbiting or snide comments, and they are not tolerated anyway. SGLers are also amazing at helping to solve issues with kit or observing etc. I would have been lost several times when I couldn't get my new scope to come to focus or my new mount had a misaligned worm wheel or whatever you call it. 

    Mostly, I feel like SGLers are people I would really get on with in person, and I very much enjoy our conversations!

    • Like 13
  16. Thank you all very, very much for the replies. This is absolutely brilliant.

    I think I am pretty much sold on Ethos. I really like Televue and all of my other EPs (apart from the Baader zoom) are Naglers and Panoptics.


    @The60mmKid, interesting question about the zoom. I’ve definitely used it at 24mm and I think I still didn’t like it compared to the 22mm Nagler, but I haven’t compared it to any of the 1.25 higher power TVs that I have. I’ll do a proper comparison next time.


    I appreciate the very different focal lengths of the two scopes which will have different requirements. I’ll try to sort out the dob first. Thank you @Don Pensack for your advice - I’ll go for the 10mm and 6mm first, then treat the Mewlon to the 13mm!  I KNEW this was going to be expensive!

     

    • Like 4
  17. Hello all,

    I'm looking for a (relatively) high power, 2”, widefield EP for my 12” dob primarily, but also for my new Mewlon 180C. Given their relatively narrow field of view, I think Ethos would be my preferred EPs for this. For the dob, I mainly use a 22mm Nagler and a Baader 8-24mm Zoom. The scope is f/5 and I don’t use a Paracorr. I’m not overly impressed with the zoom in the dob - it’s fine in my refractors but the image seems grainy in the dob, and not as nice as the views with the Nagler which are wonderful.

    With the Mewlon, I’m planning on using a Baader 2” visual back, Baader 2” BBHS mirror diagonal, 22 Nagler and 41 Panoptic. To stay with 2” for both telescopes, I was deliberating between a 6, 8, 10 or 13mm Ethos. I could get a Powermate as well to maximise the value from one EP.

    I’d really appreciate your advice on which to go for!

     

  18. I suppose I’ve just done that (maybe), by buying a Mewlon 180C. I’m hoping for a semi-grab and go that is excellent on planets and bright DSOs. Those are my favourite targets. 
    I know I’m cheating a bit here because I already have a mount and EPs….

    Let’s see how close I am when the oceans of cloud eventually clear!

    • Like 4
  19. 13 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

    Starfield 102mm f7 is £899. Don't hesitate, just buy it. It's one of the best 4" scopes out there. I could barely separate it from my Tak.

    Couldn’t agree more with @Mr Spock. I have the Altair Starwave 102 ED-R which is the same as the Starfield from FLO and also I believe TS optics offer the same scope. It’s superb, giving wonderful views, with  solid construction and a great focuser that allows you to mount two finders at the same time. I won’t part with mine even though I have a Takahashi FC100 (and I also have a 12” dob which of course beats all of them but is much more of a pain to set up!).

    Mine goes on an AZ-EQ5 or, more commonly these days, on a Giro Ercole Mini with a counterweight, mounted on a Gitzo tripod for a superb grab and go option. Lack of slo-mo controls doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

    • Like 2
  20. Welcome to this great hobby, and congratulations on your scope! It’s a very nice one - I had the opportunity to look through one at a star party last year and was very impressed.

    When I was starting out, people on this forum recommended the BST Starguider series of eyepieces as an excellent upgrade from those supplied with the telescope, at a price that wouldn’t break the bank. A link to their page on FLO’s website is https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html. I love these eyepieces even though I now also have some of the more expensive ones.

    You could get one of the range of higher power eyepieces to start and see how you get on, such as the 6 or 8mm? Personally I don’t much use barlows but a 2x would double the magnification you would get with each eyepiece. 

    Beware that the ‘seeing’, ie atmospheric turbulence, can affect your views of the planets, depending on the night. So if you don’t get a great view on any given night, that could be a reason why. I find that continued viewing of Jupiter (over say half an hour or an hour) can result in moments where it looks really clear and I can see lots of detail, and then periods of time where it looks a bit fuzzy. This can get worse as you try to use higher magnifications so don’t be tempted to use very high powers thinking it will give you a better view.

    Good luck!

    • Like 3
  21. At last, the Mewlon has landed!

    I ordered it from Robtics.nl which had one in stock, and somehow the tracking with the delivery company went awry and the box was sitting in the rain outside my front door while the tracking insisted it was still in the warehouse in the Netherlands.

    Anyway, both the box and scope are absolutely fine - and it’s just as well packed as you would expect from Takahashi. It’s a beautiful looking scope and a perfect size. I’m really looking forward to first light with this. Thanks for the inspiration @JeremyS. As my other half said, ‘It only took 7 months for you to get bored with the last new scope!’IMG_9490.thumb.jpeg.688ed466f489023a79a51bb758af7863.jpegIMG_9493.thumb.jpeg.6ecb2c1b2f636fe7aa272467eaeaa79b.jpegIMG_9496.thumb.jpeg.bd8e7ae26c0cf74d94d8b7fb0e258973.jpegIMG_9497.thumb.jpeg.a5a1db671748a9361fdd7048cf830041.jpegIMG_9498.thumb.jpeg.f6a2b11552c69d772d233e3bfcc89b87.jpegIMG_9500.thumb.jpeg.ed3aaa2d9468437256cb4ca6dfe52be4.jpegIMG_9499.thumb.jpeg.d5c62b09146dc525c20056df4720a6db.jpegIMG_9501.thumb.jpeg.89c139f044ff13c8bbac69b057a45d68.jpeg

    • Like 26
  22. 59 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

    I use the Baader BBHS mirror diagoal, with 2" clicklock which has always impressed me greatly.

    Beautiful build quality, and excellent performance. Item number is #2456115

    The bad news is its gone up in price by a crazy 50% since i bought mine 4 or 5 years ago

    D4F3826F-1045-41F6-930C-35BDD282A84F

    Nearly as good, but for a bit less is the white bodied non BBHS version #2956100. Incredible build quality again.

    https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/baader-clicklock-2-dielectric-star-diagonal.html#about_this_product

    But whether it be mirror , or prism, you won't go far wrong with Baader.

    I use this one for my FC100DZ and really like it too.

    • Thanks 1
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