pbyrne

Agreed, Peter, collimation is key. If the images don't merge then you are left with a monocular. Try them first, test the focus on a distant object in both eyepieces, if you are happy, buy them.

I have yet to get them in my 8" f5 newtonian, I have read that they will not focus in all newts, did you have any trouble with focusing in your 12", Tubby Bear?

Hi all With the first quarter moon calling, I got out the 127mm Mak and set out for an observing session. I am completing the Astronomy League's Lunar II list and when I had ticked out my targets I got out the William Optics binoviewers and set out on part two of the evenings observations. I am a new convert to binoviewing and let me start off by saying, I will never go back to mono viewing again. There is so much that binoviewing has to offer, the 3-D effect is stunning, more details are visible, smaller features come into view and when using two eyes there is no eyestrain or tiredness. There is a terrific sense of flying over the lunar surface and when viewing the terminator, I get the sensation of looking straight down on the craters and plains. The highlight for me was when I was looking down, it really does fell like that, on the crater Alphonsus, the central peak facing the rising sun was a brilliant white, the shadow of the peak was a long needle of black that ran across the floor to pierce the western wall, magical. I believe that the greatest asset of the binoviewers is the sense of relaxation, you just put your eyes to the eyepieces and let the view wash over you. Because I am using both eyes, we are designed to use both eyes, the view is immersive and it is so easy to get lost. I cannot recommend binoviewing enough, the moon will never look the same. I have to try them on the planets next. Paul

Taking part in outreach is an incredibly rewarding experience. The reaction of people when they see the moon is fantastic. I encourage everyone to get involved.

Lamont needs low illumination to be seen at its best, to me it always looked like a spider that has been stepped on. Nice report.

All gone now, hopefully no one was taken in.

Yeah, I had an idea this was the case, unfortunately there are those who will be suckered into this scam. It does not say much about ebay itself that it allows such listings to be posted, is there no one there to check on items that are put up for sale, or is it a case of let the buyer beware?

Hi all I was browsing across ebay, not looking for anything in particular, however I came across some really odd listings. 1/http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Celestron-CPC-1100-GPS-XLT-280mm-Catadioptric-Telescope/263529336349?hash=item3d5b928e1d:g:3pUAAOSwURxamqoc 2/http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Questar-Catadioptric-Apochromatic-Telescope-3-5-Aperture/372238251920?hash=item56ab20f790:g:jrwAAOSwj4lamqqP 3/http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Celestron-CPC-1100-11-SCT-telescope-with-tripod-and-extra-lenses/263529336272?hash=item3d5b928dd0:g:dNMAAOSwI39amqpP 4/http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Telescopio-SC-Meade-LX-200-UHC-con-GPS-integrato/263529337964?hash=item3d5b92946c:g:m50AAOSwPyZamqom Now, to me there is something extremely strange about these listings, a Questar for $51, a Celestron CPC 1100 for 79 cents, and shipping only €12, come on. They all claim to be from the United States, when you get into the listing it states that they are to be shipped from China/Hong Kong/Taiwan. They are also for sale by something called ellenmargaret, which claims that they do custom painted signs, what that has to do with telescopes I have no idea. I would really like to know what this is all about, to me it sounds highly dubious and I would not like to think that someone with little experience in this field getting fleeced. Any thoughts?

If the image won't merge, perhaps you should move to white wine or a light rose.

Agreed, John.

Some weeks back ebay had a William Optics binoviewer and 20mm eyepieces for sale, I put in a cheeky bid and expected it to be rejected. Surprisingly it was accepted. I planned to use them on the moon and planets. When they arrived I attached them to my 127mm mak, focussed on a distant chimney pot and everything looked good. The first night the moon was out, popped the binoviewers in the scope in high expectation and I could not get the images to merge, no matter what I tried, nothing worked. I was seriously disappointed and I thought that was why my bid was accepted, they were defective. I looked at SGL and Cloudynights for a solutuon, I thought they were out of collimation, I have fixed binoculars that were out of collimation, but the binoculars could not be collimated. Perhaps I was crazy, but I bought a pair of 15mm plossls, I must have been mad, seeing as I could not get them to work. Today was clear, tested them again on the chimney pot and again the images merged. The moon was out, nervously I put the binoviewers in the scope, they still would not merge. I tweaked the IPD, turned the eyepieces in the holder and then it happened, they merged. Oh, what joy. Inserted the 15mm plossls and they merged. I was a happy chappie. For the following few hours I toured the moon, the focal length of the mak is 1500mm the binoviewers bring that up to 2000mm. The views were stunning, I spent a good twenty minutes staring down on Copernicus from above with the movement of the shadows creeping across the floor. Clavius, Tycho, Plato, the Straight Wall, all magical. The 3D effect was evident, the shadows sharper, the crater runs crisp, everything so much better. The great thing about binoviewers is the comfort, using two eyes there is no eye strain, the sense of relaxation is evident and everything is easier. I cannot see myself ever going back to single eye viewing and I cannot wait to observe the planets. Thanks for your time.

Did you catch the occultation of Aldebaran?

This will go fast.

A very good attempt, I attempted to sketch the full moon in my binoculars and it looked passable. Like all other sketching it takes practice and techniques improve. Keep it up.

The clouds were playing silly beggers this morning, I managed to get a couple of shots during breaks. The zoom image was taken with a 300mm lens and shows the moons of Jupiter, along with the double star Alpha Librae.