Nakedgun

~ Since arrival I've had day-and-night clouds, until today. Abundant sunshine today, but poor seeing, still, I had to throw it up on an alt-az mount to have a look. : : Night observing configuration, 10 1/2 lbs. : Single-stack mode, 15lbs. : Double-stack setup, 17 1/4lbs. : A brief, but satisfying session. : The current solar cycle is the worth H-a viewing. Observe it, if you can. .

~ Lunt Solar. Photos when I can get them. : .

~ Optically, they're not bad at all (I have a set), and a good value, though the AF will be less than those you're bracketing it with. Some may have specks of dust between the lenses, my 2.3 is rather annoying if I point it at the Moon. .

~ The 10" and 12.5" dobs are kept in the garage, wrapped to keep dust/insects out, but readily deployable. The refractors stay indoors, in the "scope room" closet (doors removed for clarity). I like padded bags, seen here are 60, 76, 90 & 100mm OTAs, hanging like beef, quickly released for use. : : Next, are the 9.25" and 8" SCTs, awaiting their turn to go outside to play. : : The 6" MAK sits atop cases containing eyepieces, star atlases, astro books and other "necessaries" and on the right another padded Manfrotto bag housing a 120mm OTA can be just seen. : : Finally, the astro-binos on the shelf. : : .

~ Rain and wind all day, it even tried to snow in the early afternoon (unheard of for us), but it cleared off at sunset for the show. : : .

~ Oh yes, film! In the early 90s a partial solar eclipse was visible from my home and so of course I took photos. Except, I didn't take photos, as I had neglected to load film beforehand. Nothing like a missed opportunity! .

~ Not unusual, Taks have a bewildering array of extension tubes/adapters to wrestle with. .

~ I wonder if a pair of snap-ring pliers would gain enough purchase on the inside of the filter to screw in/out? https://www.mcmaster.com/7131A31/ .

~ The available choices prevent a response to your poll. .

~ Having foolishly sold my FS128 some years back, I can say you lust for a nice instrument. The scope I will never own but wish I did would be the Astro-Physics 10" MCT. .

~ All gone.....what else to do on a rainy day? : : .

~ Yes, what has your neighbor had to say about your, as yet, not fully assessed damages? .

~ Glad Berlebach is there to supply quality wood tripods, available with different top-plates for our needs. My Report tripod landed at LAX yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, tracking does not yet show it out for delivery, as yet. .

~ Prior to today, I have always used front-mounted glass or film based white light solar filters on my scopes, and have a half-dozen of them around here for the various models they fit, each one having a slightly different level of quality, insofar as the detail revealed in the eyepiece. Late this afternoon, my first Herschel wedge-type filter was delivered, and I was able to use it for a few minutes before the Sun dropped below my horizon. The difference in image quality between the two types was like night-and-day; the wedge much sharper. Glad I finally got one of these. : Sun-finder built in: : Comes in a padded case: : .

~ What diameter is that polarizer, are they made eyepiece-size? .

~ I have a Lunt 60mm dedicated H-a scope, which provides magnificent views of solar activity. I can recommend their products. Seen here from a recent post: Good luck. .

~ Memory is the second thing to go. .

~ I wonder could some astronomer been blinded while observing in the precise direction of that satellite? Another technological hazard to avoid. .

~ Wait...a 50mm finder on an 80mm scope? I get it, the finder will be passed on to larger scopes down the line. Smart. .

~ Today (Thursday) the Sun showed a great deal of sunspot activity, one group looking like a Pacific island chain. ; : : : : But, in Hydrogen-alpha, it was spectacular! : : This was my first look at the sun in quite some time. It is quite active, now. Temp at mid-day ~76°F. .

~ Last night from my Bortle ~6 backyard ZTF was an easy catch, and in my 50ED I saw a bit of a tail for the first time since observing it. .

~ This isn't one of those "scopes only" threads, is it? : : : : : .

~ Forecast of clear skies again, tonight. Shall I try again? .

~ That is a nice instrument, no question. I sold mine after getting the FC100DC. I sold-off my larger, heavier scopes some years back. No more triplets. .

~ Clear skies forecast with improved seeing around 2100, so I had everything set up before dark. Went outside 1830 to have a look at the Green Comet before Moonrise. It was pretty much straight overhead, easy to find. Used 6.5x32s, then 16x mounted, then the scope. After a few minutes I then sat with a double star catalog to plan my next move, looked up to find the sky half filled with fast-moving thin cloud! Within 30 minutes the whole sky was a mess. What a gyp! .