munirocks

The problem is parallax. The closer the focus, the less overlap there is between the two fields of vision, and that overlap is what gives you the 3D effect. In most close-focussing binoculars the near end of focus has only a thin sliver of overlap left between the fields so you lose the full 3D field of view for both eyes. The remarkable Pentax Papilio binoculars, however, redirect the two fields of view inward toward each when you focus on close objects, and the result is spectacular. If you want close-focussing binoculars, Papilio is the only choice. I recommend the 6x model over the 8x model, for steadiness, as you will end up happily chasing insects all over your garden without a tripod or monopod. The Papilio aperture is limited, however, so not so useful for astronomy.

That's great; you've managed to actually build what many of us were thinking. For simplicity I'd ditch the azimuth motor and footrest and just move in azimuth powered by my feet on the ground, or would this cause balance problems because your legs would no longer counter-balance your head and binocs?

I think they are unsafe, but not for the reason that you think I'm thinking. Although they are safe by themselves, if I got into the habit of picking them up for a quick look, I might unthinkingly and accidentally pick up a pair of my normal binocs some day for a quick look, out of habit, and permanently blind myself -- in both eyes. Also, if you did any type of outreach with them, you'd have to drum into the head of EVERY single person who looked through them that these are special sun-filtered binoculars so don't try this at home. If you didn't do this, they are likely to do the same thing at a later date with normal binoculars and blind themselves permanently -- in both eyes. Part of the safety of traditional solar gear is that it takes some thoughtful time to set up so you are less likely to absent-mindedly take a quick look with the wrong equipment, and you and everyone else can see the dirty great solar filter on the front as a constant reminder that this requires special equipment which is now in place.

I use bicycle inner tube, cut to fit as either a ring or a long strip. Clean the strip with soap and water, and apply and remove duct tape to the strip several times to remove the last few traces of talcum powder. Then apply double-sided tape to the strip, then stick the strip to the device. If you still have the original strip, clean it and use double-sided tape to stick it back on.

To me, looking through the eyepiece is like standing in front of an original painting in an art museum. Seeing a print or electronic copy just isn't the same. And there are some targets, the moon in particular, where the simultaneous wide view, resolution, and crisp detail seen through the eyepiece is simply not replicated with current amateur imaging technology. You'd have to find the highest res chip available and own an imax screen to replicate yhe experience. The only moon photograph that I have seen that even begins to approach the view seen through the eyepiece is the large 7 metre inflatable "Museum of the Moon" sculpture/print. I spent an enjoyable two hours walking around that thing with binoculars in Leicester Cathedral a few years back, and highly recommend it.

During lockdown I was saving £200 a month that would have been spent on commuting petrol, so I decided to spend it on eyepieces instead. My wife bought into that idea. Then the price of petrol went up so I was saving £250 a month by working at home, so I thought maybe I could now spend £250 a month on eyepieces! My wife didn't buy into that one.

I , too, hate the whole glasses on-off-fogging-pocketing-dropping thing at the scope. I'm near-sighted and wear vari-focal contacts, although I'm sure that a large proportion of the "vari" in "vari-focal" comes from mono-vision, where my left eye is optimised for infinity and my right eye is optimised inward half a diopter for reading. However my right corrected eye is not optimised enough for reading setting circles in the dark so for a stargazing session I remove my right contact and use my right near-sighted eye for reading and looking through the scope, with no contact lens to degrade the view. I use my left eye (infinity, with the contact still in) for naked eye and finder scope. If you have the opposite far-sighted problem then you could go for a different monovision option. Use one eye as is for infinity, naked eye, finder scope, and main scope. And use one contact lens in the other eye optimised for up-close reading in the dark. I have found that for many activities, monovision obviates the need for glasses so effectively that it's almost like being young again. You have two eyes, and monovision is like a Swiss army knife that leverages that fact.

The trouble with that is that eyepieces differ from other components in the optical train in two ways. 1) They quickly collect eye gunk. 2) A little dirt on an eye piece can greatly affect the view.

All of the above is good advice but I will add... I use a strip torn from plain Kleenex - not just any tissues but real Kleenex - wrapped around a cotton bud, using the cleaning fluid to help the strip stay wrapped. Use the side of the tip, never end-on, with practically no pressure, the way that Italian picture restorers touch a painting. Using the side helps prevent your own sudden twitches from putting undue pressure on the lens (which is where I would worry about lens pens which are used end-on). Change the tissue strip often. If the lens is dirty I might go through ten strips. If there is a stubbornly dirty area RESIST the temptation to push "just a little bit harder". Use more swipes -- not more pressure. To get rid of sleeks I almost always have to do the final polish using distilled water from a ready source -- my breath.

Kind of ironic and hypocritical that a place called Thanet earth is destroying planet earth like that. There are now many scientific papers that have linked light pollution to the demise of the insect population. Maybe you can use that angle as ammunition in discussions with the council. Nobody cares about astronomers, but they might care about wiping out nature's food chain on a massive scale.

Nice shot. Nice earthshine, too. I wish my back yard had a low horizon for rising and setting things.

Nice rulers. I'm from Iowa, too.

22 mm Panoptic takes a Dioptrix, according to the table on the Tele Vue website. Discontinued but available used. Stunningly sharp eyepiece.