Roy Challen

13 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

I use the Vixen SLV 6mm, 5mm and 4mm in my 12" f5. They are razor sharp right to the edge.

Yep, but over $100 new, at least in the UK they are.

1 hour ago, Dr Strange said:

Congratulations on your purchase! By the way this hobby will seem expensive BUT compared to other hobbies it is actually quite cheap. As I explain to She Who Must Be Obeyed it is rather cheap and best of all it keeps me out of the pubs so it is money well spent.

I have a few recommendations to make your experience much better. First and foremost a comfortable adjustable chair is critical! It isn't for your rear end it is for your eyes. If you are comfortably seated you will see more. Second, do yourself and your neck a favor and replace the findersope that comes with it. Get a right angle corrected image finder (RACI). It makes life much easier when star hopping! Add a Telrad to the scope. This will also make star hopping much easier! Get yourself a red colored lamp. For me I use an adjustable music stand with lip, a flexible LED light that I covered with red colored tape. That way my star atlas and other things are lit but I am not injuring my night vision. And lastly get a good star atlas. This will be your road map to the sky. Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas is the gold standard for this but is a bit pricy. It will be a buy once cry once purchase though. Another nice option is the Night Sky Observer's Guide. It is 3 volumes. It breaks things out by season. You will want 1,2 and 4. 

Lastly a method you find things is to take your smartphone, load something like Sky Safari or Luminos on it, put the phone so the back faces the sky, select target an object so it gives you directions on how to get to the object and move the scope in conjunction with the phone so you can get in the ball park of the object you want to see.

Links for what I mentioned above:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-observing-chairs/berlebach-charon-observers-chair.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/stellalyra-8x50-right-angled-correct-image-raci-finder-scope-with-bracket.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/finders/telrad-finder-astronomy.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/interstellarum-deep-sky-atlas-desk-edition.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/the-night-sky-observers-guide-volumes-1-2-3-and-4-book.html

 

I have a few recommendations to make your experience much better.

First and foremost a comfortable adjustable chair is critical! - Spend more money!

Second, do yourself and your neck a favor and replace the findersope that comes with it. Get a right angle corrected image finder (RACI).  - Spend more money!

Add a Telrad to the scope - Spend more money!

And lastly get a good star atlas - Spend more money!

 Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas is the gold standard for this but is a bit pricy. It will be a buy once cry once purchase though - Spend more money!

Another nice option is the Night Sky Observer's Guide. It is 3 volumes. It breaks things out by season. You will want 1,2 and 4. - Umm......

I agree with the above! 

What hobby is cheap?

Doesn't mean you need to buy everything new...second hand is good.

2 hours ago, Space Hopper said:

You're not on you own, if theres any comfort in that.

 

 

The aperture fever part of me that was active in the past has long since gone.

No point in me having a big scope anymore. 

Observing from home is Lunar and planets only, doubles and half a dozen or so DSO's.

Simply a case of making the best of what i have : Jupiter still looks nice in my 140 !!

 

I got aperture fever once, bought a Tal 100 RS.🤣

Since I bought my Daystar in early 2021 35 out of 45 sessions in 2021 were HA solar, and 17 out 29 sessions so far in 2022 have been HA solar. With my smallest aperture scope.

56 minutes ago, Paz said:

When I got into stargazing dsos were what I was interested in but now I mostly observe solar system, double stars and easy showcase dsos only.

I have led street lights, security lights, room lights where households don't close their curtains at night, neighbors who have floodlights to light up their gardens at night so they can admire their plants, and if I'm out the front I regularly get car headlights in my face, I don't think anyone realises that it matters.

However I never talk with neighbors about how lighting affects astronomy as I've heard too many stories of neighbours doubling down on more lighting if asked to reduce their lighting.

Actually, I think it was the same for me re. DSOs. But my tastes changed over the years, now, it's just planetary (when they're high enough that is), lunar and solar, with the odd double star session thrown in to mix things up a little. 

"I don't think anyone realises that it matters." - Most people aren't even aware.

9 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

A bit optimistic I think, even with a Tak.     🙂

What he means is; no chance!🤣 (60mm Tak, that is)

55 minutes ago, IB20 said:

9mm BGO

10mm BCO

5mm BST Starguider

Don’t know if they work well at f4.7 though.

 

Not had a 5mm Starguider, but concur with the Baaders. 

For me, I'd go with Baader 32mm Plossl, Baader 18mm BCO, and Baader 10mm BCO. 

Like IB20, no idea if they're any good at f/4.7, my fastest scope is f/10...by some margin!

20 minutes ago, Stu said:

I seem to recall popping a couple of heavy eyepieces in my coat pockets a few times when checking in with hand baggage that was a little bit over.

Even in summer I wear a big winter coat and fill the pockets to the brims. Wifey wouldn't have it any other way! 

And when it comes to value of items carried on the person; when I went to Kazakhstan at the end of 2011 to propose, in my pockets I carried a £3000+ engagement ring, a £2000 Gucci wristwatch for MIL, a Mont Blanc pen for FIL, £10k cash, and a few £000 pounds worth of gifts for other important in-laws. Walked through all customs check points without a glance from anyone!

And it'll be the same when I move there permanently, if it has significant monetary value, or is fragile (ie. like a Daystar telescope), it comes with me in hand luggage. 

14 minutes ago, Stu said:

Certainly on the smaller planes it is an issue. When on Safari flying on a small four seat, single propeller Cessnas they weighed everything so I had to be quite careful. I remember being quite amused seeing two chaps trying to kick and squeeze Mrs Stu’s main bag into the tiny hold under the plane. She is a little more cavalier when it comes to weight limits! 🤣

On a slightly different topic, I recall sitting on the front row of seats on a twin prop plane flying from LA to San Francisco. Before take off, the pilot came out of the cockpit and pointed to me and another large chap on the other front row saying ‘You and you, get down the back of the plane, otherwise we will never get off the ground!’ 🤣🤣

She is a little more cavalier when it comes to weight limits!

Do our wives know each other? Mine will happily turn up at any airport with 35kg in the suitcase and argue until the check-in person gives up!

And, personally, I think this is why: Before take off, the pilot came out of the cockpit pointed to me and another  large chap. If they have the same luggage allowance, but use up more of the total weight carrying capacity of the plane, shouldn't those that weigh less have a greater luggage allowance? For telescopes and stuff...😉. For small planes, maybe it's different, but long haul?

That's a lovely setup whether for travel or not. 

I do travel abroad regularly so if this were my kit:

Tak FC76DCU with rings and dovetail

BBHS T2 mirror diagonal

Baader CoolWedge

Baader 32mm Plossl (finder ep)

Leica 8.9 to 17.8 ASPH Zoom

Nag 3 to 6mm Zoom

Zeiss Abbé Barlow

10x25 Nikon binos (I have cheap Helios 8x21s which serve well enough at this size).

These are what I would take (definitely dependent on what I want to look at).

And my Altair AZ Mini will also then fit in hand luggage. And my chromebook too. Despite what people say, you can always get away with about 10kg hand luggage - give it to the wife! First horizon tripod does have to go in checked in luggage, but possibly my 3LT tripod will fit in my rucksack if I don't need both laptops.

Having said that, my Skymax 90, AZ Mini, and First Horizon tripod are now where they need to be, so, it's now a case of getting my Daystar and eyepiece case there too. Even easier.

Fantastic! Can't add any more than that.

4 hours ago, Paz said:

Very nice scope and I look forward to more reports! I've been using 40mm and 30mm NPLs and 20mm SLVs for solar binoviewing and am happy with them but I rate the SLV's as excellent and the NPLs as very good but not excellent (I haven't found anything else at the right focal lengths to tempt me away from the NPLs yet). 

You might like to try a Baader Classic 32mm plossl. I found it better than either the 30mm NPL (which I really like), and TeleVue 25mm plossl. It's far more contrasty, sharper (imo), cheaper, and has no undercuts, and has the winged eyecup (which I also really like). Oh, and it doesn't vignette like the TeleVue. The TV sat in a grey area regarding magnification, in between the Baader plossl and the Baader 18mm BCO use when the seeing allows. 

I won't be getting rid of the NPL as I got it for an absolute steal, but it is a bit redundant. Maybe good for outreach.

7 minutes ago, Ags said:

It's amazing to see proms change in real time.

 I really must wear a hat. 

Definitely agree with these!

5 hours ago, wimvb said:

Very nice. The problem with this galaxy is that it is so close to Regulus, and risks disappearing in the bright glow. You even got colour in the individual stars. 👍🏽

Nope, the problem is that this galaxy is so faint, that even the dust on my screen obscures it!

Great images btw Alan.

6 hours ago, Ags said:

As a result of buying this scope I have put half my eyepiece collection up for sale.

Getting the SLV 25, 20 and maybe 15. 😀

In for a penny, in for a pound! 

6 minutes ago, Ags said:

I was surprised prominences were so obvious and mobile, and also that filaments stood out so well, and that tuning the etalon made such a difference. The ten minute wait to reach a new tuning setting is not onerous, as you can view during the adjustment. It also gives an incentive for an impatient observer like to to stop and look. The image was certainly not birght, even at full 60 mm aperture, but that probably had more to do with the veil of cloud I was trying to see through.

I think I will give the SLV 25 mm a try. I wonder if a 15 mm SLV might be a good addition too?

In good seeing, I use an 18mm BCO to good effect. The 15mm should be fine too, a bit higher mag, so more dependent on seeing.

Congrats Ags! I really hope you enjoy it as much as I am mine.

1 hour ago, vlaiv said:

I think it is down to magnification and exit pupil.

Say you put quark in F/10 scope - like 4" F/10.

Your system will operate on F/43. Imagine now you put 25mm plossl that is often recommended for quark - you are instantly observing at x172 - which might be too much for Ha and seeing. Exit pupil will also be 0.58mm which will be probably uncomfortable for most people in daytime (even at night you'll see floaters and image will be too dim).

Etalon itself will work better on slower beam - but setup as a whole might be too uncomfortable to observe.

There is another possibility - maybe telecentric is optimized for F/4-F/8 entrance beam and does not work the best in slower beams (just guessing).

I agree with this, and think that 25mm eyepiece is not the best for visual with a quark. My 32mm baader plossl works much better, possibly even longer f/l would work better still, but image would start to be rather small depending on telescope focal length.

That's fantastic! Isn't it great when friends buy dream scopes that you can look through!

1 hour ago, Franklin said:

Have you re-covered the TAL? Looks great on the Vixen Polaris. Having owned Super and Great Polaris mounts, I've been wanting an original Polaris for decades, just don't see them come up very often. Very nice.👍

Yep, carbon effect vinyl wrap on the Tal about 6 years ago after an aborted attempt at repainting. I do think it really suits the Polaris,  being the same colour and all.

18 hours ago, vineyard said:

This does now though leave a slight predicament as I have to choose one between the ETX & the Vixen - cannot justify keeping both.  Maybe it should be the TM2 that goes🤨.  Dilemma.

What's the predicament? You determined the Vixen to be the  best, so sell the others. 

37 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

My wife wouldn't agree. On our visits to England she's always keen to try some feesh and sheeps.

Olly

My wife too! She says fishes and sheeps. 

PS. She's a native Russian/Kazakh speaker.

These are great, I also have an entry level Motorola phone and they're better than my efforts.

It depends,😄 not all GONG images are particularly good.

I find my prom detail in a Daystar Solar Scout is better than GONG but disc detail is less good. But not much less. Contrast is better with Daystar too, but, again, you have to 'key your eye in' visually at least.

I tend to use GONG as a barometer of what there is to see on any given day.

Cerro Tololo and Learmonth are the best on GONG, the others are barely worth looking at.

3 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

My family are stored together as well - puts a smile on your face doesn't it 😍

Yes, yes it does!

Although, I normally don't leave them downstairs 😄

No no no! My family haven't been shot! It's a group photo!

Sitting at home watching YouTube, my scopes all mounted and standing next to each other looked like a photo op. Sadly, my mini mak is abroad at the mo, so the shot is incomplete.

L-R: Daystar on Solarquest mount, Tal on Vixen Polaris, and Skylight on Tak 90S.