Roy Challen

I'm guessing you're referring to this one, seen between 1-1:45pm.

Daystar solarscout, Baader 32mm plossl, manual alt-az mount and my phone.

Seen while dodging clouds, bright, very intricate details, rapidly changing. Well worth setting up for.

I used to have a Zeiss 25mm Huygens, which I used to split the Double Double in my f/16+ Skylight. It only happened the once, in excellent seeing, transparency and close to the zenith. The view was so unbelievably sharp. Fantastic eyepiece - in that telescope.

To be honest, I hadn't noticed. I only use it for full disc views in my solarscout, a job it does very well indeed.

I found the Baader 32 to be the best of the bunch (25-32mm) that I've had over the years. The eye guard extender is a nice touch.

Same here, in my FS60. 32mm plossl for the Solar scout. I do have a 26mm plossl that hardly ever gets used, and a broken 7mm BGO that never gets used. I don't own any other eyepieces any more.

They're well spoken of in the classic refractors section on the other forum.

Nice! Plenty of other activity going on too. Missed out on a few M and X flares over the weekend.

GONG showing a large prom, sadly I'm at work, but if you have clear skies, or even slightly cloudy like I have here, it'd be well worth a look.

Use a slotted dovetail. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/astro-essentials-vixen-type-photo-dovetail-bar.html

Measurement of surfaces, specifically. It's what I did for 8 years. Stargazer is ok by me btw!

Buying? No regrets at all. Selling? Plenty. I'd have saved at least a couple of grand if I'd kept my first Tal 100 and Skytee 2. Which means I will be keeping what I have now for as long as possible. Eyepieces though, are a commodity to be traded for something new and shiny as one sees fit😉

When it comes to astro gear, why spend tens of thousands of £££ when we're limited by our rubbish weather? And why buy a giant SUV if it doesn't physically fit on our narrow roads? But, some of us spend that kind of money on bicycles, hi-fi, fishing, golf etc😄

Sorry to hear of your eye problems Dave. I've preempted this happening to me by buying an FS60 - it's just so convenient. I'm looking forward to the 'F15rules has £3k for a new telescope, let's spend it for him' thread 😄

If you don't wear glasses while observing, I'd recommend the SvBony 3-8mm zoom. It will cover magnifications from x75-200. The field of view is a little less than the Starguiders, and the eye relief is quite tight, but you won't be swapping eyepieces around, or refocusing all the time. Optically, it's a little gem. I'd complement the zoom with a nice wide field eyepiece at the longer focal length end, such as an Explore Scientific 68° 20 or 24mm, or Stellalyra UFF 24mm.

First time looking at the sun in hydrogen alpha with my Daystar solarscout.

I'm always amazed at the amount of detail you capture in your ISS images. Nice one!

Totally agree, John. Except I think the SvBony 3-8 zoom is equally sharp as the BCO range (within its own range of course) and has a slightly wider field of view. I literally just sold my BCOs as the little zoom has made them redundant. Best of all though, is that the zoom very much falls into the budget eyepiece category.

Check that the barrel doesn't contact the mirror/prism in your diagonals. The barrel is quite long, and does make contact with the diagonal I use. A parfocal ring/s solves this, PM me if you want one or both, I have two spare.

Me too! A glorious sight in my FS60 and 26mm eyepiece.

I'll second what @MalcolmMsaid. I'd go for a Takahashi FS60-CB too. Which I did! Whilst it cannot compete with the resolution of a 100mm for planetary use, it can still make out the most interesting features, certainly well enough for a short session abroad. It is also a lot more money than an ST80/102, but it is a lot better optically too. 60mm is also my most used aperture, my Daystar is also a 60😁

Thankfully it wasn't a meteor on head😆

Cloudy in Watford, but same as you, Tuesday and Wednesday were clear. Seeing was terrible on Tuesday, pretty good on Wednesday.

Mars through a small telescope won't reveal much detail, even when it is nearest to earth. The picture below is of Mars and the Moon, taken with my phone through a 90mm Maksutov, focal length of 1250mm. Mars was at opposition during this event, so about as close as it gets to us. Don't stop trying though, but focus on other objects as well.