Helen

Mine was a pure nostalgia purchase.  It was the scope I drooled over when I started in the 1980s but it was out of my price bracket.  One came up in excellent condition, at an excellent price around my 50th birthday when my parents were looking for something special to buy me.  I couldn't resist 😁

I too use the mount in alt az - very smooth.

Helen

Nice first light Stu 😎  they do punch above their weight! 

(The tripod and mount are lovely bits of engineering too. )

A real classic!  Mine does sometimes live set up in the study - but my study is rather too small really 🙄  But when we retire to a house by the sea, with great skies, a large garden with unobstructed views, and a large study or hallway...... 😉

Enjoy!

Helen

29 minutes ago, SteveL said:

Its not entirely unlikely that I might be there for the weekend, although I do not have any of my astro kit any more. The best I have is my stablised binos (Its been a while)

<Helen adds extra chocolate cake to the packing list 😋>

On 06/06/2019 at 13:57, FLO said:

Well done that man.

'EXPERT' eh 😁 

Please post a photo when finished. 

Steve 

Will do 😉 

Mike's weekend sorted 😎

I'd like a spectroscopy session if possible 😊

@MartinB has one 🙂

Awesome was the word that immediately sprang to my mind too ! 😲

Helen

The 16mm UWAN was my first premium eyepiece, and I still love it 10 years on!  I then bought the 28mm, which again is lovely (although hand grenade size!).  I completed the set a couple of years ago with the 7 and 4 mm in the Nirvana guise when they were on offer.  I think they are all amazing value for money! 

Enjoy Ben ?

Helen

This arrived from FLO today thanks to the combined advice of Wayne @Starlight focusers and Ted @Borg 

It means I can easily switch the Feathertouch focuser from my big dob (occasional use) to my Borg 71 (more frequently used for solar).  So <£40 cost rather than £595 for a new focusser ?

These things never go completely without challenge though (particularly when dealing with Borg's weird and wonderful range of thread sizes) so I now need to work out how to get the FR which used to screw into the borg helical to work with a standard 2-inch focuser... ?

But pleased with progress so far! I just need some sun for testing!!

Helen

I'm assuming this 3-month challenge would have a back-dated start date of 1 April ???

Helen

Can we do the sun this time please????  ? ???

I bought one last year, but haven't used it in anger yet.  My camera is a Sony A6500 so I bought the Sont fit, even though my plan was to use with the asi1600 mono.  I then got the ZWO adapter, but it was faulty and had to go back.  I got a replacement, but then realised that because the Sony camera is mirrorless the connector on the lens to chip distance is very short - so no room for a filter wheel - d'oh.  This thread has inspired me to get it back out, particularly as I've picked up a colour asi1600 ?  - or just use it for its designed purpose with my A6500!

And finally a request... could people add their configuration, exposure times etc to their images as I think that will help those of us starting out!

Thanks 

Helen

Today from a secondhand bookseller of ex-library books ? 

The irony is:

That's the University where I did my Observational Astronomy BSc course, and where they've now closed the course ?  It is in pristine condition! and will actually serve as a reminder of my very enjoyable time doing that course!!

An AP Barlow also arrived - with added clouds...

Helen

 I ordered a book on comets!!  (They have refunded my money and said I can keep this one ?) 

and this to make my office look properly academic when I write lots of equations on it ?

Helen

Brilliant!  Many thanks for taking the time to put this together Dave   I've made it a sticky so it is easy to find ? 

Helen

18 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Very good Helen. I bought UFOCapture V2 which seems to be the preferred choice for capturing meteors. It’s not cheap at ¥20k but can be used on multiple PCs at the one site and I have 2 cameras. 

Thanks ?  looks good! I need to work out where I can mount the camera.  It is housed in a standard security camera housing (long version not dome!), so I need to check it is water tight if pointed straight up!  But it has a dew protection system, so I'm hopeful for some nice views (mostly of clouds I fear though  ? ).  I suppose I could test over the next few days by watching snow storms ? 

Helen

What software/setup are you using Adam?  I picked up a meteor cam set-up from ABS before Christmas (mostly for the watec video cam in it which I'm planning on using for lunar impacts in the future) and it would fun to try for meteors too ?

Helen

Hi and welcome to SGL ?

There is a firmware update that lets the mount operate on right hand side and EQ Mode too - so this might fix your issue?

http://skywatcher.com/download/software/motor-control-firmware/

You'll need to scroll down .

Helen

Thanks @adyj1 I upgraded last night ?  I hadn't tried and failed before, but by installing the normal upgrade first and then the EQ mode it seems to have updated without issue.  Now if I could only work out why my windows 10 laptop will not install .net framework 3.5 as required by ASCOM I might be able to get my new EQMod cable connected and eqmod working before heading north tomorrow.. ?

Helen

14 hours ago, RobertI said:

I recently experienced the Apollo 11 and ISS simulations on a friend’s Occulus Go (virtual reality headset) and was blown away. It was so immersive and realistic, and all for £200.  My reaction afterwards was that Elon Musk and Richard Branson are wasting their time with space tourism! When I saw it was reduced to £169 I felt duty bound to place an order, in the name of science of course. ? Should arrive in a few days, i’ll download and review some astro apps if anyone is interested. 

 

 

I've gone cheap - this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B011EG5HJ2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1 has arrived.  Haven't tested it yet, but should be the same as the ones I borrowed for the starparty which seemed to work well.  (For those of us over a certain age the Viewmaster 'click' to change is quite nostalgic too!) Looking forward to doing Rosetta 3D etc with my family over Christmas ?    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.UKAstroNutProductions.Rosetta&amp;hl=en_GB

Helen

Ok, so back to a wonky, handheld, no scope or processing image... 

I present Orion on a cloud in the moonlight....

(I was actually surprised at how my mobile captured my first view of Orion this season ?)

Helen

3 minutes ago, johnfosteruk said:

I've just come in from an outstanding session on the Moon during a phase I haven't got to image or observe much over the last year or so and it's not even at it's highest yet. I may have to pop out again in a bit.

I had some visual first, studying the craters in what's left of Crisium, Messier A&B and the terrain in Fecunditatis. On to the Rheita Valley. The chaotic Janssen, Fabricus & surrounding craters. All in all a great session with rock solid, crisp views in the little mak. 

Before I replaced the eyepieces with the camera, I thought of Stu's world renowned contest, could I summon the courage, the wherewithal and the skill to submit a world class winning image for the second time in a week?

Would the iPhone be up to the challenge at such short notice, with so little time to prepare?

Well, you be the judge!

This was captured using the RAW setting in Procam 5, afocal with the little 102 Mak, and a Hyperion 8mm with the adjustment ring to make it 4mm. Cropped, sharpened and levels adjusted using PS express.

Epic John!!  I think you should submit for the through the eyepiece challenge too ? 

Yay ?  SO happy ?

Helen

Heee heee

In the light of what I now know...

investigated PS on my phone in a bit more detail and it is so much easier to use than desktop.  What do you reckon on this?

Helen