Joel Shepherd

I'm laughing, but I swear it's with you, not at you.

I feel your pain ... it's been raining here with nary a break since late November (and before that since mid-October), The ducks are happy though ...

Well, that was a boondoggle. Fogging optics, dead batteries, cavorting clouds, all culminating in discovering my guider (an Orion G3) doesn't have adequate back-focus for my guide-scope (an Orion 50mm). Really? Does that happen? Oh well. Many rainy nights ahead to figure this out.

Sounds like a great night. The Dumbbell took me several nights to find for the first time: I think that was a big night for myself as well.

At fifty I find I'm good for three nights in a row and the last one is an effort. It takes a week to recover.

Nice! What did you get (and why)?

The other night, after a perfectly clear day and sunset and predictions of the first clear night in weeks, I got everything set up just in time ... for the first wave of clouds to roll in. I narrowly chose throwing my hat instead of kicking my tele. I feel your pain.

That would explain it. An imposter! :-)

It made a huge difference for me. That and a 9x50 RACI and you're off to the races.

I feel your pain. Open clusters around Cassiopeia are an antidote. :-)