mikeDnight

Relax Jeremy, its a whopping six element. Not really what us planetary eyepiece aficionado's would consider minimal glass planetary eyepiece. That is unless someone wants to buy me one, then it will be the best thing since sliced bread! 😊

I've searched in vein, but as yet I've found no name for the Dorsum you mention. Therefore, from now on it shall forevermore be named Pete_D Dorsum. It has a ring to it so it'll catch on.

Brilliant! Those pesky selenites try to hide them but you've found a bridge. O Neil's bridge on the western shore of Mare Crisium is another, so together they prove theres intelligent life on the Moon.

The interlocking rubber matting I used is not slippery at all. During the winter months the floor does get wet despite a door mat, but I've not slipped yet. Also I have absolutely no dew issues. The observatories plastic cladding has an air space and the matting on the inside walls acts as insulation too. The inside of the roof and the 3" by 2" frame is painted with iron oxide, which is pretty tough stuff and seems to help in prevention of mould growth. At least I've experienced no issues so far. The observatory, being white, reflects the Sun, so it stays quite cool even in summer. In winter, after I've observed, I often switch on the electric heater for a short time just to keep things dry, but so far the building is as good as new 9 years on. Also, it seems spiders don't like rubber matting as I hardly ever get any wickies moving in.

I once had a 6" F8 achromat made by a local scope manufacturer. It had an octagonal mahogany tube which I polished with bee's Wax for days on end, much to my wife's annoyance. She thought I thought more about the scope than I did about her. Then one night i went to bed befor her and thought it would be funny to lay the scope under the quilt on her side of the bed. We were only young, and i hadnt learned yet just how dangerous women can be. Like most men, once my head hits the pillar I'm out like a light, and on this occasion with my arm around my mahogany tube. I laugh a lot, but more than ever when I'm nervous. I woke with quite a start as the quilt was ripped off me and to see my 23 year old, bright blue eyed naked wife going off on one of those emotional rants, all because I had a telescope in bed with me - on her side of the bed. I just couldn't stop laughing (a nervous reaction). Women are so touchy about such things, - I'll never understand it. Still we're both still together thirtythree years later. My telescope now sleeps in another room!

I built mine back in 2011 and haven't regretted it for one minute. It's 8' by 7' and 6'.6" tall from the inside floor level. I thought about buying a ready built shed, but they aren't really that strong unless you pay the earth. So I built mine out of 3/4" Ply on a 3" by 2" frame, then covered the outside with white plastic cladding.The runoff roof is on an angle iron H frame and although its heavy, it rolls at the touch of a finger - almost! The roof itself is covered with rubber roofing sheet thats glued to the ply. The floor is 3/4" ply on 4" joists which rest on a low concrete wall. Inside i wanted it to be as comfortable as possible, as well as being as dark as possible. The floor and walls are covered with black rubber matting that absorbs light, keeps things looking tidy and keeps your feet warm. It's my padded cell! I made the mistake of building it on my driveway, with the intention of dismantling the wall sections and carrying it up the garden to reassemble it . Each wall weighed a ton. So if you build your own, I'd suggest you build it in situ. The pier is Steel and sinks into concrete by at least 18". It stands about 5 feet high above floor level with the equatorial head on top, and is as solid as a rock. The pier was made by a local sheet metal worker and cost £35.

Thanks so much for this info Neil, I've never seen this one before, or at least I can't remember seeing it. If I had have come across it I would have drawn it, but I've no recollection of ever seeing it. And Camelopardalis too! I think its time the Astronomical Union marked out constellation boundaries on the sky.

Very nice! You'll have to let us know how you get on with the TOE. ☺

Not technically a Dob, but an altazimuth Newtonian all the same. 4.5" F8 and very basic, but it works a treat, giving some nice views of Venus and the Moon.

Wow, that really does seem to fit the sketch. Any idea of the magnitude? I'd imagined everything in the path of my sweep to be beyond the grasp of my 100mm scope. Thanks for posting this!

Hi Jonathan, If you have a 3.5mm Pentax XW, you have one of the best eyepieces ever made. It's really hard to beat the Pentax, as it will deliver great planetary and lunar, and stellar or deep sky. Anything that will beat it will do so both subtly, but also at the expense of width of field.

Well done Jeremy! Now what else can I convince you to buy? 😂 How about buying another for use in a binoviewer? 😂😂 I've heard Vixen are bringing out a 1.7 and a 1.8 too! 😂😂😂 In all honesty, although the 1.6mm may be the least used of the set, I believe it will still come into its own on occasion. May be some lunar, or Mars when below 5" arc, and close binaries would benefit from its power.

Beautiful scope, but also love the eyepiece!

Haven't you heard Paul, - size isn't everything! 😅 Although I must admit an extra 0•1 of an inch is very appealing. Think of the light grasp and resolution gain I'd have. I'll write to Tak and ask for my money back!😂

They were, but thought it would be difficult to represent with such limited room. I'd have had to shade the whole page.

Well, reflector lover's go on at length about the tiniest, almost non-existent colour fringe around the limb of the Moon or the brightest stars in their critique of refractors. I thought I'd point out the far more destructive effects of diffraction caused by the spider veins, because they not only extend from the object, they cross it, smearing the image, damaging definition and softening lunar and planetary detail. This is perhapse one reason why some reflector users find it so hard to believe why a top end, relatively small aperture refractor can reveal such fine detail. Anyhow Paul! How are my people skills doing? 👍 👎 or something else?

I drew them in anger Jeremy. Can you tell? 😠

I struggled a bit with the 10" as its brilliance did make it difficult at first, but just carefully studying the planet over time and aided by the occasional light cloud crossing the field helped. I did keep tripping over those spikes though as the planet drifted across the field. Very unpleasant things! I've never understood why imager's seeking the perfect star image, would pay thousands for a FSQ or similar scope, and then purposefully add diffraction spikes???

Nice pic paul, I was roughing it with a 10" reflector.

A rare observation. I'm not referring to Venus among the Pleiades, but rather me using a reflector.

A rare observation. I'm not referring to Venus among the Pleiades, but rather me using a reflector.

Here are a few images you'll not see often. This 10" Dob doesn't see much light with a 4" Tak about, but last night I treat it to a view of the Moon and Venus in the Pleiades.

Superb! I ordered mine last week, along with Johannes Kruger's Mond Atlas and two other books. This lockdown is becoming expensive!

I suffered from horizon to horizon cloud last night, so looking at your sketch has lightened my morning. Thanks for posting! ☺