Stub Mandrel

Not if you have the clutch set so it will slip if you stall it. That's why they have clutches, not locks.

As used by grey aIiens...

NGC193 is easily found using google! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_193 Magnitude 13.25

It was named before people started numbering stars. Even teh numbering systems are a horrendous mess (IMHO). Take your choice from Wikipedia:

I ran 7 amps through Piers Morgan. It didn't work my mount but it did make me feel better :-)

I've got an old 10D, it's not very good - low bit depth,. high noise, old fashioned cards etc.

Correct, I've updated my post to make it clearer.

The irony is that the Touptek mono and colour have the same sensor as the original 120MC, but the 120MM has a slightly lesser sensor. [From ZWO's discontinued product section: Sensor: 1/3″ CMOS AR0130CS(Color) / MT9M034(mono) } So the mono ZWO is actually slightly less sensitive than the Touptek! The -S versions of the ASI120 both have an AR0130CS That said, having used a mono Touptec side by side with the ASI120MC it seems to be less sensitive, but I suspect that is a gain-related issue or in the firmware? I discovered this doing planetary where I was needing longer exposures with the Touptec.

For that budget a Canon 450D or 1100D are a sort of 'step change' better then the 400D and 1000D. If you can find one for your budget the 600D is often praised. For planetary the ZWOASI120 series are not far beyond you budget and can do small DSPOs like planetary nebulas, distant galaxies and globular clusters.

If it's like the HEQ5 you can only see through the polarscope when the ALT movement is oriented one way. It's not critical that the zero is at the top, it's only an aid to counting. Make sure the main cross lines are horizontal and vertical and treat the reticle as if the 0 is at the top..

Not astro... a twin-valve preamp for less than £8(!) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6J1-Valve-Pre-amp-Tube-PreAmplifier-Board-Bass-on-Musical-Fidelity-X10-D-Circuit/152894986169?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 Very little gain apparently (about x2) but can be used to add the elusive 'valve sound' to other amplifiers, or as an overdriven front end for guitar amps. A 3D printed case might be nice 🙂

Yes, I mix and match my HEQ5 and EQ3 counterweights.

+ Film!

All-in-one camera challenge (no DSLRs or astro cameras allowed). Education Challenge - make an annotated image that explains something astronomical. Spirit of astronomy - picture that best shows one or more people enjoying the hobby Lucky shot - a single image that catches an event - meteor, satellite trail, Betelgeuse going supernova etc. Mercury Transit Animations - asteroids, jupiters moons, moon phases etc. Low alt planets - a planetary challenge to encourage long-suffering UK imagers and all of us north of 50n latitude! Apollo Demi-Centenary - images to mark fifty years. Tiny DSOs - images no more than ~ 1 mega-pixel (or even smaller) to encourage photographing small planetaries or galaxies etc. Narrowband DSLR - a challenging challenge! Urban Image - has to be from a light polluted area, severity of LP to be taken into account.

I always mix in a wheelbarrow. Less mess and you can move it around easily too 🙂

I'm not entirely unconvinced that we might see a return to the 3-day week next winter

It's worth remembering that ANY image of a DSO is an achievement 🙂

@MarsG76 My early 'works' were no better! Not sure if I shared this (claimed to be the North America Nebula) before:

I took the liberty of grabbing the image and putting it through Gradient Exterminator; this is a jpg so expect better quality if you do it yourself: Edit: Bottom centre you can see what happens if you don't mask off a bright DSO before using Gradex...

This, 150mm x 914mm (36") mirror of otherwise unknown properties, freshly recoated by VCSM:

Most folks switch this off so they stay put and use flat frames instead. Nice horsey 🙂

... before you set fire to your neighbopur's trees ...

So keep your batteries charged :-)

I retro-edited it in 🙂

>sneak edit< No.... 😇