AdeKing

Not sure whether or not I saw them from down here in Poole. I initially thought they were Noctilucent but then they faded as the horizon darkened so I thought they might have been normal Cirrus catching the last of the rays. What do you think? Photos were taken at about 22:44 BST

I've not got a 70mm but have got a William Optics ZS66SD I'm thinking of selling if this is of any interest. Only 4mm short of 70mm, but PM me if it's of any interest. Ade

PM Incoming for Baader Heavy Duty Quick Changer Regards, Ade

Me too Steve. Had a quick play with it this morning pretending to align on stars that I couldn't see and the alignment procedure seems easy enough. I also like just how many different catalogues are on the Nexus DSC, particularly when it comes to double stars. I can see this rapidly becoming the mount that is left permanently set up on my pillar mount, even though it doesn't yet track. A bit nervous to know how much the GoTo/Tracking combo will cost when its released as I know that I'll want it, need to look at what body parts I can sell next

Hi Stu, Yes, the FLO warning on the box proved correct and clouds were indeed released. So many in fact that I had to wait for them to clear to see what was in the box, well that's what it feels like anyway. The mount is indeed "Chunky" though I have to confess that it does look like it will be nice and stable for any scope that I'm ever likely to mount on it, which was part of my reason for saving up and spending so much on it. Starting to save for the iOptron Tri-Pier now, but in the meantime the 2" CG-5 tripod with pillar mount seems stable enough. Once an iOptron pier adaptor arrives, I'll be able to mount it on the Berlebach Uni 18 that I use for the my AZ Pro as its far too much faff to keep removing the tripod legs and swapping the Berlebach top plates over. Interestingly, like the CG-5 the AZ100 fits into the well of my HEQ5 16" pillar extension top plate and just needs an M12 bole to secure it. Ade

Delivered earlier today However, opening the boxes released the clouds contained within so no chance to put it through its paces yet. FIrst impression was OMG that's a lot bigger and heavier than I was expecting. Can't wait for a clear sky to have a play and put it through its paces.

I'd recommend sending an email to Bresser Europe together with a photo of the cloudy filter and your Lunt serial number for a replacement. I'm not sure whether it's still the case but mine was sent free of charge 2 years ago. Actually this post has made me check mine and it I've noticed that it needs swapping out again. You can actually clear the milkiness by soaking the filter in Viakal or another Calcium Lime Remover (CLR), it worked on mine but I'd recommend that you get a replacement first as at that point you've got nothing to lose if anything does go wrong. I have a B1200 filter and only use it visually but consider the views excellent though the only other H-alpha scope that I've used is a PST so don't really have anything much else to compare the view to. When I get the LS60 out again I'll take a note of how many turns of the DS tuning dial it takes for the view to change.

Yes it was ordered from Auntie FLO so fingers crossed I'll see it later this week. In case you haven't guessed, I can't wait for it to arrive. Ade

I'm hoping so @Stu first impressions at PAS when it was first launched were excellent. Can't wait to gety hands on it Steve. Yes, the user reviews have been brilliant, I'm just hoping that the stock levels were correct when I ordered as it was showing 1 of the mount bundle in stock I think with all other parts having more than 1 in stock. Fingers crossed I'll see it later this week.

As Dave says, check the blue filter which is on the scope side of the diagonal containing the blocking filter rather than the objective. These have a tendency to go milky and can affect the view. With regards to the tilt tuning knob, I have a pressure tuned scope but the dial on the external double stack filter seems to dial quite a long way on mine before I see much change in the view. Same for my pressure tuner, it comes on-band near the end of travel. Hopefully someone with a tilt tuned Lunt will be along shortly and can give a bit more of an insight.

Finally, after much effort saving funds, an order for an AZ100 with encoders and Nexus DSC, single Vixen/Losmandy Saddle, counterweight bar and flange and counterweight was placed first thing this morning. Everything was showing as being in stock, so fingers crossed it arrives soon. Weather forecast is good until Thurs, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Very much looking forward to receiving it Ade

Thanks Dave, now I've looked at it on the laptop it looks better than I initially thought. Thanks Steve, now I've seen it on the laptop screen it looks a better image than I initially gave it credit for. Hi Paul, unfortunately not, the forecast was so bad that I didn't bother to set anything up and only just had time to power up the GPD2 attach the TAL and slew to the Sun. It will try the TAL on the AZPro on the next clear night though, I promise. Ade

Managed a very quick glimpse through the TAL100RS and Baader Ceramic Wedge just before 11:00. Poor mobile image below. Glad I got to see something though.

I agree that it's definitely macro granulation that I'm seeing as the individual cells aren't visible, just an overall orange peel type texture. I think I've seen what you're describing once very briefly through the ED100 with binoviewers, but I've not seen it since. I tend to use the Coolwedge when I'm using one of the 4" Fracs or the ED120 and I agree that it does offer a subtle but noticeable improvement over the Lunt. It sounds like I need to put a bit more effort in and set a bit more time aside rather than grabbing short sessions. I actually really enjoy White Light, the fine detail visible in the penumbra and umbra is amazing. Thanks for the info on the f/11 it's a lovely scope and now it's in a soft carry case rather than a heavy bulky flight case it's seeing more action so I'll make sure that I get it out in the sunlight a bit more often. The solar views through the TAL have been pretty good so far so I'm hoping that it's a good one.

I tend to be a low power observer Stu as even with my best scopes I find that whilst I can pick up granulation easily at low power that as soon as I get over about 100x I struggle to pick it up. Maybe that is a sign of SA so now I know how to look for it I'll test all the scopes out to see if they suffer from it, though that might be an expensive mistake .