JeremyS

Love it, Nigella 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

It maybe that your frequent open ended questions on “this vs that” become a bit tiring after a while. It might leave some to wonder if you actually want to know the answer or just engage in debate. Don’t get me wrong: there is space for debate - it’s what many of us enjoy, especially when it’s so cloudy much of the time 😊

…images free from spikes.

Looks super Paul. But please don’t touch the lens 👍🏻

Wonderful 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Clear from dusk until just now when light cloud arrived.

A nice time with the variables.

First time out for a couple of weeks due to eclipse travel and weather. Very noticeable how the sky has “moved on”

Although opposition is some way off (16 Jan 2025), Dr Richard McKim, Director of the BAA Mars Section, has started his blog:

https://britastro.org/section_news_item/mars-opposition-blog-7-april-2023
 

He will post updates on observations, including any dust storms that might emerge.

And we haven’t even got onto the subject of BBQ baby back ribs with BBQ sauce, @Alan White 😊

2 hours ago, John said:

Triton should be, on a good, dark night.

The moons of Uranus have so far eluded me at apertures less than 12 inches. Even the brightest of those is a magnitude fainter than Triton.

Edit: apologies, I realise that I've to some extent repeated what I posted earlier in this thread - I lost track !

Well it was good then and it’s good now, John 😊

8 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Great! love the images, was it might hot down there? did you enjoy the bbq? 

Not too hot. Typically max 80F. 
BBQ was excellent.

I'm a real fan of brisket.

Just back from Leakey, Texas, ca 60 miles from the Mexican border.

Beautiful Texas Hill Country, with the bluebonnets and other wild flowers in full bloom. The day before was perfect and eclipse day dawned clear. Then cloud came in, but there were gaps. Caught 1st, 2nd and 3rd contact. I was observing visually with my Tak FC 76DCU and Canon IS bins. What a super event!

we stayed in a cabin on a ranch. You can see it in my crude iPhone shot. It was extremely well appointed. The hosts were gracious and they even put on an impromptu Texas BBQ afterwards.

Nice handle John 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Good to see the late Maurice Gavin, CCD and spectroscopy pioneer 

That was a favourite haunt of mine from the 70s until they closed

1 hour ago, John said:

Managed to sort this natty "Tam o' shanter" type objective cap from a wooden lid and an old brass drawer knob. Needs a bit of wood stain but it's a nice snug fit into the dew shield. Should keep the dust out and somehow suits the style of the scope🙂

 

 

I’m just waiting for the cuckoo to pop out for a look 👍🏻

I certainly like your style, Nigella 👍🏻😊

I might have to dig out my observing dinner suit for the occasion 🤔

8 minutes ago, John said:

For anyone interested in Ernest (Ernie) Elliott and Gerry Morris at BC&F / Telescope House, there is some more information here:

Ernest J Elliot - Broadhurst Clarkson and Fuller Ltd (bcftelescopes.co.uk)

Interesting read. 
You don’t see sink areas in that state these days 🤣

I hope you get much enjoyment from it John. 
It’s as nice to look as as through, I suspect 

Looks amazing John. And the wooden tripod is just the part. Was that supplied with it?
First light after 30 years, though? Where’s it been in the meantime?

In Violation of the Prime Directive: Simulating detriments to Delta-Quadrant civilizations from the starship Voyager's impact on planetary rings
 

https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.20268

Preprint on ArXiv today may give heart to those looking for Vulcan during the eclipse next week: “Vulcan: Retreading a Tired Hypothesis with the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse”, https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.20281

If anyone is successful, might I suggest sending a description to the same journal?

😊

Nice set up 👍🏻

1 hour ago, John said:

Nobody trying to lick it I notice 😄

 

I wouldn’t be too sure about that John. Looks like Lundin is wiping off the evidence with his hankie.

I hope it’s a clean one 🤔

I popped into the RAS library this week and viewed one of Caroline Herschel’s observing log books from the 1780s