Peter Drew

Provided that you can get a good view from that position I don't see any overall problem. You don't, these days, have to be inside the observatory during imaging so vibrations shouldn't be an issue. The advantages of an observatory usually trump any other issues. 🙂

Opened the all aluminium solar observatory at 12.30pm today and the OTA of my 150mm Ha telescope was almost too hot to touch. 😱 Despite this, the views were quite reasonable, left the shutters open to let the breeze filter through and the temperature soon dropped. No problems in the larger observatory buildings. 🙂

I'm betting that you will be pleasantly surprised by the remaining result. 🙂

That's interesting as I saw a very similar event much earlier in the afternoon. 🙂

It was certainly good hear, I've never seen such brightly yellow clouds and a rainbow a couple of evenings before was probably the most intensely coloured one to date. 🙂

For terrestrial viewing. if you place the focuser and eyepiece in a top dead centre position, point the telescope at the object and then look in with your back to the object the view will be correctly orientated. 🙂

I would replace it if possible. Look for a used Watec 120n+ integrating camera, I've had both and the difference is Galileo v Hubble. Exaggerating but you get the point! 🙂

It's interesting to note that Mewlons have a rolled inwards lip at the top entrance of the tube which defines the aperture of the telescope. I don't know, but this detail might be intended to reduce off axis light to enhance the on axis contrast. Mewlons are legendary for their contrast. 🙂

The Solar Scout, in keeping with other Daystar solar telescopes, uses a solid mica etalon, the mica has to be heated to achieve its required band pass. The equipment to do this is included with the purchase. It takes around 10 minutes to come up to temperature for the basic setting plus a few more if subsequent retuning is undertaken. This interrupts the grab and go potential. Another aspect that concerns me is that another poster has reported that best images are obtained by stopping down the 60mm to less than 40mm. 🤔

I have experience of just the Solar Scout, but I would favour the Lunt based on the better company support and not having to fuss with heating times and adjustments of the Solar Scout. It should be possible to image with either. 🙂

If you can afford the extra price and manage the extra size, the Skywatcher 150mm Dobsonian is by far the best of your options so far. Welcome to SGL. 🙂

Vauxhall is a division of General Motors. The Vectra was a successful car in saloon car racing events. 😀

No way are my ashes going into orbit, I want them scattered on the ground so people can walk all over me like they did whilst I was alive. 🤣

Unfortunately my laptop can't download your videos so difficult to make a valid comment. However, if the visual image is good and detailed you should be able to photograph it, failure to do so points towards something to do with the imaging train or the exposures. The new brighter visual image would need a lot faster setting, not difficult to overexpose a solar image. 🙂

I hardly believe this but there was a similar outburst today, same area and same time. Not quite as spectacular as yesterday's but impressive by any standard. 🙂

I'm using a self built PST mod based on an Istar 150mm F10 objective, internal triband ERF and Denkmeier binoviewers. I'm surprised that nobody else has reported the event wich was of around one hour duration. 🙂

Spectacular outburst on the Sun this afternoon. I had been looking on and off during the day and an expected last sweep round the limb at 17.15 revealed an exceptionally bright whale tail shaped eruption. It grew rapidly and headed out into space, the shape changing in real time. Very complex distortions and separations, all seemingly held together by fine "threads" almost at the resolution limit of the 150mm aperture, humbling to think that these threads that looked like spider webs were probably hundreds of miles thick!. Eventually the relentless gravity of the Sun reeled the material back in and by 18.30 there was only a thin random pattern to be seen. The best activity I've witnessed for some time. 🙂

An easy way to determine the focal length of a Barlow lens is to draw a circle to twice the size of the lens and then focus the Sun through it. Draw the lens away until the image fills the circle and the distance between the lens and the image is the focal length. Perhaps not so easy in the UK! 😀

Might be worth considering one of the small plastic sheds as a "run-off" rather than an observatory. 🙂

I had a good solar session around mid day today. AR3031 was certainly very active and flaring continually, rivers of "molten gold" flowing around like an aerial view of a volcanic eruption. 🙂

I was going to post exactly the same comment, a striking resemblance. 🙂

The "river" is a filament, it is the plan view of a prominence which will show as an arch if it lasts long enough to reach the limb of the Sun. 🙂

I have used a 150mm aperture Ha telescope with a sub diameter internal ERF and no extra uv/ir filter for several years with no adverse effect. 🙂

A lot depends on the type of solar observation. For "white light" which will show sunspots, faculae and surface granulation, either telescope with a full aperture filter would be suitable. The Esprit could use a Herschel wedge for a similar result. For hydrogen-alpha viewing and imaging a bespoke Ha telescope or a Quark would be needed to show prominences, filaments and solar flares. 🙂

Cloudy here but it looks like a large prom lift-off on GONG. 🙂