Richard Hather

Thank you Vicky pleasure doing business as always ?

The filter is in perfect condition and as in the pics will come in the original case. Im asking for £40 and £3 1st class delivery. Brand new these are £66 without postage. Payment by PayPal thanks for looking. Richard Hather

Good to know I’m not the only one, I think experience and perseverance is key with galaxies hopefully it will get easier with time and patience ?

Cheers Alan I’ve never had I work so hard to observe an object but worth every second spent on it hope it gets easier now but if not I will put in the effort again. Yeah LP is a killer I know it really makes observing hard for me but not impossible with the dimmer objects do with time and practice and perseverance i will see more im sure. M51 is frustrating me though I’m sure I was in the right area I will keep trying until I find it as I’m sure I should be able to even with my LP.

Observing Information DSO - M65/M66 Date - 13/05/18 Time - 23:30 Lunar Phase - 14% Waning Crescent Seeing - Good Equipment - 12” Dobsonian Eyepieces - 30 ES 82 Additional info - Got to 14:00 in the afternoon yesterday and I realised it was going to be clear last night. So plans had to made I already had a list of galaxies I wanted to observe top of that list M51 along with of course the Leo triplet Galaxies. I started of my 2h 30m session with a good observation of Jupiter which showed me some lovely detain and the bands and moons were as prominent as ever. I then had a look at M13/M3 to try and get my eye in, they were stunning as always both central bulges nice and bright. So it was with some optimism I began my hunt for M51 a thorn in my side for sometime, alas I was unsuccessful. Despite trying with different mag filters and jumping on one leg it simply wouldn’t reveal itself to me. I then decided to have a go at the triplet. So I hopped straight to Chertan then went approximately 6 degrees below and 1 degree to the right using my beloved telrad for reference. Then I sat and observed and took in every nook and cranny of that ep I could, I knew I was in the right area. I couldn’t tell you how much time passed but I noticed slowly but surely 2 small smudges 1 slightly below the other. I knew straight away I had found what has evaded me for so long an observation of a galaxy (which isn’t andromeda) from my own Class 6 Bortle back yard. Over time i managed to make out a slight increase in light which was the core but little other details maybe because it was still relatively light out even at 00:00. I tried to see NGC3628 but just couldn’t make it out maybe when my skies are darker I will have more luck. But I was happy and decided to sketch my observation. I used my ES 30mm 82 throughout unfiltered because I found my LP/UHC didn’t add anything to the view and of course with the big fov the 30mm was a must. So now I know what to look out for which is something which takes a lot of time and effort to see even when your staring right at it. Definitely worth the effort though and hopefully once our skies get darker again this will be the first/second of many galaxies I observe from my own back yard. Clear skies ???? Richard

Lovely sketch, like looking through the ep myself ?

Honestly if I had £5000 to spare I would certainly consider it. A lot of things to consider storage and of course a scope like that deserves to be under pristine dark skies as much as possible. Something at the moment is hard to get. Maybe one day...

I have 3 eyepieces ES 30mm 82 Deg and the ES 14mm/9mm 100 Deg. I will also add the ES 5mm 100 Deg at some point in the future. Im happy with these eps and can’t see me selling them. As for my 12” dob if circumstances allow I will certainly get a biggger dob, how big only time will tell ?

Wow they do look nice but a bit expensive for me. let me know how they perform though maybe a purchase for the future.

I like these, would this pair be wide enough to show me most constellations I will primarily be using them to help me star hop and get a feel for we’re the constellations are positioned?

Thank you Neptune, we do our best with the eyes we have ? It certainly was a great target to get back on the wagon with. I would be interested to see you sketch always nice to compare other sketches to your own ?

Both excellent points, my budget is around £50 which 10x50 binoculars would be a good buy from your experiences?

Hi everyone I’m thinking about purchasing these binoculars, my main draw to them is you don’t have to focus them and they seem decent quality. Opinions more then welcome and of course if my money would be spent better on another pair I’m more then happy to consider them. Heres all the specs for the binoculars and a pic. Highlights Wide Angle Porro Prism 7.5° Angle of View Focus-Free Design Features The Bushnell 10x50 Permafocus Binocular is a full sized 10x unit with a focus-free design, so that you'll never miss the action while fumbling to focus. It is designed only for use with distant subjects. Just aim and your subject comes into clear view. This 10x50 model is well-suited to stadium sports where you are more distant from the field, and with its 50mm objective lenses it provides a very bright view. Full size 10x50 porro prism binocular with a wide 7.4° viewing angle Fully coated optics for superior light transmission and brightness Unique "Focus-Free" feature ideal for stadium sports events Non-slip rubber armor absorbs shock while providing a firm grip Designed for viewing distant subjects (close focus is subjective and dependent on user's vision)

Ohhh wow they just get better the subtle shades you get on the spiral really adds to it almost making it 3D like. This is on my to observe list but not sure I will be able to see it what quality was your skies when sketching this object?

Beautiful sketch love the detail you’ve captured, you must have dark skies to get this much detail good job ?

Lovely sketch excellent detail captured and the time lapse is fantastic ?

Cheers Paz it took me a while to find it as I couldn’t make out any stars round it through my telrad. Definitely worth the effort though ?

If I’m 100% honest it’s pretty heavy only when I’m bringing it back in after a nice long session. But usually the excitement of the night and adrenaline makes it easier. If you don’t have steps and don’t have to move it far you should be ok and attaching wheels with a stop clip on one of the wheels to keep it stationary is a must in my opinion. How far would you have to move it and we’re would you store the scope? Just for extra info I’m 32 and I’ve never had back problems.

Thank you Alan, it’s great to be back I hope the weather plays ball for me now ? He really is amazing, mother and child are 100% healthy ? I observe from my back yard and store my dob inside my house in a cupboard nice and safe. I wheel the dob whole to my back door then move it in 2 pieces pretty straightforward really.

Cheers Doug it’s good to be back can’t wait to observe some galaxy’s now ?

Thank you Ruud yeah everything’s great now, just want to have a few more cloudless nights ?

Observing Information DSO - M44 The Beehive Open Cluster Date - 18/04/18 Time - 23:00 Lunar Phase - 7% Waxing Crescent Seeing - Average Equipment - 12” Dobsonian Eyepieces - 30 ES 82 Additional info - Finally after 5 months without a session the clouds parted when I was off work and had time I could spend enjoying the cosmos. I feel I have to explain this long absence it is mainly due to weather and bad luck but with the birth of my 4th child Bodhi and everything else that entails it’s been a bit hectic. Anyway onto the session I set everything up around 21:00 just as it was getting dark. No mishaps by the way, collimating my dob went smoothly as did setup. So what to observe first I had a small list to start with M3/M5/M13/M57/M44 Jupiter just to get me back in the groove. I decided on sketching M44 which proved very difficult to find located at the centre of the Cancer constellation I thought I would have no trouble how wrong I was. I literally couldn’t see any of the stars to point the way, I could see Pollux and Castor which are next door in Gemini but apart from that not much else LP is particularly bad in that area but I kept looking and eventually found what I think is M44. What I saw was a sea of stars with the centre of the cluster having a definite yellowish tinge so some of the stars. As I observed and sketch more and more stars became apparent and I got lost in the detail and beauty of the cluster when I did check the time it was 00:30. After this I observed the other objects listed then called it a night. It’s good to be back to say the least and just in time for Galaxy season. Clear skies ???? Richard

Could you post a pic of what you’ve done to improve it if you don’t mind. I will get the wife to add the Velcro at least, sounds like a great way to keep the ep covered ?

It is as important as a red light or dew shield in my opinion. I’m happy that everyone uses them and loves it as much as I do ?

Lovely sketch, always a joy viewing this Nebula ?