Moonshane

nice layout - I like the double level section.

Arrrr well if you look closely you will see that I haven't placed the smaller eps in the case yet until I finalise them. Hence there will be room for the 2.5XO should the need arise.

OK OK just trying to help

I noticed though that you subconciously placed the 5mm XO in a place where you cannot fit the 2.5mm in the case - wise decision

That's a really nice offer the help Gareth break his addiction. Just to show I'm even more of a decent chap I'll take the 21.

On a serious point though I personally wouldn't buy another Ethos. I love my 13mm and it's a superb eyepiece as a workhorse wide field but I honestly think that the optics whilst being excellent and as good as anything else are not actually better than eg 12.5mm BGOs or what have you. The sole difference to me anyway is the larger field (which is spectacular) but owners of great quality plossls etc should not feel left out. Don't get me wrong though, I have half an eye on a 26mm Nagler so I do love the wide field!

sweet set-up! I'd stop now if I were you (yeah right!!).

An interesting thing I have noticed about the vast majority of these cases is that the eyepieces seem to be set out 'upside down'. I have done mine the other way up with the rubber eye cups (i.e. the eyepiece end) facing the handle rather than the hinge like others. My logic being that when the case is carried I'd prefer the weight on the nosepiece than the eye cup. I store my cases lay down. I'll post an update on my 'complete' collection after Crimbo when I add my latest 'surprise' gifts that I bought for me on behalf of my wife and daughters

Although books are slightly off topic for this particular thread, I just got a copy of this book http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/111106-illustrated-guide-astronomical-wonders-first-impressions.html

I reckon this is a superb book and I'd recommend it highly to all newbies and oldies alike.

Mods, feel free to remove this post if you feel the need to do so.

not sure where you'd get the timber but it's quite straight forward, esp. if you can scavenge bits off another wobbly tripod

see http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-astronomer/99448-home-made-wooden-tripod-refractor.html which might help.

cheers Nick

glad you got one - it's a great book. just to show how well the drawings are done, compare this photo with the drawing in the book. almost everything is identical.

http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-lunar/103254-stoffler-crater-avi-stack.html#post1427280

The OMNI 120 refractor's a fab scope :0)

hi Austin

no not yet, although my avatar (this photo moon on Flickr - Photo Sharing!) was taken with an old 60mm refractor and a cheapo point and press camera held to the eyepiece so I am sure I'll have a go at some point. that said, I cannot see me ever becoming a serious imager as it's just too time consuming for me.

I like the quick point and press single shot insect / macro work I do like this Eristalis pertinax DSCF3801 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I do have an almost ready made nosepiece to enable some prime focus work with a Nikon Coolpix 995 so might have a go at some point.

great stuff. I think with the weather in the UK, that's all of us!

I bet you'll see a lot of the features in the book with your bins.

ha ha

go for it Austin - I am sure Peter's comment was tongue in cheek

it's a superb book and well worth it. the details on Mars are great too as there's detailed maps of the various areas which may help in making sense of the subtle details you can see on the very small disc.

nice one guys! you won't regret it, this is an excellent book - even the notes preceding the plates are great and I have learned a lot already.

I may have over-egged the 'problem' re the red tones in the printing but thought it best to mention it. I am sure it is not a major issue, especially as more often than not you'll also have moonlight to see by

'A Concise Guide to Moon Mars and Venus'

Author : Antonin Rukl

Publisher : Hamlyn

ISBN 0 600 36219 1

255 pp Hardcover

170mm x 113mm approx.

I think this is the right place for this as although it's not technically equipment - mods please can you move if not in the right spot? Thanks

Having recently started on the Lunar 100, I have struggled with the basic single image map of the moon for some of the smaller features; even some of the larger features were not that easy to trace from the map.

I have looked online and you can possibly download maps etc but I have several times had them blow about in the breeze recently and it's frustrating to say the least. Also, the online maps did not seen detailed enough to help me.

After a request on an SGL thread http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/102580-what-best-astronomy-book-you-have-bought.html someone recommended the book I am reviewing as a cheap and excellent book to have at the scope and work through various areas of the moon.

I checked on Amazon.co.uk: Low Prices in Electronics, Books, Sports Equipment & more and found several copies. I ordered what was described as a 'good' copy and it arrived today, all for the princely sum of £5.67 inclusive! These are therefore my initial impressions of the book without actually using it in the field so to speak.

The book is in very good condition given it is 30+ years old and really is a great book. After a brief summary of the three objects it covers, the mean feature of the book is the 76 plates covering the whole of the Earth-facing lunar surface and the a further six showing Mars in detail.

I am mainly going to focus (pun intended) on the Moon elements as this is the main reason for me buying the book. It is very user friendly having a frontispeace which shows the whole moon split into the 76 plates further on in the book. You pick your area and then turn to the plate concerned. The plates have excellent levels of detail and good markers to guide you to the pages above, below, right and left of the one you are on.

One possible issue with this book is that the numbers on the front plate are printed in red and are quite hard to see with a red capped torch (I just tried this out in my under-stairs cupboard - much to the amusement of my daughter). Personally, I am going to write over the numbers in pencil so I can see them more clearly. Also, the plates have a reddish tinge to them but reading the details on them is far less difficult due to the darker and lighter edging etc. In reality, if you are lunar observing, I don't think that dark adaptation is that much of a problem so you could probably use a dimmed white light in any case. This is my only reservation about the book at this stage.

I am delighted with this book and the fact it is small, cheap, detailed and fits in the pocket, makes it an ideal book to take out to the scope. There is little doubt that it will get plenty of use and I am already forming plans to try and find all the main craters and features on each plate as the terminator makes its way across the surface our our satellite.

Hopefully others will find this useful and the book will help them find all the features they wish to do on their lunar observing forays.

Some photos below show the book and a few plates etc. to give an idea of what you can expect.

Cheers

Shane

hi all

cheers for the feedback!

re the tape as supplied, I have found it is extremely sticky and you are unlikely to displace the finder even with a decent knock - it's as light as a feather and Steve at FLO described it as being like a toy in a cheap cracker - true but it's more robust than it looks. it does stand quite tall though (about the same height as a normal finder). I put it on temporarily to try it out on a newt that I then sold and if you carefully prize it off, the residue comes off readily with lighter fluid and a cloth. I'd recommend you fit the bracket one day and use the next but this is probably not essential and just me being careful.

thanks for the correction pvaz - I have never seen a telrad in the flesh although my dob comes with one on it so I will be able to compare the two.

whichever one you choose it's an amazing tool as far as I am concerned.

don't forget to turn it off though when you put it away.

I have often found that the straight through finder on my refractor was quite difficult to use and often did not live up to its name. For very bright objects like Mars or the Orion Nebula it is fine but when you have to ‘star hop’ the reversed (both ways) image was difficult for my relatively small brain to decipher and I regularly went in the completely wrong direction. Also, before I made my taller wooden tripod I often had to kneel or even lay flat to see through the finder. The Rigel could be an answer for that too if fitted on the tube.

Reading various reviews, I came to the conclusion that the red dot finder was a way to improve this process and enable more time viewing and less time finding (or not).

I liked the circular ‘target’ of the Telrad type of ‘reflex’ finder which has zero magnification and is the right way up. You are basically using the site as you use your eyes; the name ‘reflex’ finder seems very appropriate.

The intention was to place it on my focuser and I did not really wish to drill the tube so both of these pretty much ruled out the larger Telrad. The Rigel unit uses self-adhesive strips to fit the base plate and as it has a footprint of only a couple of inches square and is very light it can be fitted anywhere on the scope without damage or upsetting the balance of your scope (you may possibly need to rebalance your scope if you use the optional AA battery adapter). The Rigel also sits a little higher than the Telrad although I have never seen the latter.

There’s not much in price between the basic Telrad and the Rigel but the latter comes ready to go with battery, two bases (so it can be used on different scopes), and has the blinking target as standard. I have no ties with the forum’s sponsor First Light Optics but got mine from there – for convenience, I direct you to here for specifications etc. Finders - Rigel QuikFinder Compact Reflex Sight

The target covers half a degree and two degrees with two concentric circles and is easy to use. Fit the base plate and then the unit to the scope. Turn on the unit and the same knob provides for variable brightness on the small screen. I have quite poor skies in terms of light pollution and found the dimmer settings the more useable. I don’t like the blinking as it drives me a little crazy – this is down to personal preference and maybe I’ll like it more in time. This is adjusted with a small white knob. Alignment is easy with the three small white knobs being used to align in the same manner as the set screws on a normal finder. It took about 10 seconds.

Once you have it all lined up and a nice cool scope, clear skies etc, you are ready to go. My method was to point the scope at the right area of sky, look through the Rigel from about 6 inches away and with my right eye and look at the sky with my left eye. It sounds difficult but comes naturally in a very short space of time. Get the scope to where you want it with the guide stars in the right positions and then lock off the scope. Go to the normal telescopic finder and then use this to locate the actual object(s) you want and hey presto it is in the scope eyepiece on low power. It makes it so much easier to be in the right sort of area before you look through the main finder; eventually I may not even need the other finder but reckon the best of both worlds is the right way to go for now.

There are many useful maps with Telrad targets see http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/96603-messier-targets.html and although the Rigel unit has just the two inner rings and not the outer 4 degree ring, these maps are still usable of course.

I hope others find this useful and please free to PM me any questions or post comments to the thread.

Hi all

I thought this is related to the subject of this thread but reading the thread I am not sure it is! Is there a section for recommended books for beginners?

I have just started this amazing interest and someone bought me a little book for Christmas. I have always been scornful (as an entomologist / birder) for years of the Collins Gem/Mitchell Beazley type of guide but the Collins Gem 'stars' book is really surprisingly useful to me. It has a great summary of the northern and southern constellations, sets out which are double stars, where the galaxies and clusters etc are and also some background and monthly star maps. All of this packs into a book which is about 4 inches tall, three inches wide and half an inch thick. Superb to pack with the bins or small scope on holidays and also cheap at £5. Probably not everyone's cup of tea but for a real starter like me, I think it's a very useful addition to my library and good to accompany my copy of Turn Left at Orion, mainly as it puts the positions of the stars/constellations into perspective. The ISBN is 0-00-717858-1

cheers

Shane