Alan White

Two objects that I enjoy looking at, this is a nice binoculars combination.
Sadly was not to be through the cloud, ahh well, another night will come along.
 

I was just enjoying the free 🍪 until I realised they could not be eaten.......

Oh my, that looks rather nice.

Spoken as a visual only person, why two scopes?

150mm refractor, that’s a chunk, two of them must be quite a heavy lump.

http://www.skee-tex.co.uk/products/skee-tex-boot-14.aspx

I use Skee tex boots, look naff, but ever so toasty, just don't walk too far in them though.

1 hour ago, John said:

I think John Dobson hit the nail on the head when he said "....the importance of a telescope is not how big it is, it's not how well made it is, it's how many people less fortunate than you got to look through it..."

I think that is wonderful and so true.
 

Thank you FLO.
A Happy New Year and Decade to one and all, Clear Skies and Ongoing Sales to all.
 

My Daughter and her friend were at home last night, when a 'Dad can we have a look through your telescope' was asked, how could I refuse?

I set up the 150mm f5 Newtonian and left it to cool for a few minutes.

Our tour was very basic, buch much enjoyed by all :

Lunar, with lots of wow, would you look at those craters and the inevitable where is the Lander questions.
Then up to Pleiades with the wow, that's amazing.
Across and up to Cassiopeia and the surrounding wonders, was pleased that the Double Cluster was well received.
Then across to Orion and of course the Nebula and then Betelgeuse and other stars to look at the colours.

By this point they were now cold and had reached saturation of the Celestial Wonders for now.

It made my day that I was asked to show them something and it was enjoyed, wonderful stuff indeed.
I love showing others the sky and the wonders we enjoy, really enjoyed myself.
A great end to 2019, which for me has been a rough old year in part.


 

On 28/12/2019 at 09:36, johninderby said:

Detail from the instructions.

Disappointed that a certain Knob has the name of Altitude Lock, this rather lacks the twang of Stu’s Knob that I so wished the lads had boldly used 😉

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Built to a standard not a price is the way I would put it. 👍🏻

That's how I felt John when I had a good old look and try at the IAS.
Pleased you have the first one and are happy, looks great my friend, so pleased for you.

 

Glad you got First Light and are as pleased as I thought you would be.
Clear Outside said it was solid cloud so carried on imbibing (which is not normal for me at all) and then looked out at 8pm,
nd it was of course clear unlike my head by this point.
I didn't trust myself with expensive astro kit, so I had an hour with the binoculars, wonderful stuff indeed.

It was so quiet and the sky was darker than normal, everyone at home and no cars moving about I suppose.



 

I have a lurk several times each day, don’t always post.

SGL is certainly a nice place with a decent community spirit, Happy Christmas, Wednesday or however you wish to name today.

All I can say is, a far better day than a year ago, back then I found myself in hospital with a viral problem that did things to my Heart, this year, back to normalish and enjoying the day.

Nice video Chris, 
Nice to see you back with a scope again.
Happy Christmas to you and the family.

Looks like your signature now needs changing Chris, nice scope choice.

I really like and sometimes get to enjoy my 150mm f5 Newtonian.

On 20/12/2019 at 15:04, garryblueboy said:

I did say the last 6’’ I’d buy but not the last 5’’ this beauty turned up today Birthday treat and early Xmas gift to myself will post better pics when I get chance to set her up weather is looking shocking though 

Wow Garry, two very nice scopes you have added.
So now you have a 5" and 6" sorted, what's the next size to buy 😉

Very nice, snazzy case too.

3 minutes ago, Paul M said:

Surely it isn't anything that Sandra Bullock couldn't fix with a fire extinguisher. Orbital dynamics; it isn't rocket science!

But sadly she was left at home this time as they didn't trust the tech enough to risk a human payload,
shame they didn't do this with the planes before they so disastrously nose dived terra firma.

 

Very interesting to read your findings, these mirror my own observations over the years and varying diagonals.

My worse ones, were much older cheapies that came with poorer quality kit than I now purchase.

I at present have a WO and a TeleVue diagonal and performance wise can see no difference, build wise the TeleVue has the edge as it should do based on cost.

A while back my SW ED Pro scopes came with nice and well performing SW diagonals. 

It certainly is a very interesting mount, 
as is the potential sibling one talked about.
Rowan have a very good engineering reputation and things look promising.
I just wish it didn't require a new tripod as well, this makes a whole set up quite an investment.
 

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Hmmmm😁

Now that looks to be stockings in my ladder......

 

16 hours ago, JamesF said:

You've just reminded me of a story my dad tells about someone (either a relative or more probably another resident of the road where he lived) for whom (he claims) this was very much true when he was growing up in the 1950s.  Apparently said chap pretty much lived in the shed at the end of the garden because his wife rarely let him into the house.

James

We have a chap round the corner in exactly that circumstance,
but he lives in an old and non mobile motorhome.

Welcome Andreas

Coming back into this hobby is very common after a break.
I did the same, stopped observing as much when my daughters were small,
had a break for 15 years, 14 years longer than I expected.
 

Wow, nearly 8 years to the day and the thread gets resus, amazing.

So how goes the observatory Shane?

Just noticed our fine forum sponsor also sells one under the Astro Essentials range at £69
and no printed plastic looks to be involved.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-right-angled-eyepiece-for-polar-scopes.html

Oh my goodness me Gordon,
I was shocked at the tree down, then scrolled down further.
Share your pain and you have my fullest sympathies on the damage caused.
As you say, luckily the domes are OK.