Alan White

@Stu With how the weather has been, world and uk issues and your now driving west to east each week, we’ll your mojo struggling is very understandable. I think @F15Rules described a similar outcome for some of the same reason for him and many of us all. A rest and recharge of the Astro enthusiasm is part of the hobby as far as I am concerned, makes the jump back in in Mid August all the better. Nice car, a bit brightly coloured for my taste though, looks like fun and I can see why you had a return to an old hobby now.

A case of you reap what you sow I think.

Postie has been with a recent purchase from @Franklin in his recent Vixen sale 12mm SLV for WL Solar and outreach.

Good luck with this build, something I ponder on my observing area is adding walls and a roof. Timber prices have gone insane so that has tempered my enthusiasm for now.

They as said above are the forum sponsor, one of if not the largest uk Astro retailers and I use them as a supplier, throughly decent reliable, knowledgeable and above all trustworthy folks. @FLO might wish to make comment directly of course….

Yes me too.

Bigger Alt AZ are around and available, the Rowan AZ100, The APM MaxLoad, Track The Stars etc. Because of the qulity engineering they cost more than some hope, you do get what you pay for in this hobby. The issue now is that astronomy has biased towards imaging, not us visual obserevers and the market feeds the bigger demand. Imagers if you look spend a Princely Sum on mounts before they even start erally spending, but for imaging its equatorial mounting, so the visual alt az is less well served. I can see why larger newtonians are mounted on dobson mounts, but I did find that a frustration at higher powere and the difraction spikes, just messed with my head too much, so I am just a refractor only observer now and accept my lot for the spike free view, mind you one day I hope for a 5" or 6" refractor.

Great report and nice to see some shared observing of the ISS. ISS tracked with Alt Az is great fun in a small scope, but being able to track and see much detail, well there is the challenge. You stayed up later than I might on a week day, good on you. Summer observing can be great fun, especially nice to be lightly dressed of course. Thank you for sharing, nudged me to make the time for a later one, if only the cloud would oblige.

My new case with some familiar friends They may have some additions at a later date and may go all 1 1/4 for simplicity of kit.

Well Postie came knocking early as I was going out this morning, so had to wait until now. I have been sitting with this in the @FLO offers area and my inbox, waiting for the next price drop, but patience would not last and I have a new EP case. Made for Morphoi of which at present I own none, will be remedied once my back pay gets sorted out. A very well made Baader Morpheus and Hyperion case, its far more solid than my old Maplin case, very sure and solid locks, and the cut outs are just perfect for Morpheus, Pentax XW and Vixen LVW and I expect TeleVue Delos as well.

Good point on astigmatism. I would also keep the magnification at 8x or 10x otherwise you will need a monopod or tripod as well. A reasonable but not the best would be 10x50 Olympus DP-S 1, were sold on Amazon and under £100, but Ithink they are no longer available, better at not much more available elsewhere. Many of the 10x50 on the forums sponsor page are also good for the price and I am sure @FLO post to France, unless your outside of France at the minute. examples would be: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/classic-binoculars/opticron-oregon-10x50-wa-binocular.html https://www.firstlightoptics.com/classic-binoculars/opticron-adventurer-10x50-t-wp-binocular.html https://www.firstlightoptics.com/classic-binoculars/pentax-sp-50mm-binoculars.html Have a look for Binocular Sky (Steve Tonin) on this forum, he is very engaged and has lots of reviews online, linked here on the forum if memory serves me OK.

58 degrees Arnaud? or do you mean 38, otherwise your having a true Heatwave.

As well as your thermal shorts Paul, remember the bobble hat 😉

Its been nearly 40 here in Essex, I feel like I have melted into my own socks! It was too hot for solar at 8.45am this morning.

Nice when this happens, bright and early that.

Ah the new kit curse strikes again.

Hello Tina Welcome from another Essex located member. quite a number are located here on this Forum, no doubt they might say hello too. Ask questions, nothings silly, if you don't know, you don't know, all of us start in the hobby and don't know either, we gain knowledge by asking. This hobby is very helping and sharing orientated, it's tends not to be competitive. So long answer as always from me, but Hello 👋 Alan

Interesting topic this and something that visual observers see and cataloge as odd. So intereting to its poetential and knowing what space debris looks like as it burns up.

I have had multiple scopes, so many eyepieces and when it comes down to it I find I like several things: Simplicity Refractors Wider but not ultra wide eyepieces Seated observing for my back and knees sake as well as relaxed propper observing

Some of the best ISS shots I have seen, nice.

I am sure the Apollo 11 is a most wonderful eyepiece, but it was clearly produced as a celebratory collectors piece over the Moon Landings and came with a Collector's price to match. As a user of eyepieces I would not buy such a thing, mainly because it’s outside my budget range, but I would not use one even if I did as it would be an investment. Dont worry about the XW’s they are safe come what may, the t6 was a side show, but I was curious to see what folks would say. The t6 Naglers are an amazing bit of design in such a minimalist package, most surprised it was and is so popular in its design home as the US likes to go large. I can see Naglers and an TV 85 would be a wonderful pairing.

Thanks all, so the reality is as I thought. Smaller and lighter with the t6 or marginal improvement with what I have and they all play together. Somehow I think the t6 was a worthwhile distraction, but Pentax, Vixen APM etc will remain as stunning and already invested in. I have to say if the XW was in a t6 size and eyerelief, wouldn't that be great.

Nice crisis Mr Icesheet, lets hope its an early midlife crisis as 40 is a bit low for the midpoint, but at 56 I would say that! I managed to not have a midlife crisis, was too busy with life throwing things at me, but always time for a belated one.....

I like the closer eye relief for some odd reason, the Nagler has a smaller footprint and does not in the t6 cause an issue for me. The wider topped wide angles you mention make no sense to me with big flat tops, some folks must have enormous eye sockets!

Problem is the Delos is even more unwealdy and Turkey leg like and heavier still. But I like the sugestion though.