Alan White

3 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Anyway, I’d like to see someone try licking a Newton mirror…..it’s refractors all the way 👍🏻

How wrong you can be Jeremy.......
I found this on Newt Lickers Anonymous!

In all seriousness, I am a Refractor man too as many know, first scope was an Achromat and many more since, but I do dabble with Newts as well, but the true wow factor comes from my Refractors.

At the minute I am pondering how to observe going forwards with an ongoing long term back issue that I have.

If I had the means, health and location I would have an observatory and a large refractor.


 

I have just found this thread while sitting with my work PC updating itself.

Perhaps with all this lens licking and eyepiece sucking going on,
then a Therapist could specialise in such issues and help the Astro community no end.
 

As a visual observer, these mounts are outside my area of knowledge, but
I must say it looks like SW have upped the game with bigger and even smaller mounts.

Nice to see you Solar Imaging Nigella with the new mount.

So is your night mount the EQ8 SW still?

All of interest, but all very much outside of my knowledge area.

 

21 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

Are you making a binoscope ?

19 minutes ago, Stu said:

Nope 🤣🤣

He is making a quad scope obviously, just two more to find now….

So who will fess up to being the FS128 buyer one wonders? 

11 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

...and the winner is....

David (@dweller25)!!!🤩

May I introduce "Superfox" 🦊🐺🦊🐺, a stunningly beautiful, and as new Vixen Japan SD115S, courtesy of Mr Tim Lumb, a real gentleman and all round top notch fellow..

And accompanied by an as new, almost complete set of Vixen LVW eyepieces..a full set minus the 3.5mm which my good friend Steve is now looking after.

I will post more details and photos shortly (after supper!) on a new thread in the Scopes forum.

I am thrilled.

Dave

 

 

I had a feeling that might be the case, I had seen a kit list change somewhere else, the LVWs are a surprise though.

I am sitting carefully in anticipation of the reveal yet to come......

Best guess is Dave has launched a Cube Sat Mini Hubble via Space X!

 

What a super website, does you and your society proud.
 

Sounds like many of us, me included, are falling apart.

Pondering my future way of doing things with 5 ruined discs and a curved spine, not allowing for my two messed up knees.
But having read this thread, it’s clearly a case of finding what works for me, so cheered me up no end.

Sorry to see that no one answered you now long standing question,

If this is the heritage scope, then I think the often tape fix is it, 
the plastic on which it forms part of the top of the scope is not big or strong enough to
do anything else……unless of course someone has found a fix and stayed very quiet about it.

To be honest it’s a marmite thing with undercuts.

Each of us have had differing experiences with them,
the older shallower tv ones gave me little issue, the improved ones that feel deeper and have
ab angle on one side, snag.

When asked in what diagonal that was, simple, the TV one I had at the time!

I love to watch ISS passes with my manual scopes, 
how you manage to image it and with great success is outside my present skill set.

Wonderful images and so very well done.

Thank you @JeremyS for showing me this rare book.
I am now going to keep looking for one, you never know your luck.

 

I have followed this little ones flights and news with interest from the start.
To have done as much as it has is far more than the test flights it was due.
An over achiever is in fact an understatement.
 

Yes and my bug bear of undercuts has a question within the survey.
Interesting that a notable group dont like them and comment more fully than any other group.

I do hope the message has settled in Nagler family ears.

3) Having safety undercuts in the eyepiece barrel?
Our chrome plated 2″ and 1.25″eyepiece barrels include safety undercuts. It turns out only a trivial percentage of respondents had “No Opinion” on the utility of safety undercuts. This left the results evenly split into two camps: the “Very important” and “Somewhat important” respondents versus the “Not Important.” The “Very important” and “Somewhat important” camp has a slim 0.4% lead – but we’ll call it a tie. The “Not Important” group though was distinguished by submitting many more comments on the subject.

3 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Sooo disappointed it didn't contain snow. They shouldn't say, " may contain snow" if there's not a chance, but I guess their get out clause is, "May." 

Nigella, I fully understand, but how would you feel if the snow had melted and
made all the new kit wet through?    
Always a positive outcome 😉

Postie has been with a little bundle of joy this morning.

Adding to my slowly returning and growing DeLite collection, thanks to @Stridor for this one.

and sat with its friends in my Oklop eyepiece bag, that I highly recommend for flexibility and price.

and yesterday a little gift from my friend up north to put my Vixen Porta and tripod in

8 hours ago, John said:

Is there an Impractical Astronomy Show I wonder ? 🤔😁

 

Yes, on my observing area each time I observe.
If you wish to see things go wrong, ham fisted workings etc.
then it's the Exemplary showing of Impractical Astronomy!  🤣

This is the Practical Astronomy Show, that has moved venue from Kettering. 
This is not the IAS that is run by another team and has also moved venue.

Both are fine shows and in reality a shame they are both now close in location, the geographic locations in the past influenced some.

The PAS was attended by a group from SGL last year, we met up, talked Astronomy and twaddle and encouraged one another to buy things.

4 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

The only thing that puzzled me was Mallas's sketch of M27  (The Dumbbell nebula). He drew it as a misty rectangle and to this day his portrayal of it remains a mystery. M27 has always appeared to me as an Apple core enshrouded in a nebulous bubble, and that's in every instrument I've ever used, even binoculars.

That made me hobble to the book case and take a look (dodgy back at the mo).
Oh yes, what a strange observation he made, curious now.

The books were all curiosity and my Luddite wanting books not displays to look at.

 

Drooling, not temped etc. come on folks let's be honest.
Unless our funds are drained or we are restrained by others at these things,
temptation of a new 'thing' always gets us!

Postie or in fact DPD has been from @FLO and I have a third Oklop bag.

Also tucked in was little old Tak TOE 4mm, that I don’t know I have yet as it’s a surprise present for me?

So being a surprise I have not opened it yet 😉

Not that I can use it at the minute as I have done my back in and finding moving a touch of a challenge.

https://practicalastroshow.com/
 

For clarification it’s at Stoneleigh, the Kettering site closed down.

21 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

Worth pointing out that the Practical Astronomy Show is advertised for Saturday 23rd of March 2024! not the 9th. @mikeDnight
 

Practical Astro Show

Indeed it now is, the date set last year for this was the 9th and then changed.

The venue also moved.

Unfortunate that I posted the date and location last year before the change was made.

I have asked the mods to alter the title 😀

Postie called yesterday with a package of joy, lots of happy reading ahead. 
OK the Nortons was a curiosity for me to see what I had missed.