Alan White

Nice to see another secret Car Park meet up, I wonder how many of those us Astronomers have. I remember meeting @garryblueboy some years ago at a service station and have done so on other occasions too for sales and purchases, but for a 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours...' 🤣 Nice to see both your faces and scopes, they look great.

Pah, just 500mm John! Its a mere finder scope. Come on its a statement scope, go the 1000mm 😉

Oh John , how could you, never post a picture showing you used 'The Wifes' hairdryer or indeed the dishwasher or sink for any projects...... It will come back to haunt you, I know from experience 😉 The project is looking great, my first look through a scope was a Tal-1 many, many, many Moons ago. Always wanted one, but never had the money at the time.

But at 120x more expensive, well that would have to be a lotery win spend or not at all. Based on how cloudy it can be and that it would need a big mount and observatory, sad as I find it to say, well the reflector would get my resounding vote.

Thanks Nik, that image with the arrow is very helpful, I have pinched it and used it as a circular e-mail ti my astro club. I hope you don't mind me using it. I looked at this last night, but could not get my head around which was Ceres or not?

Glad you are feeling a bit better now @Stu, not a pleasant encounter to have.

So no Peanut Butter sandwiches are required 🤣

Sounds a great night Fancis, thos skies of yours no doubt help of course. Makes it sound like the 16" build has delivered for you. A step up froma 10", oh sounds tempting, but ......

That pier make the EQ8 look small Nigella, quite an achievement. Looking forward to the first light thread.

Indeed a mystery to me too, but I do wonder if it’s more marketing to make more options in a range and more sales, but who knows. Historically the EQ5 was the Vixen size and the EQ6 the Takahashi size, so perhaps stems from the home Japan market?

Also don’t forget the Skytee is not a Skywatcher product, been well documented before. Its from another source, but is sold by the wholesaler that sells Skywatcher brand in the UK, hence why TS and others resell the same mount.

I agree on both counts, the competition will of course take an SGL detour to who knows where 🤣

I was about to ask the same thing, part of a Dalek or perhaps something High Voltage?

Any shade of Pink available with a slight Black Colour bias 😉 perhaps mistaken for Black by some

I have .75 astigmatism and never wore glasses at the eyepiece until 3 years ago, when I was bemoaning the terrible coma in one of my scopes to a fellow observer with an identical scope. We swapped scopes and the issue followed me, it’s my astigmatism. Swapped to Longer eyerelief and wear glasses at the scopes now, and boy do I see more in familiar objects. But I take glasses off at 7mm eyepieces down and all is good, that’s focal length of eyepiece not exit pupil. All I can say is look at double stars, glasses on and then off, if the views better with glasses, then you have your answer.

Interesting links, but for me way above and beyond my means. Wonder who will be brave enough to buy number 001?

Nice to see you are at the which scope to mount stage Nigella, I presume the mounts in and ready to roll. I am disappointed you have no large refractor to mount 😉but based on the choice and timing, we’ll go with the ships funnel

I too have been out, but my session was short lived for the same as @Stu, poor seeing, mushy conditions and naughty old whispy cloud. Oh and add in the Root Canal started earlier today and it's not a good combination really. So no real feedback other than nice to get under the stars isn't it. But rest assured testing will continue, but in my case with an Intermission as off to Cumbria tomorrow. I will return..... Oh and on the Scone front, any combination works for me, its sweet, it's cake, whatt's not to like.

Propper English? Are we sure that it is not Sc own in Propper English.... 😉 I wish this cloud would go, then we can can get back to discussing slow motions again

Indeed John and returns to the core question, was the SC OWN, (thats how it shoud be said by the way), Designed to be as a Jam First or Cream First Baked sweet treat?

You may have apoint Heather....... Goes hanging head in shame of it 😉 But clearly it's whatever you prefer. In our household the very discussion is devisive, but a 50/50 split. And let's not get into how to pronounce scone!

Was this because of that never ending choice of jam or cream first with Scones?

Sorry for my absence this evening, it was I went for a readof @Stu thread on the Argo Navis and nodded off 😉 I jest with you @Stu I actually popped down to my Asto Club.

That's interesting to see the AZ100 set up like that Stephen, especially as a one sided mount. Interesting and a very obvious set up in reality. Does that sit straight on the Vixen Tripod or do you have an adapter in use? Just pondering that with the AZ75 as a very grab and go set up.

Robert, I just got on with no pan handle, but the Vixen Clamp looks like its got fixing for one, yet to come, remember this is a Prototype. At Zenith its fine, but cannot perform magic in Dobsons Hole, a Pan Handle may be the Magic required....watch this space