JOC

I just wondered, if the photo is the finished job, and I hesitate to suggest it, are they the right way up? I've got these in various places on our land and I thought mine were a good deal smoother on the top than yours appear to be.

I do like the dustbin idea, excellent use of the object. If you wanted something larger then I imagine you could also use a water-butt before the holes are cut if you use an alternative fastening mechanism (bungees?). The something larger idea arose as it occurs that it shouldn't be outside the realms of possibility to line the inside of a bin/butt with some form of flexible liner, maybe a cheap Yoga mat and/or a cheap foil backed under sleeping bag mat and maybe this would help to avoid condensation forming on the inner surfaces which could then drip onto the contents. However, if space was tight inside a bin then you might want to consider a larger object. Even a wheely bin with the lid removed might be a possibility - or even saw off the bottom and you'd even have a mini small flip off lid observatory!! LOL Mind you I always think the big Keeter garden storage boxes (around £100 - we have one for the wheely bins and they are really quite nice) have mini-observatory possibilities too, maybe you could fit one around the pier?

Haven't we all had an exciting afternoon - mine was rounded off by all the boy sheep escaping to where they shouldn't be in the field! Now all caught and hole in fence filled!

Well I'm chuffed, only the second time I've had the scope out this year! Now I guess I can say I've seen mercury.

I've just discovered that you learn a great deal about pupil focal point on an EP when you hold up a mobile to get an afocal image. However, I think I got it in some of these. In fact I think these will be better than the DSLR

That looks a fine effort by your group event @Stu Some of you are taking green pics - you must all have different filters to me - I've got a nice gold background from the Baader solar film - mine is most sun-like!

Grrr.......shoo, clouds, shoo!

Isn't it great? We're all looking at the same thing at the same time LOL

I'm currently trying for a photo afocally through the Morpheus, however, clouds won't cooperate and it's too bright outside to see if I'm in focus through the viewscreen.

We've got it here in Essex, Mum, Dad and me have all taken a look and all seen it through gaps in the cloud, Mum wanted to know if I had a poppy seed stuck to the EP LOL, I'm running with Baader film solar mask over the 200P and a cover over the gap well tethered on with bungees in the wind. I'm using the Morpheus 12.5mm and we've got exactly what I was expecting to see.😀 Quite chuffed as a long time since I last had the scope out.

Have you read the advice here: http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/ That page is the Royalty of how to collimate a reflecting telescope. If you do everything Astrobaby says to the letter, no matter how daft it sounds you will succeed even I did!

Follow this http://www.astro-baby.com/astrobaby/help/collimation-guide-newtonian-reflector/ Do not deviate in any way, carry out every instruction no matter how odd it seems and you should get success. A Cheshire Collimator is a good thing to have.

I tend to be very wary of the sun, I much prefer the idea of a full aperture solar filter securely fastened at the sun end of the telescope so that no concentrated suns rays can get anywhere close to my expensive telescope bits and pieces. Then everyone can come and take a peek at a decently magnified image (and I get the impression that this will only be a tiny dot on the sun) as the automated system tracks. I don't think I'd feel comfortable pointing the open end of any telescope at the sun without some form of covering.

I've got a home-made Baader solar full apperture filter for the 200P that I keep safe in a special box - I reckon I could use that and my solar finder and stand a chance of seeing mercury go across the sun with a suitable EP - I shall be at home on the 11th and could easily pop outside if it was sunny for a few minutes at lunchtime if I had things set-up.

So when does night start? If the competition wanted astronomical night it should have said so, otherwise it's the period that starts with sunset and this was tonight 🙂

Well done @Paul M - that's the sort of thing it looked like, but I'd never seen a picture of exactly that object.

Guys, could the thing with the cross hairs in it be some sort of collimation cap?

I'm convinced 5 from the top is something like this: http://www.bixnet.com/dd120xc.html to be used along side other connectors in this sort of layout - which might help explain other bits and bobs - I bet there was a large battery somewhere in the set-up https://www.bixpower.com/product-p/ups250-dd90x.htm

The thing marked YC with the slider above the IR blocking device looks like some form of voltage output controller so that when it is plugged into a 12V battery supply a different output voltage can be selected for what needs to be powered. You need to search for a suitable socket to plug it into on an item that might need 18-19V power as that is what it is set to at the moment. I must admit the end looks very similar to computer socket (was there a portable PC in the kit?), or maybe something like a dew controller (a strip of fabric with a cable running through it). The two tall cylinders with IR markings on one end. I think these are generic cameras for fitting into the focusser unit to take photos of thing like planets. I think the IR rims are separate items and I bet they unscrew to produce two separate infrared filters like this one: https://www.tringastro.co.uk/altair-astro-planet-killer-685nm-premium-ir-pass-filter-with-ar-coating-10246-p.asp The last photo looks like some form of sender/receiver for a web based connection. If the telescopes had an onboard computer on their tripods this might plug in to it either obtain GPS directions directly or connect to produce a WiFi signal which could then be used to hook up a WiFi receiving device like a portable computer or mobile phone so that GPS data can be obtained to drive the system.

The image directly under the red dot finders in the second set of images is an automatic shutter release for the camera. The camera has a bit of plastic on its side edge and if you prise it out the cable connector should connect to one of the sockets that will be revealed.

Second from the top is a threaded adapter for attaching something of a different size to the focussing unit of the telescope, I use something similar with the T ring of my camera to enable it to attach to the focus unit

The thing marked Plossl under the ED eyepieces is a Plossl eyepiece of the given mm length, I think the one below that is also a plossl eyepiece - they might be the two original cheaper eyepieces that could have been supplied with the telescope when it was first bought.

You used to be able to get it in 25 gallon drums from smallholding suppliers - it's often used on iron roofs and walls.

All the things marked Barlow and a mulitplication are exactly that i.e. a x whatever Barlow with a makers name - they provide an effective magnification of that amount for any eyepiece that is placed in them. Top photo as of now still looks like something that connects to the canon camera that was up earlier and provides then an attachment onto another fitting. I don't know exactly what it is, but I bet it fits onto the front of the camera body Ah......here are those ED eyepieces: various sizes, but only variations on this one https://www.365astronomy.com/TS-Paragon-ED-14mm-1.25-Eyepiece-50-deg-20mm-eye-relief.html The top two of the second batch of images are both standard looking red dot finders