Solar B

Well said .... I concur Brian

They look wonderful or wunderbar Mark Brian

Are these they Mark .... Interesting pitch or comment but I won't be buying them , seems about right or even a reasonable cost for Leica 🔴 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leica-Microscope-Eyepieces-HC-PLAN-s-10X-25-M-507808-11507808-Best-of-the-Range/274470935139?hash=item3fe7be1a63:g:mJEAAOSwmAheZlB2&redirect=mobile Brian

I once bought a pair of MB1s of a gentleman in Edinburgh who had switched to the MKvs (Zeiss EPs) he was also using them to great effect on his AP160 , I can't imagine Zeiss optics being other than very good , when I see people peering down a microscope on the TV I always try and pause the image to see what kind of optics they are using and it's often Zeiss , Leica or even Olympus , imho the ultimate optical manufacturer is Leica and this is mainly based on my experience with their camera lenses. Brian

Addendum: Every 18 years or 6585 days the same alignment occurs (Saros Cycle) however due to the earths rotation the moons shadow never falls on or crosses the same path , here’s my now 14 year old polo 😎

It would be wonderful to catch Saros 126 but yes the following years Saros 136 is the one to catch as it's twice a long if in the optimal path , I've read a lot about previous encounters with 136 and it's the one I really want to see , have been lucky enough to catch Saros 139 in Turkey 06 & they are worth the effort to witness. Brian

Sounds good Andre , are you able to add any pics of your scope ? Brian

Yes I caught it fleetingly this evening ... terrible seeing through cloud ! did the fleas meet to form an arch ? It was at about 1 oclock on the disk. Brian

Have noticed a couple of other useful options on the Rowan site , namely An EQ5 Adaptor plate and a Tilt Pan handle ! It really is all in all a most comprehensive and impressive looking system. Brian

I've a bortle 5 here .... only 4 metres elevation 🙂 But is this info 5 years old now ? Brian

That's a good call regarding Denis , Mark I'm pretty sure he is now listed as a "Vendor" on CN ... he's certainly a BV Guru ... it probably wouldn,t hurt to post about the issue on CN as well Neil as your bound to get some more advice ... there's another guy on there called Edgie (i think) who also really knows this stuff. Brian

Very nice ... I thought you'd be more of a Le Montrachet man Jeremy & that's Le not Chassagne or Puligny 😀 ... no Sun here yet ! Brian

Have my fingers crossed for some Sun today .... expected around 3ish I hope it does make an appearance (currently clouded out) as could really do with some currently 😐 Brian

A French classic if ever there was one ... my fav for hot days would be a modern trocken Riesling 💛 Brian

I'm trying to work out what the vino is (im a terrible wine snob 😀) my guess is old world .. as for whites I think countless drink Sav Blanc and don't even realise that on the palate its mainly gooseberry (boring) I see many loading their trolleys with 6 or more of the same bottling meaning they just don't care (which is fine i suppose) but i,m always trying different grapes and never buy 2 the same .... anyway don't get me started 😅 Brian

I tend to just use a baseball / golfing type of hat garment and find that shields the EP area enough ... sometimes when I remove it though I swear I can see more detail but that's very rare (HA) ... I think observing at just one wavelength has it's peculiarities.Brian Brian

I would quite like a Tak (for day use) as I'm sure it is true that they can handle the mags ... I don't know much about them though apart from the FS series and find some of the current offerings a bit bewildering , still that would be for the future as I've spent enough this season 💀 Brian

More than enough for 4 solar scopes I reckon plus have a few more good oddities between 10 to 14mm ☀️ Brian

I would recommend as large a refractor/ FL as you can handle I use a 127/L this offers me a fighting chance of seeing some granulation , or if you can go down the ED route ... as Stu recommends at least a 100mm ... visual only. Brian

A happy ending me thinks 🙂 Brian

I think this is a SUPERB 👍 thread as we are perhaps really getting to the crux of what is important to the individual with regard to Alt Az mounts , I am sure your Ercole is a great mount Ade and one that you will enjoy and it's like everything you won't really know unless you try , I for one am leaning toward a certain mount (yes that one) but I currently do not require that capacity however probably will next solar season. Brian

That set up looks superb Mark with a wonderful solution Ade I personally could not do without slo mo controls as I require them to glide over the solar disk ... and I guess that's the main reason I like my ST2 , it's far from perfect but performs well enough and I like the ability to mount a longer FL refractor on top but tend to use the sides for normal solar obs. PS I do like the look of your new Giro though 👍 Brian

Basically I think the experience shall be the same as your 12.5mm , and will be very sharp as most users confirm regardless of FL ... I'm no EP Guru but again i,m not aware of any other shaper at this price point or vastly more 🌞 Brian

Yes I noticed that to ... most striking indeed ! , the weather only really cleared here a "bit" latterly to enable a look , if your looking and your not seeing the bright active regions then it's the reflection 😉

I should be able to get a look a bit later on this afternoon ... did you notice how bright some of the active regions were on Friday Mark a bit like a Delta region. Brian