LukeSkywatcher

I didnt mean right now over the summer. I'll work through them as the seasons roll by.  Off hand, i only know the location of about 6 galaxies without having to use a reference chart etc. They are the ones i have spotted so far over the yrs: Leo Trio,Andromeda,Black Eye and the other one eludes me right now.

Your summer list tickles me pink. Sadly i really dont do much summer observing mainly because of the time it gets dark and im too comfy infront of tv and/or ready for bed.

I'll do my best this summer but i will be away for most of August with only 10x50 bins.

I dont know how ive never seen this before. Absolutely brilliant stuff,Rob. Hopefully i'll be ticking off some of the galaxies you have listed quick smart.

As much as i love the look of the Moonrakers, i could never own one because i'm a bit OCD about fingerprints and i'd spend more time cleaning one then using it.

I used to drool at the sight of sumerian scopes. Lately though i tend to drool at the sight of Moonraker scopes. 

Stunning.

Thanks (i think).

Here's my little 70mm taking a rest from solar observing (Hershel wedge and Hyperion 8-24mm zoom on the business end). 

Here is the pair of Vixen 81mm's (BT81S-A).

Cheers,

Steve

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Is it wrong to be in lust with those Vixens?. How much for the whole rig in the image?.

She'll be grand. I hope she already hasnt sold the other one.

I was looking at the moonraker site last week. Some stunning scopes there.

These tripods look really sturdy and not very expensive:

http://redsnapperuk.com/camera-accessories/RedSnapper_Tripods.html

I use a Horizon 8115 tripod for mounting my 20x90 bins on and also for my solar observing 70mm scope etc. Its a really good tripod but there is better out there. One day i will upgrade to a red snapper. 

Love the eye cups on those 20x100's. I'm wondering how hard it would be to replace the rubber flip-up ones on my 20x90's with a pair of those. 

OK enough about scopes already!!!!!!!!.

I know most of us have at least one set of bins which we keep by our side while out observing (usually 10x50). Binocular astronomy is and always has been my 1st love. I always end each scope observing session with a bin session.

Here are my main bins: Strathspey 20x90 and Strathspey 10x50:

To be honest i cant remember why i started buying Strathspey bins (maybe someone online said have a look, and i liked the price). I do know why i still buy Strathspey bins (bought my 10x50 a couple of months back) and its because John who owns the company is such a great guy to deal with. Each time i bought from him, he sent me an email a few weeks later asking me how i am getting on with the bins, and he even shipped out the 20x90 to me when i bought them even though i owed him an extra 20 quid for P&P (which i did send him). That to me is top quality service and after sales customer care. TH did the same when i bought my 8115 tripod.

FLO are just as great. Most of my gear is from FLO.

I digress..................

Show us your bins.

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Où est la femme ?

Here's my youngest with an 8" Meade Starfinder we had on loan for a while.

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And this is my 250PX

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Just saw this and noticed 2 things wrong:

1/ He is observing during the day

2/ If he is observing the Sun, there are no safety filters in place. 

I can only assume that he is bird watching.

C9.25...

I've often wondered but never looked it up. I assume the 9.25 is the scope aperture?. They do seem to be one of the most popular and most often mentioned scopes. Most ive seen online are mounted on the dual fork mount.

I will also jump in on this one.

My bedroom is tidier then your shed. 

LOL.

A man after my own heart. Here is my C8

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Sent from my Fone

Thats a beast. Even the OTA looks a lot bigger then 8". I'm sure i wouldnt know what to do with a tripod like that. The biggest scope ive ever seen in the flesh was a C14. It was on its tripod (fully extended). It was a MONSTER, but the slewing noise of it was like a little kitty purring. Pretty much the same noise mine makes when slewing. I never thought i'd be able to own an 8" scope because in my mind they were too big and too heavy for me to be able to handle (being in a wheelchair). Then Michael Wilkinson (with the 2 middle initials in his name), pointed me in the direction of the 8SE. I have named mine Mick in his honour.

I digress, but its nice to hear stories behind why people buy the scopes they buy. Usually my story is because i'm a skinflint.

I was (just for fun) thinking of starting a "Show us your SCT", but this seems a fitting place to post. My SCT is a Celestron 8SE. To say i love it is an understatement.

I suppose its only right to also include my other frac here. Mine is a 90EQ, similar to this 80EQ. We dont get along so its in a plastic bag in the attic. Sorry for the large pics.

Here's my Newt. I also decided to put it on a Dob base to save my ageing back.

My son's Skywatcher Heritage 76 Mini Dob International Year of Astronomy special edition.

Ah rats!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I was sure i was gonna win a prize for the smallest Dob. Maybe if i take a pic of mine with a cute Yorkshire Terrier looking into it instead of a kid, i'll still be in with a chance.

Here's what mine looks like. It may be small but it does what it says on the tin. I mainly use it for solar observing now in conjunction with a Hershel wedge (and safety filters). Its a great scope. I dont use the tripod with it as its rubbish. I have it on an 8115.

My 18" Plettstone .....    20" Ultralight  .....     and 28" Webster with puddy for scale. Also an iphone 6 snap of Saturn through the 28 from the other night ( the seeing was really good ). I think I have a thing for dobs

Uh Oh !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 28" scope just ate the cat.

Here's what mine looks like. OK, you guys who are laughing down the back of the room need to grow up!!!!!!.

So does my Dob.

LOL.

Yes, Skype and various IM services are far more accessible to most and offer the same level of communication.

But... Radio vs Skype. It's much like comparing a hand written letter to an email. It's the same communication but there's something missing in the latter

What does radio offer you that the telephone doesnt?. They are the same thing essentially. Skype offers so much more and its free. Ive only started using skype in the last couple of weeks to keep in touch with family here in Ireland and in the UK. I love it. I think its the best thing since sliced bread.

Last week my nephew who has been living and working in London since January, gave me a guided tour of his house. Can radio do that?.

Any way you care to connect with others is great. We can all set up in our profiles our preferred methods. I personally would hate if i was outside observing and i kept getting contacted by others saying "did you see that?" etc. 

Thats just me though.........so i would not subscribe to such a system. I'm just offering up a suggestion of skype that is a lot cheaper them ham radio. If ham radio users want to set up a system them fair play to them. It would be a pretty exclusive club.