Sunshine

Nice report! though I have to admit I could not make out this moon maiden, tried till my eyes crossed.

7 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Just as well you are in Canada as an FS128 has popped up on UKABS this AM 😊

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Once a year, sometimes more as my eyelashes are rather long so my eyepieces get mucked up easily.

11 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Got Trinity the Tak (FS128) out tonight after weeks of inactivity..

A very heavy dew tonight, (you can see the condensation on the scope tube) although the big dewshield did it's job and the objective stayed clear..

Dave

That is a large refractor! if i run into an FS128 in the classifieds its a sure bet I will be giving my 102 a big brother.

6 hours ago, CCD-Freak said:

It was a calm night with pretty good seeing and PHD was playing quite well.  Ignore the header at the top of the PHD screen.....I fired up the system with the ASI-290 / UO 80mm / AP900 configuration and it guided beautifully with the 50mm guide scope so I had not saved a new configuration when I did the screen shot.  Seeing is typically the main reason for poor guiding from my experience.  Whenever I get a night like that I save a screenshot to remind me that it is probably not my kit.    The old CI-700 still surprises me with how well it still works even though it is almost 25 years old.  (^8

This is an imagers dream, it looks like it means business. Those red accents are awesome, there’s something about Red on astro gear that looks so good. I’m sure it’s technical specs are just as awesome, the mount and tripod with their seemingly short stature seem as stable as a tree trunk.

3 hours ago, CCD-Freak said:

Waiting for darkness.....150 mm F2.8 HNT on my trusty old CI-700 mount.   Yes...the old girl still tracks great. (^8

 

 

A stunning image!

It is a wonderful image!

A spicy sausage!

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Yes, definitely wowed. So much to like 👍🏻
l still fancy a TSA 102 though 🤩

A man with an insatiable Tak-etite!

I am surprised you haven’t run into one in the classifieds or by word of mouth through your Tak collecting years.

It seems I am late to the party, congrats on this 100DZ, it sure is a beautiful looking refractor! I can assume that since then you have been wow'd plenty by this gem.

Just a wonderful image, really! 

As mentioned above your 9.25 will make short work of M13 assuming collimation and seeing are in check. By comparison, I can resolve a bunch of stars in M13 on a decent night with around 100x in a wee 4" refractor.

7 hours ago, John said:

I found that I could see objects such as the North American nebula and, the bright globular clusters Messier 13 and 92 in Hercules without any optical aid at all.

This had me looking off and away from my monitor, lost in a daydream about being under such skies.

You had me at "the milky way was reflecting off the calm water" Sounds like an amazing place to be, seems like a great session and, we never get bored of this.

Welcome!

Lets hope everything goes well with the December launch of JWST, I have been reading and following along closely for about 6 years now.

EXCITING! for those interested I have included a link to full launch sequence video along with a link to NASA web page regarding final preparations.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-readies-james-webb-space-telescope-for-december-launch

Lets hope everything goes well with the December launch of JWST, I have been reading and following along closely for about 6 years now.

EXCITING! 

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-readies-james-webb-space-telescope-for-december-launch

Hello and welcome!

Enjoyed that read, its great you had your son there swapping eyepieces, always fun to hear about dark sky adventures!

Such is the plight of the amateur astronomer 😭

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Better pop this one on here then. APM LZOS 130mm f6 out for its first light last night.

Also one of the Tak out tonight for a quick session on Jupiter to see Europa pop into view at around 9.40pm.

That APM, a beautiful scope on a beautiful mount on a beautiful tripod, it is perfect and, too much for my weak heart.

killer Saturn capture!

That is one big dob!

There’s something about how well the GP mount looks with certain scopes, in this case there’s a hospital color motif going on here.

On 22/01/2020 at 07:37, UKRoman said:

Hi All.

This is my first post on the forums, and what better place to start. After nearly a 20 year absence from practical Astronomy I thought I'd dip my toe back in to see what's changed. So in early December I purchased a Celestron Nextstar Evolution 9.25. As luck would have it it's been pretty cloudy on every occasion I've had the opportunity to get out, so I've only used it once. That got me thinking about my first and only other scope, which I bought in 1992 and I seem to recall having to wait 6 weeks for clear skies before I could use that for the first time. I remember having great fun with it all those years ago. Anyway after some rummaging through cupboards and under beds I finally tracked down all the parts; a Vixen FL102S on a Super Polaris mount. On reassembling it I was quite surprised that it seems to be in very good condition. However compared to modern telescopes with Go To capabilities, the motor drives on the SP mount are very antiquated and slow. Although they do seem to be working. That said, I decided that whilst I wait for clear skies I'd rejuvenate the old girl with a new mount and focuser. 

 

 

The new mount is Skywatcher AZ-EQ6. I've also fitted a Moonlite focuser to replace the original, which seemed to wobble and grind slightly when moving. The Baadar Sky Surfer V RDF is a new addition to replace the original 6x30 finder, which I never liked. The additional white tube rings serve dual purpose; the rear one now provides a carry handle and the front one is covering up a few small marks on the OTA. The final accessory is a 2 inch diagonal.  The wooden box in the picture background is a wonderful storage box for the OTA that my Dad made for me as a birthday present when I first got the scope. All-in-all I'm quite excited at the prospect of trying the old Vixen alongside the new Celestron. All I need now is clear skies :-).

This is a precious telescope, carry it like a newborn and don’t ever give it up, having said that…..dibs.