Littleguy80

I really enjoyed this. The shadow was noticeable even when just looking up at the moon naked eye. First lunar eclipse where I’ve had clear skies. Thanks for the heads up

Looking great in Norwich. Clear shadow naked eye and through frac. Little snap for scrapbook

This is at least something that happens fairly regularly. I saw the Moon and Hyades together a month or two ago. I also remember seeing them together through binoculars last winter. A great sight when the weather cooperates.

Thanks Magnus. I hope they do have it framed, that would be awesome. I still needed to get it printed to put up on my own wall!

Cheers Stu. Even around 11:30 it was still low. Good enough to enjoy the views though. I had to face the grim reality of work last Thursday

Haha yup, it’s pretty low! I had to keep moving so I can see it over the fence.

Just back inside from my first solar session of 2020. I was able to see the Sunspot AR2755. It’s been 3 months since the last Sunspot that I was able to observe so I was very pleased. AR2755 was showing as 3 spots through the Herschel Wedge. Two similarly sized spots with a much small spot just below. Things got a little hazy but I did take a quick snap through the eyepiece. Let’s hope for more solar activity in 2020!

I think this biggest challenge is factoring in all the things that can affect the views. Gerry, @jetstream, pointed me at Mel Bartel's list of factors that affect visibility at the eyepiece: https://www.bbastrodesigns.com/visual.html. If you take into consideration that any of these can lead to a reduction in how much can be seen then it starts to make sense that modelling without all of these accounted for would lead to something that it more optimistic than most would see. For example, "Observer experience is worth 2 magnitudes". Not easy to model for but 2 magnitudes is a big difference! Perhaps it would help to set out a series of assumptions and use these to calibrate your model against real world experience. E.g. Intermediate experience observers have a 5% drop in what is visible from the model baseline.

Thanks Paz. I’m glad I listened to the suggestions to send it in

Officially made it into print!

I’ve officially made it into print!

My instinct was that you’d had more sessions than I, Nick. Just counted up and got a total of 98 sessions for the year. That doesn’t include solar sessions which was a new experience for me this year. I got a little 80mm Frac earlier this year which gave me more opportunities for quickly grabbing a few minutes observing when breaks in the cloud appeared. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed 2019. I’ve seen my first Quasars, 3 new Comets, a Supernova and the transit of Mercury. That’s without mentioning observing old favourites and all the other new objects I’ve seen. The weather hasn’t always played ball but, for me at least, that only heightens the excitement when the skies clear and I can go exploring again.

Had an unplanned early rise this morning. I took the warmer and lazier option and used the frac through the bay window. Found Mars with ease. My 4 year old daughter came down and had a look. “What’s that?” she said. “Mars” I replied. “I know that planet. It’s in the planet song!”. I was not familiar with the Planet song. It turned out to be another example of YouTube learning. My daughter is also an expert on tooth cavities thanks to YouTube. I was informed that the Sun is in the middle and all the Planets go around it. Jupiter is her favourite planet because it’s the biggest! A few minutes later I found Mercury just above the rooftops. Much lower than it was 10 days ago. Mercury is, of course, also in the planet song! So despite not going outside, my youngest and I saw two planets and enjoyed the planet song! Here is the Planet song for your viewing pleasure:

The Sorels arrived today. They are a substantial boot! My feet have never looked so big. My wife insists that she’s “not impressed” by that though 😉 They got a test run this evening. I wore a pair of normal thin socks and then my Smartwool socks over them. These are the socks that I mistakenly referred to as Ski socks. My feet felt warm throughout, not even a hint of coldness. My fingers soon got chilly when exposed though it wasn’t quite as cold as previous nights. The deep red of Hind’s Crimson star reflected nicely the warm feeling of my toes in my boots this evening. As always, a big thank you to everyone who commented, your advice and suggestions were all greatly appreciated

I hope @wookie1965 gives his socks a wash before posting them to you 😝

Found these for £93 which looks like a good deal. They’re some big boots. I’ll look like a kid wearing his Dad’s boots 😂

On the subject of fishing boots, last winter I was using some old SkeeTex boots which I'd had for fishing as teenager. These were very good but the liners were falling apart and they were quite bulky.

They look really good. If my issue is too many socks this may be the answer.

I’m glad you responded, Gerry. When reading reviews, I’ve been giving extra points to boots with positive reviews in Canada. Static vs walking has been on my mind too. Lots of reviews saying “great while walking the dog”. My feet will warm up with a short walk so try they’re not bad in that respect. It’s the sitting still where my feet get cold.

lol I’m definitely guilty of that too. I looked at some of the artic muck boots but the shorter versions. The reviews were a bit variable. Will be interested to hear how you get on with them.

Now this may actually be my issue. My boots are very tight with the socks I’m wearing!

Cold feet are still by nemesis during these sub zero winter nights. I picked up some cheaper snow boots last winter but they’re not getting the job done, even with ski socks and neoprene socks on! Any suggestions to keep my toes warm?

The comet seems noticeably brighter tonight. Perhaps a sign of better transparency compared to my other recent sessions. The core seems to be showing now. Well worth a look if you’re out

Looked stunning against the sunset this evening. The photo doesn’t do just for how bright it is.

Interesting comparisons, Doug. I really like my Orthos for fine detail. I do think the smaller FOV plays a part when targeting a smaller area. It brings a natural focus to the eye on the target. A smaller FOV needs less correcting so seems logical that a design could achieve greater sharpness across that smaller FOV.