DavidJM

Love these eyepieces for the price, anyone on a tight budget will not find any better in my opinion, they have given many happy hours of viewing😀

Great pics and welcome to SGL from Cornwall too ☺

Thanks! I forgot to mention we had our Bichon Frise as well....easily confused with the sheep?

Bought the AZ5 skywatcher mount recently as an alternative to the goto mount for my Skymax 127. It was purchased with the standard tripod and supplied by Rother Valley Optics. Quick supplier comments, I use quite regularly and can't fault, great communication and fast delivery, highly recommend The mount is well packaged supplied in cardboard outer and encapsulated in shaped foam which I'll continue to use (however I've had to modify as the mount can be adjusted for longer refractors or reflectors/ SCT's and the foam is moulded to the lower position) First point, the mount is heavy, solidly built and looks well engineered, it is supplied with two extended axis drive cables although I feel the fitted slow motion knobs will do just fine for me. Fitting to the tripod is a simple turn pin, very easy, first impression of tripod is it's a bit more flimsy than the mount. Legs are extended buy turning upper section which even when I believed tightened fully I was able to adjust height by accident, tripod may be replaced at some point! Dovetail fitting for scopes so easy to fit, had no problem clasping my 127 Mak, states payload of 5kg maximum, would feel that perfect for my Mak but wouldn't push it too far beyond certainly not on this tripod So on to using, feels very smooth in both axis, clutches easily adjusted and when locked the slow motion control is very good, I did have to slightly adjust horizontal due to mild backlash though, when adjusting scope finder I did get some scope shake which settled after a few seconds, another pointer to changing the tripod! In summary the AZ5 is a very good mount at its price and I would recommend certainly with a 127Mak, the tripod not so good although instructions supplied state that there is a heavy duty version available

Perhaps the open outlook to the east Ensures the leaded panes catch every ray And part explains why on the dullest day My eye is drawn up to the colour feast, After a rubbish couple of months, finally a holiday........a week in the Yorkshire Dales, only a 7.5 hour drive from Kernow but worth it! A little cottage east of Hawes, nothing but sheep and pheasants and yes dark skies. Great food in small pubs with the friendly locals, Abbey ruins visited and gloriously recommended to sooth the soul and switch off the rat race (Easby Abbey nr. Richmond, Jarvaulx Abbey nr. Ripon), honestly THE best chips from The Chippie in Hawes and of course beautiful scenery! With not much room in the car (have to take the family not just the scopes?) I only packed the Heritage 100P and my BST eyepieces, opposite to my home viewing where I can only see the southern sky, here it was the West and North, typically for me the cottage had the only street light for at least 100 miles to the south.....still new things to spend time on........ So two clear nights.....once I got over the nervousness of total dark away from civilisation and wild animal noises I've never heard before....out with the little dob Auriga....the 3 open clusters, M36/37/38, even with a waxing moon, still was able to pull these out, have to say that the 12mm BST is turning out to be a particular favourite, reckon I could make out about a dozen of the brightest stars in the pinwheel cluster. Stars Capella and El Nath (start the Taurus debate here...) a lovely distraction....now if I hadn't taken the wife and son would I have seen the famous nebulae with my 8" Dob? On to Cassiopeia....and after the owl cluster.....and what a revelation. The first time viewing and frankly spent far too long staring at this beauty....actually think I could see it in my sleep that night! The whole constellation was a wonder confirming I need to be less lazy and get my scopes to local dark skies more often......just don't let work life get in the way Spent a fair bit of time viewing the moon, decent views with 5mm BST, and just staring up with my eyes at a dazzling dark sky full with stars. All in all a wonderful week, great days out, dark and clear skies at night, great food (and drink), if you get the chance, pack away some clean undies and a scope and head to the Yorkshire Dales (If you're interested...opening lines are from a poem called east window by Alan Hartley relating to a stained glass window in Leyburn)

Welcome to SGL, I'm in the South West?

That's a great video Chris, I don't think I've got the all round experience with a wide enough number of scopes to fully comment but both options put forward make perfect sense, I sit either side of the 6" reflector having a 4" and an 8" so would certainly be comfortable if I could only have a 6".....now the question is I've never used a refractor...gasp...looks like some investigation is needed..........where's that credit card ?

Recently had some bad personal news so did what I usually do in these circumstances.....I bought a new scope To be precise a Synscan 127mm Maksutov from Rother Valley Optics (no planned advert but have to say great service) At last clear skies tonight so set up my new scope, used 2 star alignment, Regulas and Sirius as my garden is only any good towards the south (street lights everywhere else), really simple, five minutes and up and running. Quick tour using handset for messiers and whipped through M46, M47, M48 and M50, followed by the Christmas tree cluster and the beehive With 25mm and 15mm eyepieces I have to say the Mak was a revelation, great views and a fun evening Looking forward to some great nights with this little treasure

Birthday not far off so having invested in a synscan 127 Mak, this is going on my pressie list☺

So my wifi adapter arrived on time and the skies were clear Wednesday evening, connected adapter to my syncscan mount with the supplied cable, switched on my power tank, in my iphone stettings, selected the synscan wifi, opened synscan app, clicked connect and up and running. Used bright star allignment, selected archturus as first star, used app to slew to star, easily adjusted slew speed on app to finely tune in eyepiece. Selected Procyon as star two, scope slewed itself and I used app to finely tune......that's it......used app to pick what I wished to view, so simple Now I need another clear night sky to sort sky safari

I've ordered mine, should get it by Tuesday, wishing to use sky safari too ☺

So where have I been.......work.....that's it Have travelled to different continents, seen the southern hemisphere sky and bought another scope, yet to use I might add as something's haven't changed........cloudy skies, stormy weather with heavy rain In the little time I've managed to get my 200 dobson out, I have finally seen the amazing Orion nebula with uhc filter and also the trapezium, a wonder worth all the cost of this amazing hobby alone. There's something awe aspiring about the whole Orion constellation with so many things to view, would happily freeze time on a clear dark sky with Orion high in the south Looking for clear skies and making more use of my kit, if only nights were longer/ darker and life less busy?

Thanks John, I live in Newquay, have to say weather has been dismal for what seems an eternity, when there has been a break in cloud we've been hit with sea mist! Hoping for clear skies and hello to everyone in the new club

Really good list, thanks Chris

So what have I seen through my scopes since the last blog..............zip.........nothing.....nowt....zero The wonderful Cornish skies have been full of clouds, when I've been awake anyway, and now the howling gales prevent even standing my scopes upright even if the clouds clear. I had one glorious night of dark skies while on a work trip to central Germany, the sky lit up with stars, unfortunately my scopes were back in Blighty. Still just staring upwards can be so rewarding.....I highly recommend it! So short and sweet (as my father used to say "like a roasted maggot") but I live in hope of nights out with my scopes, I did manage to buy a new 8mm BST EP which I can't wait to use.......reviews seem pretty good Clear skies to all

Hi John, that viewing chair is awesome, I'm assuming this is a stock photo, but do you know if it was purpose built or commercially available

So I started staring at the sky many years ago, I lived in the Black Country (no not Birmingham but if you don't know where it is I'll live with it's close) where the night sky is frankly a permanent orange glow. I was fortunate to move to Cornwall a few years back and........wow, a whole new world came to life so I decided to buy my first telescope last January, a Heritage 100P; why that model I here you ask? Well firstly I lose interest, I have the attention span of a goldfish, I knew I would need something I could grab at a moment's notice and after 9 months I can say that box is ticked, for a newbie this scope is perfect! I also need to point out that I have the finances of a Neanderthal cavemen before the conception of money......but then with huge good fortune a 200P drops in my lap for less than a couple of mid range eyepieces.......I am in heaven not just looking for it! Skip a few months and here I am, owner of two telescopes, a starting collection in equipment, a library of books, numerous software programs and passion for darkness and being outside just staring. I know some constellations, I've seen Jupiter and Saturn, some clusters and scarily a 747 (that was a shock!), oh and yes that small circulating satellite the Moon. I hope to regularly update on my journey whether I find a new planet or nothing because I can't see through the mizzle (look that up, wasn't in my dictionary either until I moved here

Get it now, once had a postcard sent me "Torquay by night" and it was just a black card

Don't understand

Great dark sky uk poster in October's issue of Sky at Night

Good suggestions, just need that clear sky to come back, all in my observing list now

Clear skies in Newquay last night, the success being finding asteroid Florence even with the moon providing a fair bit of light

Finally had some clear sky Thursday and with new right angled finder scope for my 8" out in the garden I went. First problem, which I first encountered going from naked eye to 4", wow! So many stars! Took me a while to adapt. Continued focussing on the summer triangle, nice split of Albireo really showing the colours! Continued search for the dumbbell with help from left at orion and finally found it! With light pollution from the dreaded yellow street light across the road still managed to get a decent smudge view, will be heading for darker skies now I have a handle on its location. Overall a success for a newbie, think a telrad might be on my list of goodies too.

I hadn't noticed the obvious location error, surprised a member hasn't picked that up, going to look at the 2nd Sept meet, it's at a local campsite, as you I've never understood so many meet in the week yet want more members

I could walk to where Kernow Astonomers meet but its usually in the week I think when I'm away, have heard they have nights at carewas at weekends sometimes, anyone been to one?