BRADLEY 1953

Nice one Paul, especially first image. Cheers Chris.

Fantastic images Craig. Among the best I have seen. Chris.

Excellent sketches Mike, as per usual. I was observing Venus myself only a few hours ago in the evening twilight, with my 130 mm APO. Your representations are very similar to my own visual experience. However, I struggle to record the subtle markings, the biggest problem are the floaters in my own eye. Your eyesight is obviously much better than mine. Good work. Chris.

Hi Craig, that is truly a wonderful image, and largely down to your skill me thinks. Chris

Hi Mike, yes, that is a lovely sketch. keep them coming. Chris.

Hi there in Kingstone, that is a beautiful image, I have yet to see the comet visually myself. Thanks Chris.

Great sketch Mike, I had a similar effect using my 130mm APO, viewing Venus through the tree tops, the tiny branches creating diffraction spikes! Unwanted perhaps, but not confined purely to reflectors. Cheers Chris.

I agree, some really wonderful images.

Hi Craig. A superb image, I was observing visually with a 155mm F9 Starfire up until 21.30 hrs. The seeing was good and great detail visible. Thanks for posting. Chris.

Hi Tom, some beautiful images there. Cheers Chris.

Hi Paul, your first image is lovely. Unfortunately it remains cloudy in these parts. Cheers Chris.

Hi Paul, I really like the full frame image of the waxing crescent, alas, too low in the sky for me to observe from my location. Best wishes Chris.

Hi Paul, I was out again tonight ( Feb 5th ) this time with the beast, ( my 155mm F9 Starfire.) I had great views both of Gassendi, now fully illuminated, and Aristarchus right on the terminator. Cheers Chris.

Hi there in Florida, those are simply superb lunar images, among the very best. Cheers Chris.

HI lukebl, yes, superb images of a magnificent lunar crater. I agree, the 3x Barlow produced the best results on this occasion. Well done. Chris.

Hi Paul, lovely images as per usual. I was also out observing the moon, although a little later than yourself, from around 6.45 pm to 8pm, with my 130mm F6 APO, and as you say the view of Copernicus in particular, was stunning and indeed memorable. Thanks for reminding me, as there was simply far too much detail to sketch. An ideal lunation and declination in fact. Cheers Chris.

WOW, these shots are tremendous, the image of Gassendi in particular looks MAGNIFIQUE. Best wishes Chris.

Hi Paul, a really nice view of a rarely observed lunation, for me at least, as normally I am still tucked up in bed at this hour! Cheers Chris.

Hi Paul lovely images, amazing what you can do with a relatively small aperture ( in the right hands of course ). I had a similar view in the 155mm F9, although seeing fairly poor still revealed good detail around Gassendi among others. Cheers chris.

Hi Paul, some lovely images. In common with yourself and most observers I also had a wonderful view of the Hyginus region and the evening terminator with my 155mm APO at 175x . As you say stunning detail visible. I hope you catch up on some sleep. Cheers Chris.

Hi Paul, lovely image of full disc. I shall try to have a look tomorrow morning with the 155mm F9, that is, if it rises above the tree line! Best wishes Chris.

Wow, those are stunning images, some of the best I have seen. Great work, keep them coming.

Hi everyone, I have owned a Celestron Travelscope for about two years, and I thoroughly agree with all the previous comments. Another sure way of improving the performance of this scope is to mount it on a much sturdier tripod, the one supplied is little more than useless for the purpose, as vibrations are a major factor in spoiling your view of the heavens. Also I think you have to accept the limitations of this scope for astronomy, it will however, give lovely low power views of the moon, especially using the 20mm eyepiece supplied. I personally would not waste time or money on a 6mm eyepiece, use the 20mm supplied to enjoy widefield views of stars clusters, the milky way and the brighter deep sky objects. If your interest is sparked you could later invest in a bigger and better scope, if you want to get a decent image of the major planets I would suggest at least 100mm in aperture. Good luck and do not despair. Chris.

Hi Paul, that is a lovely image of the crescent moon, not a phase I observe very often, thanks for posting. Chris.

Hi Paul, lovely images. I missed the first occultation here at Knowles Mill, the moon still behind the tree tops, although I did manage to observe the latter one. The seeing was very good, and Copernicus in particular looked superb in the 130 mm APO. I stayed out until 6.30 am, and like you now need to catch up on some welcome sleep. Cheers Chris.