michael.h.f.wilkinson

I think this is just about the worst thing you could use for outreach. It doesn't have an EP port, no options for expansion whatsoever. I can buy a Celestron Nextar Evolution with 6" aperture for less, and an 8" for little more. I can equip these with electronic EPs if desired, but my experience with outreach events is that seeing an object on a screen has less impact than looking through an actual EP on an actual scope.

I have a Peltier cooler lying around somewhere. Must get round to making my own cooler. Really curious what e.g. my ASI178MM would do with H-alpha filter on my Canon 200mm F/2.8 L lens. Should be very interesting.

Very interesting. I might well use my ASI224MC on my 80mm F/6 with reducer. That should work. Using one of the other ASI cameras as autoguider on the ST80 should even allow longer subs. Very interesting.

That is amazing! I must have a go with my ASI cameras on DSOs. Inspiring work

Here are my very first forays into digital deep-sky imaging. Nothing special, but is a start. All taken with my modded EOS 550D and Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 200mm F/3.5 (which I have since replaced by a Canon 200mm F/2.8 L). Keeping stars tight was not the greatest strength of the Zeiss lens, unfortunately. November 22, 3hrs of data, 60s subs at F/3.5 November 17, less data, at F/4.0 showing tighter stars, but also diffraction spikes (and more noise).

+1 for APT from me as well. Haven't guided with it yet, however

I do not have to twist up the SLV eye cups, so they don't bother me one bit. I didn't get on with the old LV stiff rubber eye cup, not so much because they needed to be folded back (which got difficult, especially in the cold), but because the caps didn't fit when the eye cup was folded back, so I couldn't store them like that. For me, the SLV is an improvement in that sense. The only LVW I have is the 42, and that has a similar eye cup. It isn't as stiff as the LV 9 and LV 7 I had, however. I use it quite rarely, as the Nagler 31T5 "Panzerfaust" usually gives me enough true FOV, so I don't mind faffing around with the eye cup that much

XWs are just awesome, aren't they! I have the 5, 7 and 10mm and they are all superb (all second-hand!!). I also have a Delos 8mm, which can be made parfocal with the XWs with a ring, and it is just as good, I would say. Having said that, the much cheaper Vixen SLVs are very, very close in terms of quality an comfort, and only lag in field of view.

Very interesting. Spotting it would positively shatter my previous distance record (OJ-287: a mere 3.5 billion ly away). Maybe we should give this a go with the 16" RC of our university at the next outreach event

Will have a go at some mosaics, should the weather clear once more. I might even be able to use the 16" RC of the university one of these nights. That should be fun

Same here. During daytime, I wear a hat. This is ideal for solar astronomy, but during the night any broad-rimmed hat or peaked cap is a liability.

Odd I never put some images of my much beloved C8 in here almost 22 years and still going strong

I noticed some images were somehow missing. That has been repaired now

Tuning the etalon can be tricky. A prominence (not a flare, and that is quite a sizeable one) like you captured there will show over a slightly wider range than the surface detail in my experience. Focus is also critical. To me, the fact that you could tune the etalon to get a prominence suggests the tuning mechanism is not leaky.

Indeed, I am going to see my second total eclipse (hopefully)

Very nice. Hope you get some great skies. I will be taking my APM 80mm F/6 as hand luggage this summer, and did the same with a Coronado SolarMax-II 60mm when I travelled to Malta. I have heard of someone taking a C8 OTA as cabin luggage, but that would be seriously pushing it.

You forgot gale-force winds, hailstones the size of eggs, thunder, lightning, and freak tornadoes I'm not a pessimist at all

Best get cracking!

Nice report Olly. Glad you are enjoying the scope. I have been an SCT man for a long time, so don't need convincing I really want to get a C14 (alongside my C8, NOT as a replacement). Only the missus might need some convincing

Just made the new family portrait of all the bins we have. In front are the Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars, behind them my old Bresser 10x50 bins (left), and Yashica-built CombiFOTO 7x50 (right, circa 1980), next row, the Vixen New Foresta 10x56, the only roof prism bins, and the boys' TS 15x70, and at the back, the latest addition: the Opticron 16x80 Observation binoculars.

That is a brilliant project!

It is simply a step up. The Helios Apollo 15x70 can also be mounted, so there is no difference there. The extra 10 mm aperture does give just over 30% more light. Given that these are lighter than the Apollo, and have essentially the same magnification, I can still hand hold them, unlike any bigger pair. The key reason I upgraded was that they were going on ABS-UK for a very reasonable price, so if I sell the Helios, I get a decent upgrade for very little indeed.

I should make a new "family portrait", but here is the new addition to the binocular collection: a pair of Opticron 16x80 Observation binoculars, next to my trusty Helios Apollo 15x70 HDs.

Just thinking that a scope like this combined with a 2x tele-centric lens (like a PowerMate) would be almost perfect for solar imaging with the Solar Spectrum filter I have. Wouldn't want a plastic focuser then, especially given the length of the whole tele-centric + filter assembly. It could be excellent in Ca-K, because it would show reduced spherical aberration. Again. plastic in a solar scope only works with a suitable energy rejection filter!

Plastic can be sturdy enough, but I do feel they put a very short clamshell on it. For a long tube like this I would certainly prefer tube rings on a long, sturdy dovetail bar.