barkis

I've never known so many doom and gloom reports on earth's inevitable demise being predicted. These reports are, in the main, just scare mongerers seeking attention. My mobile is inundated with reports of this nature daily. Most are pure bilge at best, and one has to wonder if the Ads. that are injected between the tripe is by design. I Am seriously contemplating paying for an Ad. Free phone App. If such a thing exists. Ron.

A paraboloid has a curve with differing focii from it's centre out to it'edge zone. A Ronchi screen will show curved shadows. If the surface is a perfect sphere, those lines will be perpendicular. If you were to intercept a pinhead light source with a knife edge at the radius of curvature of a spherical mirror, It would darken completely all over, an indication that every part of it's surface comes to the same focus. In a fast Newt, a spherical mirror will perform poorly. Some telescopes are artificially equipped to extend their focal length to accommodate a spherical objective.

I can add another tale to this phenomena. In 1958, I was stationed at a trade training camp in Great Malvern in Worcesteshire. I was doing an electrical course at a camp called Blackmore One, which was an Electrical training Workshops. Another camp, Blackmore two, was used to train Vehicle Mechanics. This camp was empty of personel from 1800 hours, until 0800 the following day. Being empty, and with lots of equipment stored in the workshop, the place had to be guarded overnight. It was one of those stags I was on myself, one cold night in November 1956. It was damned cold, and it was a two hour stint. The night was very clear, with no moon, but ablaze with stars. I remember looking at nothing in particular, but I saw two star like objects moving in tandem, about two moons widths apart. It was difficult to judge how fast they were moving, and I'd no Idea about their height. The thing that threw me, was after a while their movement stopped, and shortly after, they moved again, but this time at a right angle to their previous direction, side by side. I figured it being an aircraft, but the silence at that place was absolute, and I'm sure an aircraft engine noise could have been heard. This was no figment of imagination, and it has puzzled me since that very night. Sputnik was launched in 1957, but I know of no other artificial objects man made that could have accounted for what I saw. There will be an explanation, but it beats the hell of of me what it was.

You couldn't have joined a better group than the SGL Astronomy Forums Rich. Your Astro. Photography will benefit a lot from the Knowledge residing in the many experts who are always ready and willing to help and advise. Don't hesitate to pose your questions whenever you need any help. Enjoy your stay. Best Wishes. Ron.

Nowt wrong with that Alan, nice to see you getting some imaging in. The Helix Nebula is well south of the celestial equator, and can be difficult through so much atmosphere. Good job matey. Ron.

An astonishing sight M13 when it is imaged this well. Globulars are strange concentrations of older stars allegedly. They aren't as compact in reality I believe, possibly as close as one light year in many instances. But any being residing on a planet amidst all those stars would have a complaint about Night pollution I would guess. 🙂 Anyway, my rambling aside, that is one splendid capture. Well done. Ron.

When I built my domed Obs. Years ago, it was visible to surrounding dwellings. It's final dome material was 16 guage galvanised metal. A poor choice rely, as it was a trifle too heavy, although easy to rotate by hand on it's support ring. It was 12ft in diameter, sat on a square brick walled construction. It did reflect Sunlight too, but all I ever Got from folks were Questions of curiosity. An explanation of what it was for, met with only question like, how far can you see in there,? A number were invited to call anytime the skies were suitable for observations. They always left with that sense of wonder after seeing star clusters, the moon and planets whenever they were accessible. Eventually, a local radio lady arrived one night, asking for an opportunity to see what telescopic viewing of the night sky was like. Fortunately, that night was a particularly good one, and M42 was almost on the local meridian. The sight through my 12"f6 Newt. brought gasps of amazement from her.. She left after some other gems fed her eyes. She did give an account of her visit on local radio about a week later. I never received one complaint regarding the Obs. though, I took the dome down eventually, and transformed it into a ROR Obs. With a warm room. It certainly wasn't as attractive looking as the OP's dome, so it's a shame that one malcontent had to complain. Seems a rather petty attitude to me. I just hope it doesn't destroy his enthusiasm. Ron. PS. Whilst dismantling the dome superstructure, I almost cut my left arm off with an angle grinder I was using to cut through the metalwork. Fortunately, the grinder was running down as I had released the switch. However, it caught the inside of my left forearm, and ploughed a 6" furrow into the flesh of my arm. The scar is there for life. A quick visit to A & E started the repair of the damage. Several Iodine soaked dressings did a good job on it. To be sure, those rotary machines can wreak havoc if you drop your guard.

Are you quite certain it's the camera, and not a cable problem, or drivers glitch. The lodestar seems a very durable camera, and I would investigate further before discarding it> Perhaps you have pursued all other possible reasons though, in which case ignore my suggestion. Ron.

We see rapid technological changes in Astro products lately. Not so unexpected of course, as there is always a market for more sophisticated goodies to tempt us. I think if I had a good lottery win, I would delve too, but it would be probably just to gloat over, rather than use, I'm more or less doing that with what I have now. So many distractions prevent me getting on with the Astronomy I have been devoted to for most of my life. The changes that have taken place throughout those years is quite astonishing. There is much to admire locked in the various forum directories of SGL, and it is certainly vast library of knowledge. Ron.

Patience young man, your pride and joy will soon be in your posession. You will get great pleasure from making a suitable site for it, then getting it ready for duty. Good luck with the build. An Obs. Is a wonderful place to operate a telescope from, and you can look forward to some most enjoyable nights. Don't forget to keep us informed on your progress, because we are as excited as you are. Best Wishes. Ron.

Would be nice for someone to finish his Dad's project. A pity it's located so far away, otherwise I may have accepted his offer. I only hope It doesn't end up in a skip, that would be so sad. Ron.

Not exactly a DIY project Martin, but an eye opener to the way these giant mirrors are constructed, and an Indication of the expense involved. Great video. Thank you for posting it . Ron.

Don't be surprised if you are surprised Mike, large Dobbos have a way with them. Might not put your Tak to shame, but there will be a WoW ot two uttered for sure 😁. Whoops, just noticed the age of your post, so replys are a bit spurious now Mike. I should have got a us from Alan's post really.

It is a growing trend with an apparent increase in members acquiring large aperture Dob Scopes. No wonder of course, when one reads the reports of excellent visual results on night sky targets. A 14" is a large light collector, and it will render some superb views through your eyepieces. I'm sure you will enjoy the big eye Paul, and look forward to the accounts of your future observing sessions. Ron.

Whilst the Imaging fraternity do get deserved accolades for their deep sky creations, observers should not feel in any way left out. On the contrary, reports like the OP's are every bit as rewarding as looking at the splendour of colourful Deep Sky objects. Reading observing reports are just as exciting to us all I'm sure imaging reports , and they fit easily alongside our imaging colleagues work equally well. Many thanks for your post SSC, It is a wonderful read, and we look forward toforum more from you. There is a Dob Mob on our Forum' and they would love to have you join their happy band. Best Wishes. Ron.

One only has to look back in time to those long ago Astronomers who's determination to search the universe, and record their findings for others to study, and glean some understanding about the workings of the heavens inhabitants. We owe much to those early pioneers, who's determination to complete the tasks they set themselves is greatly admired today. The likes of Herschel, Messier, Tycho Brahe, and many others never sighed and moaned I'm bored with this. "Standing on the shoulders of giants", is an apt description for those people. My own take on Amateur Astronomy, is it's more a way of life than a hobby, but of course not a description that is suitable for everyone. There are times when life's vagaries can interrupt, but the devout astronomer will always be true to himself, and his love of the universe around him. The best Movies ever produced, will never outdo the shows the night sky puts on for us. Ron.

Hope there aren't any Yodellers on SGL James .

You should check the Battery voltage under the load condition. And I agree that coupling your battery to another is not a suitable means of recharging it. Get a proper charger, they are not very cost;y to buy. A mains power supply with suitable AC voltage conversion and 13.8 DC output would be more reliable, but of course the power supply would need careful protection from adverse weather. Only the DC supply should reach your scopes electrical units., That cable too should be protected of course, you don't want to be tripping over it. Extremely good balance of your telescope is a prime requirement too, although I'm sure you don't need advice on that issue. Hope you get it sorted soon. These headaches can spoil the enjoyment no end. Ron.

WOW!, A real and superb Widefield Astro. Image. I do appreciate Deep Sky objects in all their glory, but I feel great when looking at a picture of a star filled night sky. It takes a good Camera and lens to produce a show like this. You selected a fine part of our home Galaxy to expose your cameras sensor to Daniel. Can only be described as Excellent. . Ron.

Just ready in time for a crate or two for the guys at Lucksall, who would be delighted to sample your creation James. Ah! but perhaps you are not going to the November gathering. Looks very lip smacking though. Ron.

Good Man, a gem like you have is worth every effort to protect it. I look forward to some exciting reports that are sure to come from your winter skies observations of 2019-2020 Mark. I can only imagine the satisfaction you will enjoy too. Good Luck matey, and may the skies be dark and clear . Ron.

You are right Stu. Not anything that would replace what I already use. I am always Interested in new gadgets, but not this one. A good aid for the observers though. Cheers mate. Ron.

Hi Stu. I thought it would allow me to dispense with the laptop in the Obs. I guess I was looking to receive a big plus regarding the capabilities of the device. It will need planetarium software installed too. Also, how does it cope with drivers for the various attachments used for imaging. Perhaps it's for observational astronomy, and not imaging. Ron

Seems not a lot of interest in this device. Just as well I guess, methinks I've spent enough as is.🤔.

Th SkyFi 3 is on offer from the US at 150 dollars, which equates to about £123 here. The Widescreen' Centre's price is reduced, but is still a whopping £249. Any other outlet in the UK with a more sensible reduction. I know the WS Centre won't price match. I suspect Import Tax would be added to a purchase from America though. Ron.