barkis

Agree with Gina on the high quality of those two Images Olly, they are quite splendid. Ron.

I acquired a 18mm Brass housed Military Erfle way long ago, it rendered wonderful lunar views, and I just loved it. To this day, I do not understand what happened to it, I would never have willingly parted with it, so I can only assume I mislaid, or lost it at an outside event somewhere. I still mourn the loss of it. Ron.

Being a bit egotistical here,, but I can't apologise for it. I would Opt for the 12" f6 Newtonian I built myself, it comes with a lot of other add on's, like the A Frame GEM Mount that I welded together, and fitted with 12" setting circles , I used four inch Water Glands to take ball bearings for both the 2" diameter RA shafts. and stepper drives to both Axis. It was no work of Art, but It worked a treat. It all rested on a Concrete plinth, inside the Home made Domed Obs. The super structure for the Obs Dome, was made for me by a local engineering business. They were so interested in what I was doing, the only charged me £100 for the job, and that included deliver to my Garden. You rarely get service like that these days. . Sorry for the seemingly long winded boast, but as far as settling on only one Item, I would take the Newt. alone. That telescope gave me so much pleasure, I'm almost weeping onto my keyboard here. When I showed Saturn to my good lady, she expressed total; disbelief in what she was looking at, She thought I was playing a trick on her. Happy Days indeed. THE END. 😀 Ron.

Let's see yourl pics. when you have got some. Wide field imaging is a popular activity for many SGL members, and there is a directory in which to place them under the Imaging label. Ron. Mi

By the time the countries most responsible for Global Warming realise that the world is in the extreme danger that climate change will produce, the changes in our weather are proof positive, and it will be soon become an irreversible situation. Stupidity beyond belief. They selfishly remain blind to the inevitable. Ron.

Getting the data is always a good feat, so you did good there. AP is a difficult pursuit, but like any difficult task, it gets easier with experience. so don't beat yourself up here. Most great Images are the result of good captured Data, and very capable processing, even the Hubble guys have to do that, so you're in a big league here. Just keep doing it, don't ever despair, and you will be fine. Hopefully, you might get an APOD award one day. Best Wishes. Ron.

My suggestion would be to advance your requirements in stages. For example, if Astro Photography is a definite goal of yours, then I would first concentrate on a quality mount for the telescope you will attach to there are several good candidates, and you may wish to do some research to select a suitable unit for your budget. AP does not come cheap unfortunately, but the basis of success is always the Equatorial Mount. Have a browse of First Light Optics website, it could help in deciding which way to go. A Small Apo chromatic Refractor would be desirable as a start, I say small, but brilliant Deep Sky results are attainable with these instruments. As their size increase, so does the price, which is why I suggest small to begin with, as your budget would not cover the suggestions I give here. However, mount requirement would be the priority. However, please wait for other suggestions, there will be some more attractive to you I reckon. Goop luck in your search. it's a great field to enter into. Ron.

There's a certain kind of magic that these old scope and mounts exude. You must have been affected by a bit of nostalga Swoop. I got a tingle or two just seeing your images here. Ron.

At a point during de orbit descent. Transmit return signals from the surface would be used to equate the decreasing distance, and thereby incorporate the fuel reserves required to execute a safe landing. Mind you, as we know the margin of safety turned out to be very Hairy 😯. I'm only surmising this is possibly how it was done, I don't know for certain. Ron.

I tend to lean towards his brother's claim Davy. Although, the phrase was so Apt. for that historic moment, Neil's creative mind could well have brought it forth in an instant. Perhaps we won't ever no one way or the other.

I wonder I young Neil had formed that now historic statement prior to the landing, or did he utter those words when his feet touched the lunar surface. There was a tentative pause after, "That's One Small Step For Man". Ron.

What make cars then Gina? A Rolls Royce, a Bentley, or something smaller perhaps? 🤣. Well, you did say cars, but I suspect you meant Cards. Of course you did. Don't mind me, have a lovely day . Ron.

Wish you a very happy Birthday Gina, I hope you got some nice gifts. 🏵️🌼🌷. Ron.

Nice Shirt Michael, well suited to the anniversary of such momentous event 50 years ago. I was holidaying on the Solway Coast with wife and two children in a small chalet, and 'NO TV. ' 😮 However, we were only 22 miles from home, and I was given permission to return home to watch the landing on our Telly. Armstrong stayed pretty calm landing the 'Eagle' but I was sweating badly, he sure did have us squirming around wondering if the fuel was running out. However, it all turned out well, and most of the world watching were able to start breathing again. A truly wonderful achievement which ought to be remembered forever. Ron.

I guess the only way to perhaps Identify it as a satellite, would be to use a planetarium programme and take it back to the time and date of the observation you saw, and see if there was a named object that might have been the culprit.. It may still have info. about, even If it is out of commission now. Ron.

At what rate was this dark object moving, were you tracking it by manual movement of your telescope, or your drive.,,? Had you perhaps been looking at bright light prior to looking through your scope? One's eyes can play havoc when staring through an eyepiece for long periods. What magnification were you working with, and telescope type. Ron.

I returned home from a meeting of the Border Astronomical Society that night. Full of anticipation, I went out to my domed Observatory, rolled up the shutter, turned the opening to face the local meridian. Set the stepper motor drive in motion place a 12mm Plossl eyepiece in the focuser, I turned my 12" home made Newtonian to Jupiter and waited patiently for the Impact areas to rotate into view. They slowly appeared ion tandem, one dark patch after another, until there were no more. I had never felt such Awe and excitement as did that memorable night. I was pleased.that shredded comet had been pulled in by the mighty Jupiter, and prevented mother Earth from a possible future meeting with Shoemaker Levy 9. Ron.

Star Gazing Live should drop their acronym SGL. It belongs to us, and they ought not to pilfer it 😬.HehHeh,!. Ron .

A 6"F8 Newtonian would serve you well for Double Star observations. With a secondary not too large, but big enough to collect all the reflected light, and a suitable focuser with a low profile too, the scope would also make a nice planetary instrument. Observing planets and the moon in a light mist is worth doing too, it ensures the earth's atmosphere is relatively still and so no boiling or shimmering to annoy you. A well corrected 8"F8 Newt. would be a better choice mind you, depends on your budget of course. There's always the used market for a bargain. Ron.

Small recompense for the bullying that young man had to bear. I know times were different in those days, but he did not deserve the torment that drove him to suicide 2 years after serving a prison sentence. He apparently ate an Apple containing Cyanide, but there's still doubts about it being suicide. That brilliant young man deserved a Knighthood for the tremendous work he did. Ron.

Not sure If this has been submitted before. but If not, I thought it remarkable anyway. "NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover can be seen in this image taken from space on 31 May 2019, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). In the image, Curiosity appears as a bluish speck. The image shows Curiosity at a location called “Woodland Bay.” It’s just one of many stops the rover has made in an area referred to as the “clay-bearing unit” on the side of Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometre-tall (3-mile-tall) mountain inside of Gale Crater. Look carefully at the inset image (click on the image to zoom in), and you can make out what it is likely Curiosity’s “head,” technically known as the remote sensing mast. A bright spot appears in the upper-left corner of the rover. At the time this image was acquired, the rover was facing 65 degrees counter clockwise from north, which would put the mast in about the right location to produce this bright spot." This descriptive text is not mine, but arrived with the Image from a Nasa source I believe. Ron.

Dark Side, Far Side, we're just nit picking anyway Craney. You enjoyed that experience, and that's the most Important thing.👍 Ron.

Sure they would, much to be found in a 10 degree space, just loll in a Deck Chair and enjoy 🙂.

If you decide not to equip yourself with an instrument at all, you are bound to have regrets, especially if the night sky is favourable to superb. If space is the drawback, just take some Bino's with you. Better than nowt 😁. Ron.

Many folks believe the Moon doesn't rotate as it keeps the same face with respect to the Earth. But we know that it does turn once In it's 27 day orbit around Earth. Only an observer outside the Earth Moon system could then see the side of our satellite we can't from here. An observer on the Earth side of the Moon, would be able to see most of Earth's surface quite quickly due to the Earth's Axial rotation and the Moon's orbital motion. A long winded summary, I just hope I haven't got this wrong. 🤔 Ron.