lguise

Very bright pass of the ISS in a beautiful dawn sky yesterday. Bedford Park has some great mature specimen trees including several Giant Redwoods. Hopefully the image captures the scene. A great way to start the day. Click on the image for better resolution. Linton

Plastic Keter sheds are great! No condensation or maintenance. I haven't tried removing the roof but for a dob its just a couple of steps outside and you are in business.

Thank you for clearing something up for me! I remember watching Sir PM in the early 1960s and I thought it was during Children's Hour but I could not remember the name of the programme. It must have been Seeing Stars, I know I was too young in those days to be able to stay up for The Sky at Night. I wonder if any video tapes exist of those early shows? They certainly got me hooked for life. Thanks for reviving some happy memories. Linton

I have heard mutterings this exam may not be offered in the future following the present review of GCSE. It would be a great shame as I know many have found it very worthwhile. Linton

Many congratulations, I am certain you will enjoy the event, looking forward to seeing the image. Linton

Looks great! How have they fixed it to the slabs? And is there any special gasket to seal it to the slabs or just silicone sealer? Internal pictures would be great Enjoy!!

Having seen a Nexstar 6se in action I have to say I was quite impressed with both the goto function and the optics. An improvement on a Meade ETX 125 for general observing, more light grasp and shorter f ratio. The Meade may have the edge on planetary detail. If you want a compact goto scope and can find one at the price you quote, then I don't think you would be disappointed. New price from FLO is £789 and I doubt there is a cheaper supplier? Linton

But when you do get the chance to observe from a dark site with a 12" or above and you see the spiral structure of M51 then you are hooked! The only problem is it is so disappointing when you get home to your light polluted garden and try looking at the the same object.

The Ladybird book of the night sky! I was given mine around 1967, great images and fondly remembered.

We had a great time at Sixpenny Handley a few years back, I just want to check these dates are correct as Full Moon is October 8th? All the best, Linton

John, thanks for the link and the memories, can't believe its 9 years, they fly past. Linton

Sky Safari is excellent but Star Walk is also quite fun although with both you need to be certain your compass setting is correct. My ipad seems a little unreliable as far as this goes, tends to swing through 90 degrees! Linton

Cracking job so far, I think it was well worth going back and doing a proper job with the membrane. Looking forward to seeing the dome take shape.

Looking forward to watching your build. Just have a care about the overall height if it's a 3m dome on walls you may get over the limit before planning permission required and you have neighbours near. Max height seems to vary in different regions but where I am it is 3m. Good luck with the project and keep the pictures coming!

Looks a really great build and I think you are under selling your DIY skills. I am surprised the roof came to such a weight but I guess the shingles are a heavy option, but they look very good. Looking forward to seeing the final pictures and reading how it works in practice. Well done!