Geoff Barnes

Top right Stu...?

Yes, mobiles only give a limited view of contents I find.

Still got mine below Grumpy....

Yes, this is what I've found with my SW 12 inch Dobsonian, after collimating via a star test I leave the locking screws loose and the scope stays collimated for the rest of the session. Transportation would be the only time I would consider locking them tight.

Can confirm the light bridge, courtesy of SpaceWeather.com. Apparently quite a rare feature and could mean the imminent break up of the spot.....

Stunning images Avani! And do I see the Encke Gap on the right side of the A Ring, or is it the Encke Minima? I'm never really sure. I've been studying Damien Peach's images of Saturn and I have to say yours are just as good if not better than his, amazing!

Thanks for all your suggestions chaps! As advised I had a good look through my binoculars today and am pleased to report that I'm sure I was seeing with both eyes, which presumably means binoviewing is going to work for me. Now comes the problem, as far as I can find, no astro suppliers in Australia stock binoviewers except one in Sydney and they're out of stock. So it looks like a trial run before buying is out of the question. I'm quite prepared to order a pair from FLO, they have the special offer on the OVL product at the moment. Will give it a bit more thought first. Many thanks again.

I must say I've been thinking quite seriously of getting a pair of binoviewers for some time now, peoples reports of their 3D image effect is very appealing to me. However, I have a slight squint in my right eye so my eyes don't see in stereo, I always favour one eye at a time, usually my left, which presumably means I'm seeing in mono. Does this mean I won't get any benefit from using binoviewers I wonder? There doesn't seem much point investing in a pair if I'm only going to be mostly using one eye. Does anyone else have this condition who uses binoviewers, and does it make a difference?

You need to spend more time in the bathroom Louis! ?

Better quality glass on the left if you ask me! ?

Here's a link to Michael's report on the same EP......

What was wrong with the old one Gina?

Can I join in? Better than I thought actually, now if only I could cut down a few dozen huge trees..... If I could get the 12 inch Dob about a half hour drive east of here I would be well into Bortle 2 territory, if only.....

Here we go folks, this is my 12 inch Dob wearing its posh new Astrozap cloak pointing straight at Sirius this evening. Gives you an idea of the elevation of Sirius and Orion too.....

I had exactly the same issue with my Skywatcher dob when I first got it. It turned out the problem was simply that the AZ Power Cable was not fully inserted into its sockets, it felt like it was but I had to push extra hard to get it to "click" into place, then all worked perfectly. Just make really sure your AZ cable is fully connected. at least it will eliminate one possible cause. Good luck!

Hardly any need for a telescope with those! ?

Last one on the list, number 5, is Series 3..... Antares Speers Waler Series 3 80° Wide Field Eyepieces 1.25" Superior quality 80° eyepieces. Compared to eyepieces almost 3 times the price, the Series 3 SWA eyepieces compare very closely indeed. They feature a very high build quality and stunning optics. ONLY £159.00buyDETAILS

This will make you laugh (or scream in horror) but I recently cleaned a bit of dust off my 12 inch Dob mirror by sticking the vacuum cleaner hose down the tube, and while holding it really tightly sucked the dust off without getting it any closer than 2 inches from the mirror. Worked a treat and left the mirror spotless! ?

Probably not the right thread, but this is the sky here this afternoon, as clear and deep blue as you'd ever see. So I'm really hoping it stays this way after dark, should afford some wonderful seeing tonight, fingers crossed!

Ha ha! Very observant Neil. Do you know it's taken me two whole days to realise my spelling mistake - "moths" instead of "months"! I wondered what the moth balls connection was! ? (Corrected now!)

A big box weighing very little arrived from FLO today, it was a little the worse for wear but I wasn't too concerned as I knew the contents were virtually unbreakable..... We live out in the sticks a bit here with dirt roads, so dust is a very big problem in the summer months (and moths too!). My open collapsible Dob is a sitting duck for contamination from dust not to mention swarms of Australias finest bugs, so it seemed appropriate to order some protection in the form of an Astrozap shroud..... Needless to say it's now pouring with rain so the dust will be settled, but the bugs will still be out there!

Perhaps 5 years of silence speaks for itself? I can't recommend the Baader 8-24mm zoom highly enough, it is wonderful. ?

JOC, I have the Morpheus 6.5mm and I would have to say it is my favourite eyepiece for high power viewing, spectacular views of the planets! Meanwhile, I had a delivery of my own today, and I'm just a little excited, as I'm in the midst of being determined (and thwarted) to see Barnard 33, the HorseHead Nebula, so this little gem should give me my best chance so far..... .....but of course the clear weather of the last 300 or so weeks has now turned to cloud.......?

Hi SacRiker, It is a Skywatcher SP Plossl, 32mm FL, 52 degree FOV. I've used it a couple of times and although the sky has been somewhat washed out by the full moon I have been able to ascertain that it's optical quality seems very good indeed, sharp pretty much to the field stop and wonderfully clear views. My only slight complaint so far would be signs of reflections around the edge of the FOV, but not a problem unless you are looking for it, maybe internal flocking could be improved? Anyway a real bargain for £24 from our friends at FLO.

My plossl(above) came without a cloud sticker and sure enough I've got clear skies! ?