Geoff Barnes

Ooops, not sure your Mrs will be too impressed with that Stu! 😁

My experiences echo yours merlin100, I have both long and short Cheshires and find that the secondary clips are only clearly visible through the short, and no matter how I move the long in or out it never shows them more than the tiniest glimpse at the very edge of view. This is in my 12 inch Dob.

Interesting observations @jonathan, I have only had one look at Mars this season at 3am one night about a week ago with my 12 inch Dob and it too seemed very pale and washed out in colour with surface details very faintly visible in very good seeing conditions. Incessant cloud has prevented any more views but I too look forward to seeing it in the next week or two to see if it appears any redder and more contrasty as it recedes away from us.

Not a review as such, but I noticed this ad on the Spaceweather website and wondered if anyone has made use of this company. Telescope hire seems such a wonderful idea for astronomers to test out various bits of kit before emptying their wallets. Has anyone used this service? https://www.darkskytelescopehire.co.uk/

I realise the CC 8 inch is a fairly weighty piece of kit, what would be the ideal tracking/goto mount to pair it with?

Yes an 8 inch CC will be a piece of cake after my 12 inch Dob! I can handle the Dob no problem but I have recently discovered I have a serious spinal condition which is not going to get any better with age so I'm just planning ahead really.

I enquired if CC scopes were in FLO's plans back in June and they were ordering them at that exact time, purely coincidentally, and they requested that I keep it under my hat. I intend to replace my 12 inch Dob with an 8 inch CC as my back is deteriorating with age and I mainly observe lunar and planets. My plan is to walk into FLO's showroom, say hello and purchase one there and then, when we are back in England in the not too distant future. Exciting!

Hey, come on chaps, you're making it too easy for him! He's supposed to earn them you know! 🤣

I am a visual only observer but I imagine satellites could be an annoying nuisance for astro photographers who don't want or need white streaks across their images. I must say that I get a bit of a kick out of seeing a satellite cross my field of view when I'm observing as it is so unexpected and only fleetingly there. It is amazing how many times I've seen them when viewing Orion and also Crux, must be on the main flightpath north and south I guess.

I usually notice that the rings of the expanded airy disc can be quite hard to see when the atmosphere is unstable, making seeing conditions poor. It seems to cause the rings to scintillate and break up into a mushy mess. Given rock steady seeing conditions I find the rings are nice and sharply defined and easy to see.

Well as any self respecting chap knows, it's not what you've got, it's how you use it that counts! 🤣

Well I was hopeful of having a look at Mars tonight at its closest approach to Earth, but alas the weather gods are not cooperating. Low cloud sitting on the mountain and drizzling, and looking gruesome for a few more days. Oh well, he will still be very close in a few days and I'm hoping to try 300x plus on him with the 12 inch Dob.

Great minds think alike! I had a similar idea for storing my eyepieces, using a soft insulated lunch box. I don't have any heating device with it now, although I did try a microwave bean bag at first but that seemed to cause moisture problems. It works well and only cost $7. 😁

I've been sworn to secrecy by FLO since July when I enquired about Classical Cassegrain telescopes after seeing @johninderby had a nice 8 inch one from TS Optics. It sounds like they are about to launch them (Stella Lyra brand) any day now so I hope I'm not jumping the gun! Apologies to FLO if I've let the cat out of the bag! 🤫 (Perhaps delete this post if secrecy is still needed FLO)?

You never can tell @StarGazingSiouxsie, I had a rare calm clear night recently and Jupiter was like looking at a bowl of porridge! 🙄

Excellent! Nothing wrong with that image at all for a phone camera!

Interesting article about Pentax here . Can't see any link to Tak scopes at all... https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/70/Pentax-Corporation.html

Hi @Bolligrew and welcome to the forum. The mere fact that thousands of other astronomers would have had their telescopes trained on Jupiter at the same time as you and not reported anything unusual would indicate it was something peculiar to your equipment. Now what it could be other than simple lens flare I have no idea. Otber members will be along soon with their suggestions I'm sure. 😁

Bit chilly for that Neil? 🤣

I'm not familiar with that focuser but I would say just slacken the two screws equally very slightly, probably no more than a quarter of a turn and see how much that improves the tension, it's a case of trial and error really.

Good stuff Stu, I wondered what you were doing up at such an unearrhly hour! 😀 Handy to hear your thoughts on the Neodymium filter. I keep mine permanently on the Baader zoom which takes me up to 275x max, but over 300x I don't use a filter, so won't bother trying it now. Patiently waiting for Mars to clear our trees in a few weeks.

Great to hear your enthusiasm Siouxsie, it's amazing when it all comes together like that! You're as far north (Virginia?) as I am south in Melbourne, but with very different views! I will have to be patient to see Mars in about a month when it clears our trees. Could do with some of your clear and steady seeing, it has been pretty poor down here for too long. 😁

It is not the telescope moving, it is the straightness of the eyepiece in its housing. If you leave the eyepiece loose, with the screws loose and wobble it around as you look through it you will see how the image moves considerably. So if you change eyepieces and the replacement is not centred in its housing exactly the same as the first one the image you see will not be in the same position and will need recentering.

Hi @Wolfen54 I'll try and answer your questions as best as I can. 1. Yes, if you are using a wifi systen you always have to start alignment facing due north. 2. Your focuser will have a small screw directly underneath it which you xan uae to adjust the stiffness of the focus action. 2b. Sometimes a very slight adjustment can be needed after changing eyepieces, particularly at higher magnifications, but it could mean the eyepiece is not seated properly in the housing when tightened. 3. Jupiter can be quite dazzling through any telescope and detail can be hard to detect especially if seeing conditions are poor, and if the planet is low down in the sky. The longer you look the more you will see as your eye adjusts to the brightness. Maybe a polarising filter might help tone it down for you, though I have never used one myself. 4. Yes, most galaxies do tend to look a bit like "dusty clumps" to us visual observers. Again, the longer you look the more you will see. Hope this helps! 😁

Out on one of my all too few viewing sessions tonight with the SW 12 inch Dob, having a look at Jupiter. Seeing is a bit iffy but managed to see a wonderful sight of both the GRS and a shadow transit of Io crossing the planet together. Here are a couple of photos to show how high Jupiter is here at 75 degrees altitude and also my hopelessly low view of the double double at 10 degrees which makes splitting them very difficult indeed...