mark81

I've spent over 200 nights with the ST80 and love it. The more I use it, the lower the mag I want to use... the extra widefield views under dark skies are amazing.. Agree about using it on the moon, fine for low power - up to x66 max and I find the CA no big deal at all. Enjoy Mark

Great to read these reports on this scope. Every time I'm near Aylsham in Norfolk I peer into the Altiar shop window and look at this scope... I must get one one of these days... Enjoy Clear skies Mark

Great news Doug... That chair looks perfect for the job.. Happy observing... Mark

Very nicely done! I've always taken quite a rushed approach to sketching, but there is something quite satisfying about placing those stars perfectly.. and the going the extra step after the initial invert really makes a difference.. Thanks for sharing Mark

I, like many others feel the same... I saw a huge stream of those Musk satellites go up last year - I did throw a stone in the general direction but I think I missed... I also threw a few choice words that way too... I guess there will be petitions online somewhere, but once its been approved there's very little to be done... This sort of thing can be soul destroying if you think about it too much... I do a lot of beach cleaning and it never fails to amaze me how quickly the plastic bottle tops regroup... Mark

Nicely done... Over the last year or so I have been viewing with binoculars only and recently have been neglecting getting out - whenever I do I always sketch what I view... Seeing your sketch @Nik271has just given me that kick I need to wish for clear skies... Nice sighting... Mark

You should definitely go for some 50mm either X10 or x7.. Loads of nice Messiers await you with a pair of 50mm under bortle 4 skies and laying back in a lounger and scanning the skies is great fun too... .. I've found the lightpollution.com map to be quite accurate if I remember rightly... Mark

Nicely done! Always nice to grab some nebula with binoculars, I've only viewed the California Neb once with binoculars as I don't currently have a pair with filter threads, but I do remember it being very faint and almost cloud like... I generally find M42 with binoculars is either fantastic or very little to write home about - when it's good, it's one I really like to study and keep going back to throughout the session as your eyes becoming fully adapted... I think quite often people go for bigger targets first of all and then try and pick out smaller objects before going back indoors, b

Great sketches Mario's...

Nice session Doug, thanks for sharing It's always good to read these doubles reports.. after a while you get to know which doubles your scope/s can achieve so you can easily decide which to go for... And of course how they appear in the scope your using... Mark

Nice one Doug. I have to applaud your dedication. I looked out to see clear skies, I then saw the Christmas tree lights and some scotch by the fire and thought twice.... Nice to read about some doubles, that's actually the one reason I will one day get a GOTO mount, for easy access to some doubles... Merry Christmas to you... Clear skies for 2021 Mark

Thanks for sharing those John... I use my 'averted imagination' quite a bit too - but before pencil hits paper, I think, 'lets just be content with what can be seen' Amazing to see that detail on Mars with a 60mm Mark

Thanks, Lots of layers and fingerless gloves... Mark

Have you seen the Geoptik bags? I haven't looked at one for quite a while, but I remember a friend having one for his 150/1200 which I seem to remember seemed really well made.. but had lots of room left over as I recall... I'm sure they do a bag for a 100/750 but like I said, it might not be a snug fit.(something to look into)... They have them at RotherValley I think... Mark

I've viewed and sketched the Orion Nebula many times with small binoculars... It's one I haven't done with a scope. I used x66 on this one and spent 15-20 minutes observing, the longer I looked, the more detail appeared.... Some real nice shape and structure could been seen, so I took a sketch... 80mm f5 with 6mm UWA x66 Mark