Richard

I didn’t set out to measure this, but my ED 1.5x didn’t bring a binoviewer to focus in that way. While there may have been some shift, there was not enough to help.

A bit late on this one, but I use the chart attached for the various Tak Extenders, and all seems well. For visual, the ED 1.5x works very well with my FSQ85, and the 2” 1.6x with the FSQ106, despite rumours that they are only for AP. Both have given excellent views of Jupiter over the last year or so, and Mars during the 2022 opposition. Views through TSA102 are superb with the ED 1.5x, and the ‘old’ 1.25” 1.6x works well with an FS60.

It’s less than f/6, how much faster do you need…? Richard

Going a bit off-track, but my first view of the Veil, through a 16” Dob and Lumicon UHC, was the first time I’d seen something that looked something like the observatory images available then (~25 years ago). Even from pretty dark skies (Bortle 2/3), the UHC filter made a big difference. Without it the Veil was clearly visible, but with it I could see quite a lot of detailed structure.

I used to give a talk for CfDS in the late 2000s, and even to audiences of EHOs, who would enforce the then-new ‘light nuisance’ legislation, the facts that really caught their attention were around CO2 emissions and reductions in energy costs. The LP was a bit of a side issue. Still, if it does the job…

I feel the same way - it was about the thrill of what I could actually see from my own garden, with whatever basic kit I could beg, borrow or otherwise scrounge as a young teenager. My 1970s ‘Observer’s Book of Astronomy’ by a certain P Moore is something I won’t ever happily part with. Still has my pencilled notes in it from those days.

Despite saying for many years that I’d always ‘want to see the photons with my own eyes’, i.e. remain visual, experience with modern filters - an l-Enhance initially - and a DSLR a couple of years ago has tempted me into imaging. It’s so easy to take reasonable images. With almost universal LP, to some extent, in the UK it’s easy to see why people have shifted largely to imaging. As technology continues to provide ever-better imaging kit, it’s hard to see this changing. My imaging tends to be a simple affair, without Pixinsight etc, nothing more than simple stacking and maybe a fiddle with contrast. I like the idea of the images being representative of what I might actually see, with a large enough scope and dark skies. I am still predominantly a visual observer, though, and can’t see that changing, since, for me, nothing beats the thrill of sitting under the stars and just looking up, as often as not with a pair of Vixen 2.1x42s or a 4-5” refractor. As the previous post says, though, each to their own! It’s supposed to be enjoyable, rather than proscriptive.

Just returned from a week in Wales (Anglesey), dark skies and booked to coincide with the Moon-free (ish) Perseid maximum. Not a chance! One clear night (8th) and the mist rolled in… Richard

I wasn’t aware, thanks; I’m pretty new to AP, finally succumbed after decades of visual, so my questions will probably seem a bit basic!

Thanks - I’ll give it a go. I generally consider ‘live’ to be a bit of a pain, and switch it off, but maybe it has its uses!

Isn’t it amazing what iPhones can do! Wonder can you help me with a query? I’ve taken some casual wide-field images with my iPhone 13, and it easily captures e.g. M42 even when hand-held. I’ve bought an adapter to use on a scope, but I believe it stacks images automatically - is there any way of ‘unstacking’ the images? Any tips welcome! Richard

I was offered an ED130SS in response to a ‘wanted’ ad a couple of months ago. I didn’t go for it in the end as it was located in Italy, and after import charges etc would have been more than I wanted to pay. I’d be happy to put you in touch with the chap who replied to my ad? I love old ‘Vixen green’ kit. I regret selling an ED114SS a couple of years ago, but did manage to re-acquire my FL80S last year, nearly 15 years after swapping it with a friend, via a third owner. Lovely, sharp optics, and really portable. Keeps up with my Tak 76DCU. Richard

Superb! I bought a new tin of the Tak paint a few years ago, and it’s horrible stuff, more like glue than paint. This looks a much better match than the stuff I bought - the Tak greens varied over the years in any case. Now, can you tell me how to change my 100DC into an FS128? Please??

I’ve been watching the price slowly creep down, and have been sorely tempted, ultimate planetary scope, keep it for life, develop a sudden interest in planetary nebulae, globulars and so on, all the usual ‘excuses’ I make to myself. The price is more than fair, relative to a new one, but therein lies the issue - they’re v expensive new, for what they are, and ridiculously so compared to the old Al tube model. Too much of a ‘one trick pony’, too; it might ‘just’ beat my 6” APM/LZOS on Solar System - none of the planets are well-placed at present - on a (clear) night with perfect seeing, once cooled, but how often does everything come together? The APM is adequately cooled after 90 min for all but critical viewing, less for deep sky, is much more versatile and available (for now at least) for about the same price - similar scopes can be had for less, a TEC140FL, for example. I’m still tempted, though!

Just added a link to my FB profile - not sure that my few friends will make much difference though

I used to give a talk on LP, on behalf of the CfDS, to EHOs, who were, at the time (mid-2000s), responsible for dealing with breaches of new ‘Light as a Statutory Nuisance’ legislation. It included effects on migratory birds, increased activity of predatory insect species at night, road traffic accidents cause by poor lighting, but the statistics that gained the most interest, by a country mile, were all related to CO2 emission. I was surprised at the numbers involved myself, since this was before they were commonly-quoted in the media. For example, I saw an article on the BBC yesterday relating kg Of CO2 saved per person by taking a train from Scandinavia vs flying.

Many thanks for this - it was over much faster than this, I’ve not seen the like before.

Many thanks for the response- I’ve much experience in visual astronomy, > 30 years, but meteors are not especially my ‘thing’. I generally stay up for the maxima of the Perseids and Quadrantids (the latter more in hope than anything!). To try and answer your questions: 1. Regarding elapsed time, much less than a second, for sure. 2. It was not a typical artificial satellite, I’ve been looking at those since my teens, forty years ago. It reminded me of a bright, slow Perseid, but with a short trail, more yellowish that white. It wasn’t like the videos I’ve seen of fireballs. The impression of ‘sparks’ was the nature of the trail - it was fleeting, and could also have been several discrete tracks, in a fan-shape. If you think isosceles triangle the ‘tail’ diverged from the head by about twenty degrees, I think. It was fleeting, but left that strong impression. The flash, immediately after, or maybe concurrent with, burnout was bright white, and close to where the trail started, but possibly a little further still, and definitely slightly offset. It’s intrigued me, anyway, and I think a camera might be the way forward! Thanks again.

Saw the strangest meteor yesterday (9th Jan 23) evening, not used to reporting these so bear with me! The meteor had a bright, short fan-shaped trail (10 degrees long, quite wide, diverging by ~20 degrees?), yellow colour, relatively slow, seemed almost to be trailing sparks, like a cartoon meteor, but the odd thing was a brilliant white flash immediately after the meteor burnt out, in the region of the start of its trail. I almost wondered had I imagined the, but my partner saw exactly the same. Leigh on Sea, Thames Estuary (51.542950N, 0.661130E), just to west of zenith, still too light to see reference stars, heading slightly west of due south. Didn’t have watch or phone, but time was about 17:00, still too light to see reference stars, other than bright stars like Capella, Vega, which it was not near. Anyone see similar, or any ideas what it was? Richard

Thanks - I'd hoped that I could do just this, but the shaft's firmly attached to a knurled collar that engages with the draw-tube, a closed ball race, and a planetary ball race basket at one end. More complicated than I thought, but doable. FT flatly refuse to sell just the replacement part, though, and insist that I send it for repair, because it's too difficult for me, even though I've told them I've engineering training. It seems there's no option. Agreed! I want to replace the collar, but FT keep ignoring the question... It's only cosmetic anyway. I can't believe how difficult this is being made by the manufacturer, I'd have thought twice about buying the scope had I known.

Hi all, Have just bought a scope with a Feather Touch 3545 in need of some attention. The pinion shaft is bent, about 3/4" from the non-reduction end, and the fixed knob turns eccentrically. I've contacted FT, who won't provide a replacement, but instead want me to send the thing to the US for repair, when I'm perfectly capable of simply replacing the bent shaft. The rest of the shaft runs true, with no distortion that I can either see or feel, so in a sense it's a cosmetic issue. A second problem, purely cosmetic, is that the collar on the end of the draw-tube has had a bash at some point. I've asked twice about a replacement but my questions have been ignored. Is there anyone in the UK who could help with this, without the need to go through FT, who haven't been able to help?

The SP is lovely. They are so nice to use, especially with clutches if you need to stop motors or GOTO 'getting in the way'. I've re-acquired a GP, a GPDX and SS2k over the last six months or so, along with quite a few spare parts, for the reasons in posts above - I actually sold the DX on buying an iOptron, but missed it and bought it back. Lovely smooth motions, without any tuning etc., can turn the drive shafts without the knobs quite easily. I'm guessing that both will easily be getting on for 20, and yet will see me out! Same with my old G11.

Thank you Pete, I did wonder (grasping at straws) was it a pre-2k thing but hadn't thought of your idea, which is an obvious test with hindsight (like many things!). In the meanwhile - Did some more thinking overnight and the date problem is my own silliness. I've been trying the usual DDMMYY format, then the US MMDDYY format, but not the Japanese YYMMDD. Date problem solved and it now knows the correct day of the week. The default year was 70/01/01 which should have been a clue.... Problem number two still a problem though.... Any help very welcome!

I recently bought two SS2ks, both with a 'personality'. One has a flat internal battery, which I haven't got round to replacing, but since I have to enter date etc. each time I use I've noticed that it will accept the date, but the day, which is set automatically, is almost always incorrect. When aligning, possibly as a result of this, it generally misses the first Refstar, but once aligned with this then it finds the second one without fault. The result is a good alignment for fixed targets such as stars and nebulae, but it misses the Moon and planets by a mile. Also, sometimes I'll pick a Refstar, or target once aligned, and it'll tell me that they're below the horizon. The second one remembers date, time, etc., replaced the battery, but the RA motor, and very occasionally the DEC motor, wander off on their own, intermittently, but on every attempt to align it and/or use it. I've checked the wiring loom and motors, and they're OK, so it is the handset that's misbehaving. Can anyone suggest what the issues are here, and how they might be fixed? Thanks, Richard