Kn4fty

David, I would definitely be interested if I wasn't across the pond. I'm also an amateur radio operator. Astronomy was one of the things that got me interested in radio. There are astronomy nets on VHF and HF. I think you've got a good idea about an astronomy program there at the shacks! Rob

Howdy Ford and welcome to the lounge! This where I'm usually at if I can't do active observing. Rob

So many WOW moments. But I guess my greatest WOW moment was the total eclipse here in 2017. I was absolutely amazed. Just beautiful!! Everything going dark with stars and planets popping out. Totally unforgettable! Can't hardly wait for the next nearby one in 2024! Rob

Took me over twenty years to get a goto mount and then only because it was a real steal. But even now I still prefer my old equatorial mount. If im in a real hurry, and only planning maybe a five minute session, then I might grab the goto. But thats not often. I really enjoy using equatorials. Rob

Keep the scope and learn to do everything manually. Its worth the effort. Rob

My 10x50s are super cheap and still give amazing views. There are times when I prefer the binos over any of my scopes. Expect some gorgeous wide field views. You'll see more than you'd think possible. Enjoy the exploration! And remember to keep looking up! Rob

To me a serious telescope is the one that actually gets used on a regular basis. Rob

Very nice! Mines pretty heavy too. A lot heavier than I expected. I want to get a couple more pieces of it. Rob

Very interesting articles. Thanks for posting. Next time I'm at the observatory, I'm gonna obtain some more meteorites. I've always wanted to collect them, but most are way out of my price range. Rob

On February 12, 1947, the skies of eastern Siberia lit up as one of the largest witnessed single meteorite falls occured. Shining brighter than the sun, it came from the northern sky at an angle of 41°. Low in the sky with a flash and a deafening explosion, the bolide shattered at 5.6 km above the ground. 23 tonnes of iron showered the area and left over 120 impact holes. The meteorites show regmaglypts or thumbprint like depressions. The meteorites tend to have ragged, twisted, and distorted surfaces due to the low altitude break up. This particular sample was obtained from the observatory in Cincinnati Ohio. Rob

Im by no means the best astrosketcher, but I usually do black on white sketches. I use a clipboard and a small red torch attached to it. My sketches are part of my note sheet. For pencil I usually just use a #2 and I use my finger to smudge. Rob

I've seen Triton in my 8" Newtonian. It was mostly stellaring and only occasionally obvious. So keep trying, it can be done!

I've had that happen before. In my case Jupiter was starting to move behind a pine tree. I was getting views between the needles. Rob

Howdy and welcome to the forum. As stated earlier, it could of been a meteor. Could also be an iridium flare from a satellite. Thats around the time that many of the Iridium satellites can catch the Sun's light and brightly reflect it for a second or two . Rob