reezeh

Got these delivered by DPD today. Got them from FLO. Vixen SLV 10mm, 6mm and a 10:1 fine focus knob for the 6 inch frac. Just a couple of blue filters and a double set of polarisers and Perhaps a solar continuum filter and I think my astro kit buying is more or less done for the foreseeable future.

I don't think those'll taste particularly nice

That might be an idea. The hardest part would probably be making sure you get all of the slots aligned if you're building one like this, otherwise it's just a wider single piece about 15-20cm wide - but I think I see problems there with routing that too. And I'm no DIYer.

They must've been hugely overestimating those leccie bills Paul! Meanwhile I got this "little" baby delivered by DHL ... A catsperch chair I snaffled for €140 on EBay, got it from Italy. Probably the most-travelled astro chair in the world as he got it from America as a gift, but it was too big for his observatory. Took me half an hour to get through the bubblewrap this evening!

Part two of my FLO book order arrived today! I might put time in on spring skies as over 30-odd years the number of spring nights I've had under the stars I can count on one hand and have fingers to spare. I know, that's seriously sad.

Volume 2 is due tomorrow as FLO has some in (unless they're all gone again now). I quite like vol 1, but I don't think I'll devour it as to me paper tastes funny! ? There is is one question I do have about it: what's the definition of the integrated brightness of galaxies in it: is it by arc second or arc minute? I've seen different standards by internets search!

Just a weedle book today, from First Light Optics. Wasn't the postman, but DPD this instance. Only Volume 1; vol 2 is on order but out of stock, looking forward to that as it's what we're moving into.

I'll say you can print a dome!

Considering their Highland black is budget, it's astonishing nice. They did an Irish one; Clontarf 1014 which I'd certainly buy again if I see it.

This morning this arrived... It's a Herschel wedge. A sun thingummybob. A big yellow thing in the sky wotsit... Gonna pair it with my 152mm refractor... WHEN I GET TO SEE THE SUN!!!

I'd much rather see the warnings. Can't overstress safety. It's a good thing you did; any newbie or inexperienced random browser might see them and stop to think. I'm wise enough to know beforehand it's a great help for others and hopefully will save their vision. I have an analogy with telescopes pointed at the sun: their potential likelihood to do you permanent damage if you're not careful are the same as sharing a bath with a toaster whilst it's toasting your bread.

True. Just that my experience of aperture being more than necessary when seeing won't support it is that you see less of what you want and more of what you don't want. You'll never see anyone with a 60mm telescope grumbling about bad seeing! ? And of course this is all just something I've been wondering about and thought I'd ask in a thread about making in a 3D printer.

Better than something simply tied to the end that's obviously there, but still I've misgivings about anything that isn't practically locked in place. True, with precautions taken even full aperture should be as safe as it can be, considering you've got to be ocd about it, a stop would help make things safer. Besides as I already mentioned earlier; there's no real advantage in using an aperture that doesn't add any more resolution to a seeing-limited situation. There's certainly no need for the extra light gathering ability in that situation either!

Don't worry about it. You'd have to be pretty old to be my mummy now! ? And yes, even though I've not been on the forum for long (I still see myself as a new member) I'm not as green as people are tempted to assume from that. I've long been connected with astronomy - it's work that got in the way a lot and still does. That's why to keep myself with it I'm getting an urge to enjoy it in daytime. I can't stop up till 5am looking through a telescope if I've got to set off for work at quarter to eight... and before anyone suggests it; noway am I able to sleep from five in the afternoon to 1am. I do get a fair bit of time off though working for a school! ? Talking of which, I've mulled over the idea of arranging with the school an observing evening, but considering they're like gremlins (as in the film) I keep dismissing it.

Indeed! The stop I'm discussing is before any optics, that's why I asked if 3D printer materials would be stable to insolation as some plastics aren't. I wouldn't dream of putting something that's not suitable for that behind the lens and I wouldn't use a reflector telescope like my SCT's with the sun either.

For night scope use I'll go along with that but for something like solar I'd not trust some simple oversized piece of poo stuck on the end of the dewcap. I'd want something that can't just drop off anytime...

I'd much prefer something that is like the proper end cap, with a removable central section AND grips into the dewcap rather than a botch-job that can fall off or be potentially pulled casually off by a passing idiot.

Thank you for the concern Gina. A good chunk of my posts on here have been exactly what you're saying. I've no intention of having the finder anywhere near when I do that; I'll probably leave it in the house ? I've long perfected shadow-aiming refractors at the sun and I'm thinking that safest way would be to assess the situation from a few feet away once everything is in place before eye goes to eyepiece. The Altair model is one that's rated safe up to six inch, with ND filters and a variable polariser on the eyepiece side of the prism plus has a ceramic heat dispersion plate and air vents. The reason for stopping down is to increase safety and to take into account that daytime seeing is never more than what that stop will give.

Which means there's a piccie or two of it I'll have to post up as it arrived today. I'll just need to take piccies and email them to myself so I can put them up here (didn't I mention that I am seriously starting to hate Apple and iPads somewhere else yesterday?)

Altair Herschel wedge in the arsenal... ?

Whilst on the subject of 3D printing and astronomy, I'm wondering if someone can print a good, viable aperture stop of about 100 - 116mm for a 152mm refractor, centre hole for solar use. Material and construction opaque, especially to visible and infrared of course. Obviously, it'll be more economical to ask someone to do it than purchase a setup for a single job. By viable, I mean worthwhile, will stand up to the ultraviolet onslaught of exposure to sunlight for hours at a time and not soften and deform from sun's heat. It's something I'm mulling over and even if it happens I'm in no rush atm. Thoughts anyone?

I guess that's like a lot of things; you get what you pay for.

Isn't it "aloominum" if it's American?

I'm still looking for the long beak! ?

Swap local lighting? Don't worry about not being able to see; you'll be able to to read black writing on very very very dark grey paper at night from 20km further out from it than I am!