jjohnson3803

If you don't mind ugly, I've used wide diameter hose clamps when rings were out of stock. I put felt around the tube so it wouldn't get marred.

I occasionally have trouble merging images in my binos, usually when I'm tired, but not always. At those times, I monoview through one barrel of my binos. I don't see much value in me getting a BV for my scopes. Plus I'd need to duplicate my EPs, etc.

I should plan my sessions more often, but I'm lazy or casual or whatever. I do usually have one or two targets in mind when I go out, but most of my time is spent on targets of opportunity. 😉 Tough to do, but I should also make more dark site trips. Way too much LP at home. I prefer observing alone, so #10 is not a priority for me. #11 is my Achilles Heel. I spend way too much time looking at vendor sites to see what they have and reading equipment reviews. Actually, I should probably downsize some.

I've never seen a satellite or ISS during the day (dusk yes, but not midday), but I have seen distant aircraft present like that. If it didn't move much, I'd go with high altitude balloon also.

It's not the same as eyeball to eyepiece, but I am seriously considering pre-ordering a ZWO Seestar robotic scope. In theory, I could put it on my back deck and observe from inside on my tablet while the mosquitos swarm. I have to say though that I've found running a box fan on low speed aimed at me / my scope to be effective in keeping skeeters away.

You could buy a subscription to a remote imaging service. I tried SLOOH for a year. It was ok, not great, but was inexpensive and gave me something to play with when I couldn't observe at home.

I've started keeping my 50mm converted RACI finder with a 15mm EP in it on an alt-az mount and small tripod by my back door . And I've started going out even if there are just brief sucker holes or the moon is full. The 50 is a bit small, but it's the easiest scope I have to get outside. I've limited mobility with my neck so I'm about to sell my binos - the diagonal on the 50mm prevents a lot of pain. I spent last weekend at a dark site cabin. Sunny all day long and rained every night. 🙁 At least it was on a lake. After I got back home it was days (and nights) of wildfire smoke. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have a clear night this weekend. I don't know, maybe concentrating on other hobbies from June through September is the way to go.

I've seen more and more people pitch tents under large pop-up canopies and leave their rainflies off. I assume that's to limit dew and allow better circulation, so it seems an umbrella could work. I'd also think you could use a canopy for observing as long as it's not obstructing your line of sight. Amazon US sells a 5ft x 7ft canopy that I might try.

I've tried a couple of pricey friction mounts and found them to have too much stiction, even with the OTA balanced, etc. How is 75 for fine movements like you can do with slo-mo? I'd get an AZ100 and eliminate the question, but I already have other reasonably performing mounts with slo-mo and I'm not sure my astro budget can accommodate a 100 right now. Also, is a guide bar / handle a nice to have or a need to have or ??? Thanks!

So... anything new or noteworthy from ZWO on the S*? (I shut down my FaceBook, etc. years ago, so I must rely on other sources. 😉) I am watching the calendar to get the intro price if I do order one.

Which is one reason why I'm still working, although I find myself thinking more and more of chucking it (work) for good.

Same here. I rode an 0600 commuter train 5 days a week for many years, so my internal clock was set to "early to bed, early to rise" years ago and I've had no luck resetting it to staying up late to observe. It is a bit easier for me to stay up late if I'm at a dark site camping, but I tend to wake up early anyway. A short nap (about 30 minutes max) later in day helps.

(Most) galaxies are right out for me at home as are a lot of less bright emission nebulae, so I've been mainly concentrating on open clusters. Globulars are marginal at best with my scopes. A few months ago I started trying some wider doubles and they're slowly taking up more of my observing time. The objects obliterated by LP here will have to wait until I can get out to a dark site I guess. There are double star lists all over the place, but I'm wondering if the Cambridge atlas would be a good thing to have.

Plastic container tops. Tupperware in the US, not sure of brands in the UK.

I've been in email contact with SW product support, but they sent me info on the wrong bolt so I'll have to send them a picture.

I just stumbled across this thread and the product looks quite interesting. I was considering a Revolution 2 imager since I'd prefer to do EAA without needing to drag out a laptop or tablet, but the number of cables and reportedly obtuse UI really made me hesitate. This looks (potentially) like a good solution.

How about variable star observations? Maybe pick one or two to concentrate effort on? Reports could be sent to BAA or AAVSO.

Related question - Why are many (most?) of these mounts out of stock or more coming or whatever? Reminds me of a restaurant with an extensive menu, but the server tells you only a few are available. Or am I just looking at the wrong vendors?

The comments about noisy motors is interesting. I really don't fancy making much noise at 0300, especially if any neighbors have windows open. I much prefer stealth and solitude.

I'm told the AZ-GTi can be used manually without firing up the go-to, so that would be a huge plus for me.

Many (most?) amateur photos today blow away what professional astronomers could do back when I was getting my undergraduate degree and we used astronomical emulsions on glass plates. 103aO was the bomb, baby! 😉

My G-n-G's are manual, but I did have a push-to for awhile. I'm happy with them, but I am considering getting an AZ-GTi since I live in heavy LP and a GT could be helpful for finding (some) fainter objects. I agree it's a personal choice - what I might find to be a hassle (cables, power supplies, etc.) might not bother others.

Given the amount of light pollution I live in and that my club dark sites are at least an hour away, I'm starting to seriously consider pre-ordering a Seestar. I could buy another achro or maybe an apo, but I already have a 50mm, 72ED, ST80, and ST120. I'm thinking EAA would give me a better return than buying yet another visual scope. Operating temps, humidity, etc. could be a concern, I guess. Can't quite bring myself to pull the trigger yet. OTOH, I think the intro price is good until the end of July, so I have a bit more time to ponder.

Anybody know the size of the setscrew that locks the AZ axis on a SW AZ5? M6 is too big and an M5 is too small. Maybe a 12/24 or 12/28, but I'm surprised it isn't metric. Thanks! Add: I guess it's proper name is the clutch tension screw.

Everything I've read (so far) indicates no threat of an extinction event here. There is some debate that staring at it might cause eye damage, but I think that's a bit far-fetched. It would be spectacular to see, but it's going to ruin the looks of Orion for me once it fades. 🙁