Peter_D

Hi Mike, Thanks! The image of Rupes Recta is with quite a bit of digital zoom added - I've added the unzoomed one (x300) for reference. The Thebit craterlets were visible at the eyepiece for me too, without the smartphone - it shows how good the seeing was. Rgds Peter

I'm relatively new to lunar observing - this evening was particularly satisfying. I have limited observing time so tonight I concentrated on Rupes Recta. Seeing is currently excellent and I was able to discern some of the neighbouring craterlets (e.g. Thebit 'B') with my Celestron 6SE. One rectangular feature relatively close by intrigued me. I took an image of it with my smartphone and when I went in, I identified it as Davy Y (centre of second photo). I looked in my old Times Moon Atlas and saw it contained a fantastic chain of craters. Well I was straight out the door again and reset-up my gear! And sure enough, I spotted the line of craters with a 5mm Vixen LV eyepiece (x300 mag). Like I said, a really satisfying session!

Seeing was particularly good this evening. The area around Rima Hyginus was especially interesting to observe - Lunar V prominent. Images taken with a Celestron 6SE and Huawei P9.

Hi, similar to an image I took yesterday evening with my C6 and Huawei P9..your image is a lot sharper though 🙂 Clear Skies Peter

I just managed to take a few images before the Moon went too low. Celestron 6SE, Huawei P9, 25mm Plössl, Celestron NexYZ

I took a few shots of Venus this evening using my Vixen achromat (A81M) - used a Moon filter to reduce the glare a bit.

Thanks Stu! I use a cheap Svbony holder - one thing I found which worked better was using a smartphone cover - the on/off switch is recessed and does not get pressed when clamped. I'm enjoying the C6 - I upgraded from a 114mm reflector. It's giving me good views and is a nice, manageable scope.

If your friend likes observing the Moon, a nice gift for the future could be a lunar globe and / or a lunar atlas.

I recently acquired a C6 and took some images with my Huawei H9 phone.

Hi, no problems with it. Optically very good, lovely focuser, super compact (especially if you remove the finder). It takes the standard Vixen back-end adapter to allow you to use 1.25 inch accessories. Are you getting the accessories with it? The slo-mo head is excellent - I have used it with other small aperture scopes also. The small table top tripod didn't come with my 9vr - I think it only came with the later non-Vixen made models.

Hi, Blue skies for the first time in weeks so was able to collimate and set up my Vixen R114M (Newtonian) in preparation for some lunar observing. I took a photo with my H9 smartphone with a (I think) 15mm Plössl. Could anyone tell me why I have a blue and red hue in the photo? (I can drop the saturation to remove it but I would like to do as little processing as possible.) Is it from the smartphone lens or eyepiece? Thanks for any pointers! CS Peter

Hello, I see you mention a loft conversion. it's not really recommended to observe the night sky from inside a heated property through an open window because you get warm air thermals disturbing your views. Viewing through a closed window is worse because of light scatter, reflections etc off the window pane. Peter

Hi, As an aside, I'll say you should each get a good pair of binoculars also. These are invaluable for learning the night sky, seeing larger star clusters etc. The other advantage is they can obviously be used during the day so she'll get a lot of use out of them. There is no need to spend a fortune. I got a couple of pairs of 8x30s from eBay. As I couldn't check them personally, I ensured that I got them from someone with a good reputation, who was also selling other optical gear - generally there is a better chance that they have been cared for. Peter

I was able to observe the Moon for the first time in ages yesterday - the Montes Caucasus showed up really well. The Apollo 15 landing site to the south is just on the terminator, in shadow, I think. Equipment: Vixen A81M Huawei P9 15mm Plössl (Barlowed x2) Original Image was lightly processed using phone's editor.

No problem..btw, I think I paid around 45€ for it used (here in Germany).

Hi Annie, Sorry to hear about your loss. The first 3 photos are a 'Teleskop Service 7mm HR' eyepiece. I have the same eyepiece except it is a 4mm one. Best regards Peter

Hi, I have an older Vixen GPE mount with rings for a 114mm reflector. I want to piggyback a smaller 60mm refractor on these rings. I want to be able to remove the piggybacked scope and any fasteners easily. I thought I found a solution with these 1/4" to 1/4" male adapters but what I gave found is a) difficult to get the piggybacked scope pointing straight ahead without over tightening the adapter b) the p.back scope is very low and c) (linked to a)) the fastener is subsequently extremely difficult to remove. Please, does anyone have a better solution? Many thanks, Peter

It seems to me that your collimation is a lot better now than it was at the begining. I find sometimes there is a little play with the Collimator in my focuser. It can look unaligned and a slight adjustment centres things up better. I missed what focal ratio your scope has but if it is longer (e.g. f6, f7.9), your telescope will be more forgiving if your collimation is a little off. I would leave the collimation for now, go out and use it and enjoy the clear skies..

I had to clean my secondary mirror a few months ago - first time doing so. One site recommended wearing disposable surgical gloves to ensure no accidental deposits from your fingers end up on the mirror.

I currently have two Vixen scopes: a R114m on a GPE mount and a Tasco 9VR.

Many thanks John for the prompt response and the great advice - just what I wanted!

Hi, I have a 114mm Newtonian and a 102mm Mak. What position should they be in when they are left outside to achieve thermal equilibrium? Should they be mounted on their respective tripods? Also, should the lens / dust caps be left on or off? Should any attachments be removed from the back of the Mak? Thanks for any photos, guidance or advice! Peter

Hi, I uploaded this image yesterday but it was very noisy so I have left it unrotated. I used a Vixen r114m and Huawei P9. Sorry for the size and quality but interesting that I captured Europa transiting Jupiter on Saturday evening (21:57 CET). Europa is just visible as a white speck on the Jovian limb just past 6 o'clock and its shadow is at 3 o'clock. I wasn't sure what moon it was so used the app Moons of Jupiter to confirm. Clear skies Peter

I agree with MattJenko if money is very tight and you are willing to sacrifice apperature - I have a used Vixen 114/900 (f7.9) Newtonian from the early 2000s that gives very nice lunar and planetary views. It is mounted on a GPE mount which provides a really stable platform. If you are wary about collimation, the longer focus Newtonians tend to keep their collimation well and are more forgiving if they are slightly out than their shorter fl counterparts. Sorry for not really answering your question btw

It is a way of naming and (usually) classifying the brighter stars in a constellation. The brightest star in the constellation of Virgo is called Alpha Virginis (Spica). As you can see, it is not always an accurate way of classifying the brightest stars in a constellation: Beta Virginis is not the second brightest star in Virgo.