Ships and Stars

Showtime! Helios Quantum 5 20/40x100mm Observation bins with case (update - think they are gen 5.1, not the 5.2), well-used but in good overall nick and collimation is spot on. Very good price. Will be welding up a stainless fork mount/dobson style mount this summer, but in the meantime, will scrounge around for a second-hand AZ4 or similar. These are some hefty binoculars! Has anyone been able to use their own 1.25" EPs in these? Mine won't slot in far enough to reach focus, but recall reading about some solution. The current EPs don't accept filters from what I can tell. Will ask again in new thread on binocular forum.

Thanks Geoff, the MIG welder has been quite handy, it's actually pretty easy once you've tacked a few bits of metal together and it does stainless as well as mild steel. I have a Clarke 135TE from Machine Mart, liken it to modern day alchemy, I'm still amazed at the process. The welding arc is around 10,000 degrees C, so watch your eyes and fingers! I do all my welding outside, so it's very weather dependent, much like another hobby I know... My biggest problem is time, but once I get started it's generally fast going. Designing it first and then having all the nuts and bolts, etc together ordered and waiting is the way to do it. Definitely one for a build thread! I'll probably buy a second-hand video tripod or AZ4 in the meantime. Catch you soon!

Thanks Geoff! I'm actually thinking about using my MIG welder this summer to make a P-mount as I have some bigger bins on the way (my aperture fever has now spread to binoculars and I can't pass up a good deal on second-hand astro gear). I'm hoping to make something rather professional looking, over some DIY monstrosity, but reality will probably see me in the middle somewhere! Still, my original summer project was mirror grinding, so this is bound to be easier. I was also thinking about making a simple dobson-type mount for binoculars using a fork-mount, but not sure on that?? Have a good one and catch you soon! I just subscribed to the Binocular Sky newsletter, so guess I am getting into the bins a bit more lately. Cheers!

PS may I ask what tripod/mount you are using with the 22x85s? Do you think it would handle 7kg? Here's to the next new moon, have to make the most of it, spring is fast approaching.

Wow, excellent report! You've managed quite a good session with the Apollos, especially on the galaxies I think. I love those nights when you're not sure it's going to amount to a great deal, then turns out to be quite memorable. Nice one!

Thanks Peter, I think either way I'll probably try the 20mm or 13mm with contact lenses, if dioptrx is a go then I'll try that route. Looking forward to getting my hands on one of these, don't know how I've missed them! Just off the radar to Ethos and ES, Meade, etc.

Thanks Piero! Shall update post asap!

Hi all, quite intrigued by the APM XWA 100 degree EPs (read 'price'). Just wondering if anyone knows if they are compatible with TV dioptrx? Probably not, but if they are, then excellent! On a related note, I've been meaning to pop contact lenses in to alleviate astigmatism and try my scope, never have! I'm using a coma corrector much more these days, and now notice the astigmatism more. The XWAs (along with the seemingly discontinued SW Myriad) seem to get great reviews, besides the one duff one on FLO, and I don't see many coming up for sale which says a lot I suppose. For the price, worth buying new compared to the competition, especially the green and black ones, can't remember their name, still recovering from sticker shock at their latest retail prices...

I owned the Kasai Widebino, I thuoght it was brilliant. Only sold as I needed some quick money to buy other astro gear that came up for a good price. I'd buy another pair without hesitation. I'd like to have used them with filters, but 2" filters aren't cheap as we know, and the hands-free goggles were originally on my shopping list but would have cost more than I paid for the bins second hand (£105 I think). I haven't used other makes, but the WideBinos are very well made optically and mechanically and are like supercharging your normal vision, a bit clunky to use without the goggles, but probably could have cobbled some DIY elastic straps for minimal fuss. I only used them at dark sites and never noticed edge distortion or CA, but then didn't really look for it either, wasn't intrusive to me at any rate.

No worries, I'm probably thinking more along the lines of binoviewers anyway. Thanks again for your information!

Argh! You're supposed to say nothing beats the Astronomiks! Just kidding. I think the TV filters are hand picked or have slightly higher criteria? PS the Veil is popping up very early mornings now, but around 4 or 5 am this side of the pond. My head's usually swimming by that point.

Ooh, sounds very nice, but not sure I can afford ED binos! I'm intrigued by the Omegons for the price, around £450. That would keep me busy until someone parts with their second hand 45/90 degree set. I missed a pair of quantums on ABS as you might have seen. I keep telling myself they must have been way out of collimation for the price. I sleep better that way, haha. May I ask, would you go with Panoptics or Delites? The 24 pans seem to be the ticket. Thanks by the way for the information, I must confess I've been on the APM website a fair bit lately. The Altairs are looking nice as well.

Defo!

I've accidentally sent some confusing texts to other colleagues and contractors thanks to spell check! I think it's happened to everyone. I believe it can be turned off in settings, but not sure how precisely. Something I might consider.

I'd love to take a magic transporter to the top of La Palma with the dob, or somewhere in the Nevada desert/Western Australia, but maybe I'm being unreasonable now 🤣 I do suffer from severe aperture fever, but think the 20" is as big as I'd really care to transport on a regular basis. Packs quite a punch for the moderate effort involved in setting it up.

I wish the wind had died down a bit, I could have kept going a bit longer. Was still quite tired though. I try to pack it all in when I can!

Thanks Baz, always fun using that scope once it's set up, though I normally forget the finderscope or a step! The LP map shows my B site on the dark end of Bortle 3, 21.79 with 37 μcd/m2 artificial light according to 2015 data. Altitude is around 450m which helps, I could even see some cloud inversion last time I was there as it'a not terribly far from the NE coast. There is quite a bit of LP on the eastern horizon of the site from a town 15 miles away until around 11pm-midnight, but not nearly enough to stop play by any means. By 2am (when I'm generally leaving) it's brilliant. The transparency there seems better than the LP ratings suggest, maybe it's the bump in altitude making a slight difference as the land to the east is flat pretty much right to the sea. There's my darker 21.92 A spot I sometimes go to, a solid Bortle 2 about 50 miles inland, but it's a bit of a drive unless I'm assured a really clear night. That's a great site when it's clear all night and I camp near there in the summer too.

Thanks Mike, I see the specs are a tick under 7kg, so very hefty indeed. Rother Valley is out of the 28x110, they have 20x110 in stock, but prefer the extra mag. Filter attachments are a must for me, the only other one I see is the Omegon, but actually the price on those is about £40 less than the Apollos. I'm not in a huge rush on these, will give RVO a bell on Monday and see what the deal is with the 28x110. I'll probably place a wanted advert as well, bound to be a set gathering dust somewhere! Thanks for the feedback on the 28x110s, they sound like the business with lots of light gathering. Thanks again Mike! Thanks Peter - the Apollos and Brightskys both have threaded filter attachments, the only two 28x110s that I can find (the Lightquest sound intriguing, but they don't take filters). I'd prefer something like the Altairs in your link, but that would definitely be a second-hand purchase. I think there are a few quantums floating around out there used. Being able to change mag would be excellent, I already have four pairs of binoviewer EPs, so pretty much set in that department. The tripod or mount will have to be well made! Time to get my MIG welder and angle grinder out, I could probably make something quite decent with some initial design consideration. A summer project?!

Not to dismiss your footage and good job catching this - it is interesting to see. I think to myself (and now SGL I suppose!) it's a bit of a phenomenon at the moment, but what happens in a few years when there are an absolute ton of these? How many is Musk putting up, and how many other corporations and countries have plans to do similar I wonder? What if there are a couple of satellite trains like this every 10 minutes someday? Or just a continuous stream?

I've used Yongnuo wireless remote strobes for portrait photography for years now, they're very good. Had a Sigma strobe, didn't get on with it, the YN stuff was much better. If the lens is the same, it's a good one.

Hi all, I have the Helios Apollo 15x70s and enjoy them with filters, a must for me. Now I'm interested in some giant binoculars that take filters. My preferred choice would be some that take 1.25" EPs like these TS Optics Semi-APO, but just out of budget unless someone has a pair second-hand. Now interested in Helios Apollo 28x110s, but everyone seems to be sold out or they are discontinued? I found the Omegon Brightsky 28x110s on AstroShop, and they seem to be identical in every way to the Helios, they're even green (which I like). Does anyone think the Helios and Omegons are the exact same quality, same bins? Anyone used these? I know of course they weigh a ton and will need a serious tripod or mount. Should I just save up for some dedicated 45deg astro bins that take 1.25 EPs? Anyone selling any of the above! Cheers all.

PS - @jetstream and Stephan, after another look last night, I'm fairly certain now I did not see Sh2-232 with the binoculars, it was indeed the Spider and another patch of apparent nebulosity I saw to the north was actually M38 the Starfish Cluster (doh), it looked like it has a cloud of nebulosity around it but with an OIII and Hb filter on, I couldn't resolve any of the stars. Don't know if there is any reflection nebulosity associated with M38, but it certainly looked like it. My fault for not having my star atlas handy, but it would have blown away that night! I saw the Spider again last night with the binoculars clearly, but nothing around Sh2-232. I will try for both the Spider and the Fly again tomorrow night. Clear but too windy for the scope. Again...

Trendsetter! Be sure and wear sandals too. You could look like a cast member from John Carpenter's 'The Thing' for just £15.99! Seriously, it doesn't look bad once you've put a coat on. Blends in. Er, mostly. Certainly block out stray light effectively and is warm.

I picked one of these US Military Extreme Cold Weather Snorkel Hood from ebay for £15.99 and had a chance to try it last night. Brilliant! Blocks out all stray light at the EP and is very warm. Great for binoculars too. Looks a bit silly on it's own, but much better once you've put your coat on - it's dark who cares, right? Actually fits quite snugly like a hat, not like some giant hoods on outdoor parkas made to be work over climbing helmets, etc. New, unused stock but been in storage so has that 'been in storage' surplus smell but clean. Built like a brick as you'd expect of mil-spec gear. fleece lined, waterproof. Fits any coat, straps go under arms. Front zip, fake fur can be flipped back and hood flips down like any normal parka. I used this with my dob and binos under some LP and it does an outstanding job at blocking out virtually all stray light. The hood can be shaped to fit around EPs or bins. I was tempted to buy the rest of the remaining stock and flog them myself. Thought I'd let people know 👍

Thanks Stephan! I thought I'd created a new asterism but suspected someone had likely beaten me to it, probably a very, very long time ago. I've just read both links on the flying minnow, very interesting and these are perfect for binoculars. Thanks again.