ScouseSpaceCadet

You're not alone. Since an amazing Kielder camp early November I've been out three times for short garden binocular sessions. Dismal weather, increased light pollution along with work and illness have put me off. I'm downsizing but not giving up at all and have used the down time to read more astro books, watch lectures on YouTube and plan how to block the neighbours' lights when the weather improves, muahahahaha! 🤔🧐😄 Chin up. Weather will change in your favour at least a bit... comets arrive, planets reach opposition etc The universe isn't going anywhere...

I doubt there's anywhere really dark within half an hour however you're not too far from the Yorkshire Dales, Forest of Bowland, the Peak District and North Wales. Late Summer/early Autumn I've enjoyed a few camps with binoculars in these places. You may find some gaps in the light pollution nearer to you using https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ Pick the World Atlas 2015 overlay.

More toilet reading from WoB:

I tried the scope on the AZ5. Not recommended! The Celestron AVX holds the ota great however on a couple of occasions the star diagonal has caught the tripod legs. I'm currently mulling over other mounts...

I managed another view on Saturday evening @ approx. 1945. This time with 15x70 binoculars. Considering the view to the west is dominated by awful light pollution from Liverpool city centre and Hamal is one of the very few naked eye stars I can see in the direction, the obvious fuzz with a bright core was a surprise.

Incredibly sad. A young very talented bloke so passionate about his hobby it turned into a full time job. He came across as very pleasant too. RIP.

Aye.. Pex Hill in Cronton. https://liverpoolas.org/weekly-meetings/

I visited Liverpool Astronomical Society's Pex Hill observatory tonight and while having a natter, one of the chaps who was demonstrating in the dome ran down the stairs to tell us they had in the eyepiece 12P/Pons-Brooks. So up trotted twenty amateurs forming a disorderly queue. 😄 I managed a good peek through the club's LX200. Very unexpected considering the horrible weather this evening. We were lucky the rain stopped and clouds parted for several minutes.👍

I've been mulling over this question for many months and came to the conclusion I only need one all rounder. The Stellamira 125ED f7.8 refractor is relatively light weight, easy to store, move around and mount. The scope itself cools very well and the view through it is all I could ask for at the price point. My 102ED f7 and Skymax 127 are now up for sale. Great scopes but the Stellamira does the same job and then some. Although choosing one scope means I really don't need several mounts. The Azgti is sold, I'll get around to selling the AZ5 and although the Celestron AVX steadfastly holds the SM125 and otherwise performs great, the scope is a bit too long and Celestron don't sell extension tubes... So that will need to go and replaced with something else.... Likely a used HEQ5 so I can pick up a Skywatcher extension tube. Keeping one scope is more complicated than it seems!

Five years in and tried and sold a few: Sky Watcher 130P Sky Watcher 120ST Sky Watcher 200P Dobsonian Sky Watcher 150P Sky Watcher Skymax 102 My current Skymax 127 and Altair Astro Starwave Ascent 102ED have for several months been earmarked for sale. They're definitely being advertised next week... I only need one scope at the moment and the carbon fibre Stellamira 125ED fits the bill plus a couple of binoculars for travel.

Thanks Ryan. Happy to help. The pictured AZGTI and the same battery are still occasionally used although my astronomy has taken a different path lately.

Very dark.... and the charger for my Orion lithium power tank has disappeared causing me some angst. I suspect idle female hands have 'tidied' it away! 🙄

I bought 8x42s for my dad in his 70s. They actually fine for astronomy (compared to my 10x50s). I can hold them much steadier than the 10x50s. Worth a punt for that reason alone.

Also new to me. Thanks Louis. SGL just keeps on giving! 😀👍

Don't count on the AZ5 and steel tripod especially with a heavier triplet. It's that bad with my 4" doublet I don't use the mount.

At home, possibly a cold beer, coffee, tea or maybe a hot choc... At Kielder last Autumn approaching midnight the thermos cup was filled with a mix of coffee, hot chocolate and Pusser's Gunpowder Proof rum. A very comforting brew in the cold! 🥴

I thought hanging around with middle class nerds might rub off... Seriously I was looking for advice, found some and decided on the whole SGL is one of the better internet hang outs I've used. Four years down the line I'm a fully fledged & somewhat integrated geek, spending too much money, joining an Astro society, doing star camps, jumping up and down in the garden thrashing branches because another neighbour has erected a LED light, comfort eating & considering smoking because I'm depressed about two week's cloud cover. All the usual stuff. 😀

I've had both a 130p and 102 f7. The 130p is a cheap & fun to use scope I would not knock however side by side there's no contest. The ED f7 refractor wins in all departments.

I was camped on 34b last time near Mike and Aidy. Please disregard that last post I've been a grumpy sausage the last couple of weeks with the "100 day cough"... 🙄 The Autumn camp really was relentlessly damp though. The last morning was perfect timing because my Vango Carron fly started dripping... It's a perfect size for one person sleeping on a proper folding bed with loads of gear and can be stood up in however I'm giving up as at Kielder the same thing happened on the last morning. The final evening we had frost and during the morning pack up the inside started dripping again. So I'm selling my Higear Enigma Elite 5 (good tent just too big) and the Vango Carron (great for summer) to part fund another tent rated for more adverse weather. Either a Berghaus Air 4 or the new Outwell Sunhill 3P Air looks interesting.

Blue sky here. Typically I am working a late shift from home and can see the lovely moon through the loft office skylight... The next hour cloud will arrive no doubt. 🙄

I've driven past on the way to Cwmdu. The site certainly looks nice (and flat!) enough. I have just gone through a trial booking and they had 95 electric hook ups available. I'm tempted to give it a go in March. Ten quid a night including leccy for one person and tent is great.

The supplied 10mm eyepiece is so poor, errors will only be exacerbated using a Barlow. From my experience using a 150mm aperture and 750mm focal length reflector, the best planetary views are to be had in the 120-150x range unless you have very rare excellent seeing conditions, so a reasonable quality midrange 5mm eyepiece enabling 150x would a good start. The BST Starguider 5mm should not disappoint. A bit more money will get you a superb Vixen SLV. A bit less money and the Baader Classic Ortho is excellent however the restricted eye relief is not for everyone.

I've not bought a single astronomy related item since the Stellamira splashout last August and haven't read since returning from Kielder last Autumn, so at the weekend scanned World of Books for something interesting and cheap... Excellent condition..the stains are cover art... 😀

The Guardian gave the Columbia docu-series a great review https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/feb/12/the-space-shuttle-that-fell-to-earth-review-a-moving-tribute-to-the-astronauts-who-lost-their-lives-in-the-columbia-disaster

I've been to three Astrocamps and experienced one clear night. Last Autumn was particularly wet and miserable the whole time. That plus sleeping on a slope for three nights is putting me off. I may chance it again this Autumn. Have a good one.