ScouseSpaceCadet

That sounds great Maw. It was great here early evening. Again in work I had people looking out the window at the crescent moon and Venus. Eagerly I left for home at 8pm to try out my new binoculars. Arriving home, total cloud for the rest of the night...

Not bad for holiday snaps and slightly more interesting than a dog posing with a bucket & spade in its mouth...

2024 did feel a little ambitious. The SLS is virtually done. The technology, knowledge and skills to get the lunar gateway and lander built are in place. It's just willingness to spend the money and time they need now. 2028 seems doable.

Another Skyliner 200P. To raise the height, I removed the feet so it fits perfectly and is solid on top of a water butt base. There's a recess for the central base bolt. Topped off with a RACI 9x50 and a decent metal red dot sight. https://www.amazon.co.uk/WATER-BUTT-STAND-GARDEN-GARDENING/dp/B01451QF26/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=water+butt+base&qid=1580300741&sr=8-6

A nice clutch of mounts! My AZ5. Very happy with it. And posted elsewhere, the AZ-GTI They both do the job I got them for just fine, so no qualms.

Keep those fingers crossed. If it doesnt come off, I believe there's a nice site near Bolton by Bowland, Lancs open all year round I may try. https://www.calderfarm.co.uk/

I'm coming. Annual leave was granted. Probably fri-sun night.

Baz, to be fair, Uranus was found for me and with a 12" goto SCT to boot. It looked great though, massive in the eyepiece. 🧐

Jupiter seems to be "the one" for most people, and so it was for me too. Although my first planetary view through a telescope was Uranus using a Meade 12" LX200 EMC at the local astro society observatory. That along with the fantastic view of a galaxy complete with full spiral arms told me I must get my own gear. Jupiter really was the turning point though. I set up the spanky new 130PS, found Jupiter easily aided by the Stellarium app, but just wasn't expecting the experience I had. That was the real turning point and the wallet has suffered ever since!

After much deliberation over budget 10x50 binos, the choices were nailed down to Opticron Adventurer, Helios Fieldmaster or Olympus DPS-I, Olympus won the day...

Hi Ash. While you're learning, you can help professionals with their research by participating in several projects, for instance galaxy classification and exoplanet discovery. No in depth astronomy knowledge is required, just a computer and spare time. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects?discipline=astronomy&page=1&status=live

Picard lived up to expectations. A slow burn, with an unexpected shock 3/4s of the way through and a nice hook into the next episode! The critics received the first three episodes. Apparently it goes proper Trekky in episode 3. Can't wait. After bingeing on The Expanse S4 there's been a TV sci-fi void to fill.

A clearish night and no work clashed last night. A rare occasion of late and a second chance to try the AZ-GTI, this time on the steel tripod. Surprising solid it was too with minimal vibes and no need for aged goalkeeping reflexes after brushing against the kit! I spent a whole two hours whizzing around the sky. Seeing wasn't great but several open clusters, doubles and M42 were enjoyed before it was time to pack up. The eyepiece is a 2" 30mm Aero ED I picked up used before Chrimbo. Very nice it is too. Sharp and it really shows off the ST120's widefield capability.

If it's fine with you? 😉 I should know by next week. If not hopefully the site gets booked and I can be an add on. 👍 Pitching on a flat field will be a nice change. I'm a bit sick of inclines and rolling off the mattress!

A review I can agree with. My BST 8 & 15mm eyepieces were a massive step up from the supplied Skywatcher items and Acsension plossls I had. I don't have experience with high end eps but the BST units definitely improved observing with the 130PS, ST120 and 200P significantly at a relatively low £42 each new. Definitely keepers.

Soz Wookie. I cannot confirm. I fully *intend* to come and I've requested the time off. Unfortunately I'm still awaiting a response because both managers are off this week. 🙄

Yea thanks Wookie. I should have read the whole site first before asking. Does say parking next to tent if the ground isn't wet... 🙄

I'm definitely interested if I can arrange the time off. My long suffering partner said she would like to come to. Just one thing. Is it parking next to a tent pitch or a separate car park?

Terry, a great pic and a mini tutorial thrown into the opening post. What's not to like? It sure beats my first photo of the moon through a mobile phone!

Finally some clear(ish) skies and life positively clashed. So out came the new AZ-GTI for first light. Brilliant it was too. Observing the moon at 150x whilst silently tracking felt like sorcery! The stainless steel tripod is KIA, so I resorted to the lightweight aluminium job I had from an AZ5 kit. The combo felt quite steady until I brushed the eyepiece with my belly and my old goalkeeping reflexes lept into action. Saving the day but raising my pulse far too much! The AZ-GTI and an old freebie Acer A1-810 tablet are powered by an Ipossible 24800mah power bank. A Qutaway 5v-12v step up converter cable plugged into the 2.1amp USB socket and the AZ-GTI. The tablet plugged into the 1a socket and running Synscan Pro and Sky Safari Pro. The power bank slotted into an old pouch and strapped to a tripod leg with Ganvol velcro cinch straps. The telescope is a Sky-Watcher Startravel 120 with a very effective Baader 2" semi-apo filter screwed into a Sky-Watcher ED80 2" dielectric diagonal.

Happy New Year. Stayed in. Working in the morning and too old to cope with drink and early starts. 😕

No plans to acquire any more kit. A Dob and a wide field refractor are enough for the moment. Definitely getting the camping gear out and heading for Snowdonia, North Lancs & The Lake District for short breaks with observing thrown in. A couple of star camps are on the list including Spring SGL hopefully. Once again I'll attempt to infiltrate the local astro society and master the secret hand shake. Mars is top of the observation list and the July Mars 2020 launch with my name etched onto it is childlishly exciting! Good luck with all your projects and plans!

One of the joys of this hobby is showing others what they're missing. If one can ignore the occasional eye rolls and bored looks from some, there's lots of pleasure to be had enjoying the wow moments. Nice one Alan!

Nice pic. This remind me about Sunday evening. Around 4.30pm I left a work cafe, stepped outside and the crescent moon looked great with a very bright Venus next to it. On returning to my unit, the sky had darkened a little and my first floor vantage point was perfect. Before too long I had several staff, a couple of patients and some relatives all staring out the window! 😁

The postie wasn't involved in the first purchase, but walking past a market stall, these fingerless gloves with grippy palms caught my eye for a quid. A bargain! To compliment the gloves, the AZ GTI expected to arrive on Monday came today. Wahay! Fuelled by frustration I may start poppin into the work's chapel on the way to breakfast and praying for clear skies.