markse68

looks like a plossl https://skyviewer.de/selbstbau/TAL-ploessl/TAL-Ploessl.htm Mark

It’s hard to visualise isn’t it. I think you have to build one Vlaiv Mark

Does it actually get rid of backlash or double it? Mark

Spotted this photo from the show on fb- anyone know what mount it is?

I should learn to read- would be useful 🙂 Mark

Welcome aboard shipmate

@BackgroundWay there’s a Tal 25mm plossl (1.25”) in the classifieds just appeared Mark edit- sorry i don’t think you have access yet

I like that they have a blue floor and ceiling- unusual and fitting. What a paradise! Mark

Where did you get yours from Moonmonkey? I’d like one too. Baader are the goto for such parts as you need but you can probably get similar off ebay from china for a fraction of the cost. Mark

Hi @BackgroundWay, add a pic of the focuser and we should be able to identify if it’s the older 32mm or the 1.25” type from what it looks like. If it’s 1.25” you are in luck as any cheap plossl you can find on ebay will get you started and as Peter said you can wrap sellotape around the barrel if you have the older 32mm focuser. The 32mm eyepieces do turn up fairly regularly on ebay and other sites and the 25mm plossl is (was) very nice. I think they were originally supplied with the 25mm and a 15 or 10mm and a 2x or 3x barlow lens for increasing the magnification. The finders are lovely too As you don’t have the transformer, you could remove the motor from inside the housing which will make the manual RA adjustment easier- otherwise you’ll be back driving the motor which adds drag. It’ll work fine manually even if you don’t though. You have the advantage of 360deg RA adjustment with a clutch system for coarse alignment which the unmotorised mount doesn’t have They’re lovely scopes as others have said- if the mirrors are in good condition, definitely not junk. Check out @Siegfried1969’s sketches in the sketching section here to get an idea of what they are capable of- it’s really amazing! I’m using a different Tal scope currently as my main visual scope and love it- they made fine scopes for sure. @Siegfried1969, good to hear you got your mirror recoated- has it made a huge difference? I’m contemplating getting my 150p recoated by Orion too Mark

Got out a bit earlier tonight while Venus was quite high but the Jetstream seems to be mushing everything up Typical! Mark

I’d be afraid to use that- it’s a proper collectors piece! Brand new! Lovely. All Pentax eps have a really nice build quality to them I think. What’s the weird thing behind- is that a canister for it? if you find 2 let me know 😁 Mark

sorry I clicked the link too Love his rotating shed obsy with the big steering wheel- inspirational Mark

Nice! the Noh’s mounts look really nice and interesting- I was very tempted

Just to point out the second Tomato doesn't seem to be deliberately masquerading as the original Tomato and isn't attempting to scam anyone- at least he was pleasant to deal with and the goods arrived safely (I was one of the ones who erroneously contacted Steve) Mark

Mars is still treating us despite its size- wonderfully clear view tonight at 300x- could see polar lightening and dark markings- lovely. Venus was a bit low by the time I got out- I need to catch it earlier if we get another cloud break this week. My nebustar UHC is tantalising me with what could be some colour variation but its swimming all over the place so can't be sure. Anyone else tried a UHC on Venus? The nebustar has no red transmission so good for dealing with the colour smearing and Venus appears as an aquamarine blue gibbous disk with some low contrast greenish tempering with a similar feel to the Ha details my PST reveals on the sun that you have to look to see. Mark

I had to look it up. There was a Tuthill isostatic mount that seems to be a forked equatorial but instead of a tripod and wedge it uses longer legs on one side and incorporates the equatorial wedge into its structure. I guess it keeps the c of g central within the 3 legs rather than it being weighted to one side as it would be with a tripod and wedge. Which i guess would make it more stable. @Peter Drew probably knows a lot more Mark

could also be the camera not focussing on infinity but I expect you checked that already. May just be a problem with the plate solving for some reason Mark

On the vision thing, this video from one of my fav yt channels was very interesting- we have 2 visual systems! Mark

there’s a saying that if you have 2 thermometers you don’t know what the temperature is- it’s the same with weather apps- they never agree! Mark

There’s not much that can be done about it but it’s a shame i think as it has a knock-on effect with people less inclined to offer good deals- why would they if they think someone will just flip it for profit Mark

I always wondered what “kit tester” meant

it’s commonly stated that our conscious mind utilises about 5% of our neural activity. That leaves 95% of brain activity that we are not conscious of. It’s a complex machine to keep functioning so a lot of it will be reactive control circuitry and memory storage. I regularly have “thoughts” and memories pop into my conscious mind as if from nowhere- pretty sure there is stuff going on back there without me “knowing” An example would be learned skills that become intuitive like hitting a tennis ball with a racquet. Hours of practice hard code the process into the subconscious brain so that a skilled player can react accurately in a split second- far faster than the conscious mind could react. Before that training has worked its magic we rely on our conscious mind and are clumsy. I hate working while someone is watching me. I become clumsy and slow as the processes are brought into my conscious mind. When not being watched i think my actions become more subconscious and i can work efficiently. Mark

A quick search of cn found a few others having issues with Galaxies so it could well be the phone. I guess with so many different hardware platforms out there and the app needing low level control of the camera/imu it must be hard to get it right for them all. I’m using an old iphone and i guess they probably prioritise iphones as there’s fewer models and they’re popular phones. Anyway I do hope you manage to get it working Elrond Mark

But it worked during the day- that's very odd. Were you able to see anything from the camera on the screen when you tried to align to a target with the alignment tool if you pointed it at something bright? Mark