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Mandy D

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Everything posted by Mandy D

  1. Mandy D
    I fly with a full set of cameras and lenses, so I can't see any problem. Ask the airline, if you are concerned.
  2. Mandy D
    @Mikel56 I have the Skytee 2 mount and I understood it to be capable of 15 kg per side. It handles my Skywatcher 200P quite nicely for lunar photography. The thing in your photo looks like it might be a Barlow lens, which is used for increasing the magnification of eyepieces, usually x2, but can be less than this or more. Don't bother with it when you first start, as you'll have enough to handle.
  3. Mandy D
    57 x 3.2 Aluminium tube. Cut it to length to make a sleeve. You might have to slit it down the length, but it should work. https://www.1stchoicemetals.co.uk/product/2-14-x-10swg-57-15mm-x-3-26mm/
  4. Mandy D
    Hooray!
  5. Mandy D
    Hadley Rille, 2023 07 27

    From the album: The Moon

    Hadley Rille, imaged with 4 inch refractor and D800.

    © © Mandy D, 2023

  6. Mandy D
    The Moon 70% Waxing, 2023 07 27

    From the album: The Moon

    The Moon imaged with a 4 inch refractor and Nikon D800.

    © © Mandy D, 2023

  7. Mandy D
    It is 520 mm on the 150, 200 and 250. They all use the same base and side panels, just with different separations between the side panels for the different OTAs.
  8. Mandy D
    A really exciting modified Bahtinov mask from RVO. I just need clear skies and my Skytee 2 now. Don't forget to remove the protective film on each side to reveal the nice shiny black surfaces underneath!
  9. Mandy D
    I will look into that when I build mine. I need it to hold rock steady for photography.
  10. Mandy D
    It will definitely have something to hold it on target. That is one of the aims. I think Mr Spock's idea of a central bolt to control pressure on the bearing looks viable.
  11. Mandy D
    @Mr Spock Ah, I see what you have done now. Thanks. I'm going to wait until my OTA arrives, then I can get the measurements I need directly off it. I think a range of bearing sizes could work well for this, as long as the uprights are supported adequately. Your azimuth bearing tension adjustment looks neat. I like that your tube just drops into the altitude bearings. A lot of good ideas here. I have more facilities for metal working, so I am going to stick with making it from aluminium. I can cut weight by removing metal where it is not needed.
  12. Mandy D
    @skybadger yes, I agree a taper roller will self-centre and also carry end thrust. Are you using a single row ball bearing type under your 18" like Stu is?
  13. Mandy D
    @Mr Spock Are your supports for the tube a long way out so they sit over the bearing? I'm planning to have mine as close to the tube as practicable, so a smaller bearing would make more sense for me.
  14. Mandy D
    @Stu that makes perfect sense as it is a thrust bearing, so carries the load better in a horizontal orientation.
  15. Mandy D
    @Mr Spock That's pretty much what I found and linked to. Do you know what diameter you used?
  16. Mandy D
    Thank you. That is everything I needed to know. I plan on having a clutch / brake. I can now sit down and design it.
  17. Mandy D
    I have just bought a new Skywatcher 300PDS and am planning to put it on an aluminium Dobsonian style mount. Has anyone used a lazy susan bearing for the azimuth turntable? Is it smooth enough? Here is a link to the bearing I am considering: https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p183585/390mm-Round-Lazy-Susan-Rotating-Aluminium-Turntable-Bearing/product_info.html I suspect that my turntable will be about 600 - 650 diameter, based on the 520 diameter used for 150 - 250P tubes.
  18. Mandy D
    I had a look last night about 11 p.m. and it was only just clearing the rooftops if I stood on tiptoe. I only had my 200P on it's original Dobsonian mount as the Skytee 2 has gone back for repair. I wanted to capture it with the thin clouds veiling it, but no chance. I did get a great twilight Moon on the 27th, when it was much higher and the sky was clearer, so I'm happy with that until the Moon comes back to the evening sky next month. Given how low the Moon was last night and how poor the seeing was, I think it's a good image. You've got some nice depth to the bigger craters.
  19. Mandy D
    I'm sure it has been mentioned in here before that the Skywatcher 127 Mak does not actually have 127 mm of aperture, whereas the Bresser does. As an aside, the Skywatcher 150P, 200P and 250PX (pyrex mirror) all have exactly the same size base on the Dob mount, so take up the same floor space. Obviously, as you state, they can be fun to move. I don't really notice the weight difference between my 200P and my 250PX. My new 300PDS, however, is a very different matter. We put it on the scales at RVO today and it weighed 26 kg and that is just the OTA!
  20. Mandy D
    Absolutely, 100%, if contained, all the radiation from any source will ultimately be converted to heat. Makes no difference whether it is an LED or a filament lamp. How well the different wavelengths are absorbed by the various surfaces is a different matter, but it will all end up as long wavelength infra-red eventually.
  21. Mandy D
    I'd have to go out and buy three!
  22. Mandy D
    I visited my local astro supplier, Rother Valley Optics today and saw their new showroom, upstairs, for the first time. As many of you will already know RVO bought Patrick Moore's car a few years ago and have had it carefully restored. They now have a lovely model of his house in the new showroom and if you are local (or not) it is worth a visit just to see this. It even has a scale model of his 1953 Ford Prefect, The Ark, parked in the driveway.
  23. Mandy D
    @PeterStudz Thank you! I know exactly what you mean and I'd like to do more twilight imaging of the Moon with this scope. Unfortunately, that will have to wait as the Skytee 2 mount has gone back for repair / replacement, so I am without a suitable mount for a couple of weeks. It is quite funny that you should comment on this image today, as we were talking about you with Ian at Rother Valley Optics this afternoon, or more precisely, about your wonderful Dobsonian mount as we had just bought a Skywatcher 300PDS OTA from them and needed a mount for it! Pictures will eventually follow, but I'm sure it won't be as pretty as yours. Eventually, it will ride on a big AZ.
  24. Mandy D
    Noctilucent clouds photographed frm my garden on 26 June 2023 at 11 p.m. Nikon D800, 14 mm, f/2.8 1/4 s, ISO-6400.
  25. Mandy D
    Thanks. I'm certainly pleased with the scope. I'm going to RVO tomorrow, so I'll see about getting both of those filters. I'm also looking into a Herschel wedge, which is another reason for getting a refractor.
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