OpusElite

2 hours ago, Cornelius Varley said:

Can't be certain, but it might be from a Kson mount 

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Many thanks, most appreciated. It certainly does look to be a Kson.

I explored Alibaba and found it matches another of the Kson mounts: Ekcentrik-Advanced ED80 which has a clearer photo and matches.

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This GoTo handset was in a box of bits that I bought. Does anyone know what mount it is used with please?

The only connection is the USB plug on the end of the curly cable. There are no sockets on the handset, nor is there any text on the rear.

I can't recommend a particular brand as I've modified white torches by placing red lighting gel in them. Some have needed 2 layers to get it dark enough.

A big problem with commercial red lights is the brightness/intensity and wavelength of the red. A dark tone red is much better and as low a power/brightness as is needed to see the bits on your scope.

Unfortunately, some people come to observing sessions thinking they are being responsible with a red light, when in fact they are dazzling everyone and affecting night vision.

On 09/11/2021 at 20:30, wookie1965 said:

I'm getting a new tent and new airbeds in the new year so if there room. 

Now can someone give me any ideas for keeping warm I have these thin thermal rolls for under the airbeds and was thinking of putting a wool of fleece blanket on top with our sleeping bags and two heaters going should that be enough, thanks for the help. 

Have you tried using an electric blanket?

The Silent Night single blanket is only 40 watts and they advertise them as being 1p a night to run. (Which I presume is 2p for a double.)

They use a lot less electricity than a fan heater and provide heat exactly where it's needed.

55 minutes ago, jjohnson3803 said:

I hang black polyester shower curtains from a PVC frame or a closet rod and they work pretty well.  However, that's at ground level or on my deck.  I've often thought that a double flagpole / mast solution could work well if I needed something higher. 

An added bonus is you could talk like a pirate as you hoisted your black "flag".  😉

 

Thanks for the feedback, glad I'm not the only one with light issues and that I'm thinking along the right lines for solutions.

I've heard that dedicated observers wear an eye patch during the day and was told it's to enhance their dark adaptation. I think they might secretly be pirates

1 hour ago, Tomatobro said:

Tomato posted this picture which should give you some comfort

Wow, I've seen the images you get which makes them all the more impressive having that light next to you. 

Full steam ahead with observatory plans now !!

50 minutes ago, ArmyAirForce said:

How about setting two steel tubes into the ground near the lamp to mount flagpoles. You can string a large black piece of material between the flagpole halyards and hoist them up to lamp height. When you're done, lower the 'flag' and lift out the pole from the mounting tube. My wife's Girl Guide unit got a flagpole which is 5 metres tall, made from one metre sections that slot together. It can be assembled as a two, three, four or five metre tall pole.

EDIT - Alternatively, you could mount the two poles on a pivoting base, so each could be folded down along each fence line when not in use. Fold up to use, down to store which may save set up time.

The two pole method with a hoist up 'shield' is top of my list of solutions.

Hinge up poles would be the easiest to deploy or even just leave them up all the time and fly a patriotic flag during the day

I've just checked .gov.uk website and there are no restrictions on the size of the flag, but any flagpole may not exceed 4.6 metres (15 feet) above ground level. That should be high enough to do the trick

It's also allowable to have 2 flag poles, so I could leave them permanently in place.

3 hours ago, dwc said:

I have a similar problem. My street light is also at the NW corner. The only real difference in my layout is that my roof rolls away from the light.
I have some plywood panels that I fix to the walls of the shed once the roof is rolled off. I made slots out of 2x1 battens to fit them into. They interlock to give a bit more stability. They are a bit problematic with even just a little breeze. It’s not a perfect solution but it is at least usable. 
There is some more information here:

https://www.backyardastro.org/topic/2163-my-observatory/

Edit: not sure you’ll be able to follow that link. I’m away at the moment, will give some more info when I get back if you want. 

Thanks, the link worked great. That's a good solution although as you mention wind can be an issue.

It's nice to know other people have faced and solved the same issue, so I at least know it's worth moving forward

Hi Robin, thanks for the input.

Leaving the North end fixed is certainly an option to help a bit however, I think the height and proximity of the lamp negates this.

It would need something of the same height as the lamp to block the light

I am intending to build a roll off roof observatory over the summer but have an issue with a street light right next to the optimum site.

The local council have replaced the old sodium light with an LED one, then with prompting they fitted shields, but it still floods the patio I can build on.

My solution would be to make a raiseable 'screen' or 'shield' to cover most of the light whilst observing. Perhaps a fixed or hinged pole with some type of plate to cover the lamp area, or 2 poles with a winched up tarpaulin between them. I realise that whatever solution I use will block some of the sky however it will be to the NNE region.

So my questions are please:

• Am I wasting my time putting an observatory right next to a light?
• Has anyone done anything like this before and if so, what type of screen did they use?

I've attached a couple of pictures to show the area at day and night times.

I am looking at using an 8x8ft shed with pitched apex roof. 

The rough sketch (not to scale) on the day photo shows how the shed will be on the patio area and the roll-off will go to the right over the plants.  

There certainly is such a thing as an Orion Optics LX200, I have one on a Vixen SP mount. There don't seem to be many around and there aren't many pictures of them. 

It's a great scope, with mine benefitting from having the original 1.25" rack and pinion focuser replaced with a 2" Crayford.

I've just put it up for sale today as I have too many scopes and need funds for my observatory project.

I have another 8" scope so am letting this one go with the Vixen SP mount as they're matching. 

And yes, I probably will regret selling as it's a fab scope!

SteveWolves has asked me to post on his behalf to suggest Eastnor Castle

We have a street light next to our garden wall that floodlights our garden and house windows, lighting up my ground-floor bedroom, making sleep difficult.

As for astronomy, it helped while I was learning as I could read the manual, but after that it was very problematic.

I contacted the council mentioning the light into my bedroom and sure enough in due course, they replaced it with a 'shorter pole' and a 'lower power' LED light.

I'm not convinced it's much shorter and when they say 'lower power' they obviously meant lower power consumption, as now my windows and garden were floodlit with a pure white light. I could read a book at night while standing outside my bedroom window.

So, I got back on to the council and after a bit of a delay (and a polite reminder), hey presto, shields have been fitted, and what a difference. It now only lights a small area of garden and my bedroom is pitch black at night.

Oh and yes, it's also been beneficial for astronomy 😉

The original post does say "..One of the pins inside the jack has snapped off", which I would read as being the centre pin has broken off inside the socket.

The socket size is indeed 5.5mm x 2.1mm so the eBay item listed should be suitable.

A quick internet search for electronic / computer repair shops shows a few in your area, I'm sure they would be happy to replace the socket for you.

Unless of course there are any SGL members near by who have the tools and skills.....?

Having taken on board all the suggestions in this thread, I have bought snow-boots and thermal socks.

The socks are 4.7 tog Heat Control, really thick and very warm. Less than £5 from an army surplus store, but brand new.

In a stroke of luck I found the snow boots in a local charity shop for £3.

They are a bigger size than my feet (9.5 vs 😎 and the 'inner-boot' isn't particularly thick. However, this does allow plenty of room for the thermal socks (and blood to circulate)

With the rare clear skies last night, I had the chance to test them out in -2.4℃ conditions, whilst using my scope on my patio, which ended up like a skating rink !

After 3 hours the only issue was the top of my toes were a little cool, which I suspect was due to the thin inner-boot.

Maybe an extra pair of socks may solve this as there is plenty of room, but for less than £10 it was nice not to have feet like ice blocks!

My fingers were another story, but that would be better served with a new thread on warm gloves !!  

Hi from a fellow Salopion, welcome to SGL and the amazing world of astronomy. 

You've certainly found the right place for information.

Very valid point about extremities. I certainly wrap up well with multiple layers.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, it's really interesting to see the range of ideas covering socks, boots or even just something to stand on.

Will have to see what Santa brings

With the ever decreasing night time temperatures I've noticed on observing sessions that most people seem to suffer the same problem of cold feet.

I have double layered socks and thermal socks but they don't work well when standing still, i.e. not walking.

USB heated insoles keep the underside of my feet warm, but not the top.

Can anyone recommend good boots that are proven to work well, especially if they aren't too expensive?

On 05/10/2021 at 11:53, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

That's a massive step up in kit Duncan! It's brilliant you got that to a dark site. 👍

It sure is a huge leap from the Celestron CG5 with C6N 6" Newt that I used at the Peaks Star Party (and had no idea how to use).

The 'mobile bungalow' survived the stormy weather, although it did leak rather badly. Fortunately I had an extra sheet to put over the top and a gazillion extra guy lines to keep it all held down.

I bought a gallon of Fabsil pre PSP, so plenty left to give it another coat.

An excellent write up of the last viewing session for our observing weekend.

The seeing conditions were certainly excellent and most of my list of targets were soon crossed off. 

The night before stayed clear right through until 2am when we ran out of energy and the dark skies area provided stunningly black skies with bright celestial objects. 

It was only the 2nd time I had used my (new to me) 10" Revelation Newtonian on an EQ6 GoTo mount and I was amazed at the performance.

A thoroughly good weekend and very lucky that the rain was only during the day and after we had stopped observing. 

That's a great find. They're in such excellent condition and look really good mounted. I have a box of these in the loft, I must get them out to see if I have the whole set. 

4 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

I am looking at the new moon in April just trying figure out where to go and I have to get a new tent just sold my air tent, brilliant tent just took up to much room in the boot.

Better news out the blue this morning got my appointment for my epidural on the 23/9 this year hoping that will provide some relief from the pain in my back.

Be nice to catch up again Duncan

best wishes

Paul

What could go wrong with having a star party on April the 1st 😁 Good idea to have a few suggested sites.

Hope your epidural works and provides some long lasting pain relief.

Yes indeed, it would be great to have a catch up. So much has happened since March 2020 and I'm no longer a total astro novice (just a plain ordinary novice now).  

I still have my large tent and used it a few weeks ago for an astro week away. 

On 10/07/2021 at 22:54, wookie1965 said:

Take a heater next time hopefully try sort something out for next March all being well with this covid. 

Another start party would be good, especially as I've still got a fan heater and a chair (+ instant porridge) that I 'inherited' at Peak Star Party, March 2020

Well this is rather embarrassing, but I will confess as a lesson to others 😳

My thread was instigated by the purchase of a used 10" telescope. A friend who knows 'a little bit about astronomy' took one look at the focuser and said "that's huge, it's got to be 3 inches". So I started the hunt for 3" to 2" adapters.

Following the good advice by 'globular', I set to work with my trusty Vernier gauge today, only to find the eyepiece holder is in fact ... for 2 inch eyepieces!

Lesson learnt, don't believe everything you are told and double check before posting in a forum.