Barry-W-Fenner

Hi, Welcome to the forum. I also have an 8" dob and have purchased the full set ( bar1) of the BST Starguider range. They are a big step up in quality and performance from the standard eye pieces and cost around £45 each. Most members on here highly approve of these eye pieces, And I am very pleased with them all.

Nice job, A very nice image. I like the sense of depth it seems to have. Baz

Interesting thread. We are some way behind here in Rochester and have not had the LED conversion carried out yet. I have inquired with the local Council to be told it is due to be done "some time in the next couple of years" Where I live I still have a large amount of yellow sky glow from the old lamps and from Rochester town. Neighboring towns have had the LED conversion and the LP seems to have improved to my eye. The large yellow bulbs have been replaced with small LED type which does seem to be directing the light to the ground. My parents live a couple of miles away under a different Council and they have had the LED conversion, The sky has less LP where they are. I personally would like this conversion sooner rather than later. However I dont think that all the lights should be on at night. After peak hours maybe the Council could consider every other Light being switched off to save Money as well as reduce carbon and LP?? Baz

My father inlaw was round last night and we were fortunate enough to get a couple of clear hours. Very windy out but good seeing. We both really enjoyed viewing Venus and it was great to show him, it's always nice to see the surprise on other people's faces when they see these object. The moon was stunning also.

I used the filter tonight briefly around 7pm on Venus, I was very impressed with its performance. It took away most of the glare and I could see the planets disc very clearly. I am very happy with this purchase and look forward to using it on other planets. Baz

Thanks Stu, it sure is a great thread and that is due to all the contributions everyone has made. Its been a real joy to read all about everyone's experience at the eye piece. You can really get a sense of the passion everyone has on here for this great hobby. It inspires you to get out there and enjoy the views! Thanks for your input, you certainly sound like you have some special memories from the eye piece! Baz

I think the window option will be best for me also, the sun sets directly at the rear of our place. We also have a large fence and some trees at the rear so an elevated position will be required. I have a velux in the loft so I could even try to set up out of that. It will be tricky getting the Dob up there though. Baz

But that's cheating, you're only option was "phone a friend" 😁 Thank s for the info Geoff, I will have a read, can't believe it was 95! Baz

I just acquired a visual polarising filter. I look forward to using it on Venus when the sky clears. I am hoping having the ability to adjust contrast will help reduce glare and show just the disc. Baz

What year was Hale Bopp? I remember hearing all the fuss about it but was to interested in other things to care unfortunately. It seems like an age ago though. Baz

Update, no viewing tonight it would seem. Windy, grey sky and now light rain. Joy... Baz

Nice one Stu, something else to look forward to. Baz

Thanks John! And a thanks in advance to Alex. I will be downloading to my main desktop Monday morning! baz

Thanks John, still fairly low then but amazing to look at never the less. Is the Stellarium desk top version a free download? That looks very informative. Baz

This mosaic is really coming together now Kat, You dont need to know much about imaging (like me) to appreciate how great this looks! I cant wait to see the finished product! Baz

Excellent pic of some stunning scopes! Where about's was this taken. It looks quite a remote location and the scenery is beautiful. Regards Barry

Cheers Stu, I will try to check this out also Baz

I am hoping to view Mercury but looking at the above it is not going to get much higher than 10 degrees! This itself is going to make it difficult. I will give it a go though. Above states "30mins after sun set" Is this as the sun goes below the Horizon and the sky is like dusk, Or totally dark? Thank you baz

Thanks John, Once again your knowledge is most valued. I hope to one day gain half the knowledge of eye piece capability's that you have! That would be a big help for me understanding what eye piece is best suited for my intended target... Regards Baz

Thanks for the Heads up Mark. assuming we get a clear sky tonight I will look for these two planets independently. I am still on the hunt for Neptune. And would really like a look at Venus through the Variable polarising filter. Baz

Excellent, Thanks John. Nice and easy to locate aswell. I try to check this out tonight if possible. Is there a variation in colour between them? Baz

Thank you for this information Chris, I will certainly try to see this! I am still getting my bearings when it comes to altitude, Are they going to be much higher placed in the Sky this December compared to last year? Baz

Hi all, Venus and Neptune are still quite close currently, Is there still a possibility of them being visible in the same FOV? Or has that ship sailed. The sky has been rather poor all week and looking like it might clear up for a view of these two tonight. Regards Baz

If I remember correctly there is a star on SkySafari which can be split into 3 bodies. Does anyone know of the top of there head which star this is? If not I can read through all start descriptions again. Thank you Baz

Morning John, As usual I have many questions regarding the above list (some daft, Some hopefully not so) I will look to start a thread as I would like to find out about finding these central stars and resolving Globular's Regards Baz