Ciaran Meier

Ooops ... It's quite near the Hyades Cluster in the direction of the Pleiades. Screen grab from DSO Planner.

Out with the 15x70's to chase down the Davis's Dog asterism between the racing clouds. First time seeing this one and its a lovely view in the bino 4° fov. Why does finding a random pattern of stars make me grin from ear to ear 😀. Thanks to Binocular Sky Newsletter.

Great page. Bookmarked.

Hi folks Thanks for all the assistance. Managed to remove each lens using two jeweller screwdrivers in a push/pull motion. Clips were actually not all that difficult to unscrew. (Heart was still in my mouth though!) As Peter mentioned, initial appraisal seemed to indicate growth was between the components of the lens. But continuing on I gave then a light rinse in lukewarm soapy water, let them air dry then cleaned with lens cleaner. Final touch was a clean with the lenspen. Have just popped outside to check on star field and they are perfect 😀. They are no longer my main set but it's great to have them back in action. Many thanks to all.

I've a set of Elinor 10x50's. Had them maybe twenty years and they've provided excellent service. Alas however the objectives internally now look like this...... They are classed as waterproof but obviously a seal has failed allowing moisture ingress. Does anyone have any experience in removing bino objectives without damaging them. I can see how they are fastened in with a threaded clip but it looks like a precarious exercise to safely remove them. Any advice appreciated as they are actually a great pair of bino's.

That is awesome !! I think I can just about spot the Horse Head in that shot ?

Finally managed to bodge together a decent monopod. Cannibalised an old tripod and fixed the mount head onto the extendable shaft. Drilled an 8mm hole into a steel curtain bracket and have used that to attach the bino's to the mount head. Seems quite steady even when extended out to max, approx 3 meters tall.

Hello Binocular sky It's actually from your website that I got the inspiration to adapt an extendable window cleaner as a monopod: image attached. The steel tubular section is perfect, easily adjusted and rigid. The top section, the "squeegy" has too much flex and I'd like to be able to pan and tilt. So, that's what I want to replace with a proper monopod head which I hope to somehow bodge onto the tubular section. This is what I've been looking at : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-234-Monopod-Tilt-Head/dp/B000KHZ8AA/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=monopod+head&qid=1580130569&sr=8-4 On your site you mention a pistol grip but to be honest I wouldn't be to sure what would suit Much appreciated.

Hi Mike Nice post. I actually got into astronomy around the same time you did, was still in primary school. Yep, astronomy back then was a rare interest and a 6 inch reflector was only to be dreamed about. My first optics were a pair of old 7x50's, and as you said, if an object were possible it was tracked down. Actually fork mounted them too on a home build tripod. Raided the local library and devoured everything astro related. I've recently seen some old astronomy books from back then and the progress made in my lifetime is just amazing. Put it this way: sitting in my living room with a common handheld device (smartphone) I can instantly access high resolution images taken from the surface of other planets, and we take that for granted nowadays !!! I've owned an 8 inch newt for quite a while now but must admit that I'm enjoying the 15x70's just as much, if not more so. 😀

Hi Folks Could someone recommend a binocular mount for a set of 15x70's. Its just the actual head mounting I'm interested in as I am going to combine it with an existing telescopic mount (Extendable window cleaner !!) Had a look on Amazon and there's quite a variation in options. Thanks.

Popped out for half an hour before clouds rolled in while getting dinner ready. Helios Stellar II 15x70's. Really nice views around Augria, some pleasing asterisms to be seen and beautiful contrasting colour. In and around Taurus too, Aldebaran a gorgeous red against an empty backdrop. Really lifts the spirit just to get a few minutes observing between this persistent cloud.

Nice job !! Our local Ikea here in Belfast has a "Bargain Corner" full of ex-display and odd sorts. I like nothing more than a good rummage about while the other half does the "real" shopping. Picked up a load of curtain rails for a few pounds which have the potential for a handy lightweight tripod.

Hopefully the price of image stabilization will come down and the technology will port over to other manufacturers. Just image what view a 15x70 image stabilized bino would offer !

I've have a pair of Elinor 10x50"s poro's which seem to have decent optics and give sharp bright views. I've also recently bought myself a pair of Helios Stellar II 15x70's which are giving me incredible views of the stars and the open/globular clusters. They are now my main bino. I would go so far as to say I now enjoy the 15x70's more than my 8 inch newt. I've also a set of Helios roof prism 8x42's for when out and about, birding etc, but they do seem to struggle a bit when used as astro binos, though they are very light and handy to quickly grab for short viewing session. As for image stabilised bino's I've not tried these but others on here who have them just love them. They are quite expensive though.

I've been doing a wee bit of smartphone photography too, just to have an image or two for the log book. I think I'll go down Baz's route and try a cheapie adapter from ebay. I'm using a Samsung S7 for this.

Hi Mark I've a pair of Helios Stellar II 15x70's which I think you mention on another post. If the 15x70's are anything to go by, 100mm would be a hefty piece of kit. I can manage my 15x70's handheld well enough to be useful but they do need support to get the most from them. The Stellar II 15x70 are a good binocular.

"I just paid 200 pounds tax and didn't get fun !" I like your attitude to life ! I'm more into visual astronomy, and the one piece of advice I would offer is maybe think of getting to know the sky and brighter DSO's with a pair of binoculars first. A decent pair of 10×50's can be had for under £100. All the best with your adventure.

8 inch F6 Orion Optics UK newt cooling down. Great scope and well build. It has taken a few knocks over the years but still going strong.

"then opened up my attic on 3rd floor renoed it to use it then made an opening to the flat roof and build a 14x14ft deck that worked really well. " Wow, you actually renovated your flat for astronomy 👍

Hi Mark Yep, the benefit of the bino's is grab and go. As for mounting, see attached image of my high tech "monopod" which works a treat ! The Stellar II are great, first time I used them I was just blown away at the clarity and colour they produce. They can be used handheld for a moment and do feel quite balanced in the hand. I have to say that I enjoy them now as much as the scope.

Many years ago I must admit I was a fully paid up member of BUFORA, the British UFO Research Association. It was a fairly serious group who tried to conduct some level of sensible investigation into unexplained phenomenon of various descriptions. Some of the work they published was quite good. I can recall some work into Ball Lightning which was quite respectable and involved the contribution of mainstream physicists. Anyhow, one thing I did learn was that even experienced observers, pilots etc, would be prone to over estimating the velocity of a moving object within a blank field of reference. If one is lacking important visual cues the brain will fill in the gaps. Saying that however, in the many years of my astronomy I have witnessed aerial / atmospheric events that I still find inexplicable, including witnessing a naked eye very high speed glowing object zoom across my field of vision. Some of this maybe NASA / military X-projects. Google "Project Pluto" to see what crazy stuff was in development in the 1960's, then consider what level of secret tech has been developed since then. Sprites ? http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150928-ten-strange-lights-that-appear-in-the-sky

I've an 8 inch newt but to be honest since I've had the bino's I'm using them more than the scope. Its just so handy to grap them at a moment's notice and be rewarded with some lovely widefield views. M42 is really superb, with the 15x70's you can see the splendid swept wing nebula in context with its star fields making up the sword. A good investment.

Wow, what a shot, really caught my attention. Wonderful to see Alnitak and sigma Ori in context with the HorseHead. That photo would be a suitable addition to a star atlas. Is the HorseHead achievable visually in an 8 inch newt ? I've explored that area a few times but haven't spotted any obvious nebulosity. (Have read above thread, no, it's not)

Great site, packed full of great advice and friendly members. One thing I would note is that the Observing Forum is placed towards the bottom of the listings, surely observing is what astronomy is all about. One has to scroll past the sponsor offers (Flo) to reach the Observing forum (milk at the back of the shop?) Otherwise it's fantastic.

Hi Gfamily I use DSO as well, it certainly is a fantastic piece of software. Do you know if there is a facility to save Object Selection parameters for quick recall ? For instance, an Object Selection just for all constellation Messier objects. Would be handy instead of having to re-enter the list parameters when just targeting all sky Messier objects. Ciaran. (Update: I've been in touch with Alex the DSO dev and he advised building an SQL database interrogation string and saving that for future use)