Pixies

Yep - Astro Biscuit

Ed Ting's most recent video is epic!

COVID! Don't even feel like the beer I got!

Right at the end though, he just couldn't keep away from the top of a mountain!

Oh - how's about music videos? David Bowie, "Jump They Say" - three Vixen Custom-80M's: Good eye relief on those little 0.96" EPs:

Ah - didn't know you could get this. Does it make much difference to the in-focus distance when compared to the 1.6x one?

The Skywatcher has 10A x 12v output at the cigarette sockets. That's 120W max The 17Ah (Amp-hours) capacity is just that - capacity I.e. the amount of energy it can store. 17ah (at 12v) = 734kJ in SI units This other powerpack has 288Wh (Watt-hours). Which is about 1037kJ - so about 80% higher capacity. It can also supply 1800W power - that's 15 times the power that the Skywatcher can supply!!! With a capacity of 288Watt-hours, at maximum output of 1800Watts it'll last 9 minutes! I doubt you'll ever need anything like that with astro equipment, unless you are trying to power up an observatory!

I have one (illuminated too). PM me if you're interested.

It's a Japanese auction site but via a proxy agent.

Ironically, even though I'm purely visual, the YT channels I watch are mainly astrophotography - Nico Carver, Backyard, THAT Australia chap, AstroBiscuit. The latter 2 mainly for amusement. Ed Ting is great though. He really gets over his great experience with hundreds of scopes. Oh - and not forgetting Astro La Vista! What's the matter with this Wido chap? I haven't watched him before.

Oh - the wife's going to kill me! I don't want to add up the total value... Just need the 17mm now...

The clue in in the packaging:

and another! I'll try and get a group photo tomorrow!

My understanding is a star test is done just very slightly out-of-focus on both sides of focus and you'll be looking at the diffraction rings, rather than the gross alignment you see (along with the silhouette of the secondary and offset) if you take it far out-of-focus. See: https://www.astroasheville.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/No-Tools-Collimation.pdf

Dare I say the G*T* word?

The only phone holder that has worked for me is the Celestron NeXYZ, all others were a complete pain.

And more LVW's! This time not quite so pristine condition, but optics appear good. They came as a set, so now I have 2 x 22mm LVWs - and can try them as a bino pair. The 3.5mm won't get a lot of usage, but hopefully some planetary action later tis year, if the seeing is good. Now just needing the 17mm....

The 12mm BST is the best of the range (along with the 8mm). I'd hazard a guess that it would be better than the 25mm barlowed. But that is now for you to investigate. With the 8" dob, I always found a 12mm EP gave a sweet-spot between magnification and contrast for bright-ish but diffuse targets. M13 (Hercules cluster) and M57 (Ring Nebula) were particular suited to it. An 8mm EP was usually a good option for both Jupiter and Saturn with standard UK seeing conditions.

Last night's observing was a bit of a tour of old favourites. I started off observing in late spring and thee targets were some of the first I observed. Using the Vixen 80M achro (F11), the seeing was very good but the skies not very dark. Even nautical darkness has gone up here now. Started with double-double. An easy split with the good seeing. Best views with the Vixen NPL 10mm and BCO 10mm. I got the latter recently after all the rave reviews and want to compare with the Vixen, which I really like. Both showed similar quality views (although the Vixen appeared to have a slightly wider FOV) - but I don't think this target was really going to show up any major differences. M57 Ring nebula. More a fuzzy disk in the little frac and with light skies. Still very visible, though. M56 GC. Very faint and just visible with AV. I remember the first time I tried hunting this down in the 8" dob - my ability to find small faint fuzzy things has definitely improved! What a life-skill to have! Albireo - as beautiful as ever. Never sure if I prefer high or low mag on this. M27 Dumbbell. Another easy find and visible in many magnifications, but UHC filter improved all views too, even with <1mm exit pupil in an 80mm refractor. M71 GC - another very faint one. Barely visible even with AV 61 Cygni - Piazzi's Flying Star. Always pretty and distinctive. The B star appeared very slightly cooler orange. Not sure if that was a trick of the luminosity. NGC 6826 - Blinking Planetary nebula. Yep, it did!

Sorry guys - beautifully clear, calm and warm up in Edinburgh tonight. The seeing is great too, steady as a rock. Not exactly dark, though! Split both ends of double-double at x70 in the 80M Vixen. Have just come in to gloat, now heading back out for further stuff.

Was that your letter read out on Awesome Astronomy?

More glass (pre-loved): My LVW collection increases. Thanks to @Rob for the 5mm - it's in brand-new condition! The 10mm BCO was purchased just out of interest about all the rave reviews it gets. I wanted to compare it with my other little 10mm EPs (like the Vixen NLV plossls). I have a pair of the latter (for binovewing) and wanted to see if this was a better EP. I really like the 10mm NLVs. Thanks @F15Rules

I've seen hale-Bopp. Although a supernova would be amazing, the descriptions of a meteor storm I've read recently seem staggering. Especially intriguing is the way it was described as showing you how the earth was hurtling through space. We're flying THROUGH the comet debris, so a storm would be like driving through a snowstorm in the dark.

Why not ask @FLO - the site sponsors? They might be able to source it.