Pixies

Keep your eyes open for an older aluminium Manfrotto 055. Avoid the more expensive '055PRO' models which have a boom-type arm, which you won't need. Don't extend the legs fully, either - just 2 out of the 3 sections. As it's for AP, don't extend the legs at all, it'll be very stable then. You can find them on ebay used for around £30 if you are lucky, as prices vary wildly. Sometimes they have a head attached and around £50 but then sell the head for £20 and you're sorted. Here are some examples to keep an eye on: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384777476735?hash=item5996865a7f:g:mD8AAOSwlJ9iLK-q https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203867280095?hash=item2f776fd2df:g:WmUAAOSwczNiLhcO https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185337755641?hash=item2b26fdb7f9:g:gisAAOSwciZiLgBS The latter one is an older type with screw-type leg locks rather than the snappy flip-type. Doesn't really matter.

This - and 24bit PNG format, which retains high frequency detail better on Facebook.

Sorry to bang on about LROC, but just discovered a feature I hadn't noticed before. Under the experimental features section: select 'shaded relief +WAC no shadows': It will try to render the moon with correct shadows according to a surface relief map. And get a load of that relief map:

Here's a tip with the LROC quick map: In the key section, under Overlays - select 'Sunlit region' - and it will set the phase of the moon. It won't alter the shadow direction appropriately, though: However, under the LROC Basemaps section, have the following selected (and no others): Click on the slider button for "WAC Nearside (big shadows)": use the opacity slider to swap between the shadows for each later, and you effectively get to adjust the shadow direction (sort of): You can also adjust the date and time (bottom right of the screen) to select different phases.

"Vixen dovetail"?

There, that's better:

ooops!

I just sing, "Go West..."

There are a few just gone up on the For Sale forum

There's this: https://www.astroshop.eu/other-adapters/astoptics-photo-adapter-for-eq3-eq5-tripod/p,57914 But it would be cheaper to get a new tripod! Although you can get a Chinese version: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/33063326742.html or DIY:

Trying out some new eyepieces today. Didn't really get a chance to put them through their paces properly - transparency wasn't great but seeing was good. Using the 8" dob. The neighbour had left his spare room light on and curtains open, though! 😠 Started with M67. Not the best view I've had recently, but the red star to the north of the cluster was showing its colour nicely. Only the 2 bright Messiers of the Leo Triple were obvious tonight, too. M3 was also a little under-par tonight. A high haze I think. So on to some doubles, then. 54 Leonis very easily split in the 22mm LVW. Pale blue and steely green/grey. Colours better in the 13mm Izar (Epsilon Boo) was split easily in the 10mm Vixen NPL (120x) Alkalurops (Mu2 Boo) - the tight pair of the triple was split at 120x also, but variably as the seeing shifted. Zeta2 Coronae Borealis - Pretty blue and green pair, easily split in the 22mm (55x) Looks like a few clear nights coming up too! 🥳

Yeah - like I got those by mistake!

All Vixen 22mm and 13mm LVW 15mm SLV 2x 10mm NLPs 1.25" prism diagonal 2x 'deluxe' barlow Some were a job-lot, so I might be offloading a few bits. The latter 2 items have pretty old-school clamp screws so not really designed for anything heavy, but my completist bone is itching!

More Japanese boxes!

@cajen2 - bring 'em all down to Astro Camp and I'll help provide an unbiased second opinion!

Very nice. B&Q also have a range of 'dollies' that I have used to move furniture! https://www.diy.com/search?term=dollies

Here you go:

I managed to find a suitably sized metal flight case (secondhand) and put my 60x10 RACI finder in there along with my Telrad. I'll post a pic when I get home, but I managed to cut a suitable hole in the foam to hold it (in rings) securely. It does look like I did it with a blunt spoon, though!

Great idea. My wife thinks I'm mad enough already. If I start wearing red goggles before I go outside, she'll lock the door behind me!

Last night was a little disappointing - with poor transparency and very average seeing conditions. Started with Theta Aurigae and could barely make out the secondary as it winked in and out of sight. So I moved on to some faint fuzzies, but I was not as successful as last week. Started at the cluster NGC226 - which I had never observed before. However, it was faint and most of the dimmer stars hidden in the murk. The globular cluster M67 was ok, but I cold only just see the 2 brightest members of the Leo triple M65 and M66. So back to doubles again. The seeing had improved a little. Tegmine (Zeta Cancrii) just about revealing the tight component at x300 and showing as notched between fuzzy spells. Algeiba (Ganma1 Leonis) was a clear split at 75x but little colour difference. Omega Leonis and Kappa Leonis were too tight for the seeing conditions. 54 Leonis was an easy split though. Nice colour difference showing blue/green-grey. Ended on Iota Leonis. The tiny secondary trailing to the east of the primary just barely visible.

Altair RACI finder as a scope: 60mm F3.75 A wee bit of field curvature, mind!

Markarian's Chain? https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/yanking-markarians-chain/

Just found that the soft rubber top can come off! 43mm across and 4mm deep

Nope. It's 45mm at the top end:

Just measured it. It's 45mm at the narrowest part (soft rubber top) and 48mm at the widest part (the bottom of the plastic section)