Pixies

He he. I wonder how old the article is. Firstly: "CompuServe, America Online, and the Internet" but then he mentions the 109 messier objects! M110 was categorized as such in 1967, wasn't it? 🤔

Nice. Theta Aurigae can be a bit tricky - it all depends on the seeing conditions. Good that it's doable in an 80mm scope. Once I get the Vixen 80 back up and running, I'll be giving it a shot.

Found this for the first tie this year. Not sure why I had missed it before. I find it surpasses Albireo, but not sure why. Perhaps because it's a little tighter which might make the colour contrast stand out more. Would be interesting to compare the two with images taken with similar equipment and similar technique.

I was using my 2" Aero ED 35mm last night too. That's a 68° EP and gives just under 2° of sky. It was good for showing both M38 and NGC1907 in the same view. It's not a bad EP, not heavy or enormous like some other 2" ones. Even with a 5.8mm exit pupil in my dob, it doesn't appear to show too much of my mild astigmatism. I have the 30mm version too - it's for sale in the classifieds section. I prefer the 35mm.

Observed 67P tonight. Much brighter/clearer tonight and now in Cancer. I could just make out a possible short tail with averted vision - pointing west from the comet. Visible in a wide range of magnifications, but probably best in 8mm Vixen LVW (x150 mag) I would have tried a sketch, but far too cold tonight!

Just had first light with a pair of new (to me) EPs that have been languishing in boxes for a few weeks. I was a little nervous about how well I was going to get on with them as I didn't have a great time with my old 16mm Nirvana 82°. But it turns out I get along with these models just fine. With both EPs I had no trouble seeing the full field. With the Nirvana, I had trouble getting my eye positioned correctly and had to pay careful attention to how I was moving around over the eye lens to avoid blackouts. However, with the ES it just seemed to work for me and I was no longer being constantly aware of how I was having to use it. I just stuck my eye up to the eyecup and started observing. 6.7mm first. The seeing was good so I observed Theta Aurigae. The split was easy and the tiny secondary appeared as a clear pin prick next to the larger bright primary star. I was using the dob (1213mm FL) so that's x180 magnification. The on to Uranus - which appeared as a clear cyan disk. With the 14mm I observed a few targets in Auriga. M36, 37 and 38 as usual. All beautifully clear, with M37 filling the FOV of the new EP. Also observed clusters NGC 1893 and NGC 1931 - I'm sure I could see some nebulosity within both. Pretty impressed with them both and relieved I get on with them.

Superb! And a big ol' Altair RACI too!

Iota Cancri is nice. Although a triple not a double, Iota Cassiopeia is one of my favourites. Pretty tight but not hard work to observe - and lovely colour differences. Almach (Gamma Andromedae) I recently discovered. It's like Albireo, but a little tighter. Izar (Epsilon Bootis) Yellow primary and green/white secondary. In a Newtonian view, looks like a tiny hot-air balloon gliding by! Theta Aurigae. A very tight double with the primary star much brighter, making it hard to split. However, it's nowhere near as difficult as Sirius. When you can split it (seeing allowing) the tiny bright pinprick of the secondary is satisfyingly distinct. Mid-winter onwards, when it is well placed for me, I use it as a test of seeing conditions as the start of a session. Epsilon Lyra (double-double) - enough said.

40 Eridani (Keid) has another name too. Vulcan Live long and prosper!

Have you got any pics?

The missus sent me a link to this earlier! I am slowly converting her......

The Tak prism has a twist-grip doesn't it? The eyepiece undercuts are designed to work with thumbscrews but can cause problems with compression rings. It might be that the Tak compression ring is unable to get a proper grip with the Celestron undercuts.

You haven't seen my campervan!

Yep - dobby. With the cash saved you can get some nice upgrades or even a grab-and-go / travel scope

Our camping was revolutionized once we realised that airbeds are the work of satan! They transmit the cold and unless you have a very expensive one, are pretty uncomfortable with anyone with a sore back. We now use a thick 'mattress topper' laid over foil-backed picnic blankets. The matress does take up some room though, even when rolled up. That plus a thick duvet and proper pillows (and thermals) As next year avoids my daughter's birthday at he beginning of the month, I'll hopefully be coming. I'll bring my campervan, though.

With the camera, if you remove the diagonal from the visual path, I doubt you'd have an issue with any extra length added by the filter wheel.

It is also estimated that 50%+ of star systems are binary (or even higher-multiples). In our solar system, some consider Jupiter a failed-star. It's made up of mainly star-like material: hydrogen and helium, it just never became dense enough to fire up!

Until you look through it, and then start to notice the (often minor) improvements - but that's enough to start you on the slippery slope! Seriously, though. The benefits of better gear starts to show when you start pushing the equipment to its limits. Either faint stuff, small stuff, bright stuff, fuzzy stuff, etc. For me, it was trying to split tight doubles that started to show up limitations with the budget EPs.

The more reports the better! It's the first thing I check for at morning coffee break, and I don't mind how short or "not worthy" they might seem. The frequency of clear nights is so low, any experience, however vicarious, is very welcome! Good idea about a long-running thread for comments. I'll definitely use it.

My mum always spoke about seeing the aurora just before WW2 started, like it was an omen. She was in in Bradford, near Bath - so pretty far south. I just had quick check and there was the 'Fatima' storm of January 1938, which might be it. https://digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/download/file/IO_529636c8-99b9-42f1-82e3-1a69672ddaf1

Personally, I think the Orion ST80 looks the nicest. (ST=Short Tube) Purely because of the colour and rings. I have the SW Star Travel 80 (rings)

SW Star Travel 80, Meade adventure 80, Orion ST80, Celestron Powerseeker 80AZS, Astromaster 80AZS. - all pretty much the same scope. Pick your mounting: rings/small dovetail/side brackets Pick your colour Pick your finder Pick your diagonal

I'm afraid Jonny Alpha hasn't visited this site since September 20, 2017! Hope he's not stuck in the attic!

I've looked for (and found) that only once. I bit of a ticking-off exercise in an 8" dob in non-dark skies. So faint it was more like comet hunting!

I think I prefer @Sunshine's name - the parachute!