Pixies

Perhaps there's a way to replace the plastic focuser with a after-market metal one? https://www.svbony.com/SV161-1-25--Double-Helical-Focuser-for-Telescope-Guide-Scope-with-SV150-Adapter/#F9173A-W9113B

Was observing Iota Cas on Thursday night, but with the 8" dob. Seeing was OK but the view has been better in the past. I might give the old secondary collimation a check soon. I love the colour differences. I have no chance of splitting it with the ST80, the magnification just isn't there. But have yet to try it with the Vixen 80. The Rayleigh limit of an 80mm aperture is 1.75 arc seconds, so it should be possible, shouldn't it?

Still clear outside, but the skies have been a little hazy. Spent some time in Cephus and Cassiopeia, waiting for Jupiter to appear over the houses. When it did, Io and Europa were so close they were almost touching. Both heading towards Jupiter and passing behind it in a few hours. I observed for a while at x150. The GRS was not in view but there were periods of very clear views. I could see the equatorial and temperate belts, as well as a dark barge on the northern equatorial belt. I don't know whether what I was seeing was correct, but the equatorial zone appeared quite dark, especially towards the northern belt. Anyway, had a shot at Neptune. Found it OK but not Triton. Then back to Jupiter to watch Io vanish behind the limb of Jupiter. Seeing was deteriorating and it was also getting a little dewy, so I called it a night.

8" dob outside cooling down. All clear so far - even reports of possible aurora, tonight.

Unfortunately, when I said that this room will be tight, I meant it! There's no room for the Vixen SP mount and tripod set up! Not with the sofa, X-Box and telly! It is a small room. I think it'll be a shelf with bagged scope. I'll keep the mount and tripod in the garage with the spiders.

Same here - looking good for tonight, the first time in ages. I've seen neptune in 10x50 binos, recently - but not in the scope since last year. Perhaps it was when I managed to get all the planets in one night. Certainly haven't knowingly seen Triton before, although tonight's moon certainly won't help.

The dob has a nice alcove in the kitchen by the back door. The Vixen SP and tripod can live in the garage, too. It'll only be the fracs / Manfrotto tripod / AZ5 / EP cases that will llive upstairs.

After 16 years, I get my old 'study' back! Well, that makes it sound a bit grand, but the old spare room that became a nursery in 2005 is now empty again. My younger daughter has annexed the nice back room! Anyway, the little room upstairs is now empty and will gain my desk and PC, plus sofa and xbox/telly (for the kids). It's also still got the old wardrobe. It's going to be tight, but i have plans for astro-storage, books, pictures, etc. But I'm wondering about the longer refractor that I have. The f11 80mm Vixen laguishes on a table in the front room. Looks nice there, but the wife wants it out! No problem, now I have my astro-study! But what is the best way to store such a scope: Horizontal or vertical? Resting on its rings, or suspended? Can I just sit it end-down on the dew sheild? Cheers

I'd recommend a proper astro shop (real or online) rather than Amazon. You'll get proper advice as well as support. Lot's of junk out there for the unwary!

I use a few short Orthos in my F6 200mm dob. At high power it can be a little hard work trying to keep up wirth the target. However, there have been quite a few cases when trying to split tight double-stars that I've found them more successful than some modern eyepieces.

The obstruction caused by the secondary mirror in a newtonian (and Mak, SCT, etc.) affects the contrast of the image. Maths here: http://www.astrophoto.fr/obstruction.html

If the weather is going that way, I think it'll be obvious to you!

I live about 20 m from the sea. It's all fine. I wouldn't go on or near the sand, and I'd avoid an onshore wind if the air is at all 'damp'. Is you scope a reflector or refractor? I'd worry more about mirrored surfaces, I think.

Sorry - yes, I meant to say that. The only time I ever needed to collimate my Mak was after I had it in bits!

http://www.mira.org/ascc/pages/lectures/collim.htm

I did it to remove that odd halo/ring that appeared to expand out when a bright star passed outside the field stop. I can;t say that I saw a difference with contrast for astronomical observing, though.

Flocking the baffle tube shown here: I did similar for a Mak90. I removed the backing and stuck it against the inside of the baffle tube, rather than letting it rest in place. I found the best way was to wrap it around a pencil, sticky-side out, and then press it against the inside of the baffle tube and run the pencil in the opposite direction that you rolled the flocking material, pushing outwards as you go. The FLO flock isn't too sticky and makes this easy. Didn't need much!

Looks like one of these. Bargain! https://www.pramcentre.co.uk/high-chairs-feeding-c13/high-chairs-c99/stokke-tripp-trapp-chair-beech-wood-p59

It's hard to see from that picture as it's overexposed. The black dot (the eye hole in the collimation cap) can't be seen in the picture, but it should be inside the 'doughnut'. Adjust the primary slightly, do that it's central. The secondary mirror looks fine.

Once you see that any number to the power 0 = 1, it makes more sense. Multiplication and division of numbers can be represented as addition and subtraction of indices. For example: 4 x 2 = 8 is equivalent to: (2^2) x (2^21) and is: 2^(2+1) = 2^3 = 8 So... 2/2 (=1) equivalent to: (2^1) / (2^1) 2^(1-1) = 2^0 = 1 (have just been explaining this to offsping #2 for maths homework)

Same here. I'd much rather write up a report before I hit the sack, although sometimes it's just too late.

There's a thread around here somewhere that suggests turning the worm shaft around, so that the bent end is out of the way, and the gears/clutch can be attached to the other end. Found it. It's for an eq5, but might still apply:

Here are a couple of useful videos. A bit of a cheesy style, but he does explain it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plx6XXDgf2E&t=18s&ab_channel=EyesontheSky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7HVDKAZ6eM&list=PLLM5fRxAaC_fxTiSQxQ_csdXof0LG4zh7&index=3&ab_channel=EyesontheSky First one is alignment, second is actually using it.

True. I'm not sold on wide-field views. I have an 18mm version of the often recommended Nirvana 82deg EPs , but just don't get on with it. It's like sitting too close to the cinema screen!

Managed to get a view of it in the bins and then the ST80 before the clouds came over. I'd say its dimmer than mag 4.8 Tau Ophiuchi but slightly brighter than nearby mag 5.4 HR 6686. So mag 5.2 - ish.