Pixies

It looks similar to my Altair Astro 60mm RACI finder. https://www.altairastro.com/altair-10x60mm-raci-finder-scope-90-deg-erect-image-prism-variable-illuminator-eyepiece-2504-p.asp I've never tried to work it out, but the TFOV appears to be the same as the outer ring of the Telrad - which is 6 degrees. You can, of course, use whatever EP you want to! You could put in a 32mm plossl and perhaps get an even wider view? I don't know, whether the diagonal or any baffles might stop that down. I'll check for you. Give me 15 mins!

Again from the same source. This gives you an idea of the extent of the Virgo super cluster of galaxies:

I'm no imager, I'm afraid. Markarian's chain is the big draw, I guess. Includes: M84 (NGC 4374), M86 (NGC 4406), NGC 4477, NGC 4473, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435. Image taken from https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/yanking-markarians-chain/

Virgo is appearing in the evening sky (it's there now - but later in the night). Lot's of galaxies in that region (plus Leo), and best viewed during spring before summer comes - when there's a distinct lack of dark skies in which to properly observe them.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shoogle

Thanks all. The scope is fairly new. Only used a few times before I received it and the focuser actually feels spot-on. I bought it with the intention of fettling, so no concerns there. Considering the pinched optics (my fault), it won't surprise me if it's just a case of shoogling the lenses to sort out the collimation.

Many thanks, @John. I had read up about it but it's always good to hear from someone you know had the experience to recommend the method. It was a change to see the diffraction patterns so clear and stable, last night. Even if they were showing coma.

M101 is very faint, don't worry. M51 is a lot easier to see, but depends on your conditions, of course. You will probably need to use averted vision. Try M81 and M82. You should be able to get both in the same view. They are nice and bright, although not quite as concentrated as M94

I've joined the club, and tonight was the first chance to use the SW Startravel 80 in anger. Clear Outside had been promising clear skies all day and at 11pm the clouds vanished and I saw stars for the first time in weeks! I had the new scope and the dob out cooling for an hour already. Firstly, a star test on Polaris. Hmm - very odd shaped stars. Having watched Astro-Biscuit's latest video, I recognised pinched optics and tried to loosen the lens cell. Jammed tight! I had fiddled with it earlier in the week, when I had heard the lenses moving when I tilted the scope - tightening the plastic cover just enough to stop the movement. Now the scope had cooled down, it was very tight. I left it inside for 30 minutes and it eventually freed-up. I gently took up the slack, replaced the dew shield and tried again. Now the stars were sort of round, but at higher magnification I could see it was out of collimation and exhibiting coma. I'll need to look at this later. Anyway , seeing was good and transparency very good. I could see all 7 stars in Ursa Minor - which is very rare here. Clear skies, good seeing, good transparency and a new moon. What more could I ask for? Well, for the gusty westerly wind to stop, actually! It was going to get chilly. Started with Cancer, a bit later than I had hoped. M44 Beehive - Just like my binocular view, the 30mm Vixen plossl giving a nice wide field. My star-hopping EP for tonight. M67 cluster - Much fainter than expected. Hardly visible and small. Better with 8mm EP but little star resolution. Of course, this is only an 80mm scope. Iota Cancri - Easily split even at low power. Main star yellow/white and secondary looked blue. Very pretty. Now on to Leo Algieba - Split with 4mm ortho (x100 mag). Both airy disks clear and good seeing with little disturbance. Coma very obvious, with conical diffraction patterns. Leo Triplet - Yep. This surprised me. Only the 2 main Messier components visible with averted vision, though. Vesta - easy to locate in finder. A new one for me. Now some targets near to the zenith. The sky is very transparent. Forgot the pain of straight-finders and high objects. My knees are killing me. M81 and M82. I could actually see them in my 10x50 bins. Easy to see in scope and both perfectly framed with 12mm BST (x33 magnification) M51 - faint but I could make out both cores of the Whirlpool galaxy with averted vision. Two other galaxies - M94 (bright and easy to find, like a planetary nebula), M63 (the Sunflower galaxy, faint but visible with AV) It was getting late and I was getting cold, so decided to call it a night with the ST80 and give the dob a chance. I had wanted to check out Markarian's chain, but it was much later than expected and Leo was far south now, and into a brighter part of the sky. Still - worth a shot. Back to the 60mm RACI finder, phew! Easy to hop to the location, but the sky through the scope was bright and I couldn't make out much. M86 and M84 were obvious with AV, but any other galaxies in the chain were just fleetingly noticable. Nearby M87 (Virgo A) was bright and visible with direct vision. Now I really was cold and started packing up. Only to notice Hercules appearing over the easterly roof. I couldn't miss the opportunity to check out the Great Cluster. Bright and clear in the bins. A larger hazy patch with the ST80 but it took the larger aperture of the dob to resolve stars, my 8mm Vixen LVW showing cascades of yellow and white stars across the dense cluster. Lovely.

Lots and lots of galaxies in Leo - but faint and with Bortle 7 might be very tricky to see without practise. Better bets near Ursa Major. M81 and M82 are a must see. M51 might be visible too. M94 in Canes Venatici has a bright core, too. Well, relatively bright for a galaxy. Is Auriga placed OK for you? Quite a few open clusters reside here. M36, M37 (a favourite of mine) and M38 are there.

It's looking like first-light for my ST80 tonight. Haven't done any fettling to it yet - I thought I'd get some use first, then I'll be able to see any improvement. I'll probably get some flocking material, as I want to do the baffle tube on my Skymax90 before I sell it.

Aside from the above reasons, I find that I can't use a short Cheshire as the cross hairs are so close to my eyes that I can't focus on them and the doughnut. If you wear specs, I think that's a consideration.

If only..... I only started last spring and so have had lockdown in one form or another in effect since owning a telescope. But I'm ready. Once things return to normal, I can get to a Bottle 3 (21.75) site in around 30 minutes.

Just to qualify - this is not a recommendation. I have no personal experience of this place.

If you want to use their 16" Newt, you could try here: http://www.gallowayastro.com/equipment.htm

Me too! me too! For a while I thought I might get a chance for first light. But alas, wind and rain now...

Thanks to @Stu1smartcookie The new bits are the AZ5 and ST80. The Manfrotto and diagonal I already had.

Here's the Pickering seeing scale (with animated examples) http://www.damianpeach.com/pickering.htm Transparency is harder to define. Do you include light pollution? You could have perfectly transparent skies above the centre of London and not see much. You can use NELM (naked eye limiting magnitude) but this purely objective and will vary from person to person, site to site. Useful for your own records or adding context to you observation reports

I'm very new to sketching (and proper astronomy in general). So I'm hardly an expert. The sketches I've been doing at the eyepiece are just that - sketches. I'll make several, often each one focusing (sorry) on a different aspect of the image. Spacing/geometry, shades/brightness, colour notes, fine details in certain areas. Then when I get back inside, I'll combine them into a finished sketch., sometimes using digital. For example, these: became this: But there are times when you just need a quick sketch to be able to confirm locations and objects when you can get back inside.

Nice. I did a lot of sketching of Mars back in the Autumn, and it really forces you to observe, rather than look (as MikeDNight's signature says) Before you know it, you'll have a full set of pencils, putty erasers, blending stumps.

That is correct. It looks odd, I know.

Thanks. yes - I think a little fettling might be in order. I was sold a while ago with the coverage of this scope from the Actual Astronomy podcast. I might sell my little SW Mak90 to cover this, as it doesn't get a lot of use just now.

Mine should be arriving tomorrow!..😇

One of the useful features of FLO's Atronomy Tools FOV calculator, is that you can superimpose multiple FOV indicators over a single image, and so compare scope/EP/camera combinations

Wait till you get a load of Virgo! Actually, the Virgo supercluster is based around Virgo/Coma Berenices - including Markarian's Chain. The latter is in my bucket list for this year. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/vir.html