Pixies

I shared this recently, but worth doing again: Plus for some comparisons: https://youtu.be/SpVwN21X2QA But it does so come down to what you want to observe and your own situation.

HI, Luckily we're al off to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote for a week, next week! First holiday in 3 years, so really looking forward to it. We've been in the past , but that was before I was seriously into astro. So may I ask whether anyone has any experience/recommendations for things to do (astronomy related). I'll take some binos but can't really take any scopes, so really looking for good places for binocular viewing, or whether there is a recommended public observatory? I've googled as best I can, but Lanzarote always appears to be a bit behind-the-times when it comes to the web presence of tourist attractions. Cheers.

Vixen LVW 22mm too! Although I'm quite taken with my new (to me) Nirvana 28mm 2"

I've just put in an order with FLO for the ASI version. I bit steeper, I know, but I have an idea I might end up with an ASIAir before long.

here's a good video from the lovely Mr Ting, which shows the standard various dob sizes:

Here's a plot from https://blog.michael.franzl.name/2016/11/30/apparent-diameter-plot-jupiter-2017-2026/ And from http://www.astro.sg/2012/11/jupiter-opposition-3-dec-2012.html

A Cheshire collimating eyepiece followed by a star-test is fine. A laser can be quicker, esp in the dark or for longer tubes - but as you say, you need a well collimated laser.

That second pic. Most modern Newts will have the vanes central but secondary offset. As per the second pic, just get the green/red/blue circles concentric and doughnut/dot aligned. The offset should look after itself.

Seems appropriate - as he was given to Perseus by Athena (in the film Clash of the Titans). It was Athena who stuck Andromeda, Perseus, Cepheus and Cassiopeia into the sky as constellations.

A shadow transit of Europa starts around 11:45 pm tonight. However, just to make it more interesting, it will pretty much be following the GRS as it transits across the disk.

Potchefstroom is around 27 degrees South latitude. The planets will be significantly higher than what we see in the UK, so less atmosphere to observe through. However, you have the Jetstream in the Southern hemisphere to worry about!

Have just arrived back home - the campervan survived (just)! Had a great astrocamp. The first night was spectacular. My best ever view of the Veil nebula and the first absolutely definite view of M33 with proper direct vision and some structure. The second night was damp and with considerably more alcohol involved. I'd never tried Spanish brandy before - and probably won't again! Great to see everyone. The tomato bros, well one of them, came and introduced himself. @cajen2 - sorry I didn't see you when I left this morning. You must have been hiding! Now just have to face unloading and unpacking!

I'm in they old Bongo in the corner of the lower field where the road/path comes up from the bottom field. Say 'hi' if you're passing

Last night was great. Cloudy up to midnight but then very clear. Seeing was pretty poor but transparency was good. Managed the Veil well with the Baader Oiii 8mm filter. Andromeda was great and M32 and M110 very clear. Even M33 (Triangulum) was bright in direct vision in the dob. Lots of faint stuff! Good to hang out with @cajen2, @ScouseSpaceCadet and @Live_Steam_Mad. Anyone else here? Forecast not so good for next 2 nights, but fingers crossed we get some clear spells! Not as cold as last spring! That Vixen is a 105, btw.

I'm parked up at a campsite near Garstang - half way to Astrocamp. The skies here are quite dark (21.1 from CO) and I can see the Milky way overhead. Which is nice.

I'll also be bringing the big guns, if anyone wants a shot:

Everyone ready? What are you bringing? I'll bring the 8" Bresser dob and the Vixen A80M on an AP mount (for the planets). And a few beers

Thanks everyone. The 585 it is, then. Mother! Time to sell more children!

A 5mm will give you x150. That'll be fine with the gas giants. If you have a Barlow, the 8mm will go down to x190-ish.

What scope do you have?

I use Skysafari on a phone. At a really dark site, I use it on a tablet with red film covering the screen. @Ratlet - do you have a RACI finder? A telrad/quikfinder along with a RACI make star-hopping so easy.

OK. I can read the specs and understand what they mean. But I have no experience when it comes to making real-world interpretation. So, when they say: ASI-678MC sensor size: 7.7 x 4.3mm Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Pixel size: 2μm ADC: 12bit Peak QE: ~83% Read Noise: 0.6e Full Well: 11270e ASI-585MC sensor size: 11.2 x 6.3mm Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Pixel size: 2.9μm ADC: 12bit Peak QE: 91% Read Noise: 0.8e Full Well: 47000e So the 678 has higher resolution, better read noise (at whatever gain), is slightly more efficient; but 585 has bigger pixels and 'fuller' wells (no idea how best to put that). But what does this mean when it comes to the real-world use of them. I've been following @Chris's topic with interest, and @PeterC65's posts regarding getting started with the IMX585 for EEVA. But here's the question.... When it comes to using these cameras with a small (400mm fl) scope for EEVA-type imaging. Which is the most suitable? I get the feeling that the 585 might lend itself better to long-exposure imaging and the 678 to planetary? Cheers

Up here in Edinburgh, the latitude is about 56° North. That's touch-and-go with the Vixen AP: I assume that as the lower end of the RA body comes down, the adjuster bolt screws in enough to miss it. But it's pretty close!

My experience with getting stuff from the states is that the tracking gets stuck then suddenly it arrives at your door!

Like many last night, I spent the early hours watching the start of the shadow transit of Io. It was great to see the shadow and the actual moon so close together. I recon the distance between the 2 was about 2x the diameter of Io. My favourite view was with the shadow and the moon equally distanced either side of the limb edge. Followed Io as it crossed the Jovian disk and could see it easily at first but slowly it became harder to observe and then only visible at moments of clearer seeing. I didn't hang around for better seeing as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped around 2am and I packed up.