PeterW

Aha, fellow SCAD users! Parametric cad is much cleaner to know what you have than solidworks where you have to set relationships between things which invariably break. Change one value and the rest of the design changes. Of course you have to make your own fillets and threads. I have colleagues using Blender, a user interface made by a sadist! PEterW

How do you get that sticker about the clouds?! PEter

I mount a 2” on my 1x (made a pushfit adapter). 3x is quite useful for the bigger things, then my 80mm f4 jumbo finder which is very good for the heart/soul/NAM etc. Peter

That counterweight will never work... you’ll find yourself drinking them and then the tracking will go to pot! Peter

That bino and the summer milkyway will be pretty mindblowing, hopefully showing the billowy clouds and dark nebulae better that anything else. NV transforms night time viewing. I’d add a solar CaK filter (and camera) to your list, but solar minimum means the sun will be pretty boring for some years. The advantage of NV is that you can still use it when it’s cloudy... you just go looking for earth bound stuff instead... deer, rabbits, bats, badgers etc. PEter

Almost the worst conditions... at least we had the moon this time! I fear you’ll need another chroma filter for the “other eye” and maybe another 3x lens too. Should help ferret out some of those large hard to confirm nebulae PEter

... excellent, the Meissa Nebula as Orions head is an awesome sight. To the right you might get the eridanus loop. The area around the cone is very expansive too. good luck Peter

Brilliant image! You might want to extend it a bit more to the top and right hand side as there is more nebulosity to include. PEterW

... people been using it for close to 20yrs... just not many. Been a big rise in the past 5yrs, improving tech, better awareness and greater availability. PEter

Our CT machine is generally a bit busy unfortunately. PeterW

You might like to get a copy of Brackens Astrophotography Sky Atlas. There are plenty more big unknown nebulae out there to play with. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Astrophotography-Sky-Atlas-Charles-Bracken/dp/1517687802 Peter

Or find someone with a pair and a CT machine to scan them! PEter

M41 is nice just below Sirius! Peter

Some people mention the area round Barnard 37 (just above the cone) as interesting, not sure what the hydrogen alpha would be like... be great to see what you come up with! these objects are not small, Barnards Loop and the angelfish nebulae to the right from these especially! Peter

Thanks, no manual supplied. I’ve now tightened to ball clamp. For £8 I will see how I go and might be asking Santa for a better one later on the year. Made using my 15x70 much easier and fun compared to a tripod and very portable too, which is a big plus. Peter