wulfrun

Mine's marked "China" and has a compression-ring with a single M4 thumbscrew (I've just checked it with a gauge). HTH.

Apart from glitches, check the file is not over the 2Mb limit?

This post has just reminded me that I never finished my filter for the 150PL...but I did make one for the 8x50 finder. Just had a peek and wow, 2 huge spots readily visible! Impressive and a good incentive to complete that main filter.

I think I'd have to question the statistical validity of the conclusion based on such a small change. The method is somewhat dependent on the conditions during the count too.

Like yourself @ScouseSpaceCadet , I think that it has not improved here. Despite increasing energy costs, I haven't noticed any of the local, badly-aimed and overpowered insecurity lights being turned off. A couple of minutes at a time of a 20W LED light is still not worth fretting over, cost-wise...yet!

My council certainly haven't done any streetlight switching and my SE aspect (city centre) is an even more obvious orange glow since the local sidestreets are now LED-white lighting.

You can get a hotshoe adapter to take an RDF, such as Ebay item 202456679761. Others probably exist. Not sure how easy it would be to attach anything heavyweight to a DSLR, not advisable in the hotshoe anyway.

I have the abovementioned item and it works well enough with a spare RDF I had lying around.

Another vote for a Starguider or two. I have a 5mm and it performs quite well in a similar scope (114/500). You'll probably pay more than the scope cost for anything majorly better.

One thing to be aware of, besides coma etc: the aperture of the scope is fairly small...meaning that if you go much higher power the view becomes dim due to a small exit-pupil. Not too bad for something like Jupiter/Saturn or the moon though. Additionally, following a target manually as it moves becomes increasingly difficult.

Use higher ISO (maybe 400 or more) and open up the aperture to get shorter shutter-speeds. Opening the lens wide *might* reduce quality slightly* but try it and see. Are you using a remote release for the shutter? If not, either use one or use the self-timer to avoid pressing the button physically at the time of exposure. If your camera has it, use mirror lock-up or shutter delay so the mirror doesn't cause vibration.

* edit: Most lenses are optimised for sharpness at roughly their mid f-stop

Don't rule out something external, in addition to the posts above. Last year I was observing Jupiter from my back yard, through a scope with a 4-vane spider. I got 6 spikes but only the expected 4 on a few stars I tried for comparison. Turned out my washing line was smack in line with Jupiter!

17 minutes ago, Mike Q said:

Not really.  WD-40 is ok for stuff that is only kinda stuck.  Creeping oil is even thinner.  Kroil is the brand of it that I like for getting the REALLY stuck stuff loose.

Plus-Gas is a readily-available UK penetrating oil, probably our equivalent. Unfortunately, the marketing of WD40 means that folk tend to believe it's a cure-all. Diesel fuel also makes a good release oil.

WD40...WD = water-dispersant, 40 = the 40th version/attempt. Originally intended to disperse water from the ignition systems of (military?) vehicles that wouldn't start otherwise, in damp conditions.

You'll quite possibly require a Barlow lens to bring the focal point further out. You might get away with using the Barlow's elements screwed into the "eyepiece" tube, if you get one with elements that can be removed (some can some can't).

Not familiar with that camera but have a look in the settings menus and see if there's an option that says "shoot without lens" or similar wording. If there is, set it to "yes" or tick it or whatever it needs.

EDIT: according to a YouTube video I just found, on Nikons you just have to shoot in manual-mode ("M").

All depends how brutal you want to be or need to get. First approach would be a good-quality Allen key of the correct size, instead of the soft-cheese ones usually supplied. If that fails, try forcing a Torx bit in, if you can find one that's tight, or a flat-bladed screwdriver that *just* fits across the width of the hex. Last resort, drill it out, starting undersized and progressing (carefully) larger until it falls apart. Anything bar the first option risks doing damage beyond the grub-screw, just depends on your level of "needs to come out".

EDIT: one non-brutal method... coat a sacrificial key in epoxy, insert into the screw-head and let it set. Worth a try if you have  no more advanced tools. Just be extra careful not to get epoxy anywhere other than the screw-head & key!

Another vote for the Heritage 150P. Quick to set up, not too heavy and highly capable for the price. The focuser can be improved with Teflon tape and the (essential) shroud isn't difficult or expensive to make.

Probably the same thing discussed here:

I'll be happy to know if anyone can give a definitive answer, I'm intrigued & it was an odd sight. First glance I thought "the moon looks seriously hazy" then a double-take because it couldn't be the moon!

I saw it too, a bit bigger than the full moon. Slightly W of due N, it had a bight centre and a diffuse ring around it. Just chanced to look up, it looked a bit like the moon might through heavy haze but the bins showed the bright central point.

37 minutes ago, Paul_Sussex said:

 Hmmmm...first quarter moon next week!

That's not how it works. Full moon if that wasn't your intended target, plain-old full-cloud if it was!

10 minutes ago, Paul_Sussex said:

Well, my early retirement present has arrived! So a weekend of struggling with mount building, finder alignment and hoping it's in collimation...

Have fun!

I've been using Photon micro-lights for years, not only for astro (they come with most beam colours, not just red). I got one with a bundle that included a clip which has a ball-joint and is also magnetic, so you can attach it to most things and aim it as required. I think a neck-lanyard clip is "standard". They go from a glimmer to brighter-than-you-need-for-astro and the battery lasts quite a while. Only con I can see, they're small enough to lose easily (I haven't, yet!). If you're likely to drop it, there's a blink mode (about 3 sec apart, short blink).

No affiliation to, nor did I buy mine from them, but here's a UK store link:

https://www.bushgear.co.uk/products/photon-freedom-microlight-covert-the-original-led-keycain-light-red-led-version

The downside to red-filtering a white torch is that you're filtering most of its output, which is very battery-inefficient. When needs must though, it does work.

35 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

Looking at the op screenshots, it doesn't look like he's using mobile data, good shout though as throws many off 

@Paul Bulbeckhave you tried using the app available from the skywatcher website or are you using the android play store one, I seem to remember users having to use the skywatcher website one I think 🤔, could be wrong though.

Also can you update the firmware of your mount, this may help if a newer firmware and known bug using a dongle? 

Could you use another device to try and see if that changes anything? Just throwing some ideas out there. 

Cheers 

Lee

Interestingly, I've just tried mine with mobile Internet active and it didn't care. The manual does state that it may not work though. The Virtuoso manual makes no mention of upgrading firmware, so it's either not possible or they aren't letting on how to. I think the OP would be wise to check what version of the App they have though, I've read several times that the version on Google Play Store doesn't work.

It's intriguing that it's reporting unable to determine mount type. Mine simply sets AZ and refuses to allow it to be changed (as expected on an AZ-only mount).

Which app version & Android version are you on? Mine's Pro 1.19.15 on Android 12 (A11 until a few days back) and it "just works" without any issues. HTH

27 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I’m puzzled as the FLO website states that to have go to you need to use a synscan handset and cable. Is this wrong?

It's wrong if it's the Virtuoso (I didn't look to see if it does say that). The WiFi "dongle" plugs into a Virtuoso in place of a handset and works with the synscan app, this is how I use mine (it's a lot cheaper than a handset, which the Virtuoso does not come with).

Binoculars (noun) must be plural, by definition, I'd think. Singular would be monocular. "Binocular" would be an adjective, e.g. binocular vision, having two forward-facing eyes.

EDIT: as per above post, "a pair of trousers", yet one can buy a trouser press. Implying a press for a trouser? (Yes, it's the press that's singular).

EDIT2: a visit to the Wikipedia page for "plurale tantum":

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluralia_tantum

I've just tried mine, v1.19.15 Pro. If I do a "North level" alignment, I get all Q5 on both lists. If I do a "3-star alignment", page 1 is all Q5 but pages 2 & 3 are assorted values. Polaris as a 3rd star, for instance is Q2 or Q3 (didn't note it down).

Can't shed any light on how the Q relates, sorry. The manual notes the "rules" for stars to use but I feel some you could pick would fall foul.

9 minutes ago, Kev M said:

So if m=0 then E=0

Therefore photons have no energy.....that cant be right.... or can it ?

No, as pointed out "rest mass". If it were possible stop a photon (without thus destroying it) and weigh it, you'd find it weighed nothing whatsoever, nada, zero. Because energy and mass are "the same thing" though, the photon has an equivalent mass due to its energy.