Stu

1 hour ago, bosun21 said:

That's the only regret I have with my astronomy journey in that I didn't start a detailed journal of my observing sessions. As the saying goes, better late than never as I have just ordered a proper bound journal and was actually brave enough to include some sketching materials. Wish me luck 🤞.

I’m the same, have never consistently written observing notes, but I kind of use SGL for that. I can still look back at some memorable sessions which I wrote up on here and enjoy them again.

11 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

I have previously owned two of them and sold them on due to the relatively small eye lens and shorter than what I am used to eye relief. Now on reflection and after reading so many recommendations from members I think I may have been a tad hasty in giving up with them. Not that I will ever confess to buying a (cough, cough) third one 🙄.

No shame in that, I’ve had three TV Genesis’, three 120EDs and three OO 12” dobs….. utter madness. Strangely only one TV Genesis remains in my possession.

Back to the SvBony, I’ve found it excellent with a very good range. Eye relief feels a bit tighter than the Nag zooms despite being the same, probably due to the eye cup design. When folded down it is perfectly useable without glasses.

I’ve not had really good seeing conditions yet, but haven’t seen a difference to the Nag Zooms in quality. I do still think the BGOs give a fraction more sharpness though; I’ve found the F star in the Trap stands out better in an Ortho than any of the short zooms. I have 2 to 4 and 3 to 6mm Nag Zooms so really should do some direct comparisons with the scope on a tracking mount to see if I can separate them at equal focal lengths. That would require this awful weather to clear off though!!

15 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

The White Spot on Saturn c 1990/91, can't remember, but it will be in my notes somewhere. Saw it, didn't report it, then  a couple of weeks later someone shouts "I've discovered a white spot on Saturn. Slippery Big Fish!

Was that around the same time you spotted the stone in the HorseHead’s hoof Mike? 🤪🤣👍

12 minutes ago, Vallantho said:

I came for the community. The last few years I’ve come to realise how important that is for my mental wellbeing. 

I’d been wanting to get into Astrophotography for a long while. It got to a point where I had the money available and I was looking around to see what I would buy to get me into the hobby. But around that time my dad died unexpectedly. Unfortunately he was the main carer for my mum who had recently been diagnosed with Fronto Temporal Dementia. I basically had to give up my whole life, move back home, change jobs and forget about any plans I might have had.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me.  I didn’t realise until I removed myself from my old life how much I hated it and how miserable it made me. Most of my time not spent at work was spent on my own. I thought I liked it that way. But I was wrong about that.

Anyway dad used to take mum to a dementia group in the local community centre so I started doing the same. Keep up the routine. I hated it. Hated being around people. But six years later I can’t be without it, and other groups we are a part of. There’s a singing group and a water aid coffee morning. I did these things for mums sake. But in the end it’s me who’s benefited most by integrating myself into a close community of people.

Well one day I was taking some rubbish to the dump and while rooting around I found a discarded telescope.  A Celestron astromaster 130eq. They let me take it. I cleaned it all up and set it up in the garden. One quick look at the moon and I knew this was never gonna be enough for me. I didn’t really have the disposable money to go diving into Astrophotography the way I originally intended, and thank goodness. I would have made all the wrong decisions.  But slowly over time buying second hand when money would allow I’ve gotten to where I wanted to be.

The whole time I learned most of what I’ve needed to know from reading SGL. And through reading and learning a lot I found that this was a community of people I wanted to be a part of. Mum’s condition has progressed to the point where she can no longer communicate.  If it wasn’t for community I would be very isolated and that’s not a good way to live. So with all the things I’m now part of that’s what I’m there for. Community.

Thanks for telling us a little bit about your story @Vallantho. That really is what SGL is all about, and it is so good to hear that it provides such a strong sense of community to you. I think a lot of us feel the same; some of the people I value and trust most (outside family) are ‘virtual’ friends I have on here!

6 minutes ago, John said:

Hope to see you there Stu 🙂

Ditto John. Don’t think we’ve ever met so would be good to see you.

Nothing for me at the scope, but I normally have a nice cup of tea to warm up when I’m done.

Thanks for the heads up. Pretty close to me so I’ll likely make a trip down to take a look.

12 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Do you have a Concenter Stu? I could borrow you my 2" one as they make collimating the secondary easy and accurate.

I do actually, thanks for the offer though.  I did give it a quick go the other night but think slightly more extensive adjustments are needed on the secondary to get it right. The support is three vanes and not quite as easy to adjust as a four vane spider.

4 minutes ago, Moonlit Night said:

Also one would imagine a AZ5 would be more manly than the AZ4, which it absolutely is not. 

Yes, from what I’ve read, the AZ4 was more solid, just didn’t look as trendy! I helped a new starter buy a setup, including an 80mm Vixen and AZ4 and thought it was an excellent mount.

43 minutes ago, tomato said:

What are they going to do to establish if you are suitable to join over the three meetings, trial by combat, or see if you can collimate an RC in under 3 minutes?

Perhaps they just check you’ve got elbow patches on your jacket and sufficient hair growing out of your ears?

The latter criteria being a good reason for male dominance of such clubs 🤪🤣

Interestingly there is a ScopeTech Zero for sale on ABS. I’ve not tried a Sightron so don’t know if it’s any better or worse than the ScopeTech. Mine is not without vibration, but is a one handed lift of the whole setup so is very convenient and gets used a lot. With slo mos and a fine focuser I find the vibrations damp down quickly.

3 minutes ago, Wanderers said:

My local society told me that if I want to attend I get 3 meetings and then the committee decide on my suitability. 

I'm 63 and well past that!

Is that normal? If so it's easy to see how people get put off. 

I wouldn’t be doing with any of that, they should be grateful to have you! The clubs I’ve joined (or have run) let prospective members try them out for size for a few months before deciding if they want to join. 

Out of interest, how much do the SkyTees weigh? I had one for a while and from memory they are chunky beasts? Very solid, though a little agricultural as has been said. Mine was drilled to take saddles both ends which was useful, I think some versions come like that now?

16 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

The Sightron mount of a similar design is now available, I suspect that company may have held the patent.

I bought a Sightron last month, and was hugely disappointed, too much 'wag' with a 102mm f7 'frac (compared with my Castor or even AZ5 ) and, crucially, where the Scopetech has a bend in the horizontal part so the az slo mo is offset, in the Sightron that bar is straight, so the slo mo is directly below the OTA, and the knob interferes with the tube at high alt. I tried using a cable and it was no improvement, still in the way. The only way to make it work was to use the AZ control knob pointing away from the user, which is awkward and means using a cable to reduce vibrations would be a reach, or having the clamp and OTA on the outside of the vertical arm which did not seem a stable arrangement to me.

I tried the sightron in place of my AZ5 for my 127 mak and found the vibrations died down far faster with my AZ5. The Sightron went  back 😞

Interesting feedback, must have been a disappointment. I hadn’t noticed the arrangement of the slo motion controls and agree that must get in the way. The ScopeTech is better in that respect.

When you say ‘too much wag’, I assume you mean that it just took too long for vibrations to die down? Was this both on the same tripod, as that is a major component of the stability as I’m sure you know.

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

I know Stu often manages good mobile phone shots but I believe he does have a proper phone mount? They do look rather like Instruments of Torture though!😄

I use a MoveShootMove AccuView mount which is the best I’ve found to date.

https://www.moveshootmove.com/collections/move-shoot-move-rotator/products/3-axis-smartphone-adapter-for-digiscoping-telescope-spotting-scope-adapters
 

It is very rigid and holds its position well. Conditions were bad last night, but I managed these through the FS-128. I do often still just hand hold over the eyepiece though, if I just want to carry on observing.

Had the FS-128 out last night, though it probably wasn’t worth it! Some early views of M42 were nice enough, but later I was just observing the Moon through varying degrees of cloud. Even when clear, the seeing wasn’t very good! Svbony zoom worked well though I still think the BGOs offer a smidge more sharpness even if they are a lot less comfortable to look through.

1 minute ago, Stephenstargazer said:

You really ought to try using a finder of some sort ? Gives you 2 chances of messing up 😂

I know, I broke my TelRad, that’s what made it worse!

What was most confusing was that a fair amount of light was reflected off the cover, so it didn’t just look black. I kept thinking I was seeing the kind of increased brightness just out of the field of view when the Moon is nearby, so I kept on trying!! It finally dawned on me when I stepped away from the eyepiece 🤪

41 minutes ago, Jim L said:

Some time ago a gentleman here posted a story about an astronomer who, searching for his next telescope, made the observation that advocates of one instrument or another minimized the defects or their own preferred tool while expanding the faults of others. I thought the observation valuable and kept the story for some time but I seem to have misplaced it. Can anyone point me to the source?

This one?

5 hours ago, Zermelo said:

on the plus side, leaving the cover on means that you don't need to bother with a shroud.

Very true, plus no dew problems either. It could be the future you know!! 🤣

It’s well worth a visit I agree. I took my two there years ago when they were quite small and we had a good time. Some proper rockets there too which are impressive.

1 hour ago, SwiMatt said:

Thanks for the tip @Stu! I extensively alternated between direct and averted vision, but haven't tried flicking away in that way. Will try it for sure next time. Of course, with high light pollution stars might just not have enough contrast to actually be resolved? Just a thought.

I have been wondering a lot about exit pupil recently - after the thread about small APOs: with my machinery and my best eyepiece (100x), exit pupil is 1.27mm. I wonder if that further decreases details that can picked up?

I see stars resolved with a 4” refractor so would think it possible in the Mak, even with some light pollution. Have you tried an observing hood? That can really help cut out glare and improve contrast. Even just a towel over your head helps.

I would think the x100/1.27mm should be fine for globs. It is said that 2mm is optimum for contrast on DSOs but globs are a little different I find because they are basically a bunch of faint stellar objects so to a degree respond better under LP than galaxies.

Keep at it and just see what works best for you.

8 hours ago, Captain Scarlet said:

I spent a few minutes wondering why my 1.25” eyepiece with a 2” skirt simply would not focus. Of course I had the cover still on the 1.25” barrel 🙄

I’ve done that one a few times too!!

Nice report @SwiMatt. Often with globs like M3 it is possible to resolve stars around the edges using averted vision. I often look at the object, then flick my eye away and you see a sparkling mass of stars briefly. Well worth a go. Careful focus also helps of course.

Thank you all for reassuring me it is not just me that does these daft things!! 🤪🤪