Stu

Quick question on this. I use the iOS app which works well. Is it possible to have it default to a particular location rather than always starting with the FLO forecast then having to change it? Thanks

Now that would be worth having!

I have noticed it too John, but for me it was a known and accepted issue when I purchased. I rarely use the eyepiece at minimum zoom, mainly in the 8.9 to 12 ish mm range I guess for observing. Additionally, I tend to use it for planetary and solar observing so edge performance is less important for me. I don't think it is as good off axis as Delos/Pentax/Ethos but it's great for my purposes.

Don't be. It was a painful experience.... These have all gone to new homes, hopefully being enjoyed still though. It did break my habit of never letting go of anything! It's a funny thing though, I still really enjoy using my Orthos instead, no idea why!!

I did have three but sold a load of very lovely Delos, Radian and Pentax eps to raise some cash, in part for the Vixen. The Leica was compensation for them [emoji6]. I do miss them sometimes and will replace at some point down the line.

Digger, if you've made some changes worth showing, go ahead and post them. This thread should not be just about high end kit, anyone should feel able to share what they have put together and be proud of it. Plenty of members get lovely views and achieve some great observing feats with comparatively modest kit, good on them I say.

This may illustrate the point a little too. Assuming a 10", f4.8 newtonian, a basic 25mm Plossl would give 1 degree of sky at x48 with a 5.2mm exit pupil. Under light polluted skies this is likely to give a fairly washed out sky background lacking in contrast. You could gain a wider field of view by moving to a 24mm Panoptic with 68 degree afov or even a 2" Maxvision with 82 degree AFOV but you would still have a 5mm exit pupil. Sticking with Plossls, to reduce the exit pupil you could come down to a 15mm or even 11mm and get down to 2.3mm exit pupil for a nice dark sky background, but your field of view would be under 0.5 degrees. Moving from this to the king of eyepieces, the 13mm Ethos (just to illustrate the point), you would get a slightly larger FOV than the original 25mm Plossl, at x92 and a 2.7mm exit pupil. This shows the benefit of widefield eyepieces, the same or similar amount of sky but with a darker sky background for better contrast. This table shows the figures..... ....and these show the varying fields of view. From inside to out, they are 11mm Plossl, 25mm Plossl, 13mm Ethos and 24mm 82 degree Maxvision. You can see that the Ethos frames the target nicely still but would give that darker sky for a better result. Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a lovely collection Steve, and beautifully laid out too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One other thought Grant, how about fixing the time bar at the top so it doesn't scroll up, much like freezing panes on Excel? At the moment, when. You scroll to the lower information, you lose the time so have to remember where you were, does that make sense? Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is that a new version to install Grant? Can't see this option and it sounds good :-) Can you please change the forecast for Buxton, Derbyshire from red to green for the weekend? ;-) Cheers Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The shorter focal lengths are certainly challenging on eye relief, and a no no for glasses wearers so I understand why they don't work for you Michael. It's interesting, when I bought the 9, 12.5 and 18mm originally, I didn't really 'get' them, perhaps just not experienced enough. Since re buying them they get a lot of use, the 12.5 in particular. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very nice Paul, both eyepieces and the box. What plans do you have for those four empty slots? :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Having sold my first one to Shane, I replaced it with a Hutech for a while, then did finally manage to find a 12.5mm BGO on ABS for a reasonable price. There was a crazy period when they were advertised for £120 or so, whether they am ever sold for that I have no idea. Anyway, sorted now :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I knew that, of course John, just testing ;-) (DOH!) Even better then, it is a full set as Gaidis said :-) I do use these eyepieces most of the time, mainly the BGO's, nag zoom and the 24mm Panoptic. The Plossls are mainly for solar but largely superseded by the Leica. They will be used in the Quark though, and I also have the 32 and 25mm specifically for this. In terms of 2", I have 13, 17 and 21mm Ethos, plus 31 t5 Nagler. They mainly get used when I'm at a dark site, but they are lovely in the Vixen at home too if conditions are good. This thread is a bit long to search back through, isn't it!! :-) Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nearly.... :-) I have deliberately missed the 4mm as the eye relief just gets too tight for me below the 5mm. Plus my case is full ;-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On the subject of Orthos, anyone worried about my ongoing OCD anguish can relax. The 5mm has finally been found, and the Hutech is on its way to Alan. No difference in performance of course, but..... well it's black and green isn't it ;-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php?/topic/217864-My-First-Jupiter Post #11 in this thread describes which parameter to change to fix the GRS position in Stellarium. I can't seem to find the correct current value but it must be logged somewhere. Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Jupiter moons is a great iOS app which draws from Sky & Telescope info. It is always accurate in my experience. Stellarium can be inaccurate for several reasons. Firstly, as mentioned already the spot drifts with respect to the meridian, and so there is a parameter an .ini file which needs correcting to get the timing right. There are details on the forum if you search. Secondly, the light transit time from Jupiter varies, normally it is 30 or 40 minutes. Stellarium has an option 'simulate light speed' which effectively delays the positions of moons and GRS by this time, making them accurate as we see them from earth rather than as they actually happen. Jupiter moons and the app on the S&T site correct for both these parameters so they are always correct. Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Accurate for me tonight, nice and clear! It's a great app and I'm really pleased it has had a good response. Was probably quite a risk given how controversial forecasts can be!! Nice one! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice set Dark Knight, you've got your bases covered well there. Question, what's the Dilithium Crystal in the bottom right for? ;-) Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For the record, the Hutech Orthos which FLO range are basically identical to the old BGOs. I think the BCO's were a cost down version although optically still excellent. John did a review on them which will be somewhere on the forum. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hate to ask silly questions...but here goes. Have you tried taking it outdoors, letting it cool properly and looking at some stars with it? Does it work or look terrible? Just a thought :-) Cheers, Stu Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk