Tiny Clanger

Will do. In early autumn I compared the SW 32mm plossl to the 25mm BST in my 150 heritage dob (which is a quite fast f5), and find I actually prefer the plossl ,it seems to give better shaped stars at the edges, and the apparent field of view the two EPs offer is practically the same . I've not repeated the exercise in the far faster mak or the st80 yet , too busy enjoying finding new objects in the sky to look at in the short clear spells on offer over this winter ! Heather

Oh, forgot to say, there is some padding to the bag , maybe a couple of mm of closed cell foam, it does afford some protection from knocks.

As it may be useful to someone else, what with this tiddler of a 'scope being so eminently portable, I thought I'd post a couple of photos and a link to the bag I bought for mine. The photos are of the bag on top of the packaging it came in, with the st80 not even properly closed down for safe transport : the focuser wound part out, diagonal & EP still in place ...I just wanted to see if it would fit or should it go straight back. The RDF had to come off, but it fits in the bag lying on the focus tube. The bag handles are well sewn in and strong, a continuous band running under the ba

I've really enjoyed the brief forays outside I've managed with the st80, it is ideal for swift deployment when an unanticipated break in the clouds happens and doesn't look as if it will last long : carry it out, extend the tripod legs , whip off the caps and go. I've left a 17mm 'super plossl' more or less permanently in it I'm rather attached to that plossl, it was my first supplementary EP purchase, and really pretty darn good for £20, but not getting much use in my other 'scopes now I have some BSTs . I've also used the 2x barlow (which I simply dislike using in the mak or dob for no

Dear lord, and international moose/elk incident would be a serious thing , those perishers are large and somewhat likely to kick back , as quite a few random hikers and idiots attempting to hand feed or acquire a selfie with the 'cute' creature have painfully discovered. But they do have a place in the history of astronomy , search out 'Tycho Brahe's moose' online ...

No need for sticks, just get yourself a beer tray, as wielded by the excellent dog rose morris

Thanks for that, I tried the maths for the little Orion st80 I bought second hand recently , and got a (rounded to the nearest cm) number of 45cm , which just happens to be the exact diameter of the smaller cap-within-a-cap hole in the lens cover . Almost as if they knew Heather

I assumed so too , this was the first link my search threw out https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/reviews/telescopes/sky-watcher-star-discovery-150p-go-to-reflector/

This site is a few years old, but has some useful insights http://washedoutastronomy.com/washedoutastronomy.com/content/urban-galaxies/index.html And I've posted a link to the Loughton list several times in the past, one more can't hurt : think of it as a free printable to keep you busy until you can get a copy of the excellent ' turn left at Orion' . You don't give a location, so I have no idea if the fact it has UK season references is a good thing for you or not . https://las-astro.org.uk/docs/Loughton_List_v2_0.pdf

That was a long gestation period, hope the delivery goes well !

I've managed a good few DSOs from my bortle 5 garden with a 150 dob, so don't give up ! I'd try without the filter, I'm not convinced they are effective with modern LED street lights. Do allow plenty of time for your eyes to dark adapt : I need about half an hour, but it varies from person to person. Only use a very dim red light if absolutely needed for tasks (to be honest, in bortle 5 the sky glow is usually enough for most purposes !) Even a moment's bright light will mean you have to start your dark adaptation all over again. Train yourself to use averted vision, looking to

This thread is well worth reading: Many folk like zoom eyepieces, but every and any choice of optical equipment involves compromises, and my personal prejudice ( after decades of experience with photographic lenses) is for primes, As wulfrun says, the stock 25mm should do fine for the moment, no need to upgrade that instantly. I'd suggest waiting until you have used the 'scope a bit to make the decision where to spend your £150, it may well be that your experience with the setup points you to something else which needs an upgrade in that initial extras budget : I think the 150p is

If the finder alignment is the problem , here's a link to the step by step 'how to' I typed up for someone else : they had a red dot finder, if yours is an optical finder (like a tiny telescope) the process is the same, just centre the view in the finder rather than a red dot. Heather

In which case , as Arthur D. said,the world's your lobster ! And I have nothing useful or specific to add, only admiring such expensive toys from afar but I'm sure plenty of other folk will have suggestions based on actual experience ! Heather

Here's a low tech way to check : if you happen to have any old 35mm plastic film pots around, one will fit easily inside a 1.25" eyepiece tube . Heather