NGC 1502

It’s the common curse……paralysis by analysis……..been there, done that way too often😳

Sorry, didn’t mean to stress you😊. The Pronto’s 2” focuser is great if you’re a fan of very low power wide field. On the other hand the Ranger is half the weight so a lighter mount makes for a very portable travel scope. And with a 24 Panoptic you get 20x and well over 3 degrees field of view, adequate for most!

Your findings are very similar to my Pronto with the same objective. Some years ago I bought a second hand ED80 and initially it became my favourite small refractor. The ED80 does have better glass……however that’s definitely not the whole story……. What frustrated me with the ED80 is collimation is close but not spot on. At high power on doubles the first diffraction ring is not concentric with the Airy disk. That might not bother some, but it bothers the heck out of me😳. I did try loosening the 3 focuser to tube screws and “jiggling” to attempt better collimation, but without success. The problem must be within the mass produced objective. The conclusion is….the Pronto is put together with care and attention. At high power on doubles the clean and well defined Airy disk sits perfectly within the first diffraction ring…..sooo beautiful to behold. A great example of that at this time of year is Izar in Bootes…..the star colours are well seen too…. The Pronto remains my favourite small refractor, sets up in a jiffy for grabbing a gap in the cloud cover. Ed.

I’d like to add- Observing the proper motion of Barnard’s star. I’ve been doing that since 12th June 2008. Although it’s the star with the highest known proper motion it takes years to visually observe that. A very careful sketch every year will reveal the motion and also confirm you have definitely found it😊 It’s mag +9.5 and therefore doesn’t need a dark site. But first learn the star hop. The closest bright star is 66 Ophiucus……..observable from the northern hemisphere from summer into autumn…. Worth the multi year challenge! Ed.

Way too much hassle mate…..just eyeball stuff and enjoy😁

I think that Olly’s low tech DIY fix is what I’d do. Depends how much of a DIY person you are….. Hope you sort it, Ed.

I can answer your question “why buy an old 90s semi achromat”. I have had my Pronto for many years having bought it second hand at Kelling Heath star party. Then I bought a used SW ED80. The ED80 has better glass, but as a double star fan I find it frustrating. On bright doubles the ED80 shows obvious Airy discs but the first diffraction ring is NOT concentric with the Airy disc. For some this may not bother them but it does bother me greatly, once seen I cannot unsee it😳 The Pronto shows an obvious Airy disc but with absolutely spot on first diffraction ring, perfectly concentric. Quite simply it was put together with great care and attention. I find it very satisfying to use and that’s why I love it to bits!! I wouldn’t mind a TV85 with better glass and with a similar build quality. They are expensive compared with mass produced scopes for a reason😊 Ed.

My previous observing seat was, quite literally, a pain in the posterior. The seat was adjustable from high to low, however it was held in place by friction alone. Sometimes all was ok, but occasionally when I shifted my weight slightly, the seat would plunge unpredictably downwards. A nasty shock in the butt😡 Then I saw my good friend on SGL advertising what looked like the answer, and at a nice discount from its new price. The adjustable seat slotted into position rather than held by friction. However, as a confirmed tinkerer with an incurable condition that most Dobsonian users will understand, I thought a few mods would improve things to the great benefit of my grateful posterior. The seat on the Geoptik Nadira is a bit small, much smaller than my backside- but any pics of my butt and I’d get banned for sure😊. And also the upward angle (of the seat not my butt) is not ideal….. So I removed from my old observing chair the only bit they got right, the padded seat itself. Using a timber offcut from my shed (all REAL blokes and lasses have a shed!) plus an hour in my workshop sorted it. Pics below show the original before the mods. Second pic shows the adapted padded seat attached. The timber batten alters the angle to near horizontal, more comfortable than the original. Final pic shows the result. The modified seat still fits completely into the slots and stores on the backrest for transport. And it’s much more comfortable according to reports from my grateful rear end👍 The old observing chair is destined for the metal bin at my local tip, no way would I inflict it on anyone else😊 Probably more mods to come…… Ed.

Oops…..sorry Alan…..misread your post!! Just in from the garden for a coffee, looks like it will stay clear, out again soon in spite of bright moon….. Ed.

Excuse me….no purpose served? What about the VERY IMPORTANT PASSENGER you had with you😁

Alan is kindly taking me……thanks mate👍 Ed.

For Orion in March you need to be observing as soon as it’s dark before it sinks too low. Grab Jupiter too, even before it’s fully dark, as soon as it’s visible at dusk. At any season of the year there’s so many targets to choose from. Highlights could be M44 Beehive in Cancer it’s a good second best to the Pleiades and M67 although much dimmer is definitively worth a look. In Gemini highlights are the Eskimo nebula although a bit disappointing if you’re familiar with other folks stunning images. Castor can be quite stunning, best viewed (in my opinion) in a refractor. Whilst you’re viewing Gemini definitely don’t miss M35. So many targets, too few clear nights…. Enjoy, Ed.

There’s no doubt that a dark site is very rewarding to visit. But to answer your question as to what I’ve seen from a dark site that I couldn’t see from home… From my light polluted back yard in a large town many deep sky objects can be observed that are better seen under a darker sky. It’s not that many DSO’s are invisible from home it’s that they come alive at a dark site. From home the least affected DSO’s are double and multiple stars. So my recommendation is to enjoy what you can wherever you observe from. Don’t let light pollution rob you of your enjoyment. Make the best of what you have rather than pining for what you don’t have. It’s the old but true saying, “Is your glass half full or half empty?”.

I’ve tried visually with my 10” Dob from a dark site, sadly without success. Having found Neptune’s tiny disc I upped the mag to 300x with a 4mm eyepiece but no joy. High power darkens the background sky to increase the contrast between the object and sky. In preparation it’s best to find out the position angle from Neptune on the date in question. Then make sure you’re aware how the orientation of the view according to scope type changes the view…. Maybe I’ll try again sometime. Ed.

Yes I’ve been to several as I’m a Webb Society member. But you don’t have to be a member to attend, just turn up on the day. There’s usually a few trade stands and other displays. Most years there’s a tour of the various telescopes in the domes. The lecture theatre is everything such a place should be, steeply tiered seating giving unobstructed views of the screen and speaker. There’s usually food available and as with almost all astronomy events, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Thoroughly recommended for a great day out. Ed.

Excellent review of Southend Planetarium, just 15 minutes walk from where I live. When you first enter the planetarium it seems disappointingly small. But when the lights go down and the stars “come out” all that changes and it seems so much larger. The current chair of Castle Point Astronomy club once worked there, as did several other members. It’s well worth a visit and it’s only 5 minutes walk from the Odeon multi screen cinema and the High Street. And about 20 minutes walk from Southend’s most famous landmark, the longest pleasure pier in the world. The pier has Adventure Island at the shore end. And no, I’m not getting paid for promoting where I live 😊 Ed.

World Patents Pending. Imitators WILL be prosecuted😁

Pictures added😊 Some explanations- Close up shows 1 of 3 Allen head screws to secure lens cell to tube. Removing all 3 allows lens cell to be removed. When replacing, the cell can be tipped in any direction for collimation. DIY dovetail has 2 pegs and a “dimple” to locate onto mount. “Dimple” allows securing screw to engage more positively. Therefore the dovetail only fits in one position but does so VERY securely. All eyepieces are a similar weight with the use of the TV bronze adapter shown with the 11t6 Nagler, so no balance issues. Safety line between diagonal and focuser. Pristine objective satisfies my OCD😊 Alt-Az mount is TeleOptics mini Giro on wooden surveyor’s tripod. Mount lives just inside my back door to south facing garden….. …….questions welcome……. Ed.

TV 102……I have the S&T magazine review of that model…..sounds like a great traditional scope……enjoy😊

Indeed, you won’t find Imperial allen keys in most High Street locations. But an online search or dedicated tool shop should bring success.

Ok Dave, I’ll try soon😊

My TeleVue Pronto objective was a bit grubby and in need of a clean. This included the rearmost lens surface, inaccessible without removing the lens cell. Some folk worry about removing a TV refractor lens cell but it’s really no problem. I don’t know if it matters, but I placed small stickers on the tube and adjacent lens cell to enable the cell to be replaced in the original orientation. All TV refractor lens cells are secured to the tube with 3 hex head screws filled with a semi-hard substance. It’s not difficult to clean out the hex heads to enable removal with an allen key. As I’d done this years ago, it was a 2 minute job to remove the screws and separate lens cell from the tube. Note- the lens cell complete with elements remain intact as a unit. My preferred lens cleaner is Lens Bright as supplied by Specsaver opticians. Used with a clean micro fibre cloth I’ve found it works better than any other lens cleaner I’ve used. This includes 99% pure IPA. Having used a bulb type puffer to remove any dust I carefully cleaned the rearmost and front optical surface. A couple of tries left pristine optical surfaces. I refitted the cell to tube with the 3 allen head screws. Before tightening, the cell can be adjusted for collimation. However I have previously found that if I pull the cell back onto the tube, then tighten the screws, collimation is spot on. Presumably that’s because everything was accurately and squarely constructed. So, a 2 minute job to replace the cell. Last evening was unexpectedly clear at my location, so I set up the Pronto at dusk. First up was Jupiter as darkness fell. Nice and crisp at up to 120x, although 96x was even crisper. 150x and above was too much as I’ve always found with the Pronto. My test object for collimation was Zeta Orionis- Alnitak, the easternmost belt star. At 120x split suspected, 150x split confirmed. I tried my 2.5mm Vixen LV for 192x. In the not great seeing split definitely observed in steady moments. I’d estimate the secondary star was seen about 30% of the time in steady moments, but a blur most of the time. Castor. Using 150x, Castor A & B were 2 hard Airy disks with perfectly concentric first diffraction rings, beautiful sight😊 Now, I fully realise that my objective cleaning hardly improved the view. But it did satisfy my OCD with a pristine objective lens! Ed. Note- All allen heads on my Pronto accept Imperial allen keys. I don’t know if that applies to all TV refractors.

Yes that’s an ideal test object for scope comparison. I have an 80mm f11.4 Vixen achromat, it will split Tegmine as a double but the third component eludes it. It will be interesting to hear if the extra aperture is successful😊 Let us know what you see!

Wishing you all the very best with the Vixen. My only comment is to be cautious about selling the Tal. It will take several sessions with the Vixen to fully evaluate. Best is if you can use both scopes at each session on a variety of objects. But it’s a great “problem” to have😊 Ed.

Whilst I value the Sky at Night program and the excellent presenters, for me it’s nowhere as good as when Patrick Moore was around. Call me a dinosaur if you wish I have a fine armour of protective scales😁