Hawksmoor

That's a neat idea, I hadn't thought of that. Thank you :)

You are welcome! Hope you get some great widefield planetary images.

I'm also part of the 'push it and see what happens club'!

usually something stops working or has unintended and often expensive consequences.

I'm trying to grow out of that habit and read manuals a bit more often.

It's not going very well.

The manuals generally help, so does reading what  'skilled and experienced' members on the lounge have to say on many and various subjects, but I find I have also learned  much by trial and error.  Its a lot slower process and punctuated by mini-disasters but generally exciting!  Thanks for the comment!

Hi, I would think you could get a solar eclipse of one of the inner moons by one of the outer. I had a look at http://www.calsky.com/cs.cgi  and Io is visible above and to the left of Ganymede's shadow at about the same time as your image.  

Thanks for your helpful comment.

Surely for one moon to partially eclipse another, they would have to be almost in alignment and that is clearly not the case here.

Thanks for your comment.  As you say, for an eclipse to occur the two moons and the sun would need to be in alignment but our position as observer on Earth does not need to be on the same line. My thought was that my view was  at an oblique angle to the line of the eclipse. Hopefully this makes sense of the image?

Thanks for all your comments. I'm never too sure what I'm doing astronomy wise and electronically speaking a red mist descended somewhere after valves but before printed circuits. Anyway I followed the instructions found on the Internet and in the Sky and Night Magazine and low and behold it actually works. I too have encountered the Vista Spectrum Lab software issue and had to borrow my wife's laptop that runs using Windows 7.  It would have been helpful if Maplins provided a 'how to' sheet in with the BNC coax connector. Lots of cursing and the plug still drops off if I look at it. Grrr! The FunCube Dongle Pro+ and supporting software all works well. Very efficiently provided by Howard at Halincrest Ltd. The Yagi aerial works nicely and I have captured a few meteors. Saving up for a second hand computer to wire up and leave running in monitor mode.

Post script 03 April 2014:

The irony of being prevented from imaging Mars by a Saharan red dust storm over Lowestoft has not escaped me!

Sounds like a great holiday and as usual your drawings are a delight to view. Recently took some of my grandchildren to a cave in Derbyshire to see their first stalactites and stalagmites. They were very impressed!

Beautiful drawing!

Great sketch ! Tad complicated is some understatement of a big draftsmanship challenge.

When above my horizon I always like to take a look at the double cluster particularly through my 11x80 bins (as the FOV covers both clusters). When I look up at them they seem quite timeless and remote, an unchanging stellar landscape that's complex but instantly recognizable.

Thanks for the suggestions Derek, but sadly the clips are not anywhere to be found. I will have to have another go at catching some light when it stops raining!!!!!!!

Thanks James. Some great photographs particularly the image shot from Cuba!

Hi Isabelle

Nice photographs. We were in Kent visiting friends this weekend. I'm afraid I did hype it up a bit. In the event clouds and rain precluded any view of the moon. Hope the weather does not wash out the transit of Venus. I aim to photograph the sun rising over the North Sea whilst the transit is in progress.

best regards George

Excellent images! I haven't seen Saturn yet so your pictures represent my first views this year. Glad you sorted out your scope and my wife and I envy your views of the Aurora as we live too far South to see such treats!

I tried to look at your picture but the page was empty. I have been wanting a prize picture of Mars myself but unfortunately' date=' I am ill equipped!

Isabelle[/quote']

Hi Isabelle

Sorry! I have been messing around with the image and severed the link by mistake. I have edited the blog and pasted a thumbnail of the latest version.

Spacecowboy has some brilliant images of Mars in one of his albums. They blow my effort right out of the water! However, I'm still pleased I was able to get an image at all. It is a very small planet and a long way away!

best regards George

nice image nothing wrong with that' date='do not forget these Pros on here have huge amounts of cash and the best of every thing ,your image is great try working on it a bit more with some layers and masks ect

nice image:)[/quote']

Thanks for the encouragement. Will follow your suggestions and see if I can improve it. Biggest kick I get is from just looking upon an alien world so very far away.

best regards George aka Hawksmoor

Yes the last few nights have been absolutely beautiful. Sunny days too. Been able to sit in the garden in the sunshine.

Nice moon and glad you got your Allen key back!

Thank you Steve for making this information available. best regards George

Really enjoyed looking at your set on Flikr. Particularly the transit of the sun set. Excellent!

I have never seen M1 through a scope and I have tried on many a night. Sounds like you had a great evening at the eye-piece! best regards George

nice image keep up the good work,hope the back and hip is do in well

Thank you, my back is enforcing a certain lack of mobility but in the meantime I'm doing lots of stuff I've put off (e.g I made solar filters for my travel scope etc) and my wonderful wife is spoiling me rotten by doing all the housework etc). I had another go at the ring nebula and have pulled out some detail inside the ring. I've put a copy of this latest image in my Backyard Astronomy Album. best regards George.

Very nice photo of the crescent Moon. Have been getting some lovely views here in Suffolk England. I admire your astronomic perseverance in -21 deg C. Never mind that the wind wasn't blowing. I rarely go out when the temperature drops below 0 degs.

I've never been able to see the Rosette nebula through my scope either and I've not tried to photograph it, but some of the deep sky imagers on SGL have more than done it credit. The scallops sound good. best regards George

Thank you for your kind encouragement. best regards George