Patrick1948

Thanks Oldfruit, good advice. I actually took it back to the shop I bought it from (Rother Valley Optics) and the manager did it for me , whilst showing me each step of the way. Turns out I had a small allen key missing so I couldn't move the secondary mirror...he gave me one. So thanks for the reply mon ami...clear skies to you.

Hi Chez...found you at last!!! The garden sure looks bare without the greenhouse. I look forward to seeing the progress you make....a viewing platform party??? why not..lol

Oh! Joy of joys!!! finally got a clear night and got the virgin 10" Dob out of its box..it is now NOT a virgin. It was a night of mixed emotions, from the high of seeing few stars in the sky then looking through the scope and seeing millions, to the frustration of knocking the finder scope and not being able to line the scope up all night...and the realisation that I have a very limited field of view from my back yard....and then !!!:headbang::hello2::hello2::icon_eek:...a burst of real excitement as the moon rose over the rooftops and came into my line of sight...being pulled through the heavens by Jupiter and Uranus (though I couldn't see Uranus), Me and my daughter, who had joined me for the night, picked up the Dob and carried it to the top of the garden to bring Jupiter into the scope's field of view, and there she was ... racing across the night sky swinging four bright moons around itself like a warrior charging into battle!! It was magnificent...I was gobsmacked. I was so excited I even forgot what eyepieces I had in!! I think it was a X2 Barlow with a 12mm plossel. It was a little fuzzy, though I could clearly discern the darker NEB and very faintly, the impression of other bands. It seemed so majestic, Jupiter with its four moons brightly hanging there. Well, that was the excitement...the disappointment was that I couldn't find any of the Messier objects, cos I couldn't use the finder scope very well. Plus I got severe neck trauma trying to sight the finder on the Messiers in Cassiopeia !!....I really must get either a Right angled finder or a Telrad...or SOMETHING!! . I found the Dob mount a little difficult to use smoothly, Particularly the AZ movement, being a little jerky...maybe a dab of silicon grease will help..(please tell me if I'm wrong!!) I spent another hour just scanning the sky getting colder and decided to call it a day(or night!). As I packed away the scope, I thought that Collimation may be a problem...even though I've had it explained in written form, I think I need someone to show me step by step. The bit I find difficult and scary is moving the secondary mirror...there are so many screws around that end of the scope, I don't really know which ones are which. Anyway First light was Jupiter and it's moons....BRILLIANT...I think I'm in love with Jupiter!!! ... Clear skies to you all.

Oh! Joy of joys!!! finally got a clear night and got the virgin 10" Dob out of its box..it is now NOT a virgin. It was a night of mixed emotions, from the high of seeing few stars in the sky then looking through the scope and seeing millions, to the frustration of knocking the finder scope and not being able to line the scope up all night...and the realisation that I have a very limited field of view from my back yard....and then !!!:headbang::hello2::hello2::icon_eek:...a burst of real excitement as the moon rose over the rooftops and came into my line of sight...being pulled through the heavens by Jupiter and Uranus (though I couldn't see Uranus), Me and my daughter, who had joined me for the night, picked up the Dob and carried it to the top of the garden to bring Jupiter into the scope's field of view, and there she was ... racing across the night sky swinging four bright moons around itself like a warrior charging into battle!! It was magnificent...I was gobsmacked. I was so excited I even forgot what eyepieces I had in!! I think it was a X2 Barlow with a 12mm plossel. It was a little fuzzy, though I could clearly discern the darker NEB and very faintly, the impression of other bands. It seemed so majestic, Jupiter with its four moons brightly hanging there. Well, that was the excitement...the disappointment was that I couldn't find any of the Messier objects, cos I couldn't use the finder scope very well. Plus I got severe neck trauma trying to sight the finder on the Messiers in Cassiopeia !!....I really must get either a Right angled finder or a Telrad...or SOMETHING!! . I found the Dob mount a little difficult to use smoothly, Particularly the AZ movement, being a little jerky...maybe a dab of silicon grease will help..(please tell me if I'm wrong!!) I spent another hour just scanning the sky getting colder and decided to call it a day(or night!). As I packed away the scope, I thought that Collimation may be a problem...even though I've had it explained in written form, I think I need someone to show me step by step. The bit I find difficult and scary is moving the secondary mirror...there are so many screws around that end of the scope, I don't really know which ones are which. Anyway First light was Jupiter and it's moons....BRILLIANT...I think I'm in love with Jupiter!!! ... Clear skies to you all.

Hey up neighbour!! Glad to see you made it into the blog world... I've subscribed to your blog in order to follow your progress with the creation of the Le CHEZ observatory and viewing platform. I would be very happy with the level paved area you have at present..my garden is grass and it slopes, but as it's a private rented house, can't do much about it. Anyway, I'll be watching your progress with the Le CHEZ observatory with keen interest. all the best with the project.

:headbang: I got the Dob!! I got the Dob!!... Sorry about that but I'm so Exited:D Picked up the 10" Dob late yesterday afternoon and ONLY JUST got the monster in the car!! Assembled the base last night and I'll have a look at fitting the OTA sometime today. Unfortunatly...it's forcast lots and lots of cloud, Rain and frustration for the next few days:( .... I can't wait till Sunday when it forecasts a partially cloudy night...I'll keep you informed...Clear skies to you all.

What a bummer...The 10" Dob I was due to pick up yesterday didn't arrive from the warehouse...I can't get it out of my mind...every waking moment I'm star hopping in my head or seeing Nebulas' in my corn flakes...If it doesn't arrive today I'll have appoplexy...I can't write any more just yet, I'm beside myself with expectation .... Great expectations in fact. .... be back later.

Actually, it should be titled 'The Blind Eyeball in the Sky'....Yesterday I upgraded the standard focuser on my SW 10" Dob with a Revelation Two speed Crayford focuser. It was quite a scary thing for me because I'm not a mechanically minded guy, and because of that, I quite often can't see logical solutions to mechanical problems. That's what comes with spending half a life time as a 'people' worker..a detached youth worker actually. Anyway, after much dithering and thoughts of not doing it 'cos I didn't want to b***er it up, I removed the standard focuser and had a cup of tea to calm down... As I followed the advice received from the good people of this forum, my fingers were trembling as I slowly screwed the new super duper focuser into place and gently packed the gaps round the baseplate with dark foam, presumably to stop spiders crawling in and dying on the mirror !!!. Well...Job done at last AND there was a clear night forecast for later. Carried the Dob outside and as I waited for the cool down, I sat on a garden chair and marveled at the first clear sky in two months. Binos pressed to my eyes I observed the Orion Nebula in all it's glory and Pleides as well. Both VERY visible to the naked eye....I stole a quick look through the eyepiece (25mm Wide angle lens).....and OH!!! WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT !!! The focuser would not focus!!! It wouldn't wind out enough and everything was a blur......anyway I calmed down after a while, the neighbourhood dogs stopped barking and the residents closed their curtains again. With a heavy heart I packed my equipment away and came and scoured the lounge for a solution...if there was one to be found. I'd got visions of screwing the old, clunky standard focuser back on and re selling the Crayford. It turns out, thanks to the knowledge of stargazers in the Lounge, that all I need is an extension tube to allow a bigger wind out in order to achieve focus,which I ordered from FLO not 10 mins ago...and guess what?....you'll never guess in a hundred years!!!...I looked at the long range weather forecast and they are saying .."CLOUD FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS"..AAAaaarrrggghhh!!!...I hope YOU have clear skies Mes amis...say a prayer for mine!!!

Stargazers Lounge - View Profile: Patrick1948.... I don't know if the eyeball is pictured in the blog so I guess I'll post this and see. I thought it would be a decent title for a blog, tying in with the profile picture.