andrew s

I rather like it as it is. Regards Andrew

Yes, think sodium street lights. Regards Andrew

Well done nice work. Regards Andrew

@FLO have informed me the Baader diagonal is on the way so the kit will soon be ready for action. I have made a small collection of second hand planetary eyepieces as their focal lengths better suited the focal length of the Mewlon than do some modern ones. I set up for a collimation test last night using an artificial star as far away as I could get it. It still took all my collection of T2 extensions, lens holders etc to reach focus. Joy of joys it looked spot on with beautiful rings even with the SA due to being so close. (Looks like it has been telling lies so it's nose grew?) Regards Andrew

Nice work Robin. Let us know how fast it is moving relative to earth once it's calibrated. Regards Andrew

Sorry to hear about your problems . Not sure how you have been setting up your mount but in any case you should not use Polaris as a reference star. Because of the way an eq mount works it cannot reliably point to the pole as the RA has a singularity at the pole I.e. it is undefined. Just like at the North pole all directions are South so which one is the one you want! Regards Andrew

Don't forget to hold your breath when looking through it. Regards Andrew

No looks fun. Enjoy. Regards Andrew

As long as the mirror cell is firmly held it should be ok. The main issue is that you may lose some light , more vignetting, if the secondary is then too small to illuminate the full field. Regards Andrew

Things are always easy until you try it yourself. Challenges differ and yes both visual and imaging have most likely been done before but it's a hobby who cares as long as you enjoy it. Astronomy can accomodate both masochists and normal people though the latter are a minority. Regards Andrew

There are of course different reflectors. In addition to the Newtonian/Dobsonian we have the various Cassigrain flavours which include classical, Dall-Kirkham and Richey-Chretien as the most common. The also have a variety of correctors to remove various aberrations. Recently a range of small affordable CC and RC scopes have become available. Regards Andrew

You can stack Barlows, use higher magnification Powermates or use eyepiece projection. Google these for ideas. Regards Andrew

@Garry g this is a prime example on how we hijack threads . Enjoy SGL Regards Andrew

New DSC arrive at lunch time. All working well. Off to post the broken DSC back to Rowan with the prepaid label. Thanks to Rowan and FLO. Now clouds please go away. Regards Andrew

A good Newtonian can do all the things a refractor can in one scope but not let's do that all again. I never lost any observing time with my home made Newt. However, I could add all kinds of accessories to the basic optics to experiment- I am not (was not) a visual observer. I think we just enjoy different things, nothing wrong with that. Regards Andrew

I fully understand the joy of ownership. However, with visual refractors there is so little you can do with them. Admire them, use them, lick them. If I could have bought a Cassigrain mirror set of good quality I would have made a telescope rather than bought the Mewlon. That's why I built up my own mountain bike. I could have purchased a similar spec cheaper but then you miss half the fun. I do wonder if the reason frac fanatics have so many is the lack of tweekability that they need the comparison between them to spice up the relationship? My favourite telescope of all time was my final 300mm zerodur home made Newt. I even had to go on a welding course to make it. Never lost collimation even after drilling 10mm holes in the frame. If I ever get to use the Mewlon it may just need collimation. What a joy that will be. Regards Andrew

@tomato that's my all time favourite thread title. Regards Andrew

Per observing day/night? Regards Andrew

Snap! Regards Andrew

@Ken82 sorry I just rubbed salt in your wound but it was unintentional. Regards Andrew

There are some diagrams in this link which might help you judge your FSQ not sure if it is the same model. It claims to be usable from 400nm to 1000nm http://www.astrosurf.com/ilizaso/Takahashi FSQ-106ED/FSQ.htm Regards Andrew

A dome is only half a bubble so you should be ok. Good luck this afternoon. Regards Andrew

He may well lick it. Regards Andrew

I suspect it has more impact than "A middle aged, normal, G2V star" Regards Andrew

Indeed they are and Rown are coming through as well with a new unit being shipped direct to me. Well done FLO and Rowan. Regards Andrew