Doc

I do too, the price is good as well.

Just had a look through my observing notes and came accross this: Meade Lightbridge 16" f4.5 FL1829mm 24.07.09 - Back garden No moon Seeing mag 4.2 Next was my sole purpose for observing tonight and I waited until 00.30 to see Neptune. I had a quick look at Jupiter and it's four moons but used Jupiter as a starting point for my star hopping adventure via Mu Capricorn to Neptune. In fact it turned out pretty easy and Neptune was easily found. At only 2.5' in size and shining at Mag 7.8 it looks like a star in my 21mm Hyperion. But I increased the magnification to x228 by inserting my 8mm hyperion and the star like object turned into a disc with a slight hint of blue/green. Tried the 6mm ortho and at x304 it was just to much and the view was a bit hazy. The best view came at x146 with my 12.5 ortho the disk at this mag was unresolved but with this eyepiece I could just make out a couple of little pinpricks of light. One was very close to the disc, I estimate 3' away but I cannot be sure if this was actually a individual pinprick are a part of the disc, it was very hard to tell. The other pinprick was in the three o'clock position and at least 20' away from Neptune. It was fading in and out with seeing but I observed it for at least 15 minutes. At the time I had no idea how far Triton, one of Neptunes moons was away from it's parent. The next day I downloaded the Trition Tracker from SkyandTelescope website and it does show Triton at about the same place as I saw a pinprick of light so I'm at least a little more happy with my observation and a little more confident I saw Triton. It gives Triton's magnitude as 13.5 which is possible in my scope.

One thing that used to annoy me with my scope was the thumbscrews that tighten your diagonal into the focuser drawtube. I could never tighten them enough and the diagonal could be turned so I discarded the Esprit connectors and replaced them with a M86 adapter with a M68 internal thread. I then was able to screw a Baader Zeiss click lock adapter into the M86 adapter. So now my APM AMICI diagonal is secured by the click lock adapter so simple and fantastic to use.

This is something I must try one day. I have a few DIY mounts I've designed and built in my workshop which work fantastically but really need a finish putting on them.

I have only ever used small binoculars in the x10 section and out of them only two have met my expectations for pin point stars while scanning the milky way and they are my Swarovski 10x50 and a borrowed pair of Canon 10x42L IS binoculars. Out of those two the Swarovskis win.

Great sketches David still liking those Delos's

My advice is to pay someone else to do it

Take a look here https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/offsetting-your-secondary-mirror/

Nice buy Neil. A darkstar dob was the first dob I ever had way back in 1984 I think. It was a great dob, 8" I think. I changed it for a 10" Hardin dob.

Really looking forward to the report John. Fingers crossed for a week of clear skies. One question John concerning the dewshield. How does it stay where you put it, is it via thumbscrews or is the fit so precise it just doesn't move back?

Weird Maybe their site has been hacked and someone placed it there.

Amazing detail, simply stunning.

Very nice read Richard really enjoyed it. Great scope and it looks well built.

Couldn't agree more on the power of 3.

As Gina says amateurs do not make money, if you want an income from it you either get a degree and a PHD and become a professor or if you are good with your hands make telescopes, mounts etc and sell them.