cajen2

Absolutely. I have an EQ platform on my shopping list for when I'm feeling a bit more flush. Shortly after that, there'll be a BCO. Oh and my StellaLyra 8" also had an incredibly smooth azimuth action - I have to keep adjusting the tension knob or it'll slew if I breathe too heavily! 😆

I did exactly this with my beanie hat / headtorch. Ok, I look ridiculous but it was cheap and keeps me warm!

It's just a shame that the FOV is so narrow - in a dob, you're constantly nudging to keep the target in view and the eye relief is so small on the lower F/L ones. I wish Baader or anyone else would make an EP as cheap but sharp, with a better FOV and eye relief, but I realise that's unrealistic unless you spend megabucks.

I have one of these and it's incredibly convenient, lightweight and easy to use and fold up. The downsides are stability: you have to stand up to move it or it tilts alarmingly, and it's not high enough if my dob's near zenith. It's also rather uncomfortable if I use it for more than 15-20 minutes, even though I use two pads. I must have a bony bum! 😆 Edit: also have a care that you buy one with a high weight limit. The first one I bought broke inside two weeks.

If it's any help, I've just bought a Morpheus 12.5mm and very slightly prefer it to my 14mm Pentax XW. It gives a FOV which I find perfect for my tastes: wide enough to be involving and as you say, to give context but not so wide that you are forced to peer into 'corners'.

I'm told the StellaLyra one is very good VFM and has the option of connecting via a T 2 or M48 thread.

Then if they're bored, you can send them up the chimney.....😛

Oh, and you'd find something like this much more stable than a sack trolley: https://www.diy.com/departments/platform-trolley-150kg-capacity/1357682_BQ.prd

I don't suppose the financial controller could be cajoled into okaying a few more quid? That would enable you to get a StellaLyra 8". As above, it has much more light-gathering power than a 6" (I have both sizes of dob), but just as importantly, it's much better equipped. It has a two-speed Crayford focuser ( you don't appreciate a fine-focus capability till you have one!), both alt and az are butter smooth, it has a RACI finder, adjustable balance points and a cooling fan. All these would more than justify the difference in price.

I'm well used to the views given by my Pentaxes and SL 80° EP. I'm sure a 92° view is also excellent, though I feel there is a law of diminishing returns operating here: one can't take in the whole view at a time. Plus the ES 92 is £470 here! 😱

Advancing age, Mike? 😉😛 Comes to us all.....I'd have been knackered after five minutes! Nice job.

The Eyepiece Oscars. I spent a long while observing the moon tonight, but for different reasons from the usual: I wanted to compare all my eyepieces for clarity and detail. For anyone who's interested: Low mag/wide field. Nominees: Vixen NPL 30mm, StellaLyra 80° 2" 20mm. And the winner is: the SL. The Vixen gets an honorary mention as it's cheap, sharp and clear but the SL is even better, plus having its amazing 80° FOV, clear right across the image. Medium mag. Nominees: StellaLyra 68° 18mm, Pentax XW 14mm and Baader Morpheus 12.5mm. And the (perhaps controversial) winner is: the Morpheus! Don't get me wrong, the other two were superb too but the Morph's view was somehow more involving. High mag. Between the BST Starguider 8mm, the Svbony UWA 6mm and the Pentax XW 5mm. The clear winner was, of course, the Pentax (it cost twice as much as the other two combined!). Even at 240x mag, it was detailed and sharp. I realise that the winner was the highest mag EP in each category (this was a coincidence) but not always the most expensive. All this was just a bit of fun, my opinions entirely and not to be taken as a serious test but it was very interesting all the same.

A Baader Morpheus 12.5mil. I haven't bothered with a photo; I'm sure you all know what a Morpheus looks like. Just given it first light on the moon - by chance, it frames the moon exactly in my scope. So far, great EP - well impressed.

Ok, ok, you win! I phrased it badly; I meant that for the number of EPs I have, there are a lot of different manufacturers.

I have the world's most disparate EP collection, including two Pentaxes, two StellaLyras, a Morpheus, a BST, a Vixen and a Svbony, plus an OVL zoom, so not short of comparisons....😆

Or just stay totally manual with a dob! 😉

Yes, I'd be interested in the results of such a test, @bomberbaz. What holds true for a 20mm 2" EP might be quite different from a 6 or 9mm 1.25". If @FLO wants to send me one for testing again, I'd be happy to give it a go.

Mine goes right down to the ground. I did a lot of careful measuring before ordering!

Should be plenty of solar power....

Sorry @Stevekerr I was mistaken. Yes, the silver knob is the locking screw and the tension is set by the grub screw in the centre. 🙄

Yes, mine's the same. EVERY time someone has posted about Lidl selling something useful, mine doesn't sell it, so I was half expecting my trip to be a waste of time!

"Ooh!" I thought, " I'll get one of those for my dob." So I got on my bike and pedalled the three miles to my local Lidl, only to find that they weren't selling it. I should have known....😟 Ordered a cheap and nasty one from the river site as proof of concept! 😉

Hi SS and welcome aboard. There are plenty of our Transatlantic friends on here and it's always good to have more.

Ye cannae change the laws o' physics, Captain! 😛

Done that, been there...