cajen2

It is when she asks, "so what star is it?". "Is it near the moon?" "No. The other side of the sky." Sigh....

Absolutely right! My father was also great at making and repairing virtually anything. Needless to say, I didn't inherit any of his skills! I still do make model planes and ships, but I'm useless with wood or metal. Having the right tools helps too.

What a cracking job, Peter! I wish I had a quarter of your DIY skills....

It's actually the same tube length as my 8" StellaLyra, so it should go on the back seat of most cars. Just make sure you get a four-door! 👍

Just the one? 😉😛

Yes, the BCOs, being orthos, should suit that scope well if you don't mind the eye relief. The FOV is also very narrow, which you might find irritates you because of the constant nudging you need to stay on target.

Welcome to the world of dobs! A world of both delights and frustrations.....😆 I believe your scope is f/4.8? You might find that some of the coma you experienced is down to the Hyperion - they are said not to do too well in scopes faster than f/6. A Morpheus, though.....👍 Combining the wide dob FOV with a wide-field eyepiece or two can be very rewarding. The 2" StellaLyra 80°, the afore-mentioned Morpheus, an 82° ES, all will give you superb views. I think you'll be very happy with your dob....just get down to the gym and do some weights!

This is presumably the same zoom as the OVL Hyperflex? I have this, though I don't use it much, but I do find the images are good with it. It's the 21.5 - 7.2mm version.

Left this morning quite early, so I had no chance to give the organisers big thanks for setting it all up. On the off chance that any of them read this, thank you and well done! The talks, quiz and forum were very informative and entertaining. Also goodbye to @Pixies, @Live_Steam_Mad and anyone else who's on here - can't usually match usernames with real ones!

That's good going.

At Astrocamp, a chap called Graham has an EV Scope, which works in the same way as a Stellina. The imagers were incredibly sniffy about it at first, then one came over and had a look, "wow!", then another and soon a whole crowd was around it asking questions and viewing images. Graham was nonchalantly asking, "What do you want to see?" "M52, please". He pressed a button, the scope slewed exactly on target and within a minute, the first image appeared. This improved steadily as it autostacked. You could view through an 'eyepiece' or on a phone/tablet screen. One imager said loudly, "That's just not fair!" 🤣 I have to say if I wanted to take up AP, this would be for me! 😛

I don't think they need feeding, Mike...😆

Oh, and apparently it was -7° last night....I pity all those poor people in tents.

Bit less comfortable sleeping in it though, especially at sub-zero temperatures! Here's my rig: old but very very comfy!

Arrived and immediately got stuck - the site had put new turf on my pitch! 😥😆 Had to be towed our of the hole with their little tractor.... been promised a hard standing today - fingers crossed...

I have a spare, Neil - give me a shout.

Up early this morning...have to admit to a frisson of excitement - my first stargazing party! The van's all loaded and I'm ready to roll!

Nah, you can keep your nuclear-powered carriers.....😉 There's nothing like sailing in light airs for peace and tranquillity. ❤️

Great all round, Simon: - you've now got the scope the way you wanted it - you've observed from a dark sky in a beautiful part of the world -the views are even more spectacular than you anticipated It doesn't get any better than this! 👍🥳

I suppose the simple answer is, if it's dewy, is your scope dewed up or not? If not, they're working! 😉

@Live_Steam_Mad Found it! As you can see, it's real sheepskin and leather and not exactly cheap, but it's the warmest garment I've ever worn. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00T4R52VC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image

Hmm, I've had it a while. I'll see what I can do. Caution: it weighs a ton!

I've also packed 'The Bear'. This is a WW2 style bomber jacket designed to keep you toastie at 14,000 feet. It's honestly too warm to wear above about 5°!

Seriously, if that 10" gives you half as much pleasure as my 8", you're in for some very good nights! And, just think, you'll be able to see more than one star at a time! 🤣🤣🤣

Yes, I think you're right: the optics should be similar. All you need now is a RACI finder, two-speed Crayford focuser, cooling fan.....🤔😛