Butterflies!

[Ags]

In my stomach. I get to buy a whole new setup tomorrow. I've never spent so much money on myself. If I read another review my head will explode.

[Si W]

What are you getting, do tell.....

[Ags]

Unless I panic at the last minute and get a 250mm goto dob, I'm getting a Skymax 150 on a HEQ5 Pro. Planets are what look best from the middle of a conurbation. I'm also getting an ST80 and a DSLR to experiment with AP - an APO can come next year!

[BAZ Senior]

Nice. It's still a fantastic feeling ain't it!

Enjoy your new set up, don't forget to let us know how you get on.

[bcfcciderhead]

Not jealous....honest

[Si W]

Nice one, i remember when i got my scope, it was on back order from TH and took three week to arrive, felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to come.

[Nexus 6]

Good luck with it Ags, good to have some new kit!

Am waiting for a 13mm Ethos myself, lets hope the cloud stays away!

[Beulah]

I just love that new kit feeling gets the old blood flowin'...

[Ags]

Thanks everyone. I've been agonizing over this for too long!

[Ags]

I knew it would happen - a family crisis has come along suddenly (well, I've been in a bit of denial really) that curtails my spending plan. :(

I'll hold off on big spending for a month or two. As a consolation I am picking up an RFT and a DSLR though.

[Ags]

Well, I expected a little more sympathy! But I'm happy now - a Canon 1100D is on its way, along with a 80mm RFT. Yippee!

[donal]

A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. Butterflies comprise the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). All the many other families within the Lepidoptera are referred to as moths.

Butterflies exhibit polymorphism, mimicry and aposematism. Some, like the Monarch, will migrate over long distances. Some butterflies have evolved symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; however, some species are agents of pollination of some plants, and caterpillars of a few butterflies (e.g., Harvesters) eat harmful insects. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

[Moonshane]

Glad you got some gear sorted! I am the same awaiting (all used) a 90mm f5.5 frac as well and a few astroboot items to convert my Manfrotto photo tripod to an alt-az with slowmo controls.

and all that on top of using my 16" dob for only the third time last night.

hope you enjoy your new kit.

[Ags]

Finally got to try out the ST80 tonight. Almach looked quite pretty, albeit with strong CA, and the moon was quite good - there was only a slight green fringe. Too much cloud, moisture and moonlight to see anything else though. The Double Cluster was almost unrecognizable.

The ST80 has a strongly curved field - focus at the center and edges of the field of view are significantly different. It also seems to exacerbate the kidney beaning with the hyperions.

But I'm not downhearted, the scope needs a darker night to perform.