worth the wait, clear skies at last

[sunshine185]

After a horrendous day of constant rain the sky cleared around 10.30pm, so I set the dob up, added the wixey and set my setting circle up. Had am outstanding session of dso viewing despite the moon beginning to rise, m29,m39, m52,m57, m92 and m102 were all found with ease in the binoviewers set at around 92x mag. Just waiting for the moon to get high enough now to complete a wonderful couple of hours.

[dtr42]

nice m8 all iv'e had is cloud and more cloud

[Saleratus]

I had a break two days ago, but after all that rain, the dew came down so hard I didn't last long.

[sologuitarist61]

You lucky person !!

Rain down here all day yesterday and have woken up to the same today, it is getting so bad that I am thinking a getting the dogs their own aqualungs. :clouds2:

[Bart]

Liar ! Liar ! Your pants are on fire ! Don't believe you........

[knobby]

Sunshine do you set your Wixey with a level?

Ive started choosing an object. Checking alt. In Skeye. Zero wixey. Then lower ota by previous no. Zero again! Level!!!

Ie if Saturn is 12.5 degrees, centre it in EP, zero wixey, lower ota by 12.5 degrees, Zero again.

PS I have no spirit level

[Bart]

Sunshine do you set your Wixey with a level?

Ive started choosing an object. Checking alt. In Skeye. Zero wixey. Then lower ota by previous no. Zero again! Level!!!

Ie if Saturn is 12.5 degrees, centre it in EP, zero wixey, lower ota by 12.5 degrees, Zero again.

PS I have no spirit level

Knobby,

Is this a rather long winded way of doing it. Can you not get one of those small levels you suspend on a string, stick it to the tube, and only one wixey zeroing for the evening and off you pop. Or don't stick it to the tube, but just use the level once to zero the wixey and thats it.

Bart

[knobby]

Hi Bart

its pretty quick honest !

I feel it will be more acurate also and I cant lose my spirit level this way

[Mike73]

Well done sunshine, nice to see someone getting out and enjoying a clear spell.

Cant wait for this reports section to come alive again!

[JamesF]

We've had absolutely biblical rain here for the last twelve hours or so. No sign of it letting up for another twelve hours or so either

James

[sunshine185]

Knobby, I got the wixey 2nd hand, was the first time I used it last night. Put the wixey on the ota and looked for polaris on skEye, iirc the alt was 54, the wixey showed 54.7, so each object I looked for after this I went over on the wixey by 0.7. The setting circle I marked out proved to be very accurate, which was a nice surprise, as too was the success of the levelling board I made. Gonna get another rear bike light today to see if I can come up with a way of illuminating the wixey. If used with a good widefield ep this system would be very accurate considering the success I had last night with write high mags.

[Bart]

Sunshine,

I use the circles with a wixey and with a widefield lowpower EP it is a great system. It might need a bit of wiggle back and forth but the target is usually very very near the FOV. It was a boon when I set it up first.

Knobby, I'll take your word for it. I wouldn't trust myself, my mental arithmetic would probably let me down often!

Bart

[knobby]

Theres no maths... whatever Skeye says ... zero on the object... then move down til it reaches what Skeye said.... zero it again !

[sunshine185]

Great knobby! You made it sound so simple, I know what to do now.

[knobby]

lets hope my theory is correct

at least you can check it against your spirit level !