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WADAS (Wakefield and District Astronomical Society)

stonemonkeylives

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Vicky050373

Vicky050373

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That's for clearing that up Nick. I'm going to write it down. We've managed to get out with it a few times in the past couple of weeks, and it's a fab little scope offering very clear images. We got a bit more used to the red dot aligner last night - Luke was loving it. Stellarium did seem to work ok down there, so it mustn't need Internet. Jupiter is still his firm favourite though. We couldn't see Mars or Venus from down the field as the elevation is too low, and they were behind the houses on The Avenues, but we still managed to view a lot. The Pleiades were especially clear through the binos last night :)

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New pitch lap is now completed and pressing onto the mirror with weight so it forms to the full curve.

I should be back to polishing later today or tomorrow then fingers crossed I will test and have a sphere.

Time will tell.

Weather is brightening up here so may be good for some naked eye astronomy ;-)

Might even break out the big guns and go for the 9x50 or the 80mm maxi finder!!!

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Here is the afore mentioned new lap just for interest

post-28847-0-29959500-1423323847_thumb.j

I have channelled it using a tenon saw. Kind of hard to make out but I'm hoping it will polish the mirror centre out better. Will try for an hour this aft see what the contact is like

Damian

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Vicky050373

Vicky050373

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Hopefully things are all starting to come together for you Damian. It's looking good.

The clouds are thinning out here too and it looks like it might turn out to be a good viewing evening again.

If so, I'll be out again with my 10x50s and my 80mm scope - so a similar set-up to you Damian!

Sometimes getting back to basics encourages you to view something different and it can still be very rewarding :)

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Woke early this morning (4:30am) so noticing it was clear I decided to have a little look around.

Vega was high and always easy to spot with It's bright blue white colour and the widely spaced double off to the left making it a familiar sight.Moving on I quickly found M13 in Hercules looking very fuzzy. Looking slightly higher its mini me M92 popped into view.

Saturn was up in the south east so I set myself the challenge of working out which constellation it was in. I grabbed my star chart to do it the old fashioned way.

Star hopping from Spica at the bottom of Virgo I steadily worked my way across to the top of Libra and the star Zuben Elchamali.

I then worked down the left side of Libra to the star Zuben Elakrab and from there it was a small hop left to the star Graffias at the top of Scorpio.

Saturn was just above this forming a nice cluster with the 5 stars and looking wonderful as ever just being able to make out its oval shape.

Whilst there I had a quick look at Antares in the heart of Scorpio with its red colour dancing away in the low atmosphere reminding me why it is often mistaken for Mars.

I also had a quick look for M4 and M80 but too much atmosphere and light pollution of barnsley town centre made them impossible to see.

Not a bad hour and a half with the little hand held 9x50 RACI finder scope and a lot of backwards and forwards to the charts! Yes stellarium is easier but this is Micro astronomy at its best.

Damian

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Hi all,

Yes great morning up to now and glad you liked the observing report.

It was nice to do some star hopping again, and keeping my eye in for when the big scope finally get's finished.

Next its back to the polishing

Damian

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Soupy

Soupy

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Glad you are getting some micro astronomy in Damian. I am in Kielder this weekend and the skies have been great! Hoping again for some clear skies tonight as well, will be getting the terrascans out, so back to macro astronomy at least for tonight ;) but no star charts so Stellarium app it is! The forecast is for partly cloudy with some fog but it was the same for the last two nights and they have been clear!

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Looking lovely out although a little bit of a breeze has picked up?

Vega is just disappearing to the north/west and mars has put in an appearance above Venus.

To the east Orion is already well up and looking resplendent in all its glory.

Procyon in Canis Minor is also up to the north east too twinkling away merrily and Jupiter too.

Just a few observations hope your all seeing them

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