DIY Spring Peak star party.

[mapstar]

44 minutes ago, JOC said:

Q.  Are the big Dobs motorised, they look rather too large to be 'nudgeable'?  Anyhow it's been great to have enjoyed this vicariously so thank you for posting the reports and pictures.

Nope they're all nudgers.

Theres only Mikes (Faulksy abscent due to work) that has encoders, which does come in handy when us traditionalists want to confirm that we've hopped to the right object or discovered something not on the star chart .

Each compliment one another really well and Decembers session at Bala just flowed that way with time passing so quick. A night I'll definitely treasure for years to come and a dobbers dream. 

[Stu]

49 minutes ago, mapstar said:

Nope they're all nudgers.

Theres only Mikes (Faulksy abscent due to work) that has encoders, which does come in handy when us traditionalists want to confirm that we've hopped to the right object or discovered something not on the star chart .

Each compliment one another really well and Decembers session at Bala just flowed that way with time passing so quick. A night I'll definitely treasure for years to come and a dobbers dream. 

I can confirm that even to me as a relative big dob novice, Damian's scope was lovely to use. No vibration at all and very easy to put the scope on the target. I stuck with a few old favourites but it was a pleasure  

[JOC]

Totally amazing that they are nudge-able, they must be exceptionally well balanced.  I don't always use the motor in my one and have learned about nudging it - too much and I knock it off course completely, too little and it doesn't shift at all, I look at the big ones in those photos and think how awkward they must be to nudge, but it's obviously something their proud owners master.  I still can't look at the photos without wonderment that something that huge is errr....portable!!

[Stu]

10 minutes ago, JOC said:

Totally amazing that they are nudge-able, they must be exceptionally well balanced.  I don't always use the motor in my one and have learned about nudging it - too much and I knock it off course completely, too little and it doesn't shift at all, I look at the big ones in those photos and think how awkward they must be to nudge, but it's obviously something their proud owners master.  I still can't look at the photos without wonderment that something that huge is errr....portable!!

The irony is that the bigger the scope, the more portable it needs to be because you need to get it under really dark skies to see what it can do.

They are all beautifully hand made and very well balanced. They just stay where you point them.

[estwing]

Ahhh portability....that's what gets you out to great places...

[Stu]

Great post Calvin! Very jealous of all those skies!

[faulksy]

brilliant calv

elan next month should be ace

[estwing]

9 minutes ago, Stu said:

Great post Calvin! Very jealous of all those skies!

Yes but they all didn't turn out to be clear!....or dry!!

[JOC]

9 minutes ago, estwing said:

but they all didn't turn out to be clear

Ha, ha - I thought that was probably the case too - wall to wall cloud in some of them!

[Moonshane]

On 27/03/2017 at 16:12, Moonshane said:

I learned a brand new recipe for breakfast from Calvin (Estwing). Porridge with onion. What's that? Ohhhhhh honey on. Thanks Alan. 

Superbly organised Nick - thanks a million. I'll upload my report soon but I have a few rough sketches to redo first! I spent most of the second night sketching around the pan of Uma. Lots of lovely NGCs there. I sketched one the first night that I thought was comet 41P but I was wrong. I think a few others did the same - it was a face on galaxy with a brightish core just below a diamond of stars. Can anyone ID it by any chance? I have not managed to locate a candidate yet.

Resolved the galaxy issue 

 

[kerrylewis]

Hello Shane

I never found you again to try those binoviewers! Maybe next time 

 

[Moonshane]

Oh blimey - yes, I got carried away chasing NGCs! Definitely next time 

[cotterless45]

Defo up for another star party there, do long as we all camp / set up along the back. I've looked at other campsites in the Peaks.  It's difficult,  Longnore, http://www.longnorwood.co.uk/

for example doesn't take kids, that's most of us out ! The other options are Sixpenny Handley ( down south ) or http://www.beehivefarm-woodlandlakes.co.uk/camping.html. The latter is very near our club meeting site , where M33 can be seen by eye. Very grateful for your input and suggestions. Like the original PSP , the social gathering is too good to lose,

Nick.

[estwing]

The place where me,Shane and bomberbaz went has a small campsite do you want me to pm their number?...I could pop up and discuss?

[gtis]

53 minutes ago, cotterless45 said:

Defo up for another star party there, do long as we all camp / set up along the back. I've looked at other campsites in the Peaks.  It's difficult,  Longnore, http://www.longnorwood.co.uk/

for example doesn't take kids, that's most of us out ! The other options are Sixpenny Handley ( down south ) or http://www.beehivefarm-woodlandlakes.co.uk/camping.html. The latter is very near our club meeting site , where M33 can be seen by eye. Very grateful for your input and suggestions. Like the original PSP , the social gathering is too good to lose,

Nick.

Next year I would be up for the same site as I can get a pod and carry my scope about 

[swamp thing]

3 hours ago, JOC said:

Ha, ha - I thought that was probably the case too - wall to wall cloud in some of them!

Yes but the post was to show you that portability is only limited by YOU!!!!  not the scope. 

 

 

[Davey-T]

Sunday PSP stragglers, Sunday night wasn't up too much but a pleasant evening non the less

 Mr & Mrs Wookie, Kerry and Davey T, there was another guy lurking about but he missed the photocall.

Dave

 

[kerrylewis]

Good one Dave. You can see that you just made it to your chair in the 10 seconds 

[JOC]

Swamp thing, yes I'd spotted the thing about portability - which is still amazing given their size, I was just smiling at the fact that it doesn't seem to matter how portable they are when the weather doesn't cooperate!  All that effort and care put into making them, moving them, setting them up, only to be ruined by clouds as seen in those pictures.  In such conditions you'd be no worse off with a travel scope!!  It's a bit like sitting in a traffic jam in a Fiat 500 and sitting next to an XF Jag in the same state.  It seems that the weather is a great leveller in astronomy!

 

[mapstar]

3 minutes ago, JOC said:

Swamp thing, yes I'd spotted the thing about portability - which is still amazing given their size, I was just smiling at the fact that it doesn't seem to matter how portable they are when the weather doesn't cooperate!  All that effort and care put into making them, moving them, setting them up, only to be ruined by clouds as seen in those pictures.  In such conditions you'd be no worse off with a travel scope!!  It's a bit like sitting in a traffic jam in a Fiat 500 and sitting next to an XF Jag in the same state.  It seems that the weather is a great leveller in astronomy!

 

Agreed, but when it all comes good I wonder which would make you smile most, that is where all the hard work and pain just pales into insignificance 

[JOC]

Mapstar, don't get me wrong, they are just magnificent creations and I can't wait for the day an owner lets me peep down their eyepiece :-)

[Moonshane]

Here's my notes and 'processed' images.

[cotterless45]

Brilliant report and very inspiring reading !

Nick.

[wookie1965]

Brilliant report and drawings I must start doing that I have wrote a few of your NGC`s for next time thank you for posting.

[Moonshane]

Cheers! NGC 3718 and 3729 were the stars of the night for me and worthy of further, prolonged observing as I reckon they'd give a lot more. There's also a galaxy cluster close by. Bit annoyed really as I didn't see it or know it was there - I'll try it next time out at a dark site!