What did the postman bring?

[Captain Scarlet]

5 minutes ago, Stu said:

... It's a big one!! 😱😱

The birthday or the present? .

I still distinctly remember the very moment I opened the box for my Planet and beheld its size for the first time. Unless you've seen one before, which you most likely have, even that spoiler doesn't prepare one for just how much of a monster it is. It is a beauty.

Hopefully see you on the 19th...

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Captain Magenta said:

The birthday or the present? .

I still distinctly remember the very moment I opened the box for my Planet and beheld its size for the first time. Unless you've seen one before, which you most likely have, even that spoiler doesn't prepare one for just how much of a monster it is. It is a beauty.

Hopefully see you on the 19th...

Both!!

I've not actually seen one in the flesh yet Magnus. Looking forward to it though. I've been using the Uni 28 which FLO/Rowan have loaned to me and that is pretty lovely!

[Sky-searcher]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Thank you Alan.

It's a big one!! 😱😱

21 Stu, happy birthday 🥳 

[Greymouser]

Happy birthday Stu.

Got any plans? Other than trying your new tripod out of course. Hope you have a decent weather to properly christen the tripod... 

[AdeKing]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Coincidentally this arrived yesterday, rather excitingly a Berlebach Planet to use with a future AZ100. I'll try the test unit out on it next chance I get, should be a useful stability improvement even over the Uni 28.

Can't be opened until my birthday tomorrow! 😁😁

Happy Birthday for tomorrow @Stu. Enjoy the opening of the present.

[Stu]

16 minutes ago, Greymouser said:

Got any plans?

Actually we do, a somewhat astronomy themed day I believe. I shall tell all we we return 😁

[AdeKing]

On 28/11/2019 at 21:53, david_taurus83 said:

Ready for a Star Adventurer

 

This is my first "decent" camera tripod. Manfrotto are currently offering £50 cashback if bought from an authorized dealer.

 

On 29/11/2019 at 11:20, JeremyS said:

Thanks for the heads up on this Manfrotto offer. I just went to the Wex website and they have a Black Friday deal with 25% on the 055. It also seems to say you get get the £50 cashback on top! This seems amazing if true!

Thanks both for alerting me to this.  I placed an order for the 055 with the 3-way head and not only benefited from a 25% Black Friday discount and will get £50 cashback, but also got a Manfrotto tripod bag thrown in too.  Typically delivered to work today whilst I'm working from home.

[Alan White]

Amazon delivery person delivered yesterday.
As recommended on another thread.


 

Bright White, Spread White, Red.
All adjustable to bright to dim.
Memory of last setting and colour on switch on.

Impressed with a walk about outside late last night.

[johninderby]

Rigel QuikFinder and something for the Hell Hound (cousin’s hound) 🙂

Edited December 5, 2019 by johninderby

[DaveS]

From the FLO sale. A pair of Opticron Binos. I'd been looking for 10 X 50s for my old eyes.

[Marvin Jenkins]

Happy birthday Stu. I took receipt of Skywatcher 150 pds today. I got a text on my phone to say it was coming so my lovely wife couldn’t hide it till my birthday tomorrow.

Well happy, as the sky was clear for the first time in an age, finally flying in the face of buy kit get clouds.

Such a small jump from 130 to 150 and what a difference. Despite the more than half moon I could see Andromeda better than ever before, far brighter core.

Didn’t know it came with a 28mm 2 inch eye piece my first. Absolutely huge compared to my wee box of plossle’s.

Marv

[fozzybear]

3 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Happy birthday Stu. I took receipt of Skywatcher 150 pds today. I got a text on my phone to say it was coming so my lovely wife couldn’t hide it till my birthday tomorrow.

Well happy, as the sky was clear for the first time in an age, finally flying in the face of buy kit get clouds.

Such a small jump from 130 to 150 and what a difference. Despite the more than half moon I could see Andromeda better than ever before, far brighter core.

Didn’t know it came with a 28mm 2 inch eye piece my first. Absolutely huge compared to my wee box of plossle’s.

Marv

I've a 150pds great piece of kit never fails and yes the 28mm is a big eyepiece gave a me a shock too...  you will have fun with this scope ……  one thing change the flange on the focuser for a compression type as pinches eyepieces and dump the 2" adaptor for a deeper one as well otherwise a great scope have fun

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-2-inch-compression-ring-adapter-for-sky-watcher-newtonians-and-72ed-refractor-m54.html

[cloudsweeper]

21 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

 

 

 

Didn’t know it came with a 28mm 2 inch eye piece my first. Absolutely huge compared to my wee box of plossle’s.

Marv

Marv - yes, big EPs can be a shock at first.  I have a whopping 20mm 100 deg Myriad, and a 30mm Exp Sci 82 deg which is almost 1kg.  The Myriad is similar, and a lot taller!  Startling at first, but I soon got used to them, and it's a case of smaller ones now looking rather puny!!

Doug.

[Marvin Jenkins]

15 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

I've a 150pds great piece of kit never fails and yes the 28mm is a big eyepiece gave a me a shock too...  you will have fun with this scope ……  one thing change the flange on the focuser for a compression type as pinches eyepieces and dump the 2" adaptor for a deeper one as well otherwise a great scope have fun

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-2-inch-compression-ring-adapter-for-sky-watcher-newtonians-and-72ed-refractor-m54.html

Thanks for the advice, I will look into it. Small inexpensive changes I like. Going to use it for a few months then floc it, blacken edges and a light shield.

Forgot to say that it was massively out of collimation. Thankfully I have a laser so in a couple of minutes all was sorted. I like to think that they are shipped with all the main mirror screws loose to allow the mirror some cushioning whilst in transit🤔

M

[Stu]

On 04/12/2019 at 20:07, Captain Magenta said:

The birthday or the present? .

I still distinctly remember the very moment I opened the box for my Planet and beheld its size for the first time. Unless you've seen one before, which you most likely have, even that spoiler doesn't prepare one for just how much of a monster it is. It is a beauty.

Hopefully see you on the 19th...

Crikey, it is indeed a beast, very solid! Should be excellent.

[GlenM]

Just received my new Televue Telepod mount. Love the sticker on the box.

 

 

 

[JeremyS]

18 hours ago, Stu said:

Crikey, it is indeed a beast, very solid! Should be excellent.

Great birthday present, Stu. Enjoy the smell of that lovely wood.

So how old were you?

[PeterW]

Needed more wrapping paper @Stu!! 
I just took delivery of a big box of “delicate electronic equipmwnt” from APM... a pair of 24mm UFF. Rather over packed, but I am sure to have a need for a good box for posting stuff!

peter

[Stu]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

So how old were you?

It was the big 5 0 Jeremy!! 😱😱

[JeremyS]

2 minutes ago, Stu said:

It was the big 5 0 Jeremy!! 😱😱

Ah so it said 50 50 50 on the banner.

i thought it said SO SO SO

🙂

 

[johninderby]

5 minutes ago, Stu said:

It was the big 5 0 Jeremy!! 😱😱

Ah the big 50. You’re allmost grown up then. 😁😁😁

[JeremyS]

Good thing you went for the rubber feet on the tripod, @Stu. I fear the  alternative of the metal spikes might damage Mrs Stu’s carpet.

i have both, but mainly use the rubber feet. Spikes would be good on grass, though.

[DaveS]

On 05/12/2019 at 17:10, DaveS said:

From the FLO sale. A pair of Opticron Binos. I'd been looking for 10 X 50s for my old eyes.

Having been trying them out I can report that if you have normal or wider interpupillary distance then you may find it impossible to get the two images to fuse. I have, what I consider to be,  fairly average distance and the two eyepieces were hard on their maximum spacing. Suspect these may have been designed by / for/ people with small interpupillary spacing.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

A used Skywatcher Aero ED 30mm 2" eyepiece.

It replaces a Vixen NLVW 30mm which despite the quality view in my 8" dob, wouldn't focus in my Startravel 120 without fiddling with the draw tube and I don't have the storage space or wallet for two eyepiece sets!

I've managed to try this once and the view's rather nice for the price.

[DaveS]

6 minutes ago, DaveS said:

Having been trying them out I can report that if you have normal or wider interpupillary distance then you may find it impossible to get the two images to fuse. I have, what I consider to be,  fairly average distance and the two eyepieces were hard on their maximum spacing. Suspect these may have been designed by / for/ people with small interpupillary spacing.

Or maybe not. Looking at my ancient pair of Carl Zeiss 7x50 Jenoptem glasses I see that the interpupillary scale is reading about 68 - 70 mm, near the end of the scale. Maybe I just have a big head lol.