2020 vision

[pete_l]

So, with the new year rapidly approaching, what are people's plans for seeing, imaging and acquiring new stuff?

[Pete Presland]

Not planning on buying much, maybe a new camera for Solar imaging.

Looking forward to see Mars over the next 12 months as it grows in size, at a much higher altitude as well!

[LukeSkywatcher]

I plan to go outside. Cant see anything with a roof.

[AstroExploring]

I’m hoping to invest in auto guiding equipment to do longer exposures. I also want to get my DSLR modified. Other than that I’ve just launched a website and YouTube channel so hoping I can find the time to shoot plenty of footage and add lots of content, especially images, to my website. 
Nick

[Gina]

Not planning to buy anything astro nor to sell anything in spite of the weather.

[kirkster501]

Would like to get a solarscope.  I'm not spending any more on night time astro now and need to get more use out of the stuff I already have.

[discardedastro]

Getting a solar telescope rig sorted would be nice, as well as a visual rig I can use while the imaging rig is doing its thing.

Observatory is probably the priority this year though. Would love a dome, but a roll-off feels more practical and I'd be able to put a few scopes in rather than just the one - we shall see.

[vlaiv]

I've got rather ambitious list to contrast achievements of this, soon to be past year (total of 0 imaging sessions, and perhaps 2-3 observing ones).

- got myself a new rig recently (Mak102 on azgti) and want to try out (and enjoy some of them regularly) different activities with it: lunar grab&go, EEVA with eyepiece projection or reducer and small sensor cmos, DSO imaging in similar configuration and planetary and lunar imaging. Will need to purchase wedge and counter weight for azgti to put it into EQ mode.

- that setup is almost complete, but I will need to fashion "proper" dew shield for it. I was hoping to make a firm one rather than flexible - maybe out of aluminum sheet (0.5mm) or plastic sheet and some flocking self adhesive material that I already have.

- need to make two motor focusers (for each of my imaging scopes) with single controller. That will be DIY motor focuser - each scope will have on stepper with bracket, but there will be single arduino controller box as I don't use both scopes at the same time.

- hope to get quark combo at some point to get some Ha solar observing for the first time in my life.

- will look to add Riccardi FF/FR x0.75 for my imaging scopes

- eyepiece or two is always nice addition (I'm now short of ES82 8.8mm to fill the gap between 6.7mm and 11mm) and so are other bits and bobs - will need ES tele extenders for solar work and planetary imaging for example.

But far the most important new "astro" gear is moving to a new house Hopefully it will all go as planned and that will happen somewhere at the end of summer / start of autumn following year. This of course includes observatory. I've purchased the land, architect is doing calculations as we speak (well, not right now, it's holiday break) and request for building permit has been filed. It's 2 mags darker there

@pete_l It took me this whole post to figure out the pun in title of this topic - all the time I wondered what peoples plans and wishes had to do with "perfect vision", and then it hit me - next year is 2020

 

[DaveS]

Reluctant to make any plans for the new year. Got one obsy to build, and an open imaging position to make into a box. Both will (I hope) be remote controlled from my conservatory so being stuck indoors won't stop imaging. But beyond that no significant astro spending, maybe a SW AZ GTi for the Megrez 90 as a Grab 'n' Go, then put the 80mm f/4.4 on the HEQ5.

[Gina]

I'm hoping to get into solar Ha this coming spring/summer and have a scope on approval.

[tekkydave]

I've thought about doing that myself as I have hardly used the 127Mak I bought ages ago now. What solar scope do you have?

[Paz]

Kit wise my plan is no purchases, enjoy what I've got, identify the kit I use the least and thin my kit down a bit.

Observing wise my plan is to be ready to take opportunities to observe, even short ones in poor conditions.

I also plan to do more sessions away from home, sometimes for darker skies but mostly because getting away somewhere quiet and being able to focus (ha ha) is quite therapeutic.

 

[tooth_dr]

I have a dome to put up, waiting for weather to improve, that will be my big project of 2020.

Scopes - no plans to upgrade.

Cameras - often think about chopping in my two 8300s and buying one single bigger better camera.

Mount - threatening to upgrade the EQ6 but I think it’s sufficient for my needs. Better the devil you know.

I did a rejig this year of my kit selling off scopes and DSLRs etc so wouldn’t say I have an excess of stuff  

 

[Peter Drew]

Bit early to say yet as it's still 2019!

But looking ahead:-

Buying  -  nothing.

Selling  - maybe my place in Tenerife as I don't seem to have the opportunity to use it enough to be cost effective.

Ambition  -  get the remote scope operational.

😀

[Gina]

56 minutes ago, tekkydave said:

I've thought about doing that myself as I have hardly used the 127Mak I bought ages ago now. What solar scope do you have?

It's a refractor about a metre FL plus a modified Coronado PST.  Currently on loan from Peter Drew - sale or return.  Project so far is covered in my Blog.

[tekkydave]

13 minutes ago, Gina said:

It's a refractor about a metre FL plus a modified Coronado PST.  Currently on loan from Peter Drew - sale or return.  Project so far is covered in my Blog.

Don't know how I missed that  

[Gina]

Well I haven't added to it lately - been concerned with other things.  Really need to get back to it - Peter has already been extremely patient and I'm very grateful.

Actually, I think I shall abandon DSO imaging and get back to solar when weather permits.  First though I do need to get PA right.

Edited December 31, 2019 by Gina

[Rusted]

Building a replacement for my 6" solar H-a scope.
With better parts now I know what I need from months of direct, hands-on experience.
H-a solar imaging has become so much a part of my daily life that it is well worth investing more funds.
Still small change compared with commercial offerings in this aperture.

The plywood dome already needs a strip and repaint. Or re-covering with something more waterproof.
Building a shiny, aluminium, trapezoidal dome would be good from a thermal/waterproof POV.
Just too visible from a distance. When I'd rather be camouflaged. Like a big tree! 

[ampleamp]

Don't know how long it will take me, but top priority is to complete the new obs build, tidy the garden (which apparently should be my top priority) and make as much use of the kit/skies i have through automation; zero plans for new purchases but i do need to sell the POD and get rid of equipment I no longer use

[bingevader]

No New Year plans, never been much for that, can't imagine that Z0Z0 will make any difference to my plans.

However, I will continue to try and get out as much as possible!

And add to the 82° collection.

We'll continue with the school observing sessions until half term, so that will be fun.

I don't think the 12" dob plans will be developing any time soon though, maybe next decade.  

[DaveS]

One of my minor not-really-astro plans is well under way at last, which is to get shelving put up in the garage so that I can, at last, clear the floor, and more importantly gain room for a workbench and space for a floor standing pillar drill. Getting workshop space is something I've missed ever since leaving my old house in Acton. Maybe I can now cobble together bits for astronomy. I may also investigate a small-ish bench mounted lathe, though that is a bit further off and will require more research.

[Gina]

Cheap Chinese lathes costing under half a grand are pretty much rubbish!  Decent lathes are very expensive.  But then so is decent astro equipment!

[Rusted]

If you are incredibly lucky you may find a secondhand lathe ex-education or from a small business going bankrupt. I picked up a good quality, British, tool room lathe on its original cabinet + tooling, ex-uni for a couple of hundred quid, but that was ages ago now.

The floor pillar drill expense and wasted space was met by shelf mounting my big pillar drill into sturdy 24" deep shelving on thick ply + support pillar underneath. This replaced cheap 12" shelving with steel shelves [which always collapsed under their own weight] and holds lots of stuff in big, but shallow, 4" deep, plastic tubs from IKEA. Downside is the inability to stack these trays without using the lids. Which means double handling to reach the lower storage trays. It ought to be made law that storage tubs stack by reversing them by 180°!

I moaned for years about the usual deep storage tubs before I found the IKEA. Most of my old tubs were mostly fresh air. Or far too heavy to lift! The trick is to fill all the fresh air on one wall right up to the ceiling. This leaves space on the rest of the floor for woodworking machines [saws] on wheeled stands/cabinets. These can be nested and/or packed away compactly under deep shelving/work benches when not in use. The investment in decent kit made it possible to complete my two story, 10' Ø trapezoid dome at a fraction of the cost of a commercial plastic shell. Nobody did one big enough for my 7" f/12 refractor for less than the cost of a small car. 

[DaveS]

Thanks, both.

At present I have 2.4 m of 600mm deep shelving that I'm using for general stuff, plus two lots of smaller shelves that I'll use for tools. There is an alcove in the garage that's 3m long and will take a std 600mm x 3m kitchen worktop that I'll put on sturdy bearers resting on concrete block supports. Photo to come tomorrow when it's light enough.

I was looking on the Axminster website at the machine tools section, and getting a bit alarmed at some of the prices. Don't want to spend more than about £350 or so on the drill, but would go to £750 for a modest-sized lathe, possibly one described as a "model-maker's" lathe. Other than that maybe look for S/H.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

No plans to acquire any more kit. A Dob and a wide field refractor are enough for the moment.

Definitely getting the camping gear out and heading for Snowdonia, North Lancs & The Lake District for short breaks with observing thrown in.

A couple of star camps are on the list including Spring SGL hopefully. Once again I'll attempt to infiltrate the local astro society and master the secret hand shake.

Mars is top of the observation list and the July Mars 2020 launch with my name etched onto it is childlishly exciting!

Good luck with all your projects and plans!