Show us your set up in action during the day.

[JeremyS]

36 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Nothing like a bit of Ha to take your mind off the hedge-trimming duties!

Spot on 👍🏻

I am as delighted with my @JOCinspired Stihl electric hedge trimmer as with the Lunt.

[orly_andico]

Right after replacing the Renata battery in the handset and reflashing the database. See also the 3D-printed adapter to securely attach the Contax RA finder to the PASILL4..

I thought the Celestron tripod was a good idea (for unknown reasons, Celestron tripods have holes in the tops that are compatible with the ADATRI) but it isn't. I will not be repeating this stunt on those 1.5" steel legs in the future.

[JeremyS]

Lovely looking Mewlon @orly_andico 👍🏻

[Stu]

The Beast in action for the first time today. Fabulous is all I can say, even though the seeing is not that great. Will write more later elsewhere.

 

[DirkSteele]

The Takahashi FC-100DC primed and ready for what turned out to be a great session a few hours later. First time out for the Sightron Alt Az mount as well.

 

[Nigella Bryant]

I had a few hours yesterday and caught a huge CME.

[Mr_Cat]

It was meant to be cloudy tonight - every forecast for the last week said sunday would be ok monday a maybe and the rest of the week there would be solid cover..

I walked out of my home office 2 hours ago and it was throwing it down, finished work at 1615, left the office to be greeted by blue skies, re-checked the forecast and it is now clear till midnight ... Scope out and cooling down but took a quick point at the moon..

 

[Stu]

Some of my scopes out during the day, observing the Sun. First two are of the FC-76DCU with Baader CoolWedge on the ScopeTech Zero mount. Next up was today with 102mm PST mod for Ha and FC-100DC for White Light on the AZ75/Uni-28. I had some fleeting views of the Sun through gaps in the cloud, some decent proms and nice filaments on show.

[Nigella Bryant]

On my sixth day of solar observations and imaging, much better weather than the several previous months, although managed six days in February. Got the big guns out plus my CAT, 😆 

[Nigella Bryant]

Another day at the office 😆 

[John_D]

For the last photo I'm imagining the cat saying "So, Mr Bond ..." 😁

[Nigella Bryant]

5 hours ago, John_D said:

For the last photo I'm imagining the cat saying "So, Mr Bond ..." 😁

Surely it's more like, "No Mr Bond, I expect you to die." Lol 😆 

[mikeDnight]

I may very well have posted this before. If so I apologise!

Very early morning at Huddersfield astro society where my wife and I set up my FS128 in readiness for the much anticipated 2004 Transit of Venus. My younger son Daniel spent the day with us rather than wasting his time in school, and after eating his apple, followed along with his StarTravel 102. Both scopes had home grown Mylar filters.  Despite early cloud hindering the view as first contact was seen, it soon cleared and the day ended up being a great success.  There were many visitors, some thrilled at the spectacle, while others wondered what all the fuss was about. One woman looking through my telescope commented "Is that it"? I was most disgruntled, as a little over a year earlier I'd spent almost £4000 on this telescope plus a new mount, the best mount I've ever owned, a Celestron German equatorial made by Losmandy. Wish I'd never parted with it!!! Obviously some people have little appreciation for fine optics and how well defined a transiting black dot can be to a nutter like me! There's nowt as queer as folk!!

My FS128 observing the transit of Venus, June 8 2004, along with dad & lad. (Interesting to me at least, was the fact I saw no black-drop effect. Only a very slight contrast effect as Venus limb touched the edge of the Sun. I believe it to be due to limb darkening being emphasised next to the black disc of the planet).

What did we see? 

 

Edited March 12 by mikeDnight

[John]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

I may very well have posted this before. If so I apologise!

Very early morning at Huddersfield astro society where my wife and I set up my FS128 in readiness for the much anticipated 2004 Transit of Venus. My younger son Daniel spent the day with us rather than wasting his time in school, and after eating his apple, followed along with his StarTravel 102. Both scopes had home grown Mylar filters.  Despite early cloud hindering the view as first contact was seen, it soon cleared and the day ended up being a great success.  There were many visitors, some thrilled at the spectacle, while others wondered what all the fuss was about. One woman looking through my telescope commented "Is that it"? I was most disgruntled, as a little over a year earlier I'd spent almost £4000 on this telescope plus a new mount, the best mount I've ever owned, a Celestron German equatorial made by Losmandy. Wish I'd never parted with it!!! Obviously some people have little appreciation for fine optics and how well defined a transiting black dot can be to a nutter like me! There's nowt as queer as folk!!

My FS128 observing the transit of Venus, June 8 2004, along with dad & lad.

What did we see? 

 

That was a memorable event. My only scope at that time was my little 60mm Tasco from the 1960's. I projected the sun's image onto a piece of card and managed to snap a few (rather crude) photos with my Pentax K1000 35mm SLR. As my children and their friends went to school (which was just across the road from where we live) I was able to show them and their parents some views of the transit.

A lot of fun though 🙂

This was the "mighty beast" that I used that day:

 

Edited March 12 by John

[DirkSteele]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

I may very well have posted this before. If so I apologise!

Very early morning at Huddersfield astro society where my wife and I set up my FS128 in readiness for the much anticipated 2004 Transit of Venus. My younger son Daniel spent the day with us rather than wasting his time in school, and after eating his apple, followed along with his StarTravel 102. Both scopes had home grown Mylar filters.  Despite early cloud hindering the view as first contact was seen, it soon cleared and the day ended up being a great success.  There were many visitors, some thrilled at the spectacle, while others wondered what all the fuss was about. One woman looking through my telescope commented "Is that it"? I was most disgruntled, as a little over a year earlier I'd spent almost £4000 on this telescope plus a new mount, the best mount I've ever owned, a Celestron German equatorial made by Losmandy. Wish I'd never parted with it!!! Obviously some people have little appreciation for fine optics and how well defined a transiting black dot can be to a nutter like me! There's nowt as queer as folk!!

My FS128 observing the transit of Venus, June 8 2004, along with dad & lad.

What did we see? 

 

 

5 minutes ago, John said:

That was a memorable event. My only scope at that time was my little 60mm Tasco from the 1960's. I projected the sun's image onto a piece of card and managed to snap a few (rather crude) photos with my Pentax K1000 35mm SLR. As my children and their friends went to school (which was just across the road from where we live) I was able to show them and their parents some views of the transit.

A lot of fun though 🙂

This was the "mighty beast" that I used that day:

 

Sadly I do not think I have the photos of this any more, though I did have a camera phone in 2004 so I might be able to find an old phone in a drawer somewhere, though I wonder after 20 years if it would work.  Was such a great day.  Cloudless skies for the whole thing.  I used my C11 and a Thousand Oaks full aperture glass solar filter.  At that time, the scope lived at parents in Hampshire.  I went to set up in the south facing back garden but the sun was so far round to the north I could not get far enough away from the house to see first contact.  Quick change of plans, I carried the fork mounted scope (easier at age 25!) into the front garden and watched the whole thing from there.  My parents live very close to a primary school so many parents after completing the school run came to see what I was doing and I shared the view with dozens of people.  Impromtu out reach event!

[John]

Maybe we need a separate thread: "Tell us about your memorable astronomy event" ?

 

 

 

[mikeDnight]

20 minutes ago, John said:

That was a memorable event. My only scope at that time was my little 60mm Tasco from the 1960's. I projected the sun's image onto a piece of card and managed to snap a few (rather crude) photos with my Pentax K1000 35mm SLR. As my children and their friends went to school (which was just across the road from where we live) I was able to show them and their parents some views of the transit.

A lot of fun though 🙂

This was the "mighty beast" that I used that day:

 

Thats fantastic John! A great pic from a history, and a lovely old scope too. I honestly think these old small aperture scopes are better than we've been led to believe. That photo of Venus in transit deserves framing!!  Do you still have your Tasco?

[John]

5 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Thats fantastic John! A great pic from a history, and a lovely old scope too. I honestly think these old small aperture scopes are better than we've been led to believe. That photo of Venus in transit deserves framing!!  Do you still have your Tasco?

Thanks Mike, Yes, I still have the Tasco in it's wooden box complete with the rather wobbly alt-az yoke mount and .965" eyepieces. Every now and then I set it up and have a look at something for old times sake 🙂

[Nigella Bryant]

Another solar session today. Lots of flaring and a huge hedge row prom on the South Eastern limb. 

[Albir phil]

[Albir phil]

[Les Ewan]

A very simple setup at work this morning. A Astrolux 76mm f9.2 and Nikon DSLR after doing some sunspot imaging duty this morning.

[Mr Spock]

Solar just now.

[Nigella Bryant]

Another solar session today but fighting with fast moving and at times completely clouded over. Chasing the gaps in the clouds 😭

[JeremyS]