Happy 10th birthday to Alpha Lyrae!

[DirkSteele]

No, not the star, that is about 450Myrs old, but my Astro website. What started as a gift of a web domain from my then girlfriend (now wife) named after my favourite star so “I could write some Astro-stuff if the mood took me” became a fun outlet to record some big observing sessions over the years, often in far away lands, and plenty of equipment reviews and other random Astronomy stuff.

 

Highlights would be Astronomy Now magazine contacting me after reading some reviews and asking me to review stuff for the magazine, and Al Nagler emailing me after reading my 21mm Ethos review asking if he could put some excerpts on the Tele Vue website and link to the review.

 

I think my favourite review is the Vixen SG 2.1x42 binoculars which seemed to become the de facto review online for a while for these interesting binos as retailers all over the world linked to it on the product page (analytics was fun with that one), and it was edited and translated into French for Ciel et Espace magazine.

 

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2014/10/25/vixen-sg-2-1x42-binoculars-review/

 

My favourite observing report has a rather comical ending but it is night 2 of a 2013 trip to Namibia where after a dusk till dawn session, I mistook(briefly) Hubble’s Variable Nebula for a new comet discovery! I blame the tiredness (that is my story and I am sticking to under oath!).

 

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2013/10/19/stargazing-under-fantastically-dark-namibian-skies-night-two/

 

My ability to add these days is more limited as it my stargazing in general as I now have 2 and half year old (though she is already showing interest and calls crescent phases of the moon a baby moon so fingers crossed she is joining me under the stars in a few years) but I hope to add stuff occasionally (actually have a review almost finished). Here is to the next 10 years!

 

And for those that have bought stuff after reading reviews on the site, my apologies or you are welcome depending on how the bank manager reacted. 😉

 

[Saganite]

Congratulations Matthew.

It is hard to believe that 10 years has passed.

[Space Hopper]

Well done on reaching 10 years and heres to many more.

I remember your website was a useful source of information when i was researching into a purchase of an APM 105 / 650 of my own.

There's not alot of info around on these scopes. I actually traded the scope (purchased from Astrograph)  a couple of years ago. Some regret there, but with me, scopes come and go.

I was going to ask you about the AP 92 Traveller and the Baader TC95 which i remember you posting about over on CN.....?

What did you think of them ? Both of them are rarely seen scopes, and again not much info about them for the prospective buyer.

 

 

 

[DirkSteele]

10 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

Well done on reaching 10 years and heres to many more.

I remember your website was a useful source of information when i was researching into a purchase of an APM 105 / 650 of my own.

There's not alot of info around on these scopes. I actually traded the scope (purchased from Astrograph)  a couple of years ago. Some regret there, but with me, scopes come and go.

I was going to ask you about the AP 92 Traveller and the Baader TC95 which i remember you posting about over on CN.....?

What did you think of them ? Both of them are rarely seen scopes, and again not much info about them for the prospective buyer.

 

 

 

Sadly, not me posting about those two scopes. Would love to get my hands on either though and put them through their paces.

[Nicola Fletcher]

Many thanks Matthew for your fantastic website.

Im not a bit sorry about the damage to my bank account, but your site is the reason I now have a Nagler 3-6mm zoom, a FC76-DCU, Gitzo tripod, Airport Essentials camera bag and a hankering to visit Namibia!!

[JAC51]

Happy birthday indeed

I have really enjoyed your reviews and observing reports.

Experienced 180mm apo envy.

But I least I can share with you having a 130mm TMB  F9.2 which is a wonderful telescope. Can I take here the chance to ask what mounts you are using this on for visual work.

John

[DirkSteele]

26 minutes ago, JAC51 said:

Happy birthday indeed

I have really enjoyed your reviews and observing reports.

Experienced 180mm apo envy.

But I least I can share with you having a 130mm TMB  F9.2 which is a wonderful telescope. Can I take here the chance to ask what mounts you are using this on for visual work.

John

I typically use the Tele Optic Ercole but I start to experience vibrations that make much higher power work (which we both know the scope is very capable to do) above 200-250x hard. I also use the APM AzMaxload (which I bought for the 180mm) and that is solid as a rock but a very different weight class which makes using when travelling harder. I am looking around for a new mount which might sit between them. I know @John uses the T-Rex and it works very well but that mount is no longer produced.

Edited September 25, 2023 by DirkSteele
Typo

[John]

Congratulations on 10 years of your excellent web site Matthew 👍

I own a few of the items that you have reviewed and agree 100% with your opinions of them.

Thanks for all the effort you put in to your site and for your input to SGL as well. Much appreciated.

To @JAC51, as Matthew says, I use a T-Rex with my 130mm F/9.2  but I think the currently available equivalent would be the Rowan AZ100.

I have used the scope on a Skytee II and an Ercole and it works but vibrations when observing at 200x and above (which is often with such a scope) don't do the views any favours.

 

[JAC51]

Thank you for the above replies.

I almost bought a TRex some 12 years ago, passing on that was a mistake. Now it looks like the AZ100 is indeed the modern equivalent needed for higher power use. I will have soldier on with my Losmandy GM8 which does a respectable job for visual x300+ though I did haven’t ditch the tripod and put it on a pier.

[Saganite]

The AZ100 carries my APM ED152 with ease Matthew .  It is a big heavy scope but I can use powers 300x to 400x when star splitting without a problem. It is on a pier, but it still is very good if I put it on my Planet tripod. The mount is so easy to handle it takes under 90 seconds to move it from tripod to pier.

[josefk]

Happy Birthday for the website Matthew. I’ve always enjoyed your reviews and observing notes. Thanks for taking the time putting stuff out there for our enjoyment and interest! 👍🏼

[josefk]

And ditto the AZ100. It’s a weighty lump but an extremely useful one and compact in outline so it packs well for travel (by car at least). 

[Deadlake]

6 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

Sadly, not me posting about those two scopes. Would love to get my hands on either though and put them through their paces.

Gavstar sold the Baader Traveller some years back…

 

@DirkSteele

 

From a mount point of view I would look at the AZ75 or HAZ31.

The HAZ31 is very light and would make excellent use up until your 130 mm, whereas the AZ75 would support the C11. 
 

Depends how manual you would want to go.

If I was taking a trip to some dark skies, then maybe the AZ75 and a Nexus DSC would be the better option, as goto without creating a large amount of light..

 

Here is a 130 mm LZOS on an AZ100

And a 130 GTX on the HAZ31, not mine. The AZ100 is 6 kg larger then the AZ75. The HAZ31 is 3.1 kg’s, but no encoders. If you knock the mount on changing an EP it is start again.

 

The AZ100 does have a YAB adapter to balance in the Y axis which is unique to the AZ100 and the Half Hitch

Edited September 25, 2023 by Deadlake

[Deadlake]

PUAS

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Deadlake

[stuarts]

Happy birthday to your fine website.

I particularly enjoyed the posts like Observing all Open Clusters in Cassiopeia brighter than Mag 12 or Observing every Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus in a Single Session.

thanks

[DirkSteele]

20 minutes ago, stuarts said:

Happy birthday to your fine website.

I particularly enjoyed the posts like Observing all Open Clusters in Cassiopeia brighter than Mag 12 or Observing every Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus in a Single Session.

thanks

Those were fun observing sessions! And they have altered the way I go about any planned observing. Now I tend to focus on areas of the sky and hunt down many of the treasures there rather than jumping all over the sky in an ad hoc manner. However, random sessions because it is clear are still what ever I can think of to hunt down.

[Stu]

Congrats on the 10th Birthday @DirkSteele 👍👍

I have you to thank/blame (🤪) for my addiction both to small Taks and Feathertouch focusers. I’ve had the FS60C/FC76DC combination with FTs twice now and intend to hang onto the ones I have now, and have added the CQ Extender too now; would have been much cheaper to have kept the original ones but there you go! Buying another new FTF2025BCR LW wasn’t cheap but now they are unobtainium I’m glad I did.

I would echo the AZ100 recommendations for the 130 f9.2. My FS-128 sits very nicely on either the 75 or 100 but I think the 100 would be the better option for your triplet.

[PeterW]

Looking forward to more reviews and observing logs!

all the best

Peter

[badhex]

Congrats on ten years! Like others I've also been convinced to part with funds thanks to your site, in particular the great review of the Vixen SG you did. Here's to another ten years!