Thanks Allan, I've already been enjoying browsing these forums. Looks like I've found a new place to put high on my bookmark list!
The 8SE is indeed a nice instrument - it hits a real sweet spot in terms of price and performance. I've used a LOT of telescopes in my time (including regular use of an observatory-mounted 24") at a Bortle 1 site (SSO), and even with these biases (
), I'm regularly pleasantly surprised how well my 8SE performances. Not perfect in all situations, but then, no 'scope is.
Well, I look forward to actively participating in these forums. Cheers!