[Sebbie (Sebastian)]

Originally Posted by Astro_Bot

To cool without cutting/drilling any holes you could use a Lymax style cooler that sucks air through the rear baffle..
I have some reservations about blowing outside air through the middle of my OTA. If I were going to do that, I would really rather blow filtered/de-humidified air, to reduce the risk of mould or fungus spores getting a toehold.

Thanks Astro_Bot. Had a look at the CosmicOne specs, interesting.. Quote: "The SCT Cooler has a filtered air intake and other design features which minimize the possibility of dust infiltration and direct the air flow away from the internal optical surfaces.. (it) draws outside air in through a high capacity fan."

Like you I am a bit uneasy about contaminating the inside of the tube in case of filter breakage.. sucking in pollen or small bugs is a bit of a worry at my location as I am surrounded by bottlebrushes and close to a local pond.. Will do more research re recommended maintenance cycle later.

Originally Posted by U.K.Cowboy

Look forward to seeing your Mars captures around opposition, by the looks of this early effort they are going to be pretty special!

Thanks Stuart, I still have my L plates well and truly on.

It's good to be able to benchmark one's effort against expert planetary photographers on this forum such as Stefan, Asimov, Quark and yourself! (to name a few).

Originally Posted by John Hothersall

Good detail, can't wait to have a go myself.

Originally Posted by John K

Very nice Seb!

Thanks guys, I'm beginning to understand why Mars holds a special place in the history of visual astronomy. The only other rocky planet with seasonal changes and Earth like polar regions.. very addictive to track and observe over time