Just a short update should anyone be interested. I also don't want to be one of those newbies who say hello and are never heard from again.
I've been out to the dark site a number of times now and am slowly getting acquainted with many of the constellations in the night sky. I've started to work through the Messier list (23 and counting) and seen a number of other stunning objects including planetary nebulas such as the ring nebula in Lyra which at my latitude looks sharp and impressive. I can also confirm that I've seen Vesta as well.
I also stayed up long enough last saturday night to get a better look at Jupiter and saw Andromeda for the first time. I knew it was big but when I couldn't fit it entirely into the FOV of the 24mm Pan, its immensity became apparent. I forgot to look at it with the GSO 30mm Superview so I will have to give it another crack next time.
I'm also liking the 13 Nagler T6 much more now that I'm getting my eye in the correct position for viewing. It still suffers from eyelash oil smears after each viewing session. I also have the 10mm Delos on order and hope it arrives before the wet season does.
With the parracorr it should give me just over 200x magnification so should be good for the moon and planets. Jupiter was still a little low on the horizon when I observe so the 13 Nag was the highest I went last week.
I adjusted the tension knob plates 3mm and that has done the trick with the balance issues. Also have the 150g magnet for fine tuning. I suspect I might have to raise the plates another couple of mm when the heavy Delos arrives.
Anyway, now that I've had over 3 months experience in using the 16 inch GSO Dobsonian, I have nothing but praise for this product. It's not for everyone but it suits my requirements and circumstance well. I just hope the clouds stay away for just a little while longer as every night I've taken the black beast out so far has been relatively cloud free and the viewing somewhat "Stellar".
