So it is Christmas day or the day after by the time you read this.

[rumples riot]

How did you all fair, did you get the sort of goodies that make you think hmmm I ready needed that piece of equipment? I was luck to get a couple of Gift vouchers to Adelaide Optical. I can feel a guide scope coming on or a 5000 series EP.

So tell us what you got. Hope you all had a great day.

Paul

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

I think I mentioned earlier that I felt a C8NGT coming on...it is ordered but wont be here till January sometime.
(also next birthday -which is a big five oh-rolled into this)

and my brother-in law got me a 7 x50 finder scope

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

I got a subscription to the US Sky and Telescope...the astronomy books my wife allegedly ordered for me got caught in the Christmas shipping rush and hopefully will arrive sometime in January...long story but I am not sure if they have "technically actually been ordered" or have only been "approved" by the holder of the checkbook...

I did get a nice Wallaby rugby shirt and a new tie...

I am most interested in getting some clear skies...I got a new Nagler T6 11 mm a few months ago and I have only had it out once for a quickie...I liked what I saw...I am anxious to try it in earnest...I also got a telrad but I have not had a chance to play with it either...

Hope Santa gave everyone else what they wanted...

[gbeal]

Seeker, commiserations, me too next time, man that is old. Still got some hair though, what about you?
Got a table saw/workbench thingie, and am flat out building a nice rimu (NZ native timber) storage box for the Tak Mewlon.
Might even post a piccie if it looks OK.
Too much food and drink, but hey thats Christmas. Just setting up for a bit of imaging. Going to try the Linear comet as suggested by another kiwi imager, John Drummond at http://www.possumobservatory.co.nz/c-2003k4-comet_linear-041223-1x-30sec@800asa-280mmfl-f2,8-text2.jpg
Gary

[iceman (Mike)]

Nice one guys..

I got a new planisphere (a good one!), my ToUcam (which came a few weeks ago), and some money for my next astro purchase.. decisions decisions coming up..

A few other odds and ends from other relatives but nothing astro related.

Merry xmas everyone, hope you all had a great day.. my belly is full and the house is a mess..

time to go clean it up..

[silvinator]

Hey fellas, glad everyone had a great xmas. I didn't get anything astro-related either (except the things I was allowed to buy off astromart a few weeks before christmas) but then again, I didn't ask for anything astro-related. I wouldn't trust my cousins or my brother and sister with trying to find anything like that! I asked for and received a Jamie Oliver cookbook and a pink satin summer robe. It was also enough to see the whole family turn up to my BBQ and enjoy all my food and my wonderful chocolate cake and all the little ones opening up their pressies. All in all, it was a great day and I hope everyone had similar joy

PS: I just realised, one more post till I hit 100! what am I going to post???

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Great News!

Having clearly demonstrated that I spent much more on her than she actually did (or planned to) on me, my lovely wife has given me the go ahead to buy something "astro" of my choosing...

I am thinking about a 2.5 powermate...I don't have a barlow and I sense "weakness" (guilt) in my wife at the moment...maybe this is my chance!

Any other suggestions???

Ain't guilt a powerful motivating factor!

Happy Holidays!

[gbeal]

Wave,.
the Powermates are awesome, and I have both the 2.5x and the 5x. BUT, I don't think they are significantly better than anything else about. There are plenty of folk using something like a 2.8 Klee, or an Ultima for example.
I even use the orthos in projection mode, making the Powermate(s) semi redundant.
Great time to get one though.
Gary

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Gary,

Thanks for your comments...I'll probably get the powermate as I don't know when I will see such weakness (kindness) in my wife again...

Besides, it should last me a lifetime...as eyepieces etc. make up a large % of the viewing system I might as well get as good as I can...

Best of all, when I move upward and onward to a nicer scope, I can still use the powermate (and other eyepieces)...

At least that is what I am telling myself...

Cheers!

[ving (David)]

got some bling bling, and a blue-tooth car kit for my phone
happy with that.

[mch62 (Mark)]

Yep luv me Powermate !
Hay Gary another good point about using a powermate with orthos is you don't have to put up with gluing your eye to a small 3mm lens. I have a 4x Powermate and 25 18 & 12.5 mm orthos for solar system observing and with these combinations eye relief is very comfortable. Have you ever tried to use a 3mm ortho, it becomes a contact lens
It's also great for using with web-cams to get up close and personal.
I even use it with my 42mm GSO EP and 32mm Andrews----dam , it just about stays in the scope all the time.
One of my better accessory purchases and yes it did take some persuasion but worth it.

Mark

[beren]

Mark are Orthos really worth getting ?been thinking of getting one for a while.

My Tak was my Xmas pressy for the next 10 years, and birthday as well I believe.

[mch62 (Mark)]

Originally posted by Aragorn
Mark are Orthos really worth getting ?been thinking of getting one for a while.

I originally got mine for an f8 refractor and planetary work , which is there specialty , and while they work fine in a slower scope you might find them unsatisfactory for faster scopes, not sure on that though. Meaning stars may be unfocused or abberations towards the edge.
They work beautifully in my f6 newt but then I use the powermate which slows down the f number.
As there only a four element Ep they might not work well in a faster scope but I will, next time I see Saturn%25 (Graeme ) will try them in his f5 GSO dob and let you know.
Actually we did try them one night but with the Powermate on his Dob and they were fine in that configuration.
They have like only a 40-45deg field but that is not important on planets.
They do have a very natural and sharper view than multi element EP. The back ground appears blacker with less light scatter. They are favoured for planetary use and are quite cheap as compared to multi element eyepieces.
As I stated before eye relief is approxamtly 3/4 of the eyepiece focal length similar to a plossel , so with 3 and 4mm ones you have to glue your eyeball to the lens.
But with a barlow or Powermate and using 12mm and up, there a lot more comfortable to use.
Now you might say that what's the point if you have a four element Powermate and a four element eyepiece, thats eight elements.
I can only say that I tried a 6 and 7 element eyepiece only (no PM or Barlow) in my old refractor during the Mars event and the owner of those and myself found the Ortho Powermate combo sharper and clearer and were able to see more detail .
Mine are University Optics units and there are lots of reviews on these as well as a newer model of the same brand.
There are also other brands around for a higher price like Pentax.
It's really a good idea to try before you buy when it comes to eyepieces as they are such an important part of the optics and ever one has different tastes and expectations.

Mark

[beren]

thanks