is, generally, cloudy. Sods law really. With my interest in most things waning, i find myself coming back to what has long fascinated me - the night sky. Despite a rigorous scientific background and a moderately deep understanding of the heavens, im still able, perhaps more so simply because i understand them so well and dont have to resort of mindless fantasy fiction (otherwise known as 'religion'), to be amazed by what can be seen.
To this end then, I decided now was a good time to improve my astronomy capabilities. Having decided on a budget and considered long and hard as to what kind of instrument I wanted to go for - do I go for the greater light gathering of a big Dobsonian mounted reflector, or the easier aiming of a slightly smaller set of optics on an equatorial mount, etc - I made a choice. Only to find it out of stock, in all variations, everywhere!
It seems, which people unable to go out and about as they used to due to the pandemic, that people are choosing to try out the more solitary pastime of amateur astronomy, and the shops are simply running out of stock! Such strange knock-on effects are starting to become apparent in many widely diverse activities, such as the famous flour shortage as everyone took to home baking!
So the telescope has not yet been upgraded, but I did manage to get my 2nd choice instrument. I had made a selection of the Celestron Skymaster 20x80 binoculars. These were a great price from my preferred supplier. Now, im going to briefly mention these and my recent experience. This is simply a statement of my experience and I dont wish it to be taken as anything but. My preferred supplier is Rother Valley Optics. When i dealt with them before in the shop i found them very helpful, and being a great price and a 'local' indepenant supplier wished to use them again. Having to do so online though, I found my enquiry regarding suitability, which included a very basic 'beginners' question, to be answered rather briefly, with none of the personal insight I would have expected from a friendly amateur astronomer. Also, my order for the binoculars was subsequently cancelled and refunded with no more than a note to 'check stock levels next time', no query as to whether I wished to hold on back-order until the stock came in. All in all I was somewhat disappointed by the experience. I do appreciate that these are difficult times, but as they say "civility cost nothing, young man!"
Instead, my order was re-placed through Amazon, with Carmarthen Cameras. This cost me £8 more, but at least they had stock! Having no direct contact with the store, I can only report on the fact that they arrived quickly, and the packaging while not substantial was adequate.
Now, these binos are not pocket eyeglasses! They are huge! Ideally they should be mounted on a tripod, but my only spare one is a lightweight one for the SLR and rather flimsy. Nevertheless, myself and Tom took a stroll up the local hill yesterday to test them out. My main concern was ensuring that they were properly collimated, the slightest error in collimation and they would be on their way back to the shop! Much testing on very distant objects and I can say, at least within the limits of my own horrendously myopic and astigmatic vision, that the collimation is good. The arm strain as a result of hand holding them for an hour not so good! A couple of targets proved remarkable for testing these, one was a lucky chance of a hot air balloon over York, which to the naked eye was just noticeable as a dark balloon shape, in Toms 10x50s as a dark blue balloon, and in these as a dark blue balloon with a yellow and blue checkered top section! The other was a pair of aircraft warning lights (this of course was mid-afternoon) somewhere in Leeds city center. Not even the building they were on was visible in the 10x50s!
On the night these arrived the sky was clear and I did have a chance to play for a few minutes before it clouded over. Its been overcast since! But the main joy of the trip up the hill yesterday was teaching Tom how to use binoculars! With the light weight cheapo Bresser 10x50s that i'd just repaired (so far out of collimation that there was literally two of every object! and the rubber sticky from alcohol degradation that needed talc rubbing in), I spent some time to teach Tom properly how to set them up, starting with Interpupilary distance, followed by eye relief, and dioptre setting, then focusing. I think the excited shouts and comments can be taken as confirmation that he enjoyed the experience!
One thing ive realised though, is that I dont have anything I can comfortably sit/lay out in the garden on to observe! Im hoping that with it now being autumn, cheap sunloungers might be on discount somewhere!
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