I don’t claim to be an expert in EAA but here is my attempt at an explanation based on my experience of using EAA since 2012. Comments are always welcome! :o) EAA stands for Electronically Assisted Astronomy. Some other names (which might give you a clue to what it is) include: Video Astronomy or…

6 years ago / 141 visits

Last night was unexpectedly clear, so I popped out for a quick view before bed, my first in 58 days!! I carried out the Heritage 130P + GiroWR + photo tripod and was up and running in a couple of minutes. The warm, calm and transparent conditions were perfect so I ended up staying out until 1am! The…

6 years ago / 102 visits

It was a clear night last night with a bright first quarter moon and some clouds scudding across the sky, so I decided to go out and do some double star observing. I setup the C8 and Tal 100 RS on either side of the Skytee2, not really intending to use the Tal, but was in for a surprise later in the…

6 years ago / 101 visits

A few months ago I acquired the wonderful Skywatcher Heritage 130P. I wanted a lightweight scope with a decent aperture which I could mount on my mini-giro mount to make a nice grab and go setup. I had heard nothing but good reviews and I have not been disappointed. Below is my initial review plus s…

6 years ago / 262 visits

I was lucky enough to have some really good seeing to observe Jupiter last night. I knew the GRS was making an appearance around 10pm so I set up the C8 and Tal100RS side by side on the Skytee II a couple of hours early to allow good cooling time. Come 10pm I had my first peek at the giant through t…

7 years ago / 97 visits

Following a good first session at my new observing site, last night I had a second outing with the C8 to explore some bright galaxies in and around Leo. Conditions were transparent but Leo was lowish in an area of sky with some skyglow, so not perfect. First was M105 and its close neighbour NGC3384…

7 years ago / 89 visits

For the first time in fifteen years I finally have a dark, private garden in which to observe! Last night was wonderfully clear and transparent, so armed with my C8 mounted on a Skytee 2 and Sky Safari on iPhone, I ventured forth..... Using a F6.3 reducer and 21mm Hyperion giving 60x I started with…

7 years ago / 86 visits

I went to the local park last night last for a brief session with my grab and go set up (Megrez 72mm on a Horizon photo tripod). I took along two eyepieces; a 5mm BST giving mag of x86 and a Seben zoom giving a range from x54 to x18. Conditions were slightly hazy with fairly good seeing but a bright…

8 years ago / 112 visits

When I was a teenager back in the early 1980's most of my friends had pictures of Samantha Fox on their bedroom walls, but I was a little different and decided to put pictures of famous observatories on mine! I guess you could call me a typical nerd. Fortunately I had extremely supportive parents wh…

9 years ago / 212 visits / 1 person likes

Having put together a great scope and tripod combination for grab and go astronomy, I needed a good backpack for the scope and accessories. After measuring the various components, in particular the length and width of the 72mm refractor, I settled on the Lowepro Flipside 400; as backpack specificall…

9 years ago / 596 visits

Ventured out for a sub-zero session with my Megrez 72 and newly modded Horizon tripod on Saturday evening. It was a beautiful crisp, black winter's night dominated by Orion to the south - what a truly stunning constellation this is, 7 stars all brighter than mag 2, which define a distinct human shap…

10 years ago / 180 visits

I recently reviewed the Horizon 8115 tripod and concluded that it was a great mount for compact lightweight scopes but, like most camera tripods, was difficult to use closer to the zenith requiring tightening and loosening of the altitude tenison bolt in order to find and fix on an object. Inspired…

10 years ago / 647 visits / 1 comment

I bought the Horizon tripod as a light weight ‘grab and go’ mount to go with my Megrez72. Typical retail is about £80. I have a Skytee 2 heavy duty alt-az which is brilliant for visual – it can carry two very heavy scopes, is simple to set up and take down, BUT it is heavy and not something I want t…

10 years ago / 182 visits

Following the success of a great session a few weeks ago with my little Megrez72 refractor, I have been itching to get out again. After a long run of appalling weather I could finally see stars last night. So, despite low mist, a moon at first quarter and suffering from a stinking cold, I ventured o…

10 years ago / 135 visits

Had a great session with my 72mm Megrez last night. I bought this scope for wide field imaging and never really considered it for visual (my C8 is the usual choice for visual), but based on last night’s experience I will be doing a lot more grab and go observing in the future with this little great…

10 years ago / 98 visits