North Lincs Astro meeting. 7th May , 2012

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Reviewer

Again the clouds tried to spoil the North Lincs Astro club meeting on Monday 7th May 2012. Despite this, around 18 members turned up, including two “newbies”

Hints and tips on various astronomical subjects were shared amongst the group. The opportunity was taken to discuss future meetings. It was agreed the next meeting would be dedicated to solar observing (weather permitting) , plus a member will give a talk on the “Constellation of the month”. These extra activities each month should keep everyone occupied if the weather plays its hand once more.

As always Northern Optics was in attendance, with a selecton of astro bits for sale, and donated a pair of Celestron binoculars as the raffle prize

Also a big thank you to the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust for the use of the venue 

Visit the North Lincs Astro website here

 

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Visionary HD 7×50 binoculars. Customers review

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Reviewer

 

A customer visiting the Northern Optics retail outlet was looking for a good quality pair of binoculars that were suitable for astronomy and general use. After looking at a couple of smaller 8×32 and 8×40 alternatives, they were instantly blown away with the Visionary HD 7×50 binoculars.

Despite them only being 7x magnification, they could see as much distant detail as the other 8x binoculars. Despite them not being compact, the customer was surprised at how light they were. The large depth of field made them very user friendly.

From a personal point of view, the large 7mm exit pupil makes them ideal for low light / astronomy. Although they look similar to the lower priced Visionary B4 and Classic porro prism binoculars, that is where the similarity ends. The optics and built quality are of a much higher standard.

Click here to buy

 

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Will my National Geographic telescope accept 1.25″ filters ?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Reviewer

National Geographic telescopes are readily available from a well known catalogue shop. The problem is that some of their eyepieces are not threaded to accept astronomical 1.25″ filters. This is not a problem if you don,t require additional filters. But obviously is, if you do want to upgrade. A solution is to upgrade to branded eyepieces that are threaded correctly.

For a great selection of telescopes and eyepieces, visit Northern Optics

 

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Celestron Outland LX 10×42 Binoculars review

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Reviewer

 

Solid build with great quality optics. Although the Celestron Outland LX 10×42 have been around for a few years, they can still give more modern designs a good run for their money.

Quite compact in design compared to some other 42mm binoculars. Yet they feel solid and well put together. Handling is superb, with a gripy body and smooth focus wheel. The twist eye cups are a little stiffer than some, but that is not a criticism. First time out the box, the dioptre adjustment was very hard to turn. But once moving, it became much more fluid.

Eye relief is very good for spectacle wearers. The 3-stage dioptre adjustment is excellent.

Due to the focus gearing, there is less than a quarter turn needed for distances from 10m to infinity. On the subject of focusing, the close focus is extremely good. At 5ft, 8ins I could easily focus on my own feet. This is closer than the quoted 6ft. Though I did find it hard to get a circle at such a close range, so had to shut one eye.

Compared to some modern ED and phase corrected binoculars, you don’t get as bright an image, plus there is a little CA evident. But don’t let this put you off, as you get a fantastic image for £50+ less than some modern binoculars in the same class. Very good internal baffling gives virtually no internal reflection.

The soft case , lens caps and neck strap are of a very high spec.

Great multi purpose binoculars that are excellent value for money. Highly recommended

Please note the Celestron Outland LX 10×42 binoculars are now discontinued.

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Skywatcher AZ4-2 tripod review. By North Lincs Astro

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Reviewer

Skywatcher AZ4-2 Alt-Az Mount with Steel Tripod

I bought the Sky-Watcher AZ4 Alt-Azimuth mount as a quick and easy option to use on those nights with unexpected clear spells. For those unfamiliar with the terminology an Alt-Az mount is a basic mount that essentially moves in a basic up/down side to side movement. The mount has separate friction clutches adjusted by large knobs on both the Altitude and Azimuth axes. A panning arm, with two mounting positions, controls the super smooth movements. Telescopes attach to the mount with a standard dovetail bar. A L shaped bracket is included so the mount can be used with spotting scopes or cameras. I bought the steel legged model which feels very sturdy and is still easily portable. Set up could not be easier, carry the mount to your viewing spot, adjust the legs to the required height, attach and balance your scope then adjust the clutches to your preference and your ready to observe. The mount easily holds my Startravel 80 refractor or 150p Newtonian and copes with a 150pro Maksutov no problems.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with the AZ4 and would recommend one to anyone looking for a robust and easy to use mount.

Review Courtesy of Paul Cotton from the North Lincs Astro club

Visit the North Lincs Astro website here

 

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Image of M81 by Shaun Clayton of North Lincs Astro

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Reviewer

 

This superb image of M81 was taken by Shaun Clayton of the North Lincs Astro club.

Quote from Mr Clayton “Combined images i took over three nights in march to produce this 4 hour exposure”

I think you will agree, it is a fantastic image

See more images by Shaun Clayton and other members of North Lincs Astro here

 

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North Lincs Astro club meeting. 2nd April 2012

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Reviewer

Despite the clouds, 21 members attended the North Lincolnshire astronomy club meeting at Barton’s Far Ings nature reserve on Monday 2nd April.

The weather meant that we spent the evening indoors. This was a good chance to make it quite a social evening. 4 new members were made welcome, and we hope to see them again.

A telescope was set up, and so began a question and answer session, with regular members giving new members valuable advice on the workings of a telescope

Thank you to the Lincs Wildlife trust for use of the venue. As always, Northern Optics was in attendance with some bargains on the night, and donated a couple of raffle prizes

North Lincs Astro website

Northern Optics website

 

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Hawke Optics T-rings

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Reviewer

Why do Northern Optics sell and recommend Hawke Optics T-rings ?. In order to get a safe and secure lock on to your SLR / DSLR body, the t-ring needs to be of a good quality. Your camera locking pin clicks into a groove on the t-ring to hold it in place. For this to happen, there is a small groove on the adapter for the camera pin to slot in to. Unfortunately some t-rings groove is not wide or deep enough. End result is that your camera may continue to turn, and worse case scenario will fall off.

The grove problem has no such trouble with Hawke Optics t-rings. The camera pin clicks securely in to position, leaving you free to concentrate on taking great photos.

In the past, we sold a well known brand name t-ring before we discovered Hawke adapters. With the other brand there were 2 incidents of cameras slipping, and on 2 occasions, the camera fell off. Since moving to Hawke, there has been 100% success rate.

Buy Hawke t-rings here

 

 

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How long are Visionary binocular and Spotting scope warranties ?

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Reviewer

Visionary binoculars and scopes come with a 10 year warranty. Unlike Northern Optics, many sellers will not explain the breakdown of this in detail at the point of sale. So here,s the details. The warranty covers parts and labour for 2 years. For the remainder of the term, the warranty covers parts only (there is a charge for labour)

Visionary warranties cover faults due to manufacturing defects only. Accidental damage , or damage caused by mishandling is not covered. Lens caps, straps and cases are not covered by the warranty.

Items that need fixing outside the terms and conditions can be fixed for a fee

For a great range of Visionary binoculars and spotting scopes, Visit the Northern Optics website

 

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North Lincs Astro website updated

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Blogger

New for 2012. The North Lincs Astro website has been updated with a new clean look. The website gives all the information you need on the North Lincolnshire astronomy club. This includes details on Meeting dates, latest news, location, members photos, members telescopes plus much more.

The North Lincs Astro club is the perfect place to meet other astronomers, and try out telescopes in North Lincolnshire

 

Visit the North Lincs Astro website here

 

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