Newest toy!

What is it ?

Hmmmm ???

??????????????

My guess is it's a telescope?

Thats what I thought Ian...........

It actually looks like a super-duper microscope.

Inter-galactic spaceman to guard Lori's plants..... or paint pictures on the the walls .????????

hahaha... yes Ian digs v2 wins the priZe! lol... This is a Meade EXT-LS telescope..which is self orienting (Via GPS) ...has a digital camera included with a 6" refractor ....almost blinded myself looking at the full moon.. wondrous...but a little like looking into a flashlight (torch) ...the self orientation mechanism makes it a little heavy to carry around..but it's a wonderful toy.
((Pssst! Mb...how did you guess??))

Yaaaaaaay! so what do I win? Lol
My son is heavily into star gazing so I had insider information (he wants one for christmas!) :~))))

Nahhhhh you cheated Ian :o)))
Blimey lori you tring to blind us with science :o)))

He's not here to help me Bob, I just know what they look like and more importantly how much the one he wants will cost!
Put it this way, he said "Well it's not much more than a motorbike! ! !"

I did say "prize"...didn't I? Hmmm.. Oh-oh...(I)

This telescope was my husband's choice; this Meade was introduced last spring, just as he was retiring...so ... he's not into motorbikes or fast cars and he's actually let me use it too...but just between you and me ...I like the motorbike idea! lol.
No Bobg...I'm just an amateur at this science stuff myself...hubby's the genius! lol... It's a very interesting hobby, Ian. Is your son scientifically inclined?

Errr not really but he does like 'star gazing' ! (He's 14!)

Oh My Goodness Ian thats a wicked new avatar pic.

Thanks Bob, I've posted it on my photo's page so you can read the writing!

hope you have fun star gazing Lori. Gerry and I used to have a telescope...nothing on the scale of yours but we used to sit in the garden on a starry night and view the planets, moon and star systems. We gave up when we moved as the light pollution spoiled it. Although we live up high now and the sky is a lot clearer here.

we are sure to get lots of fresh air (and maybe chill blanes) this winter!

You can always take a hot water bottle out with you to help fight the cold.

thanks LIndak...I'll have to get some "snuggies" lol.... Ian...there's a telescope available for "amateur or first time astronomers" made by Celestron that may be of interest to you.

I've had a look Lori and have asked if they can deliver before the big day!

Oooo - I do love a new toy! My big brother is into stargazing too. There's too much light polution in Hereford, so he goes out into the countryside at night and finds a quiet layby or something. I've gone with him before now when there's been an 'event' as he calls it - meteor showers, moon eclipses, comets, etc. Lori - have you seen Saturn yet? That's the one that always amazes me. With my brother's telescope you can just see the ring around Saturn. Very humbling experience to see something like that.

Hi Sid...somehow I figured you for an astronomer! We are always so centred on our little here-and-now that it's similar in effect to a really good body stretch ...just to stand out beneath the stars and realize how small we are! it settles me and makes me feel thankful for the ground beneath my feet! I had a good look at the moon and nearly blinded myself...lol... this summer I saw Jupiter...with it's three moons...they tell me that's not often possible! but I was lucky...We missed a lunar eclipse by weeks...(telescope was on order) I often just put it on the deck and look to see what I can see...this thing has so many bells and whistles that it frustrates me...because I just want to train it on something interesting and it wants to give me a gallactic tour!!

Now how did you figure me for an astromomer??!! Actually, it's my brother really. He knows all the constallations and stars and nebulas and things. I don't know about any of it really, but I enjoy listening to him - makes me very proud of him. Yes, the moon is very bright isn't it! I think it's all the more impressive if you look at it as a half of three quarters moon because then you see the craters better because of the shadows. Quite astonishing isn't it.

You just struck me as a very intelligent person...with many interests. looking out into the great beyond makes me feel more secure and grounded (no pun intended)

Aww, shux, I'm all embarrassed now. You wouldn't say that if you knew me though. Honestly, I've lived in this town all my life and I still manage to get lost, I burn everything I cook and some days even the cat refuses to have anything to do with me!! x-D And the number of times people come up to me in the street to say hello and how am I and I smile back and say I'm fine and how are you and I've absolutely no idea whatsoever who on earth they are.......that happens to me alot..!!

Just think, we are thousands of miles apart, and yet as we're both in the Northern Hemisphere, we see the same sky. Well, NORMALLY we do. It seems to have been tipping it down with rain here for the past month! lol

Must be a hemispheric phenomena...lol.... we've had one of the wettest summers on record...It didn't hurt the garden however. This telescope can also be used for terrestrial viewing... It is billed as being so simple to operate but the thing has a manual that takes up( mega-) (kilo...?)...bytes of computer ROM and I don't see it as simple at all!! it's taken me months to gain the courage to use it and actually look at something! hope to have a good look this winter...don't know how it will handle being moved from a heated house to a frigid deck...Terry says it's possible but I'd prefer to just see what I can thro the windows and save the serious viewing for spring and summer...

That's interesting that your summer has been wet too - it's been similar here for the last 3 years now - starts out very dry early to mid spring (resulting in disasters with seed sown in the veggie plot) and then getting really wet through June to August, which has resulted in summer flowering plants coming into flower very late or not at all. I wonder if it's to do with climate change or just a blip? Wonder what next summer with bring.......

I have been dragged out on several freezing cold nights by my brother to look at stars because the sky is at its clearest then - I take a hot water bottle and a flask! lol

A flask of rum i hope Sid...:o))
Ps Have you seen the Enterprise yet Lori ??

only when it's in space dock, Mushyb!
I have some brandy... hmmmm good idea!
Orrrr.... maybe not, I have enough trouble with focus as it is!

I'm not sure that alcohol and sensitive optical equipment mix really lol

Lori, Stew's jumping up and down now as his telescope came at the weekend! ! !
Thank god for credit cards is all I say!

Arnt you going to make him wait till Xmas? ;-)

At 14 Sid? I don't think I could stand the moping about for that long! I have got him something put away though!

My mum and dad always made us wait till AFTER DINNER on Xmas day before we could open our prezzies!

WHAT ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
I don't think we would have made it passed breakfast time when I was little!

We thought it was the same for everyone! Everyone had to gather together after dinner in the living room and open the prezzies altogether. I do actually think it's nicer that way...

Was that christmas eve dinner, Sid? Some of my relatives open their gifts on Christmas Eve... we always had to wait til the next morning...and it came early....like Ian I would have burst if I had to wait until after Christmas
Dinner!! Soooo glad it worked out Ian.... Is it as good a starter telescope as it's press would have it? I'm thrilled for Stewart...and yes! thank goodness for credit cards.

Nope, it was Christmas day dinner....about 2:00pm. We were allowed to open a small one in the morning and of course we had the contents of our stockings to keep us occupied for a while - although what a kid is meant to do with a tangerine and a handfall of nuts of a Christmas morning is anyone's guess lol. But there were sweets, a cracker and a little prezzie in there too - me and my sister had bunkbeds and we used to climb onto the bottom bunk together to empty our stockings and compare what we had :-)

Thank you Lori, I'm not sure if it's a good one or not but I know he's thrilled to bits with it! :~)))
Sid, we had to wait until mum and dad got up and then dad would shout us downstairs. Then all h**l broke loose while we charged like maniacs down the stairs and tore into our pressies! Brill fun :~))

:-) Think that's what happens in most households! But then there's nothing to look forward to later in the day!

I put up our little Xmas tree yesterday evening x-)

We have just been into town to buy some new lights etc. and will be getting Holly to help decorate the tree this evening. It will be the first time she has helped so we are looking forwards to it! :~)))

Sounds lovely :-)

I'm glad he's happy with it, Ian. Kids of that age aren't easy to please. I hope it works well for him and is the start of a PHD. in astro-physics! Happy Christmas!
With all my cleaning out in preparation for the move this summer...our old artificial tree went into the dumpster...so here we are approaching Christmas and we are treeless....Think it warrants a trip to the tree farm...and after it's done it's decorative work, I'll put it outside and decorate it for the birds! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Sid!

Merry Christmas Lori :-) Hope you find a very splendid tree at the tree farm :-)