When Peter dropped off SDM053 to its proud owner Alex Mihailidis, he was surprised to have a close encounter with Canis Major (can?s to be exact, for there are two)! The scope was mistakenly unloaded beside the roll-off roof observatory, which turned out to be a kennel, as his four legged friends eyed up their new chew-toy.

Thankfully their Big Dob is built to withstand the rigours of the harsh Australian climate with many stainless steel parts and finest marine ply construction. This beautiful scope sports a very fine 14″ mirror too, figured to perfection by Mark Suchting and is sure to give outstanding views of the skies.

The first challenge will be to resolve that difficult double, Sirius, the Dog Star…