Beginners Start Here! - Page 55

keni (Ken) · #**1081** 03-12-2010, 06:12 PM

Yes an 8" looks much more manageable and the mount will be a bit cheaper too then.
I've been watching the For Sale listings too waiting...watching...waiting...

I have a Canon 20D standard DSLR not the "modded for what I want now" model.
It doesn't have live view but I think I can hook it up to a Lapdog.
Will have to consult the manual and see.
I live in Ashgrove so inner westy north kindoff.

Ken.

that_guy (Tony) · #**1082** 03-12-2010, 06:52 PM

if you want to to astrophotography, an EQ5 is usually not stable enough for 8" Newt.. you might want to consider Wide Field Refractors like an ED80, they sell second hand about the same price as you buy a 8" newt new... and they give a very very very good result... and its lighter and more portable.. so you can wack it on the EQ5 with out a worry

keni (Ken) · #**1083** 03-12-2010, 10:32 PM

Thanks Tony,
More options/suggestions are good..especially if they're cheaper.
I have just been checking out those refractors on the magic web and they look very interesting and popular for astropics.
I'll keep a close eye on the for sale section here although it'll be at least 6 months before I want to start.

Ken.

Winter Wolf · #**1084** 05-12-2010, 09:48 AM

Hi Folks, summer is here and I am ready to get back into astronomy. The eyepieces are covered in dust and the sheet is over the Dobsonian.
I promised myself that I will get off my lazy butt during the holidays.

Too bad that I've forgotten the location of everything

.....oh, well, now where did I put that Uranometria 2000??

Fingers crossed for good weather over the next few months and clouds from NSW and QLD disappear. Sounds like the flood waters are causing many problems. Hope everything is okay for you guys and girls.

Cheers.

Wolf.

Jessica · #**1085** 06-12-2010, 03:36 PM

Hello All!

I'm brand new to astronomy - I'm an avid space dork, but I haven't really had the cash to buy myself a telescope until now. I figured I'd say hi, and promise not to ask any stupid questions before reading as much as possible.

Cheers,

Jess!

erick (Eric) · #**1086** 06-12-2010, 04:01 PM

Hi there Jess! Enjoy your reading - then buy that scope!

Ric · #**1087** 06-12-2010, 11:40 PM

Hi Jess & Wolf

Welcome to IIS and I hope you both have a great time here.

Cheers

Space Dog (Ric) · #**1088** 07-12-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessica

Hello All!

I'm brand new to astronomy - I'm an avid space dork, but I haven't really had the cash to buy myself a telescope until now. I figured I'd say hi, and promise not to ask any stupid questions before reading as much as possible.

Cheers,

Jess!

Welcome Jess, no such thing as a "Stupid Question" if it increases your knowledge about Astronomy or any other subject.

Cheers, Ric.

jenchris (Jennifer) · #**1089** 07-12-2010, 05:48 PM

The only stupid question is the one you didn't ask.
Ask away and we'll try not to swat you too often

Binca (Bianca) · #**1090** 10-12-2010, 01:23 PM

I need some opinions. Around April this year I bought myself my first telescope, a Celestron 130 EQ. It is quite nice, and I would use it a lot if I actually had a sky that wasn't loaded with clouds all the time.

But I do have a dodgy back. I can carry a reasonable amount of weight, especially with mum helping me carry stuff, but my back will hurt when I spend ages fiddling with my telescope trying to find stuff. I have never managed to use the finderscope properly.

So anyway, I am planning on buying a motorised telescope, because I think that might be easier on my back if I don't have to find everything myself. Well, that is the impression I get anyway. I am in no hurry to buy, I need to save first anyway, although mum has promised $2000 towards it when we sell our holiday house. My overall price range is probably around $4000 max. Although naturally I wont object to cheaper.

I generally view from my front or backyard, although there are nearby places I can go for slightly better viewing. If I do go somewhere else, my car is small (Hyundi Excel or however you spell it

) and my mum's isn't much bigger (Ford Fiesta I think.)

When it comes to carrying a telescope, I know you can generally take it apart a bit. I can carry a suprisingly large amount of weight considering my build, gender, weight, height and whatnot, but my mum is pretty weak. As in very. But she can help a bit.

So the whole point of my story is, any suggestions as to what to get?

jenchris (Jennifer) · #**1091** 10-12-2010, 01:33 PM

It's not only what to get, it's also a matter of posture.
If you set up a scope so that the eyepiece is at the level of your eye, you don't have to bend to look into it- The diagonal on the focuser revolves to accomodate small differences in height when you look from a horizontal image to one higher up, so that you only have to look down or across, never have to bend over the lens.

So whatever you buy, will only have to be moved from the house to the car and then to a place of comfort!-or even just into the backyard.
make it easy on yourself by having a trolley that will accomodate your toy as well - there are several on the market that fold up - but it means you'll only have to lift it, never carry it.

erick (Eric) · #**1092** 10-12-2010, 01:56 PM

Feed Mum some red meat?

Before you spend some thousands of dollars

you need to get a good look at various types of scopes and try observing through them and aligning them with finderscope etc. Try to get to a starcamp or other gathering of folks with various scopes.

Winter Wolf · #**1093** 13-12-2010, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binca

But I do have a dodgy back. I can carry a reasonable amount of weight, especially with mum helping me carry stuff, but my back will hurt when I spend ages fiddling with my telescope trying to find stuff. I have never managed to use the finderscope properly.

The best advice for astronomy is- buy the telescope that you shall use the most.
Most people go for large aperture and a high-tech rig, only to find that it becomes too much of a chore to set up after the 'love' begins to fade. I would only recommend spending a large amount of money if you are positive that you know that you'll get outside a lot.

Those who are new to astronomy should start with something that is small and easy to carry. My first telescope was only 4 inch Vixen, but I still have many great memories using it.

I prefer to put money into good eyepieces that give a wide field view. They are more valuable than a high tech rig, IMO.

0tt0maddox · #**1094** 14-12-2010, 10:21 PM

Hi,

My name's Simon and I live in Canberra. I'm pretty new to astronomy. I've been meaning to join this site for a while, and now I've finally gotten around to it.

I've recently been given a basic reflector scope on an incredibly dodgy mount, and when I say dodgy, I mean it would probably move if you were to accidentally breath near it. However as a courtesy to the person who bought it for me I don't want to buy a new one right away.

I have a good pair of binoculars and I've been mapping stars to try and familiarize myself with the sky. Other than that I've just been tearing through as many informative books as possible.

My main problem (other than having to live in a place like Canberra) is that I'm getting a bit lost amongst all of the information. Does anybody have any tips on what aspects of information I should be learning as a priority, i.e. learning moon phases, constellations, how to read bearings etc.? Also If anyone knows of any amateur communities in the ACT that I might be able to join?

I would appreciate any help.

Ric · #**1095** 15-12-2010, 08:57 AM

Hi Simon and welcome to IIS

A good place to start in regards to club is the Canberra Astronomical Society. They have beginners meetings each month before the main meeting and a lot of great people you can chat with.

http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/cas/

Of course there is a wealth of info as well right here on this great site.

Cheers

erick (Eric) · #**1096** 15-12-2010, 09:00 AM

Hi Simon. Look through what is available on the IIS site, eg. in the "Projects & Articles":-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/projects.html

0tt0maddox · #**1097** 16-12-2010, 09:14 PM

Thanks guys!

Both links were just what I'm after.

Binca (Bianca) · #**1098** 16-12-2010, 09:46 PM

Simon, I can't pretend to be an expert, I am a bit of a beginner myself. But when it comes to learning stuff, I would advise you to start with whatever you are most interested in, because you will find it quicker and easier to learn that way

Well, I know I do anyway. Good luck!

Nettie (Annie) · #**1099** 27-12-2010, 08:18 PM

Hello there everyone!
I'm extremely new to astronomy, and know next to nothing. For Christmas this year I bought my hubby a Celestron Astomaster 70EQ and we've played with it once, last night. Had a blast even though we had a heap of trouble using the star finder. We stumbled upon Jupiter and it's moons I think which was a complete fluke as we didn't have a star map or anything lol.
We live in Perth so we headed up to a place near Mundaring Weir so there'd be less light pollution, unfortunately there are a lot of trees though but we managed to get a pretty good view of the sky.
Anyways, just wanted to introduce myself and say hi. I love the fact that everyone here seems so friendly and helpful, I wasn't going to join a forum but I'm glad I did!

astroron (Ron) · #**1100** 27-12-2010, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nettie

Hello there everyone!
I'm extremely new to astronomy, and know next to nothing. For Christmas this year I bought my hubby a Celestron Astomaster 70EQ and we've played with it once, last night. Had a blast even though we had a heap of trouble using the star finder. We stumbled upon Jupiter and it's moons I think which was a complete fluke as we didn't have a star map or anything lol.
We live in Perth so we headed up to a place near Mundaring Weir so there'd be less light pollution, unfortunately there are a lot of trees though but we managed to get a pretty good view of the sky.
Anyways, just wanted to introduce myself and say hi. I love the fact that everyone here seems so friendly and helpful, I wasn't going to join a forum but I'm glad I did!

Annie and

to iceinspace
I am glad you enjoyed your first night with your scope

You will find lots of help here, no question is considered stupid so ask away

There are quite a few members in Perth so in the future you may get together with some of them who will be able to help you further
Cheers