#1761  
Old 07-02-2017, 06:34 AM
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DavidS (David)
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Smile Hello World

Hi there people. David here. Always been interested in the sky etc but never had the time to buy a scope etc but now hooked on gear envy and the next thing I need to get.

I found I'm interested in the learning and so heading into astrophotography as it's quite technical. Only managed to find M42 and a few of the larger clusters. Looked a few times for a galaxy (Sculpture / Silver Dollar ) but not getting there..... Just nothing in the eyepiece even though it is quite big. Need to spend more time with accurate alignment I suspect even I have determined that two start align is not really very good and am adding 3 calibration stars as well.

Anyway thought I'd say hello . You guys appear quite active which is good even though "Ice in Space" raised my eyebrows when I first came across it. Thought I'd found the "Dark Web"!

Celestron 8" Edge HD on AVX mount with Canon 600D
Plossyl 40, 25, Orion 9mm and 20mm reticle lens, Barlow 2x
Pixinsight

I have a question on preprocessing with pixinsight and appreciate a pointer on where best to post. I also need to spend more time on the tutorials so apologies if the question is too noob.
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  #1762  
Old 07-02-2017, 10:34 AM
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doppler (Rick)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by samward View Post
Having just said that, a 12.5" meade starfinder has just been listed. Are these any good / is there anything I should watch out for with this particular scope?? (beyond the size and weight)

Cheers
Sam
You probably want to give this one a miss at that price. It looks like one of the old carboard tube models. I have a 10" starfinder and although the mirrors are ok the rest of it is pretty bad. At least he upgraded the crap focuser. Here's a review (from 12 years ago) http://www.cloudynights.com/page/art...rspective-r634
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  #1763  
Old 20-02-2017, 12:52 PM
AussieBill (Bill)
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National Geographic 76/350 $50 from Aldi

Hello,

Bill the Newb here

Just bought National Geographic 76/350 from Aldi for $50 and was stunned and amazed that I could clearly see craters on the moon through a $50 telescope which came with 20mm and 4mm EPs +2x Barlow Lens + Moon Filter + camera mount + mapholder

And yes I know this is a cheap piece of gear compared to what the average forumite might own. I have no doubt that many of you will have paid far more than $50 for one single EP or filter.

Am wondering how much better the view might be through an 8" Dobson with decent eyepieces.

What books/websites/threads etc. should I be reading to compare what I might expect to see with a much better telescope compared to what I can see in the $50 telescope ?

Don't want to jump in and buy something totally inappropriate

And want to be assured of a significant and worthwhile improvement - no point in spending $500-$1,000 if I don't end up with a significantly better image.

Bill
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  #1764  
Old 20-02-2017, 02:46 PM
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Jen
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Gday Bill
You've come to the right place to get info on equipment etc
have a look in the star party's section on here and see if there is a camp or group near you where you can look at other setups there is always someone willing to show off their toys haha
PS dobs are awesome I have a 12" 😜😜🔭🔭
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  #1765  
Old 21-02-2017, 11:31 AM
Foxy (James)
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Hi peeps, My names James but everyone calls me Foxy. I have recently gone through some life changes, from a single guy wearing green and riding motorcycles for 15 years to now a husband and father that has forgon some of my passions (wife said know to putting a baby seat on the back of the bike).

After deciding that i spent to much time behind a computer screen I decided that I needed another hobby/ interest. After listening to somebody else that is going through the same thing I am, I decided to delve into Astronomy. Went onto the Gumtree and bought myself a Celestron Astromaster 70 EQ for $90.

Yes that probably wasn't the best desicion in my life but it was far from the worst. The first night I picked it up it took me over an hour to find the moon (the wife came outside a couple of times pointed at the moon and said "there it is" a couple of times)with it. Damn the EQ mount and my damn stubbornness to not look up how to use it. However once found it was well worth it. The second night it only took me 5 mins to find the moon thanks to the google. This has put a taste in my mouth that is leaving me wanting more.

I have just finished reading all posts of this forum so as not to ask too many stupid questions. Following all those links has lead to some interesting reading, and I have started listening to the Astro 161 podcasts.

After trying to find a telescope that would tick all the boxes for me, the first most, not taking up too much room in the 4WD as it is already chocked full of kid stuff and the wife's luggage on long trips. I have decided to start off small and work my way up, after a life of jumping in headfirst and asking questions later this is hard.

Decided to buy a set of binos that can be easily mounted to a tripod, so as the kid grows it will be easy for him to use. Was thinking about the Saxon 10x50 binos as they are on sale for $79. Combining that with a planoshere means I can stargaze from my hammock, should keep me going for a couple of months until I decide if I like it or not.

I am lucky enough to be located smack bang in the centre of 3 Astro clubs. BAS, SAS, and one out near the scenic rim. Am thinking about joining up with one of the 3, but unsure which one. Feel free to PM any advise on which club to join.

Sorry for the long intro, so I won't take up too much more of your time.

So as they say in my previous hobby, keep the shiny side up (:

Look foward to hopefully meeting some of you guys and girls and thanks to everyone for the wealth of information you have already provided to peeps like me.
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  #1766  
Old 21-02-2017, 08:34 PM
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Clancy Lane (Phil)
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Good on you Foxy!

Welcome to this hobby and I hope you get as much enjoyment over the years from your efforts as I have.

There is also a U.S. website 'Cloudy Nights' you might like to check out and 'Stargazers lounge' which is a pommy site.

See you tomorrow!

Phil
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  #1767  
Old 03-03-2017, 02:00 PM
samward (Sam)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doppler View Post
You probably want to give this one a miss at that price. It looks like one of the old carboard tube models. I have a 10" starfinder and although the mirrors are ok the rest of it is pretty bad. At least he upgraded the crap focuser. Here's a review (from 12 years ago) http://www.cloudynights.com/page/art...rspective-r634
Well to round out my story, 2 nights ago I picked up a 8" collapsible dob second hand. Now to work out how to use it.

(Unfortunately since then the weather has been totally uncooperative, but with a long weekend and warmer weather coming up i'm hoping for better luck)
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  #1768  
Old 05-03-2017, 12:58 PM
Macrob (Bob)
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I'm a 70 yr old retired telescope newbie although I've been interested in astronomy for many years. Recently my interest has been revived by viewing the ISS and searching for Iridium flares and my very observant family thought a telescope would be appropriate. So for my birthday I received a SkyWatcher Star Discovery 127/1500 Maksutov - hey it brought tears to my eyes when I opened the box!

Where I live there are trees everywhere so there are limited viewing windows but the scope is quite portable and easy to assemble, plus it's easy to use. So far I've been limited to observing the moon and some of Orion but I love the scope and look forward to a trip somewhere to get better viewing. The first Moon session also had my wife hooked and just as she lifted her head from the eyepiece we both saw a quite bright Iridium flare near the bottom left of the Moon disc - yay!!

Last edited by Macrob; 06-03-2017 at 12:01 PM.
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  #1769  
Old 24-03-2017, 01:09 PM
Stifftrix (Stevan)
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How much will I really see?

Hey guys, Stevan the newby here.
I've been really intersted in astronomy for a while now but never really studied anything remotely technical until the last 6 months or so.
I've currently got a 114mm Tasco refractor scope that I've had for years (like 15 years) I have used it a fair bit to view the moon and on lucky occasions Jupiter/Saturn. Obvisouly the moon looks great but the plantes are a little bit blurry. I've been looking for a while at upgrading and looking at a Saxon 10" Dob for price vs quality. They say I'll be able to see nebulae, double stars and star clusters etc but I wanted to get an idea of how much I'm actually going to see?
Would love to hear some of your experiences of what you've seen!!
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  #1770  
Old 24-03-2017, 01:33 PM
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Allan_L (Allan)
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Hi Stevan,
Welcome to IceInSpace

That 10" DOB is a great scope, I previously had a 10" Skywatcher which is made by the same people.

Yes you will be able to see "nebulae, double stars and star clusters etc ".
You will even be able to see some Galaxies with that scope.
Although some of these objects will be faint fuzzies, you will still get to see them with your own eyes.

The trick is to learn your way around the sky and be able to use sky charts to star hop to the fainter objects.

Certainly they will not appear to the eye like the astrophotographs on this site, which come from (upto) hours of long exposure, but on planets for example, you will clearly see rings of Saturn, and the coloured bands of Jupiter (assuming reasonable dark skies and seeing conditions).

Hope this helps,
Good Viewing
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  #1771  
Old 24-03-2017, 01:53 PM
Stifftrix (Stevan)
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Thanks Allan, I think I had already set my mind to buying the scope; I guess I just needed confirmation that it's worth it.
Thanks for sharing !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan_L View Post
Hi Stevan,
Welcome to IceInSpace

That 10" DOB is a great scope, I previously had a 10" Skywatcher which is made by the same people.

Yes you will be able to see "nebulae, double stars and star clusters etc ".
You will even be able to see some Galaxies with that scope.
Although some of these objects will be faint fuzzies, you will still get to see them with your own eyes.

The trick is to learn your way around the sky and be able to use sky charts to star hop to the fainter objects.

Certainly they will not appear to the eye like the astrophotographs on this site, which come from (upto) hours of long exposure, but on planets for example, you will clearly see rings of Saturn, and the coloured bands of Jupiter (assuming reasonable dark skies and seeing conditions).

Hope this helps,
Good Viewing
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  #1772  
Old 26-03-2017, 12:51 PM
Gizmo
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Hi All,

I've been around for a while just quiet here.
I'm looking forward to getting a new dob soon
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  #1773  
Old 29-03-2017, 04:41 PM
aprilstorm (April)
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Hi,

My name is April, When I was a teenager I built my first telescope ( a kit Newtonian 8") but have had a long absence from astronomy due to lifes usual commitments. Now my son is at University and I have time to rekindle my love for Astronomy.

I purchased a secondhand Bresser 127mm Refractor with an equatorial mount. Its considerably better quality than the thing I made back in the 1990s, especially the mount. Although I am starting to understand what the differences are however, I notice some colour distortion on this refractor when I use a 2.3mm eyepiece and look at Jupiter.

Anyway, Im located in Emerald, Victoria. on the fringe of Melbourne. I still get some light pollution from Melbourne, but its no way as bad as when I lived in the city.

My only regret with this telescope is not getting something with a motor drive or even a "GoTo" as I would really love to get into Astrophotography,

I have seen kits to upgrade the mount, as the Bresser EXO mount has an upgrade path, but have read mixed reviews, so may just keep it as is and go the full hog with a bigger telescope later (yes its already started, and I have only been at it for a few months)

thanks

April
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  #1774  
Old 02-04-2017, 09:21 AM
serimral (Paul Scowen)
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Hi my name is Paul.
Down in Tasmania where we have access to some really dark skies.
I have a 12 inch dob, 25 x100 Skymaster binoculars and have a LX90 ACF 10 inch on order, which will be my first computerised scope.
I hail from the northern hemisphere so I am still learning what to see in the southern skies.
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  #1775  
Old 12-05-2017, 05:01 PM
coltpeacemaker (Nathan)
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Talking

G/day all I'm Nathan and live in Perth WA but have a property about 2hrs from Perth in the Black zone and on some nights the Milky Way casts shadows it's amazing. I own a Celestron cpc 800 edge HD and it's great for the dark sky's out my way...
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  #1776  
Old 13-05-2017, 04:50 AM
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DavidS (David)
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Hello and welcome

It sounds like I need to move to Perth and Tasmania.

From Sydney at the moment with the full moon there is so much light pollution I'm trying to photo M83 but there is nothing to see in the scope....align accuracy is the way to go and then press the shutter and hope you have it right.

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  #1777  
Old 13-05-2017, 05:42 AM
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LostInSp_ce
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Hi David and welcome to IIS. You shouldn't have to move to Perth or Tassie if you wait another week or so.
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  #1778  
Old 07-06-2017, 01:02 PM
cadman342001 (Andy)
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Hello there,

I've been on the forum for a couple of months, I did an individual post introducing myself but forgot to do it here as well.

(I have actually been reading this thread from the start and am picking up a lot of useful info)

So, I've been doing photography for around 12 years, bugs, birds, sports, you name it using dslrs, even a bit of wide MW/landscapes and wanted a tracking mount.

Enter the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer a couple of months ago, that I have now sold to buy a HEQ5 Pro with Bresser Messier AR-127L scope and various GSO Plossl eyepieces from the classifieds here

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=156987

($1200 for the lot, he wanted $850 for just the mount so I though what the heck, GO ALL IN !)

So, all I have to do now is visit my daughter in Surfer's next week for a month and while I'm there drive to Canberra to pick it up, then somehow ship it back to Cairns !

Suggestions ?

I understand that at f/9.4 it's slow for Deep Sky astrophotography but should be good for visual, planets, star clusters, lunar and solar and am looking forward to learning the night sky more (have been practicing star hopping with Bins / Stellarium while trying astrophotgraphy with the dslr on the SW) for a while and of course I have the mount to use the dslr (Nikon D800+80-200mm/2.8) on in the meantime, the plan is to get an 80 refractor for astrophotography of nebulae and other DSOs in the future.

Your thoughts?

Andy

PS - I'm a Pom, live in Cairns since emigrating in 07, kids in Surfers, Melbourne and 1 left at home aged 19 this week. Wife is a Psych Nurse - never know when that might come in handy
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  #1779  
Old 23-07-2017, 08:39 AM
49benny (Ben)
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Hi all Benny here! New to Astrophotgraphy, but its something that gives me so much joy, even if it is only half decent shot! Have only had a camera 6 months, and shooting astro through these winter months.

Always looking to learn and try things with the camera, look forward to getting know you all!!
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  #1780  
Old 23-07-2017, 09:45 AM
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xelasnave
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Welcome Ben..post some of your efforts and join in the conversations.
Do you know any good jokes?
Alex
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