#1861  
Old 06-07-2019, 06:38 AM
xelasnave's Avatar
xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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Location: Tabulam
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Welcome Alan to iceinspace.
When in Sydney I am not that far from you .... Cheltenhan.
My last photo was using a dslr camera on a busted mount..effectively a tripod.
Although I could not get my cheap 50mm lens to focus the experience shows that with a little effort you can produce a wide field with short subs and stacking.
All you need to get started is Deep Sky Stacker which is a free download...so get a copy and have a go... Point at the Milky Way and click away☺ ... If you can get to a dark spot so much the better.
Try the shortest fl lens in your collection and start with a high iso at 1 or 2 seconds grab 50 to 100 subs stack them in Deep Sky Stacker (which has limited processing but will do the job for starters ..brightness, and colour) and take the stacked image to photoshop if you have it or if not download Gimp a free program and adjust levels brightness and contrast and see how you go.
I hope you can have a go and post your first attempts in the photography section here.
Also you can have fun with the Moon...as you need short exposures, again grab a few subs and download Registax which is simar to Deep Sky Stacker but better for Moon and planets and see how you go.
I use up to 300 mm fl camera lens but on an eq mount and you can get some great photos...you could consider for an eq mount a star adventurer (around $500) or an heq5 (around $1200) and you can run without auto guide doing subs of maybe up to 3 minutes ... either if those options will see you well equiped for a multitude of deep sky objects.
Good luck.
Alex
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  #1862  
Old 16-07-2019, 09:11 AM
spacedust
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Location: lurnea
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hi all just joined...….been toiling over reflector or refactor for astrophotography …...mind you im a first timer...currently have Newtonian 10"on dob hand operated... have taken some pics with web cam (modified it) and phone , sort of reasonable result with some detail of Jupiter , great on the moon .love to read ya thoughts on the subject....
ps don't want to modify my 10" ,its been designated as the viewing scope
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  #1863  
Old 25-07-2019, 09:51 AM
Davearmen (Dave Armen)
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Hello
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  #1864  
Old 25-07-2019, 02:52 PM
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Allan_L (Allan)
Member > 10year club

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davearmen View Post
Hello
G'Day Dave

I see you've been a member for a while but first posts today.

Welcome to the Forums.

Do you want to tell us a little bit more about yourself (and your experiences)
How can we help?

cheers
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  #1865  
Old 26-07-2019, 12:39 PM
Starman54 (Kim)
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Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Pitt Town
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1st Post and lost in space

Greeting to all & sundry,
My wife I have recently retired and left the bright Sydney City lights behind and moved out to the Hawkesbury.
We have finally decided that the Celestron 4SE which has been in the box for 8 years needs to come out and we need to learn how to use it once & for all instead of being too scared to try.
Fair to say we rushed into buying the scope without enough info and of course work just got in the way far too often but we no longer have that excuse.
Hopefully the good folk from iceinspace can give us some sage advice and help build our confidence so we can look to the stars for better answers than we get from listening to radio or watching TV.
A couple of questions if we may
1. The Celestron powertank of course is dead so do we replace the battery or would a product such as a Powertch Plus 600mAH Power Bank be enough to drive the scope for the time being? We will only be using the scope for up to 3 or so hours at a time and will not be running computers or the like off the Power Bank until we become far more proficient.
2. We will initially be using the scope from home can you use mains power via a transformer or the like?
2. Where would the nearest club be for us to attend so we can learn some basics?
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  #1866  
Old 27-07-2019, 09:28 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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Location: Sydney and South Coast NSW
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Hi Starman54
Welcome to IIS
Firstly I’d recommend to post your enquires to the main section in Beginners Talk as a new post , that way you might get more responses as it’s been more than a day and I only noticed it now. When you post on a sticky thread it didn’t come up as a new post it’s buried behind up to 100 posts
Next I don’t know much about Celestron scopes but I have used Bintel for 3 years and they are the leading telescope supplier in Australia plus a prime Celestron dealer
Andrews is a second supplier but I prefer Bintel as they have some really experienced guys there , namely Don Whiteman
I’m sure you can power your 4se from a 12v / 230v power supply eg : a Powertech 5A or 7.5A power supply but check with Bintel or hopefully other IIS members with similar scopes can help
I don’t belong to any clubs , self taught from scratch using IIS to steer me along the way , Bintel for over the counter advice and all my equipment, heaps of reading books, YouTube clips amongst other things
I’m retired too and 3 years into the hobby
Check out some of my recent images , I use Newtonian reflectors both for visual observing and astrophotography
Good luck and enjoy this amazing hobby
Clear Skies
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  #1867  
Old 12-08-2019, 11:16 AM
Davearmen (Dave Armen)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan_L View Post
G'Day Dave

I see you've been a member for a while but first posts today.

Welcome to the Forums.

Do you want to tell us a little bit more about yourself (and your experiences)
How can we help?

cheers
I rediscovered stargazing a couple of years ago (started first time in the 80s), and have been venturing into night vision astronomy in recent times
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  #1868  
Old 13-08-2019, 10:56 PM
eski (Simon)
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Heathridge
Posts: 1
Hello and Good evening from Perth/Joondlaup

Good evening fellow stargazers!

new member and first post!

just got my first scope at 40 and look forward to getting further into the hobby. Getting a heap more lunar time than TV time over the last week and totally digging it.

Would like to learn from those willing to impart knowledge so if there are any events held in Perth please let me know - we are based in Heathridge near Joondalup. We also enjoy camping off grid with our young family of 4 at least once a month with dark skies

hope to add knowledge to the forum to replenish all that's been absorbed
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  #1869  
Old 15-08-2019, 09:36 AM
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xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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Welcome Szymon.
The night sky beats TV hands down .even if it's cloudy.
Alex
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  #1870  
Old 18-08-2019, 09:33 AM
MozzieByte (Steve)
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1
Newbie Post

Morning all !

Looking forward to exploring the stars again and getting my second scope. I bought my first one 35 years ago as a kid and then stopped for the next 30 years. !

Live in Melbourne and been researching for the last 3 weeks - wow things have changed !

I am thinking of getting a used or USA delivered 8SE with a webcam for photography to share the awesomeness with my kids

Hope to rekindle my child hood passion !
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  #1871  
Old 19-08-2019, 09:36 AM
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xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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Welcome Steve great to find you are getting back into it and thinking how you can share your experience with your kids.
Alex
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  #1872  
Old 04-10-2019, 06:02 PM
Mike76 (Michael)
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Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Gold Coast
Posts: 2
Greetings

Hi I’m Mike. I am currently selling my 8” dob because it’s a pain to drag out into the backyard and the sky is pretty light polluted where I live. It’s on eBay if you do a search. I haven’t posted enough to be able to list it here yet however I’ve been lurking and enjoying the forums for a while now. Interested in everyone’s thoughts on an alternate grab and go scope that is more back friendly and good to show the moon and planets to my kids. But l’ll review previous forum posts and ask for any recommendations in the appropriate threads. Just saying hello! 👋🏻
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  #1873  
Old 17-10-2019, 06:22 AM
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mura_gadi (Steve)
SpeakingB4Thinking

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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Canberra
Posts: 829
Hello,

For portability and kids, the table top units might be what your after, they have 127mm cas-mak, 90mm refractor and 130mm reflector models.

Higher F ratio scopes tend to handle cheaper eyepiece better, and can save you money on good views early on. Normally from F/6 and higher, depending on the ep.



S.
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  #1874  
Old 17-10-2019, 07:28 AM
Dove (Alan)
Alan D.

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Location: Umina NSW 2257
Posts: 19
http:///Users/alandover/Documents/Al...ics/Self 2.JPG
Hi guys,
I am Alan D.
I am interested in astronomical questions more own to earth such as the solar system. Cosmos and scopes are not my thing. I am trying to start a thread in Astronomy and amateur science.
cheers.

Last edited by Dove; 17-10-2019 at 09:16 AM. Reason: insert photo
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  #1875  
Old 17-10-2019, 11:02 AM
Eeka (Ed)
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Location: Sydney
Posts: 6
Hello

Hey all... just joined the forum and glad to be here...

I got myself a 4SE a few months back and now praying for clear skies every night.
Nice to meet you all
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  #1876  
Old 17-10-2019, 12:10 PM
m11 (Mel)
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Location: Melbourne
Posts: 575
Hi Eeka,

Welcome to the forums. I have found everyone friendly and helpful.

Feel free to ask any questions

M11

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eeka View Post
Hey all... just joined the forum and glad to be here...

I got myself a 4SE a few months back and now praying for clear skies every night.
Nice to meet you all
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  #1877  
Old 20-10-2019, 04:17 PM
astrochix (Sharon)
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Location: Canberra
Posts: 8
Hi !

I've been around a while but not posted much! Looking forward to reaquainting with astronomy and having a few good chats.
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  #1878  
Old 10-11-2019, 08:04 PM
Allan3026 (Allan)
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Toronto NSW
Posts: 1
Hi All

Hi. New to the site. Just getting back into astronomy, and need some advice about dew heaters for my new Dob (Stargate 450). What do I need and where do I put it pretty much sums it up. Where do I post this?

Any help much appreciated.
Allan3026
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  #1879  
Old 16-01-2020, 10:35 PM
DarthRiker (Vikram)
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Kiama Heights, NSW, Australia
Posts: 10
Hello all.

Glad to be starting my new hobby at the age of 40 (permission given from the wife )!

I met Howie1 over at the CN forums and he, rightly so, suggested I make my way over here.

I live in Kiama in NSW.

Not sure if anyone else is down this way (or what, if any, clubs there are to join/visit)?

Things haven't been great for stargazing at any rate (as everyone is aware).

The people over at CN helped my come up with my initial equipment list that intend on purchasing around March (refer to post here: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/6...2#entry9917664)
Camera ZWO ASI294MC Pro $1,649.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/zwo-...my-camera.html
Mount HEQ5 Pro GoTo $1,295.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/heq5...-to-mount.html
Scope Celestron C8 SCT $1,599.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/cele...mbly-cg-5.html
Adapter Celestron SCT T-Adapter $39.00 https://www.bintel.com.au/product/ce...v=6cc98ba2045f
Reducer Celestron f/6.3 $249.95 https://www.opticscentral.com.au/cel...ucer-lens.html
Filter ZWO IR Cut Filter $39.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/zwo-...er-1-25in.html
Dew Celestron Dew Shield $55.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/cele...n-8in-sct.html
Power SUAOKI S270 $195.63 (approx) https://suaoki.com/suaoki-s270-power...718356467.html

Total $5,121.58

My goal is EAA (benefit of bonding time with son who is currently 4 ..and also the wife...hehe) and, as another user over there said: "You're not trying to get your photos into a magazine, you're trying to enjoy yourself, browsing and exploring."

I was also given a gift of "Astronomy 2020 Australia - Your Guide to the Night Sky" by Ken Wallace, Glenn Dawes and Peter Northfield to read. Plus a bunch of tutorials to read/watch, software to trial, etc etc. Enough to keep me busy until purchasing time in March!

Last edited by DarthRiker; 16-01-2020 at 10:42 PM. Reason: Additional information
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  #1880  
Old 16-01-2020, 11:08 PM
croweater (Richard)
Don't Panic!

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Location: Mount Gambier, South Australia
Posts: 529
Hi Vikram. I suggest you keep an eye on the classifieds as some of the stuff your after will come up for sale there. Often very good prices and excellent condition as most people here look after their equipment. Cheers Richard
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