Beginners Start Here!

[Ric]

Hi Fishman and welcome to the group.
From what I have read of the lightbridge I think that you will find it a very capable instrument and give you many years of rewarding viewing.

cheers

[[1ponders]]

:welcome: fishman, so a site search for Lightbridge and you will come up with plenty of information and Mods.

btw you are aware of the new scope curse aren't you? Damn, we were just getting over Gargoyle_steve's purchases. ;)

[fishman]

Hi Guys, "New scope curse"???? Not sure about that but I think I might have broken the drought. Clouds are coming over pretty thick. I should charge the local government for the coming rain.
At this stage I should be looking to heavens on Thursday night all being fair.

Cheers

[[1ponders]]

That's the curse. The amount of cloud cover is in direct proportion to the amount of money spent on new astro gear or the degree of despiration felt in wanting to use said new astro gear :) I remember buying an 8" LX200 in the first week of October a couple of years back and only got to use it about a dozen times until February ;)

[stephenmcnelley]

Hi fishman, steve here, its great news to hear you decided on the lightbridge, you will definately clear a path around you setting it up if you come along to the next stargazers open night on the 18th. We will be happy to help you get started technicality wise and skywise and be there to give any assistance you may ask for. This forum is great for that to.

Dont forget we are having a bit of a morning here Thursday for anyone that can make it for Merc's transit and all are welcome.
:welcome:

[fishman]

Hi Steve, yes well I took your advise and rang the suggested retailer in Sydney, but alas they won't have stock (12" LB) in till December. So I had to take up on a Gold Coast place who had 2 in stock. He also said I was about the 4 caller regarding the 12" LB today (yesterday). So I had to act and I took the punt. The next 2 days are gunna be killers.....Are we there yet?
I'm planning on coming to the stargazers do on the 18th and I'll be asking lots of questions.

thanks

[Ric]

Ah yes, the "New Scope" curse. I got my LX200R in May this year and for the first two weeks I didn't even take the cover off. In the end I took it out on the third week and chased holes in the clouds and looked at anything that shined just so I could say that I had used it.
It was another month after that before I could seriously do any imaging.

cheers

[fishman]

Well she's arrived (12" LB) and I got her assembled, my goodness she's a Monster, here I was like thinking 12"s, yeah that's about average size dinner plate. That's the size of the primary mirror and then the tube's another 2-3"s more. And true to form there's not a speck of blue sky (wind and rain thunder and lightning)
But that's what we all expected, Hey!!!


Cheers

Peter

[Rubez83]

Well thanks to a beautifully cloudy sydney day i totally missed the mercury transit:(. oh well maybe better luck in 12 years.....

[stephenmcnelley]

Yep, you will be the envy of many astronomers with a scope like that Peter.
Enjoy:thumbsup:

[Michael7236]

hi all, i'm new to these forums. My names michael and i'm 13, i live in sunshine coast, qld and i'm sorta a newb to astronomy and i'm finding it very fun, but i only hav binoculers at the moment lol. I just finished taking lvl 1 astronomy courses at my local observatory, and paul ([1ponders]) suggested these forums to me.

cheers,

Michael

[jjjnettie]

Hi Michael!
It's great you joined up. They're a nice bunch in here.

[astroron]

:hi: Michael:welcome: to our group,Paul(1 ponders ) has put you on the right track,see if you can get your Dad to bring you along to one of our get togethers in the future.:thumbsup:

[Ric]

Hi Michael, welcome to the group you have come to the right place. There are a lot of people here that will be able to help you in regards to any astronomical questions you may have.

cheers

[ballaratdragons]

Welcome Michael!

Good to have another youngin' amongst all us old fogies :lol:

Great that you have done an astronomy course! Now you can teach us a thing or two :thumbsup:

Enjoy your time here.

[Grafted]

I see some images of saturn, in the image section of this site.
Will I be able to see Saturn with my 10 inch Dob?
What do you recommend for a good place to look at for newbie other than the moon?

Thanks for your :help:

[[1ponders]]

G'day Grafted. In a 10mm eyepiece Saturn will blow you away with your dob. It will be stunning.

Why not do a weekend trip away and come up to Cambroon near Kenilworth next Saturday night. Some of us Sunshine Coasters and Brisbanite IISers get together most new moons. Check out the map here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=17250&d=1158832039) and the get together info here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=14710)

[Ric]

Hi Grafted,
through a 10" Dob I think you will have a very good view of Saturn and it's rings. At the moment it's rising at about 1:00 am in the North East in your location.
There are a lot of great objects out at the moment that are quite easily seen through a 10". I would suggest to get some stars charts and go hunting for some of the brighter one to get your eye in. There is a handy star chart at skymaps.com which show a lot of the brighter objects for viewing.
If you get a chance, go along to your Astonomical club/society you will also find a lot of helpful people there to steer you in the right direction.

cheers

[Grafted]

Thanks for the invite I really appreciate it, however the wife and I have organised the babysitter so that we go out to dinner than some "quality time" (my wifes words not mine) together.:)
Unfortunately I will have to pass that offer up.
Please let me know the next gathering , I would love to meet up with you guys and learn.
Once again thanks for the invite.

[[1ponders]]

I think the next ones will be about the 16th or the 23rd of December, though if next weekends doesn't come off due to weather there may be another one on the following weekend.

[Grafted]

I'll put it in the diary. :D
If you can let me know the location closer to the date I would appreciate it.:thumbsup:

[[1ponders]]

Click on the blue "here" link above for a map, and keep an eye on the Star Parties and Observing Sessions forum. Any get togethers will also show up in the left hand frame in the Event Calendar. :thumbsup:

[Grafted]

Got it:thumbsup:
Thanks for the help.

[Grafted]

Saturday Night 19-11-06 (last night) Was very clear at Redland Bay, Heaps of stars out.. wish I had my Telescope.
Should arrive Monday:D .

Did anyone have a look at the night Sky last night?

[erick]

Hi everyone.

How could I not be interested when my Dad got me up early one morning in 1965 and I saw this:-

http://www.daviddarling.info/images/Ikeya_Seki.jpg

It's taken many years before I could do something about my interest, but I'm going out to a darkish sky location outside Melbourne Sunday night with a newly arrived pair of 20x80s (and tripod) to see what I can see! I'm graduating from a pair of 12x60s I've had for a few months which have been a revelation - the moons of Jupiter, seen only a mere 400 years after Galileo!

I'm hunting M31, the Jewel Box, M42 etc. Wish me luck!

[iceman]

:welcome: eric! Sounds like a great way to get hooked on the hobby!

Hope you enjoy your time on IIS here and I look forward to your contributions!

[Ric]

Welcome Erick, with a pair of 20x80's you should definitely get some good views. It would have been nice to get a view of Ikeya-Seki but I was only 5 at the time and missed, hopefully there will be others.

cheers

[erick]

Thanks guys!

ps. :help: Who do I call to get the Moon switched off tomorrow night?

[GTB_an_Owl]

Mmmmmmm

maybe someone on 'Cloudy Nights' would know !

what do you reckon gang ?

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[erick]

Why didn't someone warn me? Apart from an eclipse, the only sure way of switching off the Moon is to park big black clouds in front of it. But it's easier to just cover the whole sky.

We left Melbourne with mostly clear skies and a clear night weather forecast and only got in 15 mins of looking at the Moon. Betelgeuse was glimpsed briefly rising before it went behind cloud. Packed up at 10:30 and drove home. 5 minutes from home, in Melbourne's glare, the clouds dispersed and the Southern Cross, Orion, Moon all decide to show themselves! :shrug:

Is amateur astronomy always this much fun?

OK, back to the forward weather forecasts and a correlation with the diary to come up with some more dates. I realise now that close to full moon is not the time to go looking at stars etc? True?

On another matter, where on the forum will there be information about viewing the Geminids from Victoria - date/time etc? I cannot seem to calculate correctly which early morning will be the best?

[iceman]

Hi Eric

There's a few meteor chasers on this forum, i'm sure they'll be posting info about the geminids in the next little while.

Keep an eye on the observational astronomy forum, which is where it's most likely to be posted.

[erick]

Thanks Iceman - I'll look out for Geminid postings.

(Of course, brilliant sunshine today - not a cloud to be seen!)

[ving]

g'day erick :D
welcome aboard!

[erick]

Please bushfire smoke - stay away! I'm going to try again tonight! All being well, I'll get in a couple of hours with my 20x80s before the moon rises.


Better still, would the bushfires - please go out and stay out.

[rmcpb]

I agree with that thought of the fires going out. We are on standby to go to Victoria, I would rather go to work next week and have some time to star gaze.

[erick]

Very heavy smoke over my home, and undoubtedly heavy smoke at my normal dark skies site to the north. So we drove west to try and get past the smoke. Turn left at Ballarat and go south 30k and we found the side of a country road with clearish skies - LMC/SMC visible to naked eye, M31 almost visible. That'll do. We got in 90 minutes before the smoke finally rolled in. I'm working with hand-held 7x50, tripod mounted 12x60 and on separate tripod, my new 20x80 bins.

Lots of Oooh! and Aaah! from my work colleague who could not remember every seeing skies outside of Melbourne. "So many stars!!", she said.

We worked our way around - M31, M42, Hyades, Pleiades, The Jewel Box (4755), the SMC, 47 Tuc, then 2070 (The Tarantula neb?) in LMC.

Then the moon rose behind the intense smoke clouds in Melbourne's direction, and, as luck would have it, right between the trees so we had a good view from soon after rise. Deep red brown.

We had Melbourne glow (must have been 90-100km away) and Ballarat (30km) and a bit of Geelong from the Southeast to put up with.

Left around 1pm - I wasn't home in bed until 4pm. A call from my wife at 3:40am - "Where are you?" Oops!

We are hooked!

Eric :astron:

[anthony.tony]

Does anyone know much about setting up Gstar EX ccd camera to TV monitor anthony.tony

[iceman]

Hi Anthony,

I'd start a new thread in the Equipment forum asking about your Gstar.. You're more likely to get people see it there.

btw :welcome: to the forum!

[33South]

On the back of the GStar there are two video-out connectors marked Video-Out and S-VHS. (Video-out is also composite video)

If the monitor/tv has a composite video-in connector that will match the cable supplied with the Gstar so plug in the cable between the Gstar and monitor. If its a TV you will need to select the appropriate video-in channel for the connection being used.

If the montior has only s-video in you will need to buy a cable and use s-Video.

You can use both at the same time to different monitors, or a monitor and a pc capture device

[anthony.tony]

I set up the Gstar last night put it to a Andrews 120mm acro f/8 scope played around with the settings and started getting images .The instructions that come with it are poor.I had it hooked to a 14 inch TV.It is very sensative when set in deepsky mode "frame intergration mode."there are 11 sensitivity settings. I still have a lot of things to learn about the settings on it .reguerd's Tony

[33South]

If you are referring to the little bit of paper that comes with the camera - yes its worse than useless. Have you checked out the doco from MyAstroShop

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/gstar.htm

and specifically

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/gstar/gstar-ex-guidev2-3.pdf

and there is also a yahoo group

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/gstar-users/

[chris]

Hi everyone:hi:, my name is Chris and I’m new here.:newbie:
I was doing a google:google: search on telescope reviews, which led me to this site and I read your beginners forum in where you help the beginners with some of your knowledge on astronomy. I was so impressed:2thumbs: that I joined up with the hope that I too can get some advice.
I have always been interested in astronomy, but always believed that you need to spend a fortune to be able to see anything decent or with clarity. So my interest never took of the ground.
A few months ago my wife and I went on a holiday and we stopped one night in Gilgandra. I found out that there was an observatory there, and that they have night viewing for the public. I convinced:argue: the wife to go and it was a full house, I met Steve Schier:2thumbs: and he proceeded to show us all the night skies. I was amazed at what could be seen and it has revitalized my interest in Astronomy again.
When we got back from holidays I started searching the internet for telescopes and I am now more confused:confused: than ever on what type I should be investing in.
All the reviews I read say that I should buy a refractor for planetary viewing and a reflector for DSO. I would like to view both planetary and DSO but my bank manager:fight: is telling me that I can’t buy both, I would also like to track the object I’m observing through the night sky aswell.
Can anyone suggest a telescope that will fulfill these requirements and give me clarity and a decent view of both planetary and DSO?
All your advise is most welcomed and very much needed.:thanks:

Cheers
Chris

[anthony.tony]

A Very Happy new Year to Everyone

[anthony.tony]

It has just started to rain here Hopefully we will get a good bit of rain

[Ric]

Hi Chris and welcome to the group.
First up I would suggest to visit your local Astronomical Society and attend a couple of their observing nights, that way you will get to see a variety of different makes and models as well as talking to their owners about what they can and can't see.
I own a reflector and in my opinion have no problems in seeing and imaging both planets and DSO's. If you want to track what you are observing then I would look at the models with computerised mounts and GOTO, that would also be useful as well should you wish to take up imaging at a later date.

Cheers

[chris]

Hi Ric,
Thanks for the welcome and the advice. Just got back from holidays. I have looked up my local astronomy club (WSAAG) and will be joining them soon.
I am however interested in either the celestron C10-NGT or the sky watcher SW-252, but not to sure about the mount on the celestron it looks a bit flimsy.
https://secure.attl.com.au/bintelshop/Stock/7282X.jpg (https://secure.attl.com.au/bintelshop/Stock/7282X.jpg)
http://www.celestron.com.au/Portals/1/ImagesStock/11048_c10n_gt.jpg (http://www.celestron.com.au/Portals/1/ImagesStock/11048_c10n_gt.jpg)

Any suggestions?

Cheers
Chris:)

[Ric]

Hi Chris, they are both nice looking scopes, but it's a bit hard to judge a mount with a photo. I would suggest to join your Astro club first and discuss your choices with some of the members.
I would also visit the Astro shop around Sydney and have a look at them in the flesh and have a chat with the people there as to your needs and your future directions, when it boils down it is your money and the more research that is done the better and another couple of days is worth it to make the choice.
In my case I had researched my LX200R 12" for nearly 2 months before I bought it and the was numerous questions and emails prior to purchase, I had even downloaded the manuals as well.
there may be some other members as well who own these models that may be able to add to this.

cheers :)

[Grinz]

Just saying hello - I have just joined so I am a beginner here - although not a beginner as far as Astronomy is concerned. Won't call myself an expert either - rather an "addicted one".

Oh I am from South Africa and it will be grand to get to know some of you there in Aus.

And before you ask - yes I like cricket & rugby too. *chuckle*

Lee AKA Grinz

[iceman]

Hi Lee!

:welcome: to IceInSpace! What's the astronomy scene like in South Africa? Would be great to see more South African members at IceInSpace!

[Grinz]

Hi Iceman - lots to tell about what we do around here - and probably will, in due course *smile*. But since I have to rush off for the moment, I will leave you with the url of my local club here in Cape Town: http://assa.saao.ac.za/capecentre/ I'm kind of assistant cook & bottle washer there at the moment (Vice Chair, unofficial webmaster, editor etc) and if you want to, you are welcome to download the latest version of our newsletter.

I also have a website of my own of a more international nature - http://www.thenewradiant.com and have been hoping to see more people from Aus & NZ there. I have a "thing" about Astronomy being something to be shared by people all over the world and am even attempting a series of lectures on the subject. First two were on..... Astronomy in NZ & Aus. Was supposed to be one lecture only but there is so much going on in Aus (even from what I could gather on the Net) that it took me two lectures.

Gave me a great deal of respect for Astronomy in Australia to do the research!

Hope to look in often - meanwhile thanks for allowing me here into your community. It is really a great one from what I have seen.

[Ric]

Hi Lee and welcome to the group :hi:
Thanks for the links to the websites

Hope you have a great time here :)

[Grinz]

Thanks, Rick - thanks for the welcome

A very active and friendly group you have here! I'm sure to visit often. Glad McNaught brought me here *smile*

[auroradude]

Hello all,
I also was brought here by the Great comet McNaught. I have been following it over the past couple weeks from the great white north in Alaska. After a couple successful daylight sightings it has left our sky for good. This looks like a great site to follow the action from "down under". I can already see some fantastic images coming in!
It is also a dream of mine to see the satrs of the southern hemisphere some day.
Kindest regards,

Dennis A. :hi:
Homer, Alaska

[erick]

And my great dream is to see your aurora one day, Dennis. That's one of my special desires in life. One day.........

Oh, and welcome to Ice in Space :welcome: - enjoy the excitement over Comet McNaught "down under". :)

[ving]

hi Dennis! welcome aboard :D

McNaught has been great so far and theres so much life left in it i recon :D

you live in a town called "Homer"? lol, sorry i am a simpsons fan :)

[auroradude]

Thanks all for the warm welcome. I say warm because wilst you are swatting skeeters we're shoveling plenty of snow.

Eric:
Its not quite the real thing but you can see plenty of aurora images at my site here www.aurordude.com (http://www.aurordude.com)

Ving:
Unfortunately our town is not named after someone so respectable as Homer Simpson. Instead the fella for whom we are named was one Homer Pentock. Not much nis known about him except that he was a con man. Supposedly duped a lot of people out of a lot of money in some gold mining scam. There must not have been a lot of notable citizens back then.
:scared:
Boy, this comet is shaping up to be a real beaut. I sure wish I were there first hand. I even checked plane tickets to see if there were any cheap seats to fill... no such luck. Oh well the Southern Cross will wait for now.

Regards,
Dennis A.

[erick]

Dennis

Thanks for the link. Love the photos and the animations. I'm coming - one day.......and I'll stand out all night looking until I freeze - and die happy!

ps. needs an extra "a" in the link:- http://www.auroradude.com

:) Eric

[Grinz]

Dennis, I too would love to see the Northern Lights the way you do - and have dreamt of a trip to Alaska for a long time!
If you cannot get to Aussie on cheap seats, remember there is us too :hi: A bit of a gambling game here in Cape Town with cloud (the day before yesterday was wonderful, last night it was raining at sunset!:shrug: ) but chances are you would be able to enjoy both the comet and Crux here too :eyepop: . I'll throw in Eta Carina (my top fav), the Tarantula, 47 Tuc and as a special bonus Alpha Cen. :eyepop: Coffee is on the house.

However, one thing is for sure, this site is much more active with many more pictures and obs. reports than what we have, so like you I am thrilled to be allowed here as a guest of these friendly people from Aus & NZ.

[Dujon]

Whilst I am a relative newcomer myself, Grinz, and I do reside in Australia, I think you can forget the 'guest' bit of your post. It seems that we have members from the UK, The Continent, the U.S. of A. and other bits and pieces of this globe on which we reside.

Perhaps I shouldn't speak on behalf of those who have been here for much longer than have I, nevertheless I think you will find yourself accepted as a fully accredited member of this forum. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, welcome.

[[1ponders]]

:welcome: Dennis.

You can check out where some of our members come from here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/plot/world.php). Well for those who put their Lat and Long in their user options anyway :). Although some of them are a bit of a wory. There are a few undersea cities we're not being told about. ;)

[auroradude]

Thanks again for the kind words.
I was just doing some distance calculations and it seems that South Africa is quite a bit further than Austrailia for me so that would be an expensive cup of coffee indeed! We too keep a pot on so help yourself!
Thanks for the link to the map. I am the red dot in the extreme upper left.:D Perhaps there are some fishermen/astronomers out on the high seas?

Wow! the latest shots of the comet tail today are stunning!

[Grinz]

Thanks John! I feel at home for sure.

Dennis, and there I was, getting the kettle ready and wondering if you would prefer cheesecake or chocolate cake.

Beer then? :cheers:Better not too many of those, the comet alone is enough to send me on a completely different plane at the moment. I can imagine the way I feel at the moment is like being on drugs... drugs that cannot harm your body in any way. Win-win all the way.:stargaze:

[auroradude]

Once, I had a beer milk shake. It was made with a strong imperial-style stout with chocolate. The concept seemed a little wierd but it was ....Mmmmm....delicious!

Those images of McNaught just keep getting better. I wonder though does anybody still shoot film?

[duncan]

Hi to everyone into space and such.this is my first go at anything like this,so i'll keep it short.Grinz.you lucky person,we've had a million octaves of cloud here for a month now and cant even see the moon.no i have not seen the comet yet but live in hope the skies will clear in the next month or so.and to all you other lucky people out there,:shrug: :shrug: :( :(

[ving]

and so you should, we share the same skies :D

[Ric]

Hi Duncan and welcome to the group.
Where is Yungaburra ?????

Cheers

[duncan]

Hi Ric,thanks for the welcome.Yungaburra is in far nth.Qld. On the Atherton tableland.About an hour southwest of Cairns. Sounds like one nice scope you have there. I've got an old beat up pair of 10x50 Binos that work sometimes(lol).ONE DAY!!!!! All the best,Duncan.:shrug:

[Ric]

Hi Duncan, so it's that way. I was last up that way in 96, the wife and I had a 6 week holiday camping and touring around by motorbike and trailor. We had a great time and met lots of great people.

Cheers

[duncan]

yeah great place just a shame monsoons and comet collided

[Ric]

I've often wondered how you guy's and girls dont go stir crazy in the rainy season with all that cloud and no sky.

Cheers

[duncan]

we do.(lol)

[Grinz]

We definitely do. But we also TALK, WRITE and READ about astronomy then. We even do some chores :P and get reacquainted with all the friends & family who have not seen us for months.

And I venture to say that behaviour is universal *chuckle*.

[Sonny]

Nice to see lots of impressive pictures of the comet. I tried to look for it from a hill top in Auckland since Jan 29. So far no luck! Yesterday was surprisingly a clear cloud free night, but still no sign of the comet. May be I should look for it around 5 AM when there is no moon to spoil the view! I have seen Ikeya Seki, Kouhutek, Hale Bop in the past without much trouble but this one is sure slippery!

[DobDobDob]

Permit me to second erick's sentiment, those images are amazing Dennis, and your homeland, I've got to start saving for a ticket over there. :thumbsup:

[erick]

Sonny, unless you have a dark location, I suggest you need some binocular help - 10 to 12 magnification should help you spot it and then you can see if it is naked eye visible. Over Melbourne skies it's very hard to spot naked eye now.

[auroradude]

You are all invited to come any time to see the northern lights. Just keep in mind that the period from mid May to August, centered on the summer solstice, has too much daylight to see the auoras. It is prime tourist time anyhow so things are more expensive.

A great time to come is late August though as it is starting to get dark and it is not too cold yet. There are still salmon running and lots of other Alaskan things to do at this time of year.

If you want the arctic experience then about mid March is good. Lots of auroras and clear skies as well as cold. Late October through November is also traditionally a good time for auroras due to high activity and chance of clear skies after our "monsoon" season.
Welcome all!:welcome:

[Gargoyle_Steve]

I have always really, really wanted to see an auroral lightshow ... perhaps one day....
*sigh*

Still trying to save for the trip to Easter Island in 2010 - total solar eclipse occurs right on my birthday, how can I posssibly miss that!

[JohnK]

Hi all, im a newcomer to this brilliant site and would love some help on posting pics. Would be grateful of any help.

Many Thanx JohnK.

[erick]

JohnK. Start off by getting them under 150 kByte in size. Then, when writing posts, go down the page and find the button "Manage Attachments". Click on there and then it's fairly straightforward after that. Just try to attach one pic that is already under 150k as a test. Eric :)

[girko]

Hi everyone out in space,my thought's are.I am like an Astronaught stepping on to a new world scared and excited at the same time.Yours in great viewing girko.

[DobDobDob]

:welcome: girko, I think you might have the wrong coordinate in for your location, try the following: Longitude 151.40675 Latitude -33.05530

That should get you closer than 7,742 km away from me in Prospect :P

[girko]

Hi everyone out in space,my thought's are.I am like an Astronaughtstepping on to a new world scared and exited at the same time.Yours in great viewing girko.

[girko]

Hi tailwag,bear with me i am very new to this, I actually got those coordinates from heavens above.I typed in Martinsville NSW. I am pretty sure thats what came up. 7,742 klm's thats realy stepping out.I will have to edit my info. Thank's.

[DobDobDob]

:D You are in the right place now, this is the best forum in the Milky Way :P

[Ric]

Hi Girko and welcome to the group, hope you have a great time here.
I was having a chuckle with your coordinates, that certainly is a looooong way away.

Cheers

[girko]

HI Ric thanks for the reply its taken me a while to get going since i've joined ice in space, maybe their's a connection with my thoughts to my wrong coordinates. Im glad i've finaly taken the step. ps im having trouble attatching smiles. Yours in clear dark sky's girko.

[brian nordstrom]

new to group just a hello .

[DobDobDob]

Hi back at ya :P

[jjjnettie]

Hi Brian

[Ric]

Greetings Brian, please do tell us a bit about yourself

Cheers

[Tiger74]

G'day folks!

Complete novice here but I have to say hi. Stumbled across this forum in my reflector scope research (I ended up with a Saxon F1149EQ).

A lot of this (actually, make that everything) is new to me. I managed to put the scope together ok... Well, the assembled scope looked like the diagram in the instruction manual so I guess I am doing ok so far...

I am still to work out the viewing part of it all... Will return with more questions!

[DobDobDob]

:welcome: Tiger74, I am sure you will love this forum :D

[iceman]

Welcome Tiger! You've made the first step - finding us here! Now you can ask as many silly questions and you like and get all the advice you need.

It makes a huge difference!

[Ric]

Hi Tiger, welcome to the gang. :hi:
You can ask as many questions as you want to, there are so mant knowledgable people here that there will always be someone with an answer.

Cheers :)

[Tiger74]

Thank you for the welcome :D

I will need to spend some time reading the basics. Had a quick browse of the forum and there is some very helpful information here. Basically, I will RTFM first but will definitely raise my hand to ask questions.

At this time, I have only put together my reflector. Not quite sure what all the bits are however I have a general idea. Am waiting for the next full moon to really give the scope a go.

Brief info about me. I work at a call centre for an insurance company and I also enjoy playing computer games.

[RAJAH235]

Hi Tiger n welcome.:welcome:
A little advice re; viewing the Moon. It's always better when it's in phase n not full.
It just looks like a white dinner plate with hardly any features avail.
The full Moon also 'washes out the sky', which does not help in finding n viewing the fainter objects.
But, when in early or late phases, you can see a lot more surface details as they are lit from the side by the sun & casts shadows inside the craters.
You'll notice that the diff between the light n dark areas are very stark. This is because there is no atmosphere to split/diffuse the light.
Have fun n take your time when viewing. Let your eye/s adapt to the view.
Oh, n don't try to overpower the t'scope with too much magnification.
A smaller, more defined object is much better than a big fuzzy one.
HTH. :D L.

[pikpakboom]

hi everyone! i just got a nexstar 8i today and i tried looking at the sky and i cant seem to see anything, i tried pointing at a star and i can't see anything...is tonight a bad night to see?

[erick]

Hi pikpakboom! Sorry for the obvious question - are all the covers and caps off both ends? Eyepiece is in place? Have you followed the instructions in the manual? Set up tomorrow during the day looking at a distant hilltop, or house , or TV antenna (DO NOT not point in the direction of the sun!!!) Plenty more light during the day so you should see something so you can learn how the focussing works. Then, if that all works, tomorrow night point it at the moon. If you cannot see that, there is a real problem. Good luck! Keep asking questions and give a full description of the problem. Put up photos if you have a digital camera - that may help people here to spot the problems. :)

[pikpakboom]

thanks! i did it at daytime and that really helped a lot! i finally learned how to do it. :)

[cahullian]

Its always better to start off with a ep around 25mm or bigger then work your way down to 12 or 9mm if you want to lok at the planets that are out these nights.

Gazz

[Chr]

Hello,

Came across these forums last week, and I must say, they are the greatest resource I have ever found :D
A few years ago, I got the astronomy bug, and after some minor (and now in retrospect, poor) research I purchased a 150mm x 1400mm Saxon newtonian reflector. This came on a basic eq3 mount, and two fairly poor eye pieces. However due to my poor research and inability to find any sort of information at the time, was unable to really make good use of it, so it has sat in the corner of a room for a couple of years, barely used :(

Now however, I am really eger to get into it all seriously, and properly, but honestly I still have no clue what I'm doing. I am seriously interested in learning astrophotography, as well as normal observing.

However after reading through these forums for a week or so I'm now wonder whether I should try to use my current scope to learn, and slowly kit up with things like motor drives, piggy back mount for camera, eye pieces ect. Or whether I should pick up a good Dobsonian to start really learning how to observe etc. or whether I should grit it out with my reflector, and the annoyance of aligning the mount, and trying to work out how to collimate the rotten thing constantly.

Apologies for the length.
In short
Hello! I'm a newbie! Need help ;)

Many Thanks
Chris

[iceman]

Hey Chris, welcome to IIS!

Is the Saxon one with a built in barlow? Being only 5inches it's always going to be a little limited in aperture. If you want more light gathering, and the convenience of a "plonk down and start observing" scope, then an 8" or 10" dob would be a great start back into the hobby for you.

Keep asking questions!

[Ric]

Hi Chris, welcome to IIS :hi:.
This is the place to ask all the questions you have, there are a lot of knowledgable people who will only be to glad to help. As Mike said "keep asking".
I think that if you try to "grit it out" with your present scope you will probably not be happy with it and therefore it will be used less and less.
A fresh start might be the way to go.


Cheers

[Chr]

Thanks for the welcome, its much appreciated. And yes, it has the built in barlow, so its physically half the length of its focal length.

[cristian abarca]

Hi Chris this was my first telescope and I still have it. It is not as good as other telescopes but it is still OK to start with. Just use it. You will find that the Barlow will block out a fair bit of light and that it really is a bugger to collimate but I found that regardless of this it was still good to use. Learn how to use it and don't bother putting any motors on it or upgrading it, it's not worth it. Save your money for later. I use mine as a solar scope now and it works well for this.

Regards Cristian

[Petzza]

Hi, I'm new to astronomy http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/tongue05.gif but have done a lot of investigation and have had the pleasure to use my fathers home made 8" dob. http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/happy19.gif I'm now looking to purchase my own 8" or 10" Dob. I get different views on which brands are better or best mostly from salespersons. It seems they all come from one of two places. Is one better than another or do I buy the cheapest and spend the savings on better quality eyepieceshttp://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/shrugging.gif I'm so unsure http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/helpsign3.gif

[ballaratdragons]

Howdy Petzza and Welcome. :hi:

How'd you end up with the smilies as links??? :scared:

A lot of the Dobs are from 1 factory - Guan Sheng (GS)

There are several shops selling the GS dobs under different names. Ring around and get the best deal you can on one. They are quite good quality for their price :thumbsup:

[Petzza]

Thanks for the welcome, obviously you're not meant to drag the icons, that just does not work. GSO or Bintel I believe are the same telescope and are the cheapest I've found in 8" or 10" Dob. But I've been told they can be greatly improved by using better eyepieces. What is a good brand in eyepieces.:shrug:

[erick]

Hi Petzza. What eyepieces have you seen? The ones your father has? If you buy a Bintel reflector, you'll get some basic eyepieces - start with them and see how they compare with your father's first. Then as everyone recommends, get yourself and scope to an astronomical club observing evening so you can see other eyepieces. You may well be able to borrow them and compare with the ones you have, in your own scope - or the owner will come and show you. There are a few clubs and observing locations around Melbourne.

[Petzza]

Thanks erick, the eyepieces I have, or borrowed, I should say are Tele-Vu, I think thats spelt correctly, and a 2X barlow tube all made in Japan as they are a few years old. I have been told thats a very good brand. I'm still interested to know if if there's any difference in the optical quality, like the primary mirrors, between a Skywatcher / Saxon and a Bintel / GSO.

[erick]

Sorry, away for a couple of days. We need the eyepiece experts to step in and advise, but, depending on which range of Tele Vue eyepieces, they should be good, and, I would expect, better than the basic plossl eyepieces that will come standard with an 8" or 10" dob from most suppliers. Talk to your potential telescope suppliers - some will be really helpful. try to get to a viewing night of a club - you'll learn a lot and will be able to see for yourself what the differences are.

[Tiger74]

I can't get the scope to balance - is there a secret to it? :sadeyes:

Getting it to balance is annoying me....! :shrug:

[erick]

Need more information please, Tiger 74. My guess is that you are talking a dobsonian reflector? Doesn't balance under some conditions?? under any conditions?? With OTA horizontal? vertical?? 45 deg?? What's up top - finderscope, focuser, anything else? What is in the focuser - eyepiece, barlow? Are there friction springs on the altitude bearings? Or some other form of tensioner?

[Shaun]

Couple of questions, do i have to use the tension springs on the Dob it moves better without them and balences ok?

I tried the milkbottle idea i read about and it moves a lot easier now, i do have a plastic type washer there already so if i put more than 1 bottle washer i get to much rocking, is it normal to have the plastic washers there i have read some people use 4 or 5 bottle washers?

My Dob has like a dust cover on the top with a small cap on it about 2.5" round that can be removed any ideas what this cap is for?round

[iceman]

Hi Shaun.

You don't *need* the tension springs. Most people take them off or just unclip them, but if you use a very heavy eyepiece down low on the horizon you might need the spring(s).

The small cap in the dust cover is to stop the aperture down - so instead of taking the whole dust cover off, you'll only take off the camp - so instead of a 12" f/5 telescope it would become a 2.5" f/25 or something. Honestly forget about it, you'll never use it.

[Jarrod]

hi, i just set up my newtonian scope outside, i roughly collimated it a few days ago. i noticed while looking at venus that there is a slight "trail" of light pionting down from the planet to the lower right of my view. it's only slight, a fraction the width of the planet itself. i pointed the scope at some random stars and all stars appear to be doubles. i don't want to touch any screws unless someone can tell me what the problem is.

thanks, jarrod.

BTW, i don't own any collimation tools yet, so i can only judge the collimation by eye.

[erick]

Don't be shy - adjust one of the primary mirror collimation (tilt) screws a little - say half a turn (monitor which way so you can restore it) and see what happens to the image. Better? Worse? no change? You'll be learning. But invest in some collimation tools soon. If nothing else, try the 35mm film container with a hole drilled in the centre of the end, or cap. That will fit into the 1.25" holder and allow you to better centre your viewing eye on the optical axis of the focusser.

[Jarrod]

thanks eric (or erick?), i adjusted the secondary a few minutes before i read your post but it worked. jupiter looks alot nicer when you can actually see the cloudbands,:lol: .

you will proberly find this a bit strange, but i've never seen mars through a telescope, what time will it be best to view it in the morning?

thanks, jarrod.

[erick]

Mars - not sure, I haven't been up early with the scope or binoculars for some months! However, check when Mike Salway has been taking his Mars photos (see threads) - that would be a good time. I just checked some details for tomorrow - look like Mars rises in Melbourne around 2:40am. Sunrise around 7:30am - so let's guess 6am would be a good time. Mars seems to be at an elevation of about 40 deg, NE at that time.

[Jarrod]

thanks, i'll set my alarm clock. a question regarding EQ mounts, is the RA axis meant to be set for the magnetic poles or celestial poles? my EQ mount works alright when in line with the magnetic poles, but should it be lined up with the celestial poles for best results. i dont worry about incredible accuracy so ive never looked into it.

[erick]

I know nothing about EQ mounts, but you certainly need to point to the South Celestial Pole, rather than South Magnetic Pole.

For Melbourne, the South Pole is 11 deg East of magnetic south. So, when facing towards magnetic south, the South Pole is 11 deg to the East (your left hand). (Sorry if that is too simplistic, but I keep forgetting it myself - is it to the left or to the right???).

[Jarrod]

thanks, i'll try that out.

i feel silly now :doh:.

[erick]

join the club! we've all got stupid stories to tell - did I tell you about my finderscope where I've dropped the eyepiece lenses in a pile and don't know what orientation they should be in...................duh!

[Jarrod]

yeah i read about that. we do learn from these experiences though, so a suppose that makes it worthwhile.

[flearosie]

Hello

I am a total newbie to astronomy and quite green! I have purchased an 8" Skywatcher Dobsonian which came with the two standard eyepieces.I have bought a few magazines and am reading everything I can come across(so am now totally whacked with info I cant take in!).

I have been to an Astronomical Society a few times and they have been very friendly and helpful thus my purchasing this scope. I have had some spinal ops and find it hard to use the finderscope.I have looked at both the Telrad and the Red Dot Finder and would like to ask what would be the best one to buy? I have trouble bending my neck fully to the side so wondered if it was possible to buy a 90deg angled finder that I could look straight into??

I thought I would get comfortable at home for a couple of months and then venture back to the club.I would also like to ask how people adapt wheels etc to the base of the Dobs for ease of movement etc. as I have to get down stairs at home to take it out.

Sorry for the long epic,but any help would be very appreciated.:)

Cheers

[erick]

Hi Flearosie - Welcome! :)

Yes, you can buy FinderScopes with a right angle at the eyepiece.

There are lots - look at Bintel's website under FinderScopes:-

https://www.bintelshop.com.au/welcome.htm

Both the Telrad and Red Dot finders don't solve the problem of having to get directly behind them to look at the sky.

Eric

[cahullian]

Hi flearosie
I have the same size scope as you and I just use a trolly bought from super cheat auto for $22.00 and I use luggage straps to hold it in place when im moving it around. I have a crook back and I find this way of transporting the scope around the yard or viewing site very easy.

Gazz

[flearosie]

Hi Eric

Thanks so much for the info. I have looked at the Bintel site and they have 2 right angled finderscopes - their own 8x50 and an Orion 6x30mm both for the same price. Do I need to buy the new individual bracket for it or will the orig Skywatcher one adapt? I would rather save up and buy a better quality from the start,so just wondering if these are both ok quality?

[ballaratdragons]

The Bintel marked 90 degree finder will fit straight into your finder bracket. Not sure about the Orion one, but you can ask Bintel. Plus the 8x50 finder is a good size for a finder.

[Universal]

G'day!
I'm new to the site, and astronomy. Have been lurking on the site for a while and finally decided to post. I was looking to buy a telescope, but saw a lot of you recommending binoculars for a newbie as the first point of call in light gathering equipment.
I can tell you I'm not disappointed! I went out last night with my AOE 9x60 binoculars and was amazed to see stars which I couldn't see with the naked eye in suburban Melbourne. :thumbsup:
Terrific site you have here.

Cheers,
Mark

[erick]

Mark, even in your back yard in suburban Melbourne, you'll see a lot more stars with your binoculars. Look hard and you'll even see Omega Centauri, the big globular cluster. It won't be all that big in 9x, but it should be there. I see it easily in an 8x50 finderscope.

[hookedonsaturn]

G'day Well just thought i would drop in let you know from this point on I will be known as the guy that asks all the dumb questions.I have just gotten into astronomy .I have a 8 inch reflector one of the cheapies from australian geographic.The real fun starts with trying to identify the constelations.Haveing been raised in the northern hemisphere i didn't even know where the southern cross was. Had a mate come out and help me set up the scope and on the first night I saw the rings of saturn something i had dreamed of doing since i was a kid.The night just got better,off to jupiter and its 4 moons,then into the jewel box.All in one night a trip through the heavens.What amazed me was getting an understanding of the distance and time for the light to reach us.We are watching the universe unfold as it was. Someday hopefully i will get a bigger and better scope and be able to get the fantastic shots some of the members take.but for now its study ,learn and enjoy one of the greatest pleasures in life ,the feeling of being amongst the stars.

[iceman]

Hi there, welcome to IIS! Great to have you here.

There's no dumb questions - don't be afraid to ask them. We're here to help!

[erick]

'Ain't it great!! Welcome!

[Jarrod]

hi everyone,

ive noticed alot of newbies (myself included) ask for lists of DSO based on telescope aperture. i just found a website with a few lists, each based on the aperture of the telescope being used. it goes from 50mm to 300mm and includes a recomended magnification for each object. you'll need a sky atlas of some sort because the list only names the constellation the object is in. it seems to include more northern constellations then southern, but that might just be my imagination...

go to: http://astro.geekjoy.com/calcs/DSO_List.html

take some time to explore the site, it has alot of other useful articles and features.

jarrod.

[loKy]

Hello guys,

I`d love to get a binocular, i was wondering if an AOE 20x90 broadband fully multicoated would be best suited as a first time observer,any advice?

thx a lot:hi:

[iceman]

Hi Loky! Welcome to IIS!

Binoculars are a great place to start. 20x90 is quite high power and large aperture. That is, they are big and heavy and can't be effectively used handheld. You'll need to get a big tripod to hold them securely, or make a parallelogram mount.

There's a few articles about choosing binoculars and making a mount in the Projects and Articles (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/?projects) section. Have a read and keep asking questions. I'm sure some other bino guys like erick will offer some advice too.

[erick]

Hello Loky! :welcome: from me as well.

Starting your observing with 20x90s would be a bit challenging due to the high (relatively) magnification. If you could complement those with a pair of 7x-10x and 50-60mm aperture, it may make your life a bit easier. I find that I often need to go back to my 12x60 when I am also using 20x80 or 30x100 in order to reorient myself when I am looking for targets.

But the 20x90s should be a good performer for the night sky. I'm happy with all three pairs I have bought from AOE, accepting that they are the budget end of the market.

[EDIT:- For example, if one wants top end binoculars, here is what one pays:- http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=21345 ]

As Mike says, you'll need a good support for the 20x90s. I can manage my 20x80s on a Velbon tripod in the $100-120 range. The 20x90s might be a bit too heavy - you can only try. Don't be surprised if you find you really need a $300 tripod to hold them properly!

Do read the articles Mike has pointed you to. Search for "binoculars" and "parallelogram" mounts threads on the forum.

Good luck.
Eric

[loKy]

Thank you for the good advices,i will let you know how i am going with it.

thx a lot again:thumbsup:

[bungnposs]

Question to all
On Thursday night june 21 while driving home I noticed the moon was sideways like a bowl could you explain this to me.
thankyou
bungnposs

[erick]

About what time in the evening, bungnposs?

[bungnposs]

It was about 10 pm

[erick]

OK bungnposs, then it should have looked like this if you were looking west, and it was relatively close to the horizon. This is what you saw? Think about the position of the Sun and I think you'll understand why the Moon is illuminated like this. Any specific questions? :)

[PCH]

Hi Loky

the binos you've chosen are the ones I bought first uoff, and I must say I've never been disappointed. They give great views of a huge range of objects, but, as has been said, they do need the tripod mount that appears down the bottom of AOEs Binocular page for about $179 as I recall.

When I bought the binos, they were on special at just $249 - down from $299as well. What a bargain !

Welcome aboard too :)

Cheers,
Paul

[bungnposs]

Yes that is what it looked like but it was not close to the horizon thank you I have never seen the moon look like this just goes to show how un observant we are
bungnposs

[andrewc]

Just thought I'd drop a note here to say hi.

Now that my kids are giving me a little over 5 minutes in a day, I thought I'd try getting into astronomy a bit more, a subject that has always had me looking up where ever I go. :)

I have a lousy 8" reflector and have been looking longingly at a couple of different telescopes that some guys and girls had at an open night at Macquarie Uni a while back.

My interests are some of the deep space objects, and the science/physics of stuff going on in space. Having said that, I'm a bit light-on in the detail department!

Anyway, I came across this forum and am very impressed by the professionalism of this site. Nice job indeed! :thumbsup:

[[1ponders]]

Welcome Andrew.

What is wrong with your 8"? You should be able to get stunning view through it.

[iceman]

Hi Andrew!

Welcome to IceInSpace! You've made the first step in getting back into astronomy, congrats! :)

An 8" reflector can be more than suitable - what type is it? How old is it? What eyepieces do you have?

I work just around the corner from Macquarie Uni - unfortunately I wasn't able to attend their open night.

Thanks for posting and enjoy getting back into this great hobby! You're more than welcome to attend our monthly new moon meets on the Central Coast if you'd like!? It's a great way to get out of the city skies and observe through some different telescopes with some great friends.

[andrewc]

Actually, the problem is more the tripod than the telescope. It's a little crippled and wobbly. And true, I could do with one or two decent eyepieces. However, it is second hand and nameless, which can't be a good sign.

When you look through some of those newer telescopes, the optics seem way superior and the portability looks great. Maybe I just like new shiny things. :)

Is there a page of "Excuses for why you MUST leave town for a few hours" that I could use?

[erick]

Andrew, an 8" cannot be hopeless - they don't make them entirely out of plastic. I'm sure that, with a bit of help and work, you can get the best out of it!

[[1ponders]]

Turn it into a Dob :thumbsup:

[andrewc]

Now look what you've done! I'm getting the urge to go and fiddle about with it! :lol:

Better do some work now. Thanks for the welcome!

[Stevo69]

Hi from another noobie to the forum. Yep I'm a lurker. I've been kickin' back in the background for too long, so I thought it was time to join up. This reads as one of the most helpful and friendliest forums of any hobby I've been a part of.

I was big into astronomy in my teens and early twenties (1980's), built Newtonians and Dobs, dabbled in astrophotography, but became sidetracked with all the usual distractions, careers, girls, families (mostly in that order). Now I'm in my late 30's, I have a growing interest again for the last 1-2 years. I'm just enjoy using the bino's for the moment but hope to buy a 11" SCT in the next 12 months.

I'm having the same dilemma as many others regarding the ol' "fork or EQ mount" decision, but I've got plenty of time to decide. A little more home work yet to do.

Anyway I look forward to contributing to this forum.

hoo roo.

[Ric]

Hi Stevo and welcome to the group, it's great to see you are rekindling your interest again and this is probably the best place to do it as well.

Cheers

[iceman]

Hi Steve!

Thanks for the great feedback and welcome to IceInSpace!

C11's are a great scope, you will not be disappointed. Thanks for finally signing up and saying g'day!

[Arcturus]

Hey all, I'm new to this forum and relatively new to Astronomy. It's been a passion of mine for years and recently, (3 days ago) I accquired an Orion SkyView Pro 8 on a motorised EQ-5 with SynScan. I know that I will be asking questions here, perhaps a lot of them. So yeah, Hey everyone. :)

[GTB_an_Owl]

i can't believe its taken an hour for someone to welcome you Arcturus

welcome to the forum anyway

geoff

[iceman]

Welcome Arcturus! That's a great scope, will serve you very well. I look forward to more of your questions and contributions!

[Dujon]

Hop aboard, Arcturus. The support here is terrific and no question is stupid. You can't learn without asking questions (so long as they are not directed to me).

[Jarrod]

hi, i was just wondering if its possible to see detail on the ISS through a telescope (at least enough to confirm that it is the ISS).

thanks, jarrod.

[iceman]

I'd say so - there's many amateurs capturing detail through their telescopes with a webcam, so with a high power eyepiece i'm sure you could see some structure.

The difficulty is in tracking it and keeping it in the FOV!

[erick]

It certainly looks possible, Jarrod- see here:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=21834

Either that or Chris captured one of the Empire's star fighters!

[Jarrod]

so its really just a matter of being able to track it then.

[erick]

As I recall, it moves at a goodly pace. I kept a pair of 12x60s trained on it during a pass a while ago. A scope would be a challenge, I think.

[Wendy Kay]

Hi I am an extremely amateur astronomer, did a subject whilst at uni. I owned an orion 900 telescope that I now no longer have and am missing it. I am looking at what is available out there and have come across a skywatcher that has a pro5mount and skyscan. does anybody here have any experience with one of these as they are rather expensive. :help:

[ballaratdragons]

Hi Wendy. Welcome.

Sorry, but we would need to know which Skywatcher Telescope you mean.

[erick]

Hi Wendy! Welcome from me as well. If I can add to Ken's question:- Whom are you thinking of buying from and what price do they want? What would you like to do with your telescope - look at the stars and planets mostly?? The Moon? Maybe the Sun (with the right filter, of course!)?

[iceman]

Hi Wendy

What's your budget? Is it the SW600 from MyAstroShop?
Maybe you should start a new thread and it will be easier to find the replies to your questions :) Just click on "new thread" at the top left of the list of threads in a sub-forum.

[NQLD_Newby]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to this forum, and astronomy. I have always had an interest but never the time or means to do anything about it. I recently receieved my first scope (4.5inch f/5 newt) as a present, and have since turned into an absolute fanatic. Anyway just wanted to introduce myself and warn you all that I will be asking lots of basic questions.

[duncan]

:welcome: to the site Newby. I'm still only a newbie here as well. Ask all the questions you want , the wealth of talent on this site will help you out .
Cheers,
Duncan:thumbsup:

[iceman]

Hi there and welcome to IIS! Keep firing those questions at us.. it's the quickest way to learn!

[NQLD_Newby]

Thanks guys, I already have a few.

I want to buy a collimation tool but have no idea which one is best suited to my application. As stated earlier my scope is not the best quality, but is a great starter. It uses 1.25" EP's. I know it needs collimating because being the type of person I am :D (yep a fiddler), I fiddled with the adjustments while looking in the focusser to see what difference it makes. Anyway if anyone can shed some light would be good.

Also Duncan, I see you are in Yungaburra. I'm in Townsville, and I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a good NQLD telescope shop, or atleast a hobby shop that knows what they are talking about, because I can't seem to find any up here.

[duncan]

Hi newby,
Unfortunately there aren't any really good shops up our way. But i dealt with Bintel via email and they were brilliant. A cheshire collimator is all you will need (about $60-70). Also look in "projects and articles" on the left of screen for an article on collimation.
Cheers,
Duncan:thumbsup:

[NQLD_Newby]

Thanks Duncan.

I will order one today. Is probably a good thing that there aren't any shops up this way, I would go in to buy a collimator and walk out with a 12" dobs lol. Thanks for your help and direction.

[Wendy Kay]

hi

I still do not quite understand how to open a new thread, i am new to forums. The scope I am looking to buy is at underwood. It is an sw600sky. I was enjoying exploring using a manual alt/azimuth. Exploring mostly. Just getting used to the telescope the speed at which things move within the telescope. the fact that you cant see with the naked eye what you can see in the scope and finding things that way. I was looking at star clusters, binary stars, galaxies and nebulae. I also was looking for planets and attempting to catch comets, I think I was dreaming there. I was thinking that with a skyscan it would be faster but I am unsure what this would be like to use, whether I am better off exploring around with something manual as I am not really into astrophotography that is way out of my knowledge. Any sought of information on this would be helpful.
thanks
Wendy:) :prey: :newbie:

[Dujon]

Hello, Wendy, welcome aboard. You have a wonderful name, by the way - you share it with my daughter. :)

Wow, an 8" (200mm) with GOTO is a decent sort of machine. I bet it's not cheap either. Nevertheless, even if you do go ahead and buy such a beast I recommend that you try to learn - just using your eyes - the main constellations in the night sky. A planisphere costing little more than a couple of hamburgers and a large bucket of chips will be a great help.

Not having owned a 'scope with GOTO capabilities I cannot help with advice on the use of such, but I'm sure there will be plenty of comments from other members of this site.

Good luck.

[Dujon]

Darn it, I forgot.

To start a new thread within a category all you need do is click on the 'New Thread' button - see attached image.

[Ric]

Hi Wendy and welcome to the group, just keep asking questions and you'll be up to speed in no time at all.

Cheers

[Daniel Chambers]

Hello people, I have just signed up. My name is Daniel and I grew up on a farm in north east Victoria, Australia. I have always loved the stars, staring up at them of a night time lying on the trampoline at home, and have decided to buy my first telescope. I am thinking about getting a Tele Vue 101 or 102. Is this a bit extravigant for my first or even appropriate? I am little bit bewildered by everything that's out there so any advice or help would be a godsend.

[Ric]

Hi Dan and welcome to the forum, hope you have a great time here.

Cheers

[iceman]

Hi Dan

Welcome to IceInSpace! It sounds like you've got some lovely dark skies.

The TV101/102 are certainly very nice refractors. What type of observing did you want to do?
Did you want to get into photography as well, or purely visual observing?

Keep asking questions and we'll help you spend your money :) Feel free to start a new thread if you'd like, otherwise it might get lost in here :)

[Daniel Chambers]

Hello Iceman,
I would like to do some photography down the track but for now I really just want to start seeing whats out there. While I am very interested in the planets, deep space is what gets me really excited. I have just been speaking on the phone to Chris Ellis and he has swayed me towards an 8" reflector that he makes himself. Anyway I am going to see him on Friday to have a look. It would be great if anyone could equip me with some appropriate questions for him or give me any feedback on the telescopes he crafts himself?

[iceman]

I'm not aware of his work - does he have a website you can link us to?

What's the specs and cost of the 8"? Is it mounted on a dobsonian base, or on an equatorial mount?

[Daniel Chambers]

He has a link on the right hand side of this screen call 'Astronomy Alive Telescopes'.

[Phoenix]

Hi folks, and especially to other newbies, just joined the ISS forum and thought I would say a quick hello. I’ve had a long time interest in astronomy (emphasis on ‘interest’ rather than actually learning anything), which commenced in my teens after a school trip to the Flinders Ranges. As I am sure many of you have experienced, as a young kid viewing Saturn through a small refractor for the first time in dark skies really knocked my socks off. Unfortunately, my interest diminished quickly thereafter due to other priorities, like working a stupid number of hours to make very little money…. or was it girls? Anyway, some 20 years on and I am attempting to ‘resurrect’ my interest in astronomy and telescope making, which seemed to crash and burn all those years ago (hence the user name). My old 6” Newtonian has seen better days so I have taken the plunge and Mark Suchting from DS Optics is currently figuring a 15” mirror for me and I will soon start my foray into dob building (using David Kriege’s book and many other references as a guide). While this scope will primarily be used for visual observations, I have a professional background in environmental remote sensing and I am hoping to apply some basic terrestrial image processing techniques to planetary and DSO observations. I’ve had a go with some nice Jupiter data kindly supplied by iceman in his thread ‘Make your own Jupiter from my data’ with some satisfactory results but hope to make some more constructive contributions in the future. Nice to speak with you all - Happy sensing!

Cheers
Nix

[Ric]

Hi Steve and welcome to IIS, the 15" sounds awesome as well as a great way to get back into this great hobby/pastime/passion.

Hope you have a great time here

Cheers

[iceman]

Welcome Steve, thanks for the introduction! It's great to see people getting back into the hobby after a long break.

So much has changed in amateur astronomy and casual stargazing in the past 10 years, even the past 5 years! Big scopes are so much more affordable and within reach of almost everyone.

A 15" Mark Suchting mirror will be beautiful in a home-built scope! Good luck with it.

And although I said it before, :welcome: to IIS! Enjoy your stay and I look forward to seeing the progress of your scope as its built!

[Phoenix]

Thanks Mike and Ric for your kind welcome. I will keep you informed of my progress with the 15" dob.

[Topher]

Hi all.
:newbie:
Just a quick hello.

As a child I loved to lie on the grass and watch the universe rotate above me. :stargaze: More often then not, I would be flying around amongst the planets and stars that I could see. :anaut:
I read all I could from the Encyclopaedias that we had lying around the house on space, stars, planets (other than Earth), rockets and much more. But then I hit puberty and most of my brain cells went to sleep. :zzz: “Anyway”, I kept telling myself, “you have to be rich to buy a telescope.”

It wasn’t until years later, after two and a half decades in the Defence Force, that my interest in the stars was renewed. My new boss (and friend) has shown me that the hobby is not as expensive as I thought. You can spend as much as you want, or as much as the wife with let you. :D ;)

I said this was just a quick hello, so I will end this here. I hope to talk to some (or all) of you sooner or later on other threads.

Buy for now!

[NQLD_Newby]

Hi Topher,

welcome to iis. I'm sure everyone will make you as welcome as they made me. I'm new here too as are many others. This is one of the best places to learn and ask questions. so don't be shy, you can't learn unless you ask. (and someone much more qualified than me will answer I promise ) :lol:

[iceman]

Hi Topher, :welcome: to IIS!

Great to have you onboard, don't stop asking questions!

[Phoenix]

From one newbie to another.... Welcome Topher!

[Ric]

Hi Topher and welcome to the forum. It's a fantastic group and you'll have a great time here.

I see you are not to far from me either

Cheers

[Dooghan]

I thought it's about time I said G'Day to you all. I've been a member of the forum for a month or so now. I've been interested in anything to do with space since I was a kid. Got my dad to buy me a store telescope which was ..........I think you know the answer to that. Anyway 20 odd years have past and my interest has been renewed by a podcast. Did a search on Google and came up with this excellent site. I did have some questions but they have been all answered in other threads. Still got the store telescope which good enough for the moment. Add to that a set of binoculars (8x21) which my wife got for free when she bought something. Real cheap and nasty but going to be replaced next week (in the mail as we speak) with a set of 12x60 from AOE. Got my red light, large planisphere from Bintel and a copy of Heavens Above. The best $18.50 I've spent on a book and I recommend it for any beginner. I try to get out there as much as I can and seen some amazing things. I like to get out with the telescope, binoculars and the book some nights and pick 2 or 3 constellations. I just site sit there for hour after hour looking at anything that those constellations has to offer. Then other nights I just like to get the planisphere out and learn the constellation. I've seen the ISS a number of times now, also HST. I was looking at Eta Carinae one night with the binoculars when a meteor cross my view. I followed it as it broke up into a half a dozen pieces. It just blow me away. I'm starting to ramble on now. I'll leave it there for now.

Dooghan

[Ric]

Welcome to IIS Dooghan, your going to have a great time here. It's a great place to rekindle your interest in the stars.

I think your quite lucky to see a meteor break up it must have looked great. I've seen a few through the scopes FOV and their always a buzz.

Cheers

[iceman]

Welcome Dooghan, :gday: Welcome to IceInSpace!

Thanks for introducing yourself, there's getting to be a few more members from FNQ lately.

Sounds like you're making great use of your binoculars, don't forget to keep asking questions and I look forward to more of your contributions on IceInSpace.

[erick]

Some people have all the fun!! :D

Welcome Dooghan - this is the place to be, along with being under clear skies at night!! How is M31 looking from Rockie (at 5am!!!)??

[Dooghan]

Thanks for the welcome guys

Tell me about it. Lots of great info here and I currently drooling over the great pics you guys take. I could really get into astrophotography one day but I'm happy with what I'm doing at the moment. I'm sure as time goes on I'll move up.

Just don't tell me it's once in a life time thing. I'll be really disappointed.

Don't you know that FNQ is the best place to be. Did I mention that we have 3 weeks straight of cloudless skies and I was out for most of them:whistle: Is that another cloudless night tonight:astron: I fine the binoculars give a lot better view of the DSO then the telescope. I mainly use the telescope for the planets now days.

It just happens I have to get up for work around that time and was one of the first DSO I tried to find. As I live in South Rocky (city glow to the north) and it's just above a street light It's been a hard one to get a good view of. I'm real keen to make a early morning trip to the north side on one of my RDO's when I get the new binoculars for a better view of it.

Dooghan

[shootin' star]

Hi all,
Well, like alot of other people here, I developed a real interest in the sky as a kid of about 10 years old. I had a set of binoculars and eventually my parents bought me a basic tasco reflecter and I would spend many hours with it set up on our carport roof just looking at anything and everything! As a teenager I got sidetracked and packed away the scope and now, 15ish years later am keen to get back into it.
The night sky just blows me away, like I'm sure it does for most people here!
I'm trying to learn a bit more about telescopes so that I can get something a little better than the old tasco. Eventually I would like to try some photograhy too, but I see I have a lot to learn first.
I'd love to get together with other people here in Melbourne to learn as much as I can, as I don't really now anyone else into astronomy:help:

Regards, Karen.

[Jupiter]

Hi Karen, welcome aboard, why don't you come up to the Snake Valley star party in November, details are located on here somewhere, theres lots of other newbies on here like yourself so don't worry about it.

[Ric]

Hi Karen and welcome to the forum :hi:

This is certainly the place to rekindle your interest and turn it into a passion, just keep asking questions and you'll be on track in no time at all. :thumbsup:

Cheers

[Dujon]

Hello, Karen, welcome to the mad house known as IIS.

You are not the only one here who started with a little old Tasco although, at least in my case, I doubt that many of us risked viewing from the roof of our parents' carport. :eek:

Get stuck in, lass, there's lots and lots of information buried in the archives of this site on telescope purchases and the whys and wherefores of each.

[erick]

Hi Karen

Yes, Snake Valley is good venue with friendly folks. If the weather is kind to us, some of us will be there this coming Friday night. About 1hr 30 min drive from the junction of Ring Road and Western Highway. Contact Ballaratdragons (Ken) or me for directions.

Alternatively, go to the Mornington Peninsula Astronomical Society (MPAS - search the threads) - a bit closer and very well setup.

Eric :)

[shootin' star]

Well, thankyou to all for the very warm welcome:)
The Snake Valley star party in Nov sounds great, but unfortunately I already have a few other events that month I need to take time off work for (I work saturdays) so I don't think I can hassle my boss for any more time off for this too:doh: But I will try to check out MPAS sometime soon.

As far as observing from the carport roof goes....well, it was always nice and peaceful up there:lol:

Karen.

[erick]

OK Karen, here you go:-

http://www.mpas.asn.au/

[tiaragirl_1]

Hi Everyone!

I am really interested in astrology, when i was younger my brother used to take me out and tell me about the stars and such.
At the moment for a subject at uni we ahve to do a "moon blog" so im here to find out everything i can about the moon!

All you facts and asvice would be much appreciated!!

:)
Meg

[iceman]

Hi Meg! :welcome: to IceInSpace!

The first advice I can give, is remember to call it "Astronomy", not "Astrology". The two are very different :)

The moon is a fascinating topic, and there's so much to learn. Start by observing the phases throughout the lunar calendar. Use the moonphase on the left (click on it) to get the rise and set times so you know when to observe it.

What else do you need to do for your blog? Just keep asking questions and we'll be happy to answer.

[erick]

Hi Meg!!

Have a look here - lots of photos and information:-

http://www.lpod.org/

Eric :)

[joshman]

aloha! great site ya'll got here, look forward to delving into some astrophotography!

cheers

[iceman]

Hi Joshman! :welcome: to IceInSpace!

Tell us about yourself!

[joshman]

not much to say really, extremely amateur photographer, enjoying it heaps! just bought a new camera (400D) and am really looking forward to getting out there and taking some sweet photos both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial.

definitely lookign forward to getting into astrophotography!

[Ric]

Welcome to IIS Joshman, this is the right place to get started with astrophotography. You'll find that it's a great and rewarding hobby if not a tad frustrating at times, but that's all part of the fun of it.

Cheers

[myparadigm]

hi all,
firstly great site! can't beleive its taken me this long to find it :)
Bit of an amatuer astronomer and looking to learn as much as I can.

Mick

[iceman]

:welcome: Mick! Tell us a bit about yourself!

[Ric]

Hi Mick and welcome to IIS, what sort of scope do you have?

Cheers

[tiaragirl_1]

Hey guys!

Thanks for all the advice.... astrology... duh what a dope... :whistle:clearly meant astronomy! hahah

that site was really interesting, the photos are amazing!!

Nothing to ask as of yet, but when i think of something ill let you all know!

Thanks
:love:

[Neil]

g,day just thought i,d get on the site and make myself known.im obviously interestered in astronomy, but as well as that any thing that involves outside activity,fishing,hunting,bushwalkin g , thats probably pretty good for 52. say g,day.:thumbsup:

[Ric]

Hi Neil and welcome to IIS, there's nothing like good old fresh air.

Cheers

[iceman]

Hi Neil, :welcome: to IceInSpace and thanks for saying :gday:

[lowercase]

Hello :D I'm brand new!!
How you doing all?

[Ric]

Welcome to IIS Holly, Hope you have a great time here. What are your astronomical interests.

Cheers

[erick]

Hi Holly :welcome:. Yes, what Ric said!! :thumbsup:

[GiveItAGoGavo]

Hey guys,

I just joined the forum since I found it by chance when looking for info on the eclipse tomorrow night....

Always been huge on space... thinking about a telescope so Im trying to read up on what is a completely new topic to me :)

Feel free to help out!

Anyway just saying gday

Cheers

Gavin

[iceman]

Welcome Gav and Holly! :gday:

Nice to see you on IceInSpace. I hope you enjoy your time here, and don't forget to ask questions!

[Ric]

Hi Gav and welcome to IIS, hope you enjoy the eclipse tomorrow night.

Cheers

[thorsdad]

Hi everyone,

I found this site a few weeks ago while doing a search on a telescope review. Great site :thumbsup:
I've always had a bit of an interest in astronomy, but earlier this year when I stepped out my back door and saw the McNaught comet, that just blew me away, and that was just with the naked eye. I've been learning a few of the constellations and planets, and been viewing with the binos and my son's 60mm refractor. Caught a nice view of Jupiter last week, and we could even see 4 moons which was a buzz.
I've been looking at upgrading to a reflector, and have been considering a 150/750 reflector on an eq mount, or even a 200/800, probably GSO like. Would love to take photos of what we see, so I understand a rock solid mount is a good idea, hence a reflector on eq mount rather that a dob. Also, we'd like the scope to be reasonably portable to take away to dark sky places, so some 10 to 12 inch monster is probably a bit big.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi and thanks for the site, and look forward to some suggestions.

Cheers :hi:

[GiveItAGoGavo]

Thanks :)




Absolutely will! Thanks! :)

[iceman]

Hi Rob, :welcome: to IceInSpace and thanks for introducing yourself!

For advice on your telescope purchase, I'd suggest starting a new thread in the Equip Discussions forum, so it doesn't get lost in this thread :)

Keep asking questions!

[HawaiiBill]

Iceman and all,

It is a great discovery, IceInSpace.com, and hope to visit often. Astronomy is very active on our island with many large instruments on our Mauna Kea. But I bet you know that. There is a 30meter telescope in the works and the same location is one of the five remaining possible sites.

Many of us here are ambivalent on the profusion of telescopes on the top of Mauna Kea. Never having been a member of the "My telescope is bigger than yours" group, I sometimes wonder about the value received for the massive expense of these installations. Your view is welcome on all things as I do have much to learn.

Thank you for having such a wonderful community and for letting me be a part of it.

[jjjnettie]

Hello and welcome to the latest members of IIS.

[Ryath]

Hi

I have just joined & love star gazing, but am an extreme novice, so hope to learn more about the start etc.

[Ric]

Hi Rob and Bill welcome to the both of you, hope you both have a great time here

All the best

[Ric]

Hi Ryath, this is the best place to get you on the right path in this great hobby.

Cheers

[zerocool]

I am a newbee found this site out looks interesting as i have an interest about, whats out there i hope i can learn new and interesting things about the stars :D

[iceman]

Welcome Hawaii Bill, wow I'd love to visit those big telescopes at Hawaii.. i'm very envious!
Thanks for your introduction and I hope you come back and visit regularly.

Welcome also to Ryath and zerocool! Please don't be shy, tell us about yourself and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

[lowercase]

I am an amatuer photographer, long time space-lover / dreamer, and have a large interest in space caused by my eccentric father.

Thank you all for your warm welcome :)

I am not extremely well educated yet about space, though I wish to learn a lot more, and joining this homely forum was the first step!!

I'm leaving work an hour early tomorrow to set up for the lunar eclipse!! Who's with me!? ;)

[undeadspirit]

Hi to all :D
im new around this site, so i'll be pretty noob and may ask a few (many) newby questions.

[fiddickc]

Hi all,

Like most in this thread, I am very new to wanting to learn about this amazing hobby. I am hoping to find out the best place to start and how to recognise the stars. Love listening to some astronomy podcasts at work but there aren't any Southern hemisphere dedicated ones I know of.

Found this site reading the local paper actually!!

Well, I'm off to look around.

Cheers
Craig

[Ric]

Hi Holly, I'll look forward to seeing your images of the eclipse and believe me eccentricity can be a help with this hobby. Unfortunately I will miss the best bits of this eclipse due to commitments with the RFS but I should be able to sneak some quick peeks and admire the view visually.

also welcome to Craig and the Undeadspirit, hope you both have a great time here.

Cheers

[astroron]

:hi:Bill, I visited the Big Island in 1990 for four days spent a whole day and part of the night on the mountain at the 9000ft mark, I even did a telescope tour using an 11" SCT for the public at the behest of the night manager at the visitors centre.
I stayed at a little Motel in Hilo which had a big goldfish pond outside.
I enjoyed my stay immensely:).
They had nearly finished Keck#1
I hope you enjoy your stay on iceinspace:thumbsup:

[erick]

Hi Ryath,

I've just one thing to suggest to you - search for "Snake Valley" on the site. We'd love to see you there for a club night!

Eric :)

[ballaratdragons]

:lol: Eric, I've already sent Ryath a PM about SVAA :thumbsup:

Good to see you attack too :lol:

[iceman]

Hi Craig, :welcome: to IceInSpace!

I'm glad you found your way here from the article in the paper.
I listen to loads of astronomy podcasts as well. The only southern-hemisphere based one I know of, is "ABC StarStuff" - head to the ABC website and search for it.

I usually listen to Astronomy Cast, Star Stuff, Science@NASA, This Week @ NASA, Dr Karl's Greatest Moments in Science, and Astronomy 161/162. Occassionally i'll listen to a few others but they're my staple diet ;)

:welcome: also to undeadspirit! Don't be shy in creating new threads in the relevant sub-forum to ask any specific questions. This thread is so long and so full of introductions that often specific questions can get lost.

[TaniaAU]

Hi I'm a newbie too... this is a great forum!

[Ryath]

Thanks for the welcome. I'm sure many questions will be asked.

[Jaala]

Hi everyone...

My name is Jaala, I don't know a terrible lot about astronomy but I'm very interested in learning more... So I hope I can learn a thing or two from this site! Any tips for someone starting at almost square one?! Thanks!

[Ric]

Hi Jaala and welcome to IIS, a good start would be a planisphere and a pair of binoculars. That will get you heading in the right direction.

Cheers

[felix]

hi! i'm felix

i've always enjoyed looking into the sky, but am not good at anything technical at all! found this site while looking for info on the lunar eclipse tonight and it was really helpful :lol: basically am clueless with astronomy, but would love the opportunity to learn more!

with what i had - a trusty 3yo digital camera and a tripod, i snapped some images of the eclipse, the view was great! the 10x optical zoom didn't get me close enough though :whistle:

[iceman]

Welcome to the new members, great to have you hear.

Don't be shy, tell us about yourself, and/or what interests you in astronomy and/or what sort of equipment you have :)

[IAN&JO]

Dea:help:r Iceman
My partner bought a telescope through oo.com.au. It is by eastcolight in Hong Kong, so was a cheapy, & the problem is the assembly instructions are very poor. It's as if you need to have put together a DIY telescope before you would know how to interpret all the parts.
Is there someone she can get to help her finish putting it together (all except the eyepiece section seems to be Ok, eg finderscope works) ? Or will she have to buy another one, already assembled. We don't thing Hong Kong is going to give us much joy.
Cheers
Rank Amateur Ian