Beginners Start Here!

[samward]

Hi All,

Thought I would also introduce myself. I am Sam (yes I hate saying that :) ) from the northern suburbs of Perth.

As a young kid I use to look through my dads 4" reflector and be amazed at what I could see. Now as an adult with my own children, that interest it rekindling.

Like so many others here, I am trying to work out what telescope I should buy. On one hand I am more than happy with the idea of a 6" or 8" dob to reacquaint myself with the sky. But equally I know that I ultimately want to be able to photograph what I see (as someone who already does terrestrial photography). And with only a limited budget, it is a conundrum where to start.

I would appreciate people opinion on this one (have been looking at second hand listings, but as most of them are east coast shipping tends to kill the total price).


Cheers
Sam

[Allan_L]

Hi Sam,
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:

If you have a limited budget, as you say, I would not recommend going down the Astrophotography "Driveway of Debt" , just yet at least.
Especially if you have youngsters that you would like to involve in the hobby.

Astrophotography equipment normally involves polar alignment and equatorial mountings. From my experience, nothing will discourage a newcomer more than trying to observe through an equatorial mount.

My advice is to go with what you have heard, a Dobsonian, 8" or 10".
I lean towards the collapsible type (skywatcher). $600 or $900 respectivly.
If you have another lazy $900 you may consider the GoTo models.

Just my opinion (having not listened and tried almost every other system first myself)

[samward]

Thanks Alan. I will investigate the Dobsonians further. Is it possible to add the GoTo system after the fact and/or does that just end up being an expensive way of doing things? (just thinking it would be a good way of helping the kids to see without as much frustration).

Cheers
Sam

[Allan_L]

Computerised "Go-To" upgrade kits are available for Skywatcher collapsible DOBs (8" 10" 12" 14" 16" models). I don't know the prices, they are P.O.A. but I would imagine they would be around $1,000 upwards depending on the size.
So it would be a little more expensive, but not overly for what you get.

I would recommend the Skywatcher 10" collapsible model. Not too big, not too small. (In My Humble Opinion).
[Obviously the goto option makes the base heavier to move, at about 28kg I think]

And although they are not suitable for "Long Exposure" faint DSO imaging, they do have the unique ability to be able to attach a DSLR directly to the focus tube for quick (up to a few seconds?) photography. But I am yet to try this out myself.

[doppler]

If you start out with a 8" solid tube dob you can always buy tube rings and then mount the ota on a HEQ5 pro or similar mount if you decide to try a bit of astro photography later. Have a look on gumtree for telescopes under miscellaneous goods I've seen some WA bargains there.

[samward]

Thanks Allan, Rick.

Yes I have been keeping an eye on gumtree, but it seems to be slim pickings at the moment (at least for what I am looking for).

Getting a solid tube dob, and putting it on an equatorial mount later is an interesting idea I will consider.


Cheers
Sam.

[samward]

Having just said that, a 12.5" meade starfinder has just been listed. Are these any good / is there anything I should watch out for with this particular scope?? (beyond the size and weight)

Cheers
Sam

[Cerulean]

Hi friends

New here, with a quick question. I live quite close to Melbourne (<5km from the CBD), would the light pollution make observations difficult?

[bigjoe]

Hi Sam .Welcome.
Couldn't agree more with Allan's advice as I've been at it for 40yrs!!
bigjoe

[Poz]

Hey Sam,

It is a big conundrum to be in, viewing vs photography, for a beginner. I was gifted a 6" newtonian reflector and it had me seeing the planets, orion etc but it was only enough for a few months. During that time I opted for a standard camera mount and dslr which was again fine, until I wanted more than milky way shots and star trails.
I found that my thirst for more, for better quickly surpassed the capability of my equipment and I started researching what I could get for a reasonable budget. I'm still not there yet, but I invested in a 10" dobsonian for viewing purposes only. I've had the dob for a week and it is blowing my mind with the objects im seeing in great detail. I haven't tried mounting the dslr on it yet, I fear it will be too heavy, and probably too large - but I don't know and thats the fun of it.

The fun, yet frustrating part of a non-goto scope is being guided by your own eye and knowledge of the sky. I spent two nights looking for Carina Nebula (got there on night two) and came across a few more on the way (Beehive cluster, diamond cluster and the chicken man). I did wish at times I could just input what I wanted to see, but then i found it myself and it felt like an acheivement.

My advice is a non-goto dob with a pair of binoculars (keeps two kids busy at the one time and you can scan around for the next object) .Don't be afraid to go to a 10" or larger dob either. Im 5'4" female with hip problems and can carry the 10" around with ease. The only problem you might face is that your kids will need something to stand on to see through the eyepiece. And dont forget to include the cost of eyepieces in your budget!

My next part of advice is, regardless of kiddies, look at buying a solid mount like a skywatcher heq5 pro goto mount to stick your dslr onto and start with photographing the sky at night. Once you save your pennies you might be right to buy a decent little scope to sooth your astrophotography needs.

Cheers!
Poz

[DavidS]

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

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

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

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

I have a question on preprocessing with pixinsight and appreciate a pointer on where best to post. I also need to spend more time on the tutorials so apologies if the question is too noob. :sadeyes:

[doppler]

You probably want to give this one a miss at that price. It looks like one of the old carboard tube models. I have a 10" starfinder and although the mirrors are ok the rest of it is pretty bad. At least he upgraded the crap focuser. Here's a review (from 12 years ago) http://www.cloudynights.com/page/articles/cat/articles/beginners/meade-125-dob-a-beginners-perspective-r634

[AussieBill]

Hello,

Bill the Newb here

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bill

[Jen]

Gday Bill :welcome::welcome:
You've come to the right place to get info on equipment etc
have a look in the star party's section on here and see if there is a camp or group near you where you can look at other setups there is always someone willing to show off their toys haha
PS dobs are awesome I have a 12" 😜😜🔭🔭

[Foxy]

Hi peeps, My names James but everyone calls me Foxy. I have recently gone through some life changes, from a single guy wearing green and riding motorcycles for 15 years to now a husband and father that has forgon some of my passions (wife said know to putting a baby seat on the back of the bike).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Look foward to hopefully meeting some of you guys and girls and thanks to everyone for the wealth of information you have already provided to peeps like me.

[Clancy Lane]

Good on you Foxy!

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

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

See you tomorrow!

Phil

[samward]

Well to round out my story, 2 nights ago I picked up a 8" collapsible dob second hand. Now to work out how to use it. :)

(Unfortunately since then the weather has been totally uncooperative, but with a long weekend and warmer weather coming up i'm hoping for better luck)

[Macrob]

I'm a 70 yr old retired telescope newbie although I've been interested in astronomy for many years. Recently my interest has been revived by viewing the ISS and searching for Iridium flares and my very observant family thought a telescope would be appropriate. So for my birthday I received a SkyWatcher Star Discovery 127/1500 Maksutov - hey it brought tears to my eyes when I opened the box!

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

[Stifftrix]

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

[Allan_L]

Hi Stevan,
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:

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

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

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

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

Hope this helps,
Good Viewing

[Stifftrix]

Thanks Allan, I think I had already set my mind to buying the scope; I guess I just needed confirmation that it's worth it.
Thanks for sharing !! :thanx:

[Gizmo]

Hi All,

I've been around for a while just quiet here.
I'm looking forward to getting a new dob soon :)

[aprilstorm]

Hi,

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

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

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

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

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

thanks

April

[serimral]

Hi my name is Paul.
Down in Tasmania where we have access to some really dark skies.
I have a 12 inch dob, 25 x100 Skymaster binoculars and have a LX90 ACF 10 inch on order, which will be my first computerised scope.
I hail from the northern hemisphere so I am still learning what to see in the southern skies.

[coltpeacemaker]

G/day all I'm Nathan and live in Perth WA but have a property about 2hrs from Perth in the Black zone and on some nights the Milky Way casts shadows it's amazing. I own a Celestron cpc 800 edge HD and it's great for the dark sky's out my way...

[DavidS]

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

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

:welcome:

[LostInSp_ce]

Hi David and welcome to IIS. You shouldn't have to move to Perth or Tassie if you wait another week or so. :)

[cadman342001]

Hello there,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Suggestions ?

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

Your thoughts?

Andy

PS - I'm a Pom, live in Cairns since emigrating in 07, kids in Surfers, Melbourne and 1 left at home aged 19 this week. Wife is a Psych Nurse - never know when that might come in handy :D

[49benny]

Hi all Benny here! New to Astrophotgraphy, but its something that gives me so much joy, even if it is only half decent shot! Have only had a camera 6 months, and shooting astro through these winter months.

Always looking to learn and try things with the camera, look forward to getting know you all!!

[xelasnave]

Welcome Ben..post some of your efforts and join in the conversations.
Do you know any good jokes?
Alex

[49benny]

Hi mate, thanks for the welcome! And the only jokes I know are terrible!!

Here is a few pics -

[xelasnave]

Hi Ben
Thank you for sharing your photos.
You must be very pleased with such a good result as well you should.
My first wide field the stars were about one sixteenth of an inch across but I was so happy.

And you have captured a UFO that is something else.

I did many wide fields, five nights in a row all nighters...back then only had a 300d canon only six meg but that camera all of them changed the game.

I went overboard and purchased the one gigabyte card... $110 but I think the camera was over 2k.

So what did you use?
Can you remember the setting and exposure time?

A tip print them out...the first efforts at least.

And please try harder on the jokes the world needs humour and happiness...mmm and kindness and tolerance, less greed, less hate...where better to attack evil than with a nice joke.

Thanks again and I hope you can become a regular poster and be an encouragement to others to share their stories.
Alex

[xelasnave]

Here is a wide field I rescued from photo bucket taken with 300d at 400 iso with over an hour exposure which was a big deal back then..any processing was uninformed.
I posted this in another thread but I post it here for you.
Alex

[cruxo]

Hi everyone, Im Craig. I thought I should introduce myself.
My background in astronomy goes back to before I can remember with a long time love affair with the Southern Cross. With this being said, I had never actually had or given myself the opportunity to look at the stars with any type of magnification. Until about 2/3 months ago when i purchased a pair of 15x70 mead bino's. Wow! Needless to say, the Crux was my first target, and was I impressed. I had no idea of the gems hidden behind my light affected skies. So here I am, 3 weeks after the purchase of my first scope (8" Skywatcher Dobsonian). Every time I've dragged it out the back yard since, I've been blown away by the treasures in our sky.
So now I would like to start the process of documenting what I am seeing, with both My 8" Dob and Bino's. I have some filters on the way too.
So my question now is, what is the best way to go about this?
I have my own ideas about it, but the more I think about the process, the more chaotic my thoughts become. Haha....hmmm
Is there a common/standard way of doing it, or is it a process we should be stumbling through on our own?
Thanks for any advice offered. :confused2: :thanx:

[xelasnave]

Hi Craig
Get a leather bound book with parchment pages and enter your observations using a quill made from a cape baron goose.

Great to hear you have purchased a 8 inch dob that is a great choice.

Not too big not too small.

I started recording things but it became too much because I was so active...every night when conditions permitted.

Good luck it will be interesting to see what others suggest.

Thanks for starting your thread.
Alex

[cruxo]

Hmmm..... Thanks Alex, Sounds like I'm gonna need a Banyan and funny looking cap as well. :thumbsup: :rofl:

[xelasnave]

This will sound odd but I recommend an eye patch so you can dark adapt at least one eye, if your go for two so your can dark adapt for binos your will also new white cane.

A hood is good that when at the ep you can exclude stray light.

Alex

[xelasnave]

And strangely to keep out the cold a full length "dress" works well.
I would tie a blanket around my waist such that it reached the ground and that really kept out the cold.

Alex

[cruxo]

I have actually been meaning to get myself an eye patch Alex. So far i've been covering the other (extra) eye with my hand, so not to strain the one I'm using. So, would switching a patch from eye to eye between observing and documenting sound right?
ps:might be a silly question here, but,how do I refer to a certain post the way you have in your reply? :shrug:

[cruxo]

i'm using snow gear to stay warm

[xelasnave]

Your idea of switching the eye patch had never occurred to me that is a great idea.

To reference a post click on the little box "quote" in the bottom right corner.

To this day I still don't know how to "quote" only part of a post.

Alex

[cruxo]

thanks for that.:D

[Allan_L]

It involves the use of the delete button Alex.

Hi Craig,
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:
Don't let Alex scare you, he has spent too many nights alone in the dark :P

Probably unprofessionally, but most amateur observers I know don't spend too much time, if any, recording what they have seen.
There are notable exceptions. Some even go to length to sketch their views.
I love to be able too but, alas...
Problems being dark adaption for observing does not mix well with illumination required for writing.
Additionally, the more time you spend recording, the less time you spend observing.
Finally, most observations from cataloguers already include their observations, I find myself just trying to see what they saw, and be happy with that.

But if you are insistent, probably you are going to produce a targets list, just make room there for observations.

Additionally, there is here on IIS a forum titled Observational and Visual Astronomy, and it has a sub thread of Observation Reports. Link here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25)

Thanks for posting, and Clear Skies!

[cruxo]

Thanks for the welcome Allan.:thanx:
I quite enjoy Alex's humour. :D
I had a quick read of the observation reports. There is some very interesting reading there. I'm liking the idea of looking back on early observations and seeing how far i've come, and how crappy my first eyepieces were.lol
I know what you mean about using every minute for viewing though. As i was reading what you said, I was remembering last night out the back yard swinging the scope, dragging the chair,swapping eyepieces around and the eagerness to get back to viewing. I guess I'll have a go and see how like it. After all, it's all about the enjoyment of it all. :)

[cruxo]

Ok :hi:, I have another question. What is the best way to cool the mirrors in my 8" Dob without using fans? I have read all different ideas like caps on, caps off, tube horizontal, on 45*, straight up, away from breeze(if any) and so on. There are plenty of ideas, but which would be most recommended?
Horizontal away from breeze sounds right to me, but I'm a noob.
Looking forward to hearing some suggestions.
Craig :question:

[cruxo]

is this a stupid question?

[xelasnave]

No not at all.
Folk have their secret methods maybe.
I just have been looking into the problem.
This is an old bushy method of cooling beer which I am trying to incorporate into an answer.

Build a fire I the morning let the fire die down late in the day.
Remove all coals and ash
Remove a foot of soil and you find the ground colder as the heat has drawn up the coldness further down.
Place,scope here,set horizontal .

I think if you keep the scope cool during the day is a big start and put it outside 47 minutes after Sun set and wait 2 hours,an 17 minutes...then switch on fan.

I think a little fan would help

But I really don't know
Alex

[Allan_L]

To cool a DOB without using a fan, take the end cap off and wait.
Time depends on temperature differential between where the scope has been and where it will be operating.
The open design makes DOBs pretty easy to cool, especially less than say 14".

But with your tube caps off, placing the DOB in a horizontal position will help prevent anything from landing on the mirror. Likewise, if any wind is blowing, face away from wind to prevent anything blowing into the tube.

No its not a stupid question, but you may get more responses if you create your own thread, instead of post 1796 of a 13 year old thread that not everybody reads.

The forum Beginners Equipment discussions is possibly a better choice for a topic like this. maybe? :)

[cruxo]

No its not a stupid question, but you may get more responses if you create your own thread, instead of post 1796 of a 13 year old thread that not everybody reads.

The forum Beginners Equipment discussions is possibly a better choice for a topic like this. maybe? :)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your answer Allan.
What you say about a new thread makes sense. Given this is all new to me, including never using any kind of forum before joining IIS.
Just seems a bit rough that a question would go unanswered for being in what is deemed to be the wrong place.

I use to keep beer cool in a hole too Alex.:lol:

[Forge]

Hi all,

I'm very new to this and only just put together a collapsible dobsonian 8. Waiting for a clear sky in Melbourne to give it a go.

I have a question - what is collimation and how often should you do it? From what I've understood it's simply a process of aligning the eyepiece and the primary mirror. Is that correct and do I absolutely need a laser accessory to do it as a beginner (it was suggested to me by someone else)? Also why does it need to be routinely done i.e. why does it go out of alignment after a while?

Thanks

[m11]

Hi Forge,

I am still new as well. My view on collimation is to align the primary and secondary mirror to achieve a good focus. The lower f number requires more accurate alignment. I use a laser collimation tool as it is easier for me. Just need to ensure the laser is pointing to the middle of the primary mirror and looking from the back of thr scope in the bulleye of the laser collimation tool.
If the alignment is really bad then you wont even get a decent image to focus with the scope.
Due to the dob design, the mirrors will enventually move over time depending on how often and when you move the scope.

Hope it helps.

M11

[Forge]

Thanks m11, I'll see if I can collimate without buying the laser tool

[m11]

Nps, i usually collimate before every viewing as it usually a bit off.

A couple of times when i have pick up a second hand dob its completely off and it took awhile to align.

My philosophy is to minimise time spent on setting up as the wife anf kids really kills me on my viewing time :D

M11

[doppler]

If you tighten the lock bolts carefully but firmly enough the collimation shouldn't need adjusting very often.

I find the best tool is a Cheshire eyepiece.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/142458779558

You can make a basic one yourself out of a 35mm film canister. Drill a very small hole in the exact centre of the cap (there is a dimple there that makes it easy) and cut the bottom of the canister, these are a good fit to an 1.25" eyepiece holder.

[Forge]

Thanks doppler. Another question, as I continue to wait for a non-cloudy night in Melbourne :), with something like a Dobsonian 8, would I be able to see something from a backyard in the inner-suburbs of Melbourne?

Or do you have to be somewhere, where it's pitch dark with no street lighting around?

[m11]

Hi Forge,

With a 8 inch the planets - Saturn and Jupiter will be visible with good detail. Bright open clusters like jewel box , southern pleaides and globular cluster 47 tucanae and omega centauri.

Other objects will be pleasing which you will discover which objects you like to view.

Mel

[Forge]

Thanks again m11. Last night was one of the first relatively non-cloudy skies in Melbourne, so we took it out for a look with no luck. :(

Just to recap - the first thing we did after assembly was look through the eyepiece at a distant object and then made sure the crosshair in the finder's scope was centered at the object. This was during daytime last week. Last night we left the telescope out in the backyard for an hour to let it cool, and stayed outside ourselves for a good 10 minutes to let our eyes adjust to the dark.

The moon wasn't about so I used the finders scope to point to the brightest star in the sky (there were quite a few) and looked through the eyepiece but couldn't see anything. Infact we couldn't see any light at all through the eyepiece, even after adjusting it a bit.

What could I be doing wrong? I've read references to light pollution maps on these forums. Could it be that the street lighting could be affecting the viewing? How can I check?

[iborg]

Hi Forge

If the focus is way off, then you won't see any stars. Did you move the focus from one end of its travel to the other? If not, try it.

If still no luck, try looking at the moon. That is big enough and bright enough, that even without a finder, you should be able to point the scope close enough to see the light at least, then adjust focus.

[Forge]

I certainly did play with the focus from one end to another. I also had a pair of binoculars with me and I could definitely see a few stars from it, so I'm guessing the ambient light pollution from street lighting couldn't be a major factor when I use the telescope?

I'll try the moon when I get a chance.

[m11]

Hi Forge,

Street lighting and cooling aside, you should be able to see objects, just with less detail.

It sounds like you collimation is off a bit. I would recommend checking your collimation.

Mel


QUOTE=Forge;1334716]Thanks again m11. Last night was one of the first relatively non-cloudy skies in Melbourne, so we took it out for a look with no luck. :(

Just to recap - the first thing we did after assembly was look through the eyepiece at a distant object and then made sure the crosshair in the finder's scope was centered at the object. This was during daytime last week. Last night we left the telescope out in the backyard for an hour to let it cool, and stayed outside ourselves for a good 10 minutes to let our eyes adjust to the dark.

The moon wasn't about so I used the finders scope to point to the brightest star in the sky (there were quite a few) and looked through the eyepiece but couldn't see anything. Infact we couldn't see any light at all through the eyepiece, even after adjusting it a bit.

What could I be doing wrong? I've read references to light pollution maps on these forums. Could it be that the street lighting could be affecting the viewing? How can I check?[/QUOTE]

[Forge]

Oh thanks! A colleague of mine with a bit more experience than me is coming over to help me out. However if we still aren't able to fix the problem I might take you up on your offer :)

Are there community gatherings organized from this forum by the way? I reckon I'll learn a lot by meeting others.

[m11]

Great to hear. :) I remember starting off and it took me 40mins to find the full moon. Really frustrating and it took me awhile to learn what worked for me. Still learning as i go along, its a rewarding hobby but it requires patience between work, family, weather and motivation.:rofl:

Best if you keen is to check out the asv/mpas.

No problems :thumbsup:

Mel

[gaseous]

Ambient light pollution aside, you may find your finderscope has shifted slightly since you first aligned it. I have an 8" collapsible dob also, and find the finderscope can move a very considerable amount between viewing sessions, even with a lot of care taken when moving it. This may account for your difficulty in finding a star through the eyepiece after finding it in the finderscope.

[NewBee101]

Hi all,
Got a inquiry for those that use Stellarium to guide their mounts. I have just configured Stellarium to giude my EQ6-R mount, when i pick a target off the comp'(Stellarium)screen enter it into the hand controller the mount will slew straight to the target, when i pick an other target and use ctrl+1 the mount will start and stop,start and stop, slewing for at least 30 seconds or more then it will decide to slew continues to the target, to me this does not seem normal.
Can anybody offer any reasons for this, or is this normal? I have watched Yu Tube vid's on the configuration and there is no hint of this start and stopping.
Rob
@ Stawell

[Jen]

G'day Rob :hi:
You might get a better response if you post this question starting a new thread instead of in this beginners thread 👌 But your problem sounds familiar to me when I'm choosing targets near the South Pole. It seems to be a glitch there that annoys the hell out of me :help: :lol: I'm not sure if your having this issue all the time or is it just certain targets? And another issue I can have sometime is that my ascom location doesn't match my Stellarium location so check these. Every time I move location from home to snake valley I have this issue it's only taken me a few years to work that out hahahaha I'm on to it now ;) cheers and good luck

Jen :D

[that_guy]

personally i dont use stellarium for eqmod control. You might have better luck using cartes du ciel? I hear stellarium can be troublesome when it comes to telescope control.

[Roger34]

Hi Mike and everyone else
A noob question and am not afraid to ask a lot more :) I was gifted a Celestron Powerseeker 127, with a working tripod :) by a neighbour. He has had his fun with it and moved on.
Its in very good condition, dusty and the mirrors do need a good clean. i note the use of distilled water and cotton wool ball in an earlier post !!
The Finderscope is good BUT, there are no eyepieces or filters. I quick look online at the original specs and am thinking thats good money for the optics.
Does, anyone have the optics to suit or know where I can obtain the secondhand? I see there is a For sale and Wanted to Buy forum, so that my next stop.
Am new to astronomy live in Croydon Victoria, on the side of a hill. A lot of trees round here and there are some good spots in my back garden to see a fair bit of the night sky.
Thanks for being here and i will be spending a fair bit of time reading other posts and asking a lot more questions
Cheers Roger.

[Sconesbie]

Welcome Roger. I'm from Tas and am relatively new to astronomy as well. The gents and ladies on the forum here are great and only too willing to help. There is always someone to provide a response and support where required. I have asked many questions and picked up a lot of tips from members here. Ask away.

I am no expert but simply enjoy getting my telescope out in the backyard at home for an hour or so, or heading out with a group of people for a few hours. Which ever way you choose to do it, just do it.

Find a local astro group close to you. They will have other telescopes and most are only too keen to show you their gear and let you have a look through the eyepiece.

A great app I use on my phone and ipad is Sky Safari. It gives you a good list of what is visible ini the sky right now and will help you. It also gives you the co-ordinates of the object in the sky. I have found this most beneficial.

The for sale component of this forum is great too. I have purchased a few objects with no problems.

Good luck with your viewing and clear skies.


Regards
Scott

[m11]

Hi Roger,

Congratulations on acquiring a free telescope :thumbsup:

In terms of eyepieces I would recommend not going hard and just get 1-2 plossls to start off with. They can be grabbed for cheap new and second hand. I wouldn't worry about filters when starting off. The wider the field of view for eyepieces - prices tend to go up sharply in price.

I recommend grabbing a pair of binoculars to look up as well :hi:

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. I have found everyone really happy to assist.

Regards,

M11

[derku]

Hi all,

New to the forum and astronomy in general. I have a skywatcher 150/750 reflector on an eq3 mount. I would like to start a blog to share my experience as I go along - which sub-category of this forum would be appropriate?

Cheers,
derku

[brian nordstrom]

:welcome:Derku , right here in the ' Beginners Equipment Discussions ' ,:D
go for it as I for one will be very interested in your journey .

Great starter scope by the way it will give you sweet views for years to come .

Also , don't be afraid to ask lots of Q's '

Brian.

[breadfan]

I'm embarking on getting autoguiding up and running and I'm trying to attach a guide scope to my main scope.

I'm using Losmandy DVR108 rings fitted to a spare dovetail bar which came with the main scope, presumably for this purpose. Thing is, there's no bolt for me to attach it to the main scope tube ring. There are 4 smaller bolts that screw adjacent the main hole that I can't see having any purpose. Is this normal? I can go and try to get the right one from Bunnies. Am I trying to mount it the wrong way maybe?

EDIT: Solved it. Turns out yes, I had to go and buy a bolt to do the job. I find it odd that they'll provide a spare dovetail bar but not a 25 cent bolt with the scope, but it seems like this is pretty normal across manufacturers. Getting the size of the bolt right was fairly easy, getting the right length was a bit more of a pain (grabbed a few different lengths and got one that was right). Fortunately no drilling required which I understand can be common - helps that the dovetail plate was matched for the scope I guess!

[Rkonrad]

I have been in to part of astronomy all my life and glad to join this forum my name is Richard ,i have had a lot of different telescopes Dobs, SCT, MCT and some fine refractors all had their special time with me, I am semi Retired now

[Saturnine]

Hello Richard
Welcome to the forums, I hope that you can add your wisdom and knowledge to discussions and learn from all the other forum members if you have a question. You seem to have plenty of choice in your equipment for particular types of observing and / or imaging.:welcome:

Jeff

[Cellmend]

Hi guys thanks for letting me join your community.i have been interested in astronomy since I was a child I've owned a couple scopes in my time and now I'm back in the game planning to go down the path of photography. I hope to use the knowledge of all the info everyone here can give me on my quest for DSO pics I can call my own. :lol:

[Rkonrad]

Welcome Justin

[N5SE]

Cool forum, looking forward to starting in astronomy.

[davidmcbain]

Hi
My name is David and I'm just introducing myself as a new member. I have a TSA120 on a Nova Hitch Mk2 mount which I absolutely love. However, living in Melbourne, I don't get to use it very often.
Cheers:)

[joe23]

I've joined this forum for few weeks now, hoped not too late for me to say "Hi".

[ghusko]

Just getting into Astronomy, been wanting to ever since we moved away from the grind and a more rural setting in Glenorie...far Nth West Sydney, acquired a Meade LX90 UHTC 8", looking to get into some photography when the budget allows it.

Anyways hello to all, I have a few questions will look for the appropriate threads to post in.

Cheers Gordo.:hi:

[Jackstar]

It’s about time I said hi,joined back around Christmas time.
I got a 10” skywatcher GOTO having read lots of reviews etc.
What I noticed was that a scope like this seemed to be lurking around on many of the members lists of equipment that they own. Figured it would be worth having and it sure is great to look through.
A bit heavy and awkward to move around but I manage fine.
I then bought from the classifieds a set of skywatcher panorama eyepieces, the set of 3 in a case.
They are a pleasure to use. Last night I got the best view yet of Jupiter with the 15mm eyepiece.
I live just out of hobart in a nice dark spot called huonville.
Got a bit interested in astrophotography so I have just bought but not got yet a ES ED80, no mount yet.

So,Hi everyone

Jack

[Sparksinspace]

Hi everyone. Thanks for this awesome site. I'm just new to astronomy and love all the information on this site. Hopefully I will not ask too many stupid questions.:thumbsup:

[Peep]

Hello! Just thought I'd share this if you're interested, and welcome to come observe and photograph with the Nth Sydney group some time if you're in town :-)
New astronomers and astrophotographers Group May 19th event and observation night: https://nsas.org.au/nag/
We'd love to meet other new astronomers in Sydney region!

[IanD]

Hi all, registered two days ago after long interest in astronomy.
Started as a kid with a copy of Norton's, and read every book on astronomy in the library. Had then, a very small refractor on home-made equatorial. In mid-life, a modest reflector on manual German Eq mount. Now retired on dark-sky property and indulging myself. Have built (2nd) roll-off observatory out of local stone. It houses Celestron Edge HD 8", on CGEM II mount. Been getting some ok images of DSO's with DSLR, but awaiting autoguiding gear to lengthen exposures.
Great web-site and community. Cheers IanD.

[JA]

^ Welcome to the forum Ian.
Join in the discussion and have fun.

Best
JA

[JGaugia]

Hey all! I worked at astro optical during the fun years. Amateur astronomer since the late 70's, a career in rock music interfered. Now fully back into it.

[Suzy]

Well fancy seeing you here :jump:, hello there buddy and :welcome:.

[ChrisDB]

Hi All,
I have been lurking for a while, soaking up as much information as I can on my new astronomy addiction from this forum, so thought I should probably introduce myself. I have had an interest since I was a kid. I bought a Newtonian from the Salvo's a while back, got hooked and am now the proud owner of an 8-inch Edge HD and EQ6 R Pro mount.:)
I am absolutely loving this adventure, and have just returned from my first dark sky outing at Warrumbungles National Park.
Really looking forward to benefiting from the extensive knowledge in this forum. Its been a big help so far!

Cheers!
Chris B

[Allan_L]

Hi Chris,
Welcome to the forum. :welcome:
Sounds like you are off to a good start.
Hope you enjoy the journey.
If you like Dark Sky Camping trips, keep an eye on the "Star Parties...forum for our next trip to Bretti. Its closer than the Warrumbungles and a free camp.

[ChrisDB]

Thanks Allan for the welcome
I will keep an eye out!

Chris B

[TwistedRider]

Hello all.


Long time space fancier, 1st time poster.


Contemplating taking up looking at balls of gas and dirt as another hobby.
Doing lots of reading reading on scopes and mounts and aperture and mirrors and goto and azimuth and....argh my head hurts


Have loved space and science since i was a kid, finally may be able to spend some decent developing that into something more.


Wish i still lived in the country due to lower light pollution.


Anyway, will be reading more before laying out the hard earned pesos.


Hope to meet some of you at some stage.

[Allan_L]

Welcome Drew :welcome:
If you need help or advice, just ask (post a new thread in this forum)
cheers

[TwistedRider]

Thanks Allan,

I'll be sure to ask some questions once I've done some reading

[m11]

Hi Drew,

Welcome to the forums. :welcome:

Have you had a chance to look up with binos or a scope?

As Allan has stated, feel free to ask any questions you have.

I am still learning from the knowledgeable and kind folks on this forum.

Regards,

M11

[TwistedRider]

Hi Mel,

No haven't had a chance as yet.
I have doubts about binos being suitable for my eyes but willing to give anything a shot to start with.

Planning on some reading this weekend on telescope types and operation. I'm one of these people who likes to know how things work.

Thanks again
Drew

[m11]

Hi Drew,

No problems, everyone is different when it comes to optics that suit them.

I would recommend to give binos a go as they are great for wide objects, scanning and quick grab and go.

Give me a pm if you want to chat about scopes and stuff.

This link might help regarding scopes and the different types:

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/how-to-choose-a-telescope/

All the best :thumbsup:

M11

[TwistedRider]

Thanks M11


I actually read that article just yesterday.



I think i agree with the auther somewhat in that a Jack of all trades scope will probably be good to begin with


I've been doing some naked eye overvation for a while with the help of "Stellarium" but there are limits to that :)


I have dreams of computer driven scope...but i fear that is some way down the path.



I will have to try some Binos and see how things go.

[m11]

All good.

I would use as a guide what you want to view. Hard question to answer at the start.

Basic criteria I would use:

Price
Aperture
Portability -size/weight
Manual/Goto

The dobs are generally the best bang for buck and I have found for myself an easier learning curve.

I remember talking the guys at bintel in Melbourne about buying only one scope, they just laughed at me and said they have heard that statement before :)

m11

[robfishfan]

Hi there , ive finnaly moved to the suburbs out of syd city , and can see some more of the sky , so i really want to buy a nice telescope .


im thinking of the skywatcher 12.5 dob with goto computer .



i use cameras as well so would like to take some shots .


what do you guys reckon , can see anything good from croydon sydney with that dob.



ope i havent stolen anyone post or talk



cheers from me

[m11]

Hey Rob,

Welcome to the forums.

I think the Skywatchers are great value for what you get. I acquired at second hand 14inch Skywatcher goto and its been great, goto is also pretty good.

With the Goto dob you can take pictures of brighter stuff like the moon and planets. I have found the dobs don't track as smoothly as other scopes/mounts.

Not sure of your suburb in Sydney, probably need someone local who could comment better on this. I know in Melbourne that some brighter deep sky stuff is visible.

All the best, :thumbsup:

M11

[robfishfan]

thank you M11,


ok did not know about the tracking , ok something to look out for when i take photos ,



ive been a member for a while and just no time to really check out the sky's but now looking forward to the evening no more city lights .


does anyone know what i can expect to see from that dob in this surban city area.



when we were in the city i could see Jupiter as a star and its four bright moons , with my manual power seeker 4inch , took some setting up but worth it , can i see better than that with this size dob ???????




cheers from rob

[dan_iana]

Long time lurker but only recently started posting.

My partner (Iana) and I (Daniel) started astro mid last year from our backyard in the inner west of Sydney. We started with planteray imaging and have now started dabbling in DSO imaging. Love it all so far.

Can understand how some can find the hobby frustrating but we tend to get excited over the small wins and everytime we get the gear out, we improve in some way (whether it be polar alignment, acquisiton, processing or being able to take longer exposures as we've finally got autoguiding working to some degree).

Running a Az-Eq 6 GT, C8 Edge HD (with reducer for DSO) and recently purchased a 1600mm Pro and ZWOs new narrowband filter set

[AstroBogan]

Can confirm the excitment these 2 had in purchasing the mono camera! big things ahead for them!

[Michael_A]

Hi there, I’ve just joined IceInSpace after purchasing my first telescope, a Celestron NexStar Evolution 6 which I have used it about 3 times - so far I’m super impressed with how easy it is to use.

However, I really want to start taking photos of the moon and particularly deep sky objects. I realise I will have to travel out of the Brisbane suburbs to a dark site and I have purchased the mounts to be able to connect my camera but I don’t think the mount that came with the telescope will be suitable. It’s a alt-azimuth which looks to be pretty heavy duty but I’ve read that an equatorial mount is the way to go? Hopefully I haven’t purchased the wrong scope and can set up what I have for photography. Happy to take any advice. Thanks.

[patrick1961]

hi everyone , i am newbie and beginner. i have bought a Celestron SE4 and loving it, there so must to learn about this deep space, hoping to get to know you all and learn something new from you

regards patricxk

[m11]

Hi Patrick,

Welcome to.iceinspace. I have found everyone really friendly and helpful.

If you have any questions, please post away.


Regards,

M11

[m11]

Hi Patrick,

Welcome to.iceinspace. I have found everyone really friendly and helpful.

If you have any questions, please post away.


Regards,

M11

[Allan_L]

Hi Patrick,
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:
As Mel said, we are a friendly bunch here
and happy to help you get started in this fascinating hobby.
Enjoy!

[ckpacc]

Hi there,

Could anyone give an advice of possibility to use binoviewers with the 16" Skywatcher GoTo Dob and what accessories need to be used in this case.

[alseb]

Hi,
I've just joined group. I'm a total novice at astrophotography and coming to grips with the prerequisite equipment to do it properly without upsetting the retirement finances. I have decent CANON lenses, DSLR, tripod, etc., and a bit of experience with regular photography including wildlife photography and extended exposure imaging with ND filters, but have no astro tracking gear. I live in Wahroonga at present but am moving to a less light-polluted place in the next few years (Wentworth Falls), which would legitimise me acquiring a decent telescope to enjoy the amazing clear skies up there.
I'm most interested to learn how to "do things right" to facilitate good image capture & stacking more so than to try to have the biggest and best gear, but no knowledge of how to use it. YouTube videos have provided good insights so far.
I'm looking forward to learning from this group and sharing my learning experience as appropriate.
Al

[xelasnave]

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

[spacedust]

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

[Davearmen]

Hello

[Allan_L]

G'Day Dave :gday:

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

Welcome to the Forums. :welcome:

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

cheers

[Starman54]

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:help::help:?
2. Where would the nearest club be for us to attend so we can learn some basics?

[Startrek]

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

[Davearmen]

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

[eski]

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;)

[xelasnave]

Welcome Szymon.
The night sky beats TV hands down .even if it's cloudy.
Alex

[MozzieByte]

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 !

[xelasnave]

Welcome Steve great to find you are getting back into it and thinking how you can share your experience with your kids.
Alex

[Mike76]

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! 👋🏻

[mura_gadi]

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.

[Dove]

http:///Users/alandover/Documents/Alan Australia/My Photos/my pics/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.

[Eeka]

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

[m11]

Hi Eeka,

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

Feel free to ask any questions :)

M11

[astrochix]

Hi !

I've been around a while but not posted much! Looking forward to reaquainting with astronomy and having a few good chats.

[Allan3026]

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

[DarthRiker]

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/690411-newbie-to-eaa-questions-regarding-beginner-to-intermediate-level-setup/page-2#entry9917664)

Camera ZWO ASI294MC Pro $1,649.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/zwo-asi294mc-pro-colour-astronomy-camera.html
Mount HEQ5 Pro GoTo $1,295.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/heq5-pro-go-to-mount.html
Scope Celestron C8 SCT $1,599.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/celestron-c8-8in-optical-tube-assembly-cg-5.html
Adapter Celestron SCT T-Adapter $39.00 https://www.bintel.com.au/product/celestron-sct-t-adapter/?v=6cc98ba2045f
Reducer Celestron f/6.3 $249.95 https://www.opticscentral.com.au/celestron-f-6-3-focal-reducer-lens.html
Filter ZWO IR Cut Filter $39.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/zwo-ir-cut-filter-1-25in.html
Dew Celestron Dew Shield $55.00 http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/celestron-flexible-dew-shield-for-6in-8in-sct.html
Power SUAOKI S270 $195.63 (approx) https://suaoki.com/suaoki-s270-power-source-150wh/sk_1826266_027718356467.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!

[croweater]

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 :)

[Startrek]

Hi Vikram
Welcome to IIS
A few questions -
Are you interested in visual observing only , astrophotography or both ?
If you are new to astronomy with no experience, I wouldn’t recommend a C8 Cassegrain telescope as your first scope either for visual or astrophotography, it’s more suitable for an intermediate or advanced person , reason it’s a long story
I would recommend an 80mm refractor or a 6” f5 Newtonian reflector telescope as your first scope , both will suit your proposed HEQ5 mount and both can be used for visual observing and Astrophotography
I could go on but that’s my advice at present , I’m sure others will comment to steer you in the right direction
The nearest astronomy clubs to you are located in the rear of the ASTRONOMY 2020 Australia book , I think there’s one in Wollongong
Also some good local suppliers of astronomy equipment are Bintel and Andrews Communications in Sydney , a lot of IIS members use them
Cheers for now

[Imme]

Agree re scope, dont buy a C8.......the frustration you will have trying image through it will probably result in you giving up the hobby.

[DarthRiker]

Thanks. I know a Newt is preferable for EAA ...but the compactness of the C8 SCT is also factor for me. I have really thought about this decision.

While I know a C8 is probably more work - that doesn't stop me. It takes a lot to make me call it quits (which I don't intend on doing).

My goal is mainly EAA (with maybe the rare/occasional visual).

[Startrek]

Hi Vikram
Pardon my ignorance, I’ve been into astronomy for 4 years now but I’ve never come across the acronym EAA ??
What’s EAA ?
Also a 6” f5 newt is only 6kg lighter than a C8 and only 850mm long
Here’s a couple of my images captured under Bortle 8 skies in Sydney a while back on a similar scope but at f6 both planetary and Deep sky objects ( DSO’s)
I also observe and image on the south coast near Ulladulla at my weekender which has Bortle 3 skies
Don’t discount a newt , they are so versatile and simple in construction , ease of maintenance and easy to collimate
I have a 6” and 8” for Astrophotography and a 12” for observing
Cheers

[DarthRiker]

Yeah, I didn't know about EAA until I GoFish (Jim) over at the CN forums brought it up based on my requirements.

I'm going to quote from his post (thread link here: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/688910-newbie-q-celestron-nexstar-evolution-6-or-evolution-8-hd-with-starsense-with-zwo-asi224mc-camera/?p=9889708):



Also I have read up on the C8 SCT (this review seems to summarise things well http://scopeviews.co.uk/CelestronC8XLT.htm). Interestingly, plenty of people have said it is a good "jack of all trades" type of telescope. I have also read this one https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-advanced-vx-8-sct-review/ but it seems with the issue there was mainly with the AVX mount (which I am not getting).

I have thought about the Newt vs SCT scenario for a while. While I was considering a Newt I realised it really just didn't fit with what I wanted from telescope and the C8 SCT did.

[Startrek]

I thought it might have been an American term , I’ve never seen it used here
Looks like you research things thoroughly and know what you want
Good luck with the hobby
Cheers

[Outcast]

Hi Vikram,

Welcome to the forum; I understand EAA, I have done a little dabbling in this when showing my elderly mother-in-law views through my scopes as she doesn't really like squinting through an eyepiece.

Can I ask why you've decided to go with the Cooled version of the 290MC? Is it to future proof yourself incase you get bitten by the AP bug?

Reason I ask is; as Martin points out for AP an SCT is not the best choice so, your choice of camera seems a little at odds with the scope you are purchasing & your main stated goal of EAA; in short, a cooled camera would be overkill in terms of money spent to achieve good results in EAA.

Not criticising any of your choices; I ended up buying an 8" SCT when I wanted to up the aperture from my 80mm refractor because, it just ticked all the boxes I was looking for but, at that stage AP wasn't on my horizon.

In short, if EAA is your main goal then you could spend considerably less on a camera & still achieve your goal in spades. I use a 224MC FWIW, I didn't buy it for EAA, I bought it for planetary imaging. It proved a good gateway into dabbling into DSO imaging through my fork mounted SCT...

So, if you are serious enough about AP to want a cooled camera then, I'd take Martin's advice & go with a Newt as it will be far more suited to AP but, will enable you to do EAA, if on the otherhand you just want to dabble in AP, buy the SCT & save yourself some money by buying an uncooled camera, it will still show you what you want to see via EAA...

Just my thoughts on saving you some coin, FWIW

Edit: Also, if you want convenience & have an Android tablet... use ZWO's Asicap app & a USB OTG cable to connect your camera to your tablet... that's what I use with the mother-in-law... you will need to adjust gain & exposure settings for each target to get the best views but, you'll have to do that regardless of what you use to display the images.. I just find a tablet way more convenient than a laptop..

[DarthRiker]

EAA is main goal with a dabble in AP (but that dabble won't be for a long time so it will be all EAA).

I would love an uncooled version of the ASI294MC but I couldn't find one ...hence the ASI294MC Pro.

While I was initially thinking about the 224MC/385MC cameras, discussions with others, plus having played around with setup and calculations over on sites such as https://astronomy.tools/ https://telescopius.com/ (FOV, CCD Suitability of C8 SCT with .63x Reducer), convinced me to go for the 294MC camera with its larger FOV and better results with CCD suitability.

Again - I would love a lower cost 294MC over a 294MC Pro camera - I just simply cannot find one for sale.

[Outcast]

No worries Vikram,

Hmmm, I just had a look it's still listed on ZWO's site but, agree, doesn't appear anyone is selling them here.. very interesting. You can order from ZWO direct, they will ship to Australia if you want to see if you can get one.

https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/product/asi294mc-color

If you are looking at sensor size as one of your primary decision points, you might look at the 183MC perhaps. Not a 4/3 sensor but, a full 1" so, not quite as big but, no as small as the 224 or 290MC's. Another option you might consider is an f3.3 reducer; they will come to focus with these ZWO camera's but, not with a DSLR...

As someone else said, make sure you keep a close on the classifieds here, there are some gems come up at very good prices... just be cautious..

Regarding where you purchase from & their prices.. I've bought plenty from Sirius Optics, they are great people to deal with but, not always the cheapest for everything..

Make sure you have a good look at BINTEL, Astro Anarchy & despite their 19th century website, take a look at Andrews Communications. You might find that you can get some or all of what you are looking for at a cheaper price. If it's only the odd item from your wishlist then, you just need to weigh up the postage costs if buying from different suppliers...

The other thing to think about is if you are buying it all in one go, perhaps one of the retailers will do you a package price... it pays to ask each of them... they want your money, maybe they will do you some deals..

[DarthRiker]

Huh. For some odd reason I didn't think of that! Thanks! Even with an approx conversion to AUD it comes to about $1k (which is still a good $600 cheaper than the Pro). Will definitely think about this.



Yeah. Howie1 (his CN forum name) mentioned Astro Anarchy. I intend on shopping around for a package price. Will email stores directly and see what response I get. It's possible they might be able to source the 294MC (non-pro/cooled) for me which would mean not having to buy it from ZWO itself overseas.

[Outcast]

:thumbsup:

[Grantd53]

My name is Grant. I have been a member for sometime.
This is my first public post, I think ....
Just saying hello to all ..
Regards Grant

[jjjjohn9]

Hi everyone,
I am new to IIS and pleased to see from this thread that there are quite a few "oldies" like me making their way back into astronomy. I feel like I am among friends!
I am retired and first became interested in astronomy the 60s with the help of Patrick Moore and his writings. I tried to grind an 8" mirror myself in the mid 60s with the aim of seeing Saturn's rings on edge around that time. The kit I bought said it would require 35 hours work. Alas I found it took much more than 35 hours and I never finished grinding the mirror myself. I paid someone to finish it and it found its way onto a Newtonian eventually.
I really didn't get much satisfaction from the Newtonian over the years mainly because of its bulk and the difficulty of setting it up and then observing with a motorless drive in my Sydney suburban backyard.
I currently have a 120mm f8 Orion refractor which I intend to trade up to something like a 6" folded reflector with the best portability and easiest to set "goto" drive system I can find.
I look forward to learning from the IIS "brains trust" in my search.
John

[jjjjohn9]

Hi Imme (Jon)
I am new at this but was surprised at your advice not to buy a C8. My understanding was that a C8 was a very versatile scope and would be ideal for a new entrant.
Were you meaning just that the C8 had some shortcomings regarding hooking camera gear up to it?
Thanks,
John

[Davep314]

Hi Everyone! I've recently joined the forum and found much of the info very useful. I have been interested in astronomy for over 45 years and owned a 60mm refractor for many years. I then bought an 8" Dob in my late twenties which I still own and wheel out occasionally.
I have had a long interest in astrophotography but the equipment was largely beyond my prices range and I didn't really have the time! However, I've now decided to dive into the deep end and have recently purchased a second hand Orion 120ED on a HEQ5pro mount with guide scope.
My day job is as a physicist working in optical fibre technology (no I can't make your Internet connection faster!) and I have had a long interest in landscape and nightscape photography so I'm hoping these skills will quickly scale the learning curve!
Looking forward to the smoke clearing and darker skies setting in!
cheers
Dave

[hypersonics]

Hi All,

Got a Bintel 8" Dobsonian and the pack includes three eyepieces, which are SuperView 30mm (2″), 15mm Plossl (1.25″) and 9mm Plossl (1.25″). I don't know the differences among the three apart from them having different focal lengths.

After assembling the scope on Friday, too it out in the backyard. Struggled to get the 30 mm eyepiece to focus, eventually got it. However, due to overcast, I couldn't point to any clear part of the sky. Hoping the weather would clear up in the next coming days here in Canberra.

Being new to astronomy and more so with Bobsonian, would be helpful if I could get some advice on using the scope. Also, what can I expect to observe on an 8" Dobsonian?

Thanks

[m11]

Hi Hyper,

Welcome to iceinspace,

Thr 8 inch Dob you got is an excellent scope.

You need to first check collimation of the primary and secondary mirror, many tools to do this from, a collimation cap, cheshire eyepiece and laser collimators. I prefer a laser as its easier.
Start with the lowest power first - 30mm which I believe you are using now. Get the finderscope aligned with eyepiece to ensure you can easily find stuff.
I recommend star maps or Stellarium to look for objects.
At this time of year I would start off easy:


moon
m42 orion nebula
47 Tucane gc
Jewelbox ngc4755
Eta Carina


Hope it helps.

M11

[hypersonics]

Thanks M11.


I will look into buying a laser collimator as you suggest.


Also, I took out the scpoe in the daytime yesterday to align the finderscope and the 30mm eyepiece. I don't think I was able to do it correctly due to not able to find an object far enough that I could focus. Can I align during the night, perhaps pointing towards the moon?


I have a Staw Walk 2 app that I can use to find celestial objects.


Thanks again.

[m11]

I would recommend the moon if its up as its bright and easier to align too.

Good luck :thumbsup:

[JeniSkunk]

Depak, your user info indicates you're Canberra.
Can you see either the Telstra Tower, or the Parliament House flagpole from your place? If so, when the sun is behind you when you're looking at the top of either object, align the finder on the top of either object.

Here in Brisbane, I don't have such a line of sight to Mt Coot-tha and the television station studio masts. So I have to use the floodlight towers at the local rugby league fields, 500m east of my place, as my target for aligning the red dot finder on my 5" Dobsonian. Do you have any similar sports fields at least 500m distant and visible from your place?

[hypersonics]

Unfortunately, I live down south and the only thing that I can focus in the daytime apart form the sky is my backyard fence. My street is down the valley :(

I think my best bet for aligning would to aim at the moon tonight as the clouds have cleared up.

Meanwhile, I am looking at getting a laser collimator from Bintel.

https://www.bintel.com.au/product/orion-lasermate-deluxe-ii-collimator-2/?v=6cc98ba2045f

Any idea about these?

Thanks

[hypersonics]

Last night I did some basic very observations using my 8" Dobsonian and I am kind of confused and not sure what to do.

Firstly, I couldn't aim at the Moon as it was below the horizon when I did this and hence aimed the finder scope at a clear part of the sky and was able to find a star (sorry, cannot remember its name, but it starts with C as per my Star Walk 2 app). Using the finder scope, I was able to focus it nice and sharp. Later on, started with 30mm eyepiece and was able to get a good focus with this too. However, I did not notice any difference in magnification through the 30mm and thus tried with 15mm and it was the same. In fact, I felt the star looked much better in the finder scope than with either of the eyepieces.

Also tried with 9 mm, it was a bit hard to focus at start, but I ended up getting the telescope back inside by then.

What is it that I'm doing wrong?

[Allan_L]

I don't think you are doing anything wrong.
As I understand it, Stars are only a single pixel of light even to the highest magnification of most telescopes.

Try focusing on a nebula like the Orion nebula.
Look for the sword of Orion (some people refer to it as the handle of the saucepan in Aust) and focus on the middle "star" which is really a bright nebula.

Use your 30mm eyepiece.

If you can aim your telescope manually at it, then adjust the finder to centre it in that. But be warned, it "moves" (or the Earth moves in reality) relatively quickly.

Hope this is of some help.

[m11]

Are you saying the object did not change or increase in size?

I would recommend as Allan has mentioned to point at Orion M42 and test your scope and eyepieces on that.

As you use your 15mm and 9mm eyepieces you should see a smaller field of view but more details, especially the Trapezium of at least 4 stars.

See you you go after that.

M11

[hypersonics]

Thanks Allan.

Will try to observer Orion with a 30mm eyepiece and come back with what I see.

Meanwhile, I watch Moon over the next coming days and also some planets if lucky.

[hypersonics]

Thanks M11.

When I look at Orion M42 with 8" + 30mm eyepiece, what would be the relative magnification that I can expect in comparison to viewing via naked eyes?

[JeniSkunk]

https://astronomy.tools/calculators/magnification

Your Bintel 8 inch GSO telescope has a focal length of 1200mm
With the 30mm, 40x
With the 15mm, 80x
With the 9mm, 133.3333333333......x

[m11]

Hi Deepak,

Jen has provided good info. :)

Main thing is try and test things out for yourself. Experience helps alot and also if someone can show you, makes it alot easier.

Main thing is to find the object and then test your different eyepieces after.

Regards,

M11

[hypersonics]

I'm quite thrilled at the moment after some successful observations last night.

Firstly, I pointed to Sirius star with 30mm eyepiece and was able to get the finder scope aligned with the eyepiece.

Next, pointed towards constellation of Orion as suggested by a few here and I was able to clearly see the 3 stars almost in a slant line and a set of 4 more stars just below the last star in a trapezoidal arrangement. Further, I could also see some faint grey coloured cloud like feature surrounding these 4 stars.

I changed over to 15mm eyepiece and the 4 stars and the grey coloured cloud like feature was even more apparent and I was so happy to see them. At this point, I was under the impression that its Orion nebulae that I'm viewing. However, after referring to the Star Walk App, I may have been possibly looking at the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) in the constellation Orion as this NGC 2024 seems adjacent to the last star in the line, unlike the Orion nebulae which is slight right (when viewed from the telescope) to the set of these 3 stars.

[JeniSkunk]

With a Newtonian telescope, you have to remember that everything seen in it, is flipped upside-down. So you need to allow for that when you're comparing what you see in your telescope, to the app. You'll get used to doing it, just takes time, that's all.
YouTube video by Astronomy and Nature TV Why is my image upside down? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtAwdO0Dhnc)

[m11]

Glad you got it all going well and can view stuff. :thumbsup:

Sounds like you saw the Orion Nebula. Flame is kinda dim.

Keep going buddy, you are kicking goals :)

Always fun to explore and find new things. :)

M11

[hypersonics]

Thanks M11.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-42-the-orion-nebula

The image on the right in the above link is what I spotted and the faint cloud like features.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapezium_Cluster

[hypersonics]

I worked out by orienting the Star Walk app to how I viewed on the telescope and then locked the screen. This way, it was less of a confusion.

Thanks for the YouTube link.

[m11]

Yep, good work.

I highly recommend also to find ngc104 - 47 Tucane globular cluster. In the Southern portion of the sky :)

All the best, :thumbsup:

[tango]

Hello All,

Recently discovered astronomy as my new hobby and I'm glad to have joined this forum (Forum helped me purchased my first telescope).

It all began when I was on holidays in Hawaii couple of months ago and I saw jupiter from a busker's telescope on Waikiki streets!

Since then, I have read couple of books: Turn Left at Orion, A Walk through the Southern Sky and Atlas Of The Southern Sky.

Had a chance to use my new 10" DOB first time last night, which ended up turning into an unexpected stargazing party with mates and neighbours rocking up.

We all had a laugh moving the awkward dob around and things got really competitive when we started to hunt for sirius, betelgeuse, aldebaran and rigel.



Dob theme for the night:
- Finder scope - Star located
- 30 mm eyepiece - Star located "oooo aaaahh"
- 9mm eyepiece inserted (skip the 15mm, let's be greedy and zoom in more!) - what! where did it go?
- 30 mm eyepiece re-inserted - found it again! "oooo nice"

Needless to say, everyone walked out with skysafari installed on their phones!

Thanks for reading my first post, hoping to learn and share with you all and perhaps even join a local astronomy club :)


Cheers,
Antony

[m11]

Hi Antony,

Nice first light report and getting some new astro friennds and neighbours in the process. Always fun to do outreach.

Welcome to the forums. :)

M11

[tango]

Cheers Mel

Second week into this hobby and I'm already looking into Televue eyepieces, is this normal?

[m11]

Hey Antony,

You are doing better than me, I went in hard at the start :rofl:

Enjoy the journey and experience, you only live once - or should I say you can only afford to live once.:P

[Jam]

Hello everyone, I have been on this forum for a few months and I'm really enjoying how helpful everyone is!

I'm from sunny Manchester in the UK. I started my stargazing journey when I was 15 (a long time ago...) when I went on holiday in the south of France with my family.

We went somewhere in the countryside, in the middle of nowhere, and I remember being able to see the milky way for the first time. And so my love for astronomy began.

I spend most of my free time reading books about space or watching documentaries about it. I like to write and I sometimes post on my amateur website StarLust (https://starlust.org/) whenever I feel inspired and have the time.

I have never really managed to get properly into astrophotography, mainly due to budget restrictions but I hope to start this year. I'm hoping to acquire my very first DSLR within a couple of months. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Thanks for reading, have a lovely day everyone.

[jacquesauff]

Hello everyone, I have just join this forum.
I have a 5 inch SCT Celestron natural F6 (750mm) its an old telephoto. Intend to set it up for astrophotography with my Canon DSLR 650d with a second hand HEQ5 PRO mount. I am unable to get focus with a Meade focal reducer (f6.3) which brings the SCT telephoto to around F4. Any idea ,what I can do to bring it to focus in visual. I am using 1 1/4 eyepiece and canon camera adapters.

Jacques

Many thanks

[WarpedSpacer]

Hi


I have an issue re sky aligning my scope (CPC Celestron 8 inch) could anyone assist me. Im trying to put in the coordinates manually (150 07 60.00 East, -36 05 60.00 South) and for some reason it wont respond when I press Enter after i key in the numbers. My GPS doesnt seem to be working. Hope its OK me posting here but Ive waited so long for a clear sky since my scope arrived

[raymo]

Are you entering your position in degrees, minutes, and seconds, or in decimal format, and which does your GPS require? Most GOTO mounts
will only accept it in one of the two formats.
raymo

[WarpedSpacer]

I was entering degrees, minutes, and seconds. Not decimal format (I believe)

[WarpedSpacer]

The Celestron site says it uses degrees, minutes, and seconds BUT the celestron page was last updated in 2010 & in another site (StaryNight) they said they used decimal. You think Celestron would keep their pages updated more regularly

[raymo]

The handbook that came with your mount should show the required format.
Either way, just try both formats, and then at least you will know if that is the problem solved or not.
raymo

[WarpedSpacer]

thanks

[Allan_L]

Hi Claude,
potentially I see two problems.

you wouldn't normally enter a minus sign if you are also entering "South"

and 60 seconds does not compute.
That is an extra minute.

Maybe this may help

It's been a long time since I ran a CPC, so memory is a little foggy on the details.
Regards
Allan

[Allan_L]

Also,
Are you sure the built in GPS is not working?
Presumably this means you bought it second hand.
So it may be an older model, which may bring in other possibilities.

But, in relation to buying a second hand CPC, the manual says:

If your CPC is transported over a long
distance it may take as long
as one hour to establish a satellite link
from its new location. Observers wishing
to travel long distances with their
telescope are advised to turn on their
telescope in advance to allow the GPS to
acquire the necessary data.

Additionally, the GPS could be set to off.
This is in the Utilities sub menu.

[WarpedSpacer]

Thanks Allan. I think you hit the nail on the head on all 3 counts. You're right I think now the GPS is working (its a new new shiny sparkling scope and Im getting attached already:lol:) My big mistake (stupid I know) is that I was so busy fretting looking for the minus key that I didnt realise that as I was speeding through confirming the data the scope was throwing at me I also confirmed North when I should have toggled down to South. Im embarrassed but its best to be up front about it (I think?). The 60s I got from a site on the net that prompts you to type in your town/city etc and they'll tell you your co-ordinates. Ive got better more reliable co-ordinates now but I dont think Ill need them now and just let the GPS do its work.

So Im feeling pretty optimistic now that I will get the scope up and running tonight & it looks like it will be lovely clear skys AND of course the added bonus of the meteor shower.

Thank you for taking the trouble to advise me. It was very kind of you & is much appreciated.


Regards


Claude

[Allan_L]

Thanks for the feedback Claude.
Nice to know I helped,
and that it was a simple fix. :thumbsup:

[raf.serrano]

Hi Everyone!

I'm from Melbourne and a newbie in astro photography, just stumbled on this amazing website with so much info while doing some research :)

Cheers :D

[Drac0]

Hi all.

Been doing Milky Way & wide field astrophotography for a while now but got my first telescope in April and looking forward to the challenges and adventures it brings. Hoping for clear skies & dark nights.


Cheers

[Brisbanedad]

Hi everyone,

Happy to have joined the group and hoping to get back into my little hobby. I did a small amount of viewing and photography, then that all changed when I had two kids! I finally took the scope out to the back yard last week after 3 years, so thought I would sign up here and see what's new.

Clears skies to all!

Anu

[jahnpahwa]

Hi everyone,

I've been here a month or two now but haven't introduced myself in this thread.
This hobby came totally out of the blue for me, I'd never really thought about the sky or space beyond the norm of an average kid of the 80s (I gather kids of the 60s really got into it on a different level).
My wife is studying a lot at the moment and I needed something to make sure I wasn't spending late night binge-watching netflix, or buying useless stuff on gumtree. I'm not sure what made it jump into my mind, but I got the idea that I'd love to try to see the rings of Saturn and so started reading about howto go about that.... things quickly evolved and I'm really enjoying taking photos and liquidating one set of toys in the shed to form another.

I've 3 and 9 year old daughters, I just turned 40 and had a massive adventure bender in Tas before comign back and falling down this astro rabbit hole.

My current state of mind:
1) I'm waiting for a clear night to get tracking going (phd2 and 120mm mini in evoguide 50)
2) I'm really loving playing with narrowband imaging, again waiting to get my O and S filters aimed at something not covered in cloud (I tried shooting through solid cloud last night, confirm that O and S do not much, but Ha still pulls a decent image)
3) I've got an 80mm refractor on the way for wider field imaging, but also about to get an alt-az 100mm fra for pushing around in the dark while the photomaker does its thing... I'm keen to learn about the sky a bit, rather than just see it as a bunch of potential pics (kind of feel thats where I'm headed at the mo).
4) the above 100mm will be my daughters when she wants to use it, I still have an image of the two of us out there looking at stuff together... standing on a ladder and looking through the newt is not the same as having a wander through the sky on your own.

So thats about it. I really need to let my credit card come up for air not. I've been getting out almost every night, I still set up when the forecast is bad and don't pack it away until midnight, just in case. I'm really glad to have the advice from people here, as without being able to meet with the local astro club, it has been almost a singular source of info to get me started.

Anyone from Canberra is always welcome to come over and have a session, by the way.. I've space for at least another few setups in my yard, with a table right there for beers and tea and coffee and mint slices. I'd love to have you round! Just hit me with a message here.
Cheers!
JP

[Kieran]

There is a lot to read here. Without going through every forum (and when I have specific questions or know what I am looking for I will look into them) are there any good websites for beginners in astronomy?
What are the best suggestions for a great overview that can branch off into different areas when one wants to and not be overwhelmed?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[jayconnor]

Hey Kieran and welcome to the forums.

My best piece of advice is two things.

If you haven't purchased anything yet make sure you do your research of what exactly you want out of astro and make sure you spend most of your money on a decent mount.

Secondly focus on one area and learn that, get good at it. Im only a beginner myself and im trying to do everything. Its not good and its information overload. No question is a silly question and there are so many wonderful people willing to help on this forum.

Clear Skies Kieran.

[johnanderson008]

Hi All,

Just wondering if polar alignment is necessary when you have an observatory,
I plan to build a roll-off roof in my shed and not move my NEQ6 mount once I have set it up. I'm planning to use it for astrophotography, super new to this, so any help would be much appreciated

[doppler]

Hi John, as long as nothing moves you only have to do the initial polar alignment. Some people have their mounts on a tripod in their obs, this setup might need a tweak occasionally but on a pier the polar alignment will hold well. You will have to star align your goto each time you turn the mount on though as these settings are not saved when the power is off.
Rick

[johnanderson008]

Hi All Just wondering if anyone can give me a good Idea on which OTA to get I have a SCT 8 in at the moment and I am getting into astrophotography, I have about $1500 cash is it worth holding onto the SCT for now and buying a 100mm APO in a few months? (if Im lucky) or should I spend that cash on a new camera. ( I am using a dlsr at the moment) I have added a photo of my rig, Thanks for any help


Thanks, heaps Rick, I think I will set up a permanent once the OBS is finished I have attached a few photos I love this hobby!

[Em3xus]

Hi everyone,

Just registered today to ask some questions on beginners gear to buy for my wife.

She's wanted a telescope for years now and we finally have our own home and a good few places to put it. She also had a Canon 5D Mark 3 camera and would like a DSLR compatible telescope to take deep space pictures.

I'm finding a lot of different kits online but unfortunately many are out of my price range. Wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of something relatively cheap (2-3k maximum for everything minus the camera) that can take deep space pictures and has a mount for a DSLR?



Thanks!

[jahnpahwa]

Great budget, if it was me I'd go for an heq5pro and skywatcher ed80 package from andrewscom.com.au for 2700. Get a t-ring for the camera and perhaps a cheap guidescope and camera in a couple of months and there is nothing stopping her from taking sensational pics, even of some larger galaxies, and certainly of many wonderful nebula!

[Em3xus]

That looks perfect coming in the one package :) Thanks jahnpahwa!

[Dobby10]

How we doing just purchased my first skywatcher 10inch from gummy.

As new ones weren't available missed out on my first 8inch from gummy but a nice guy introduced me to this forum and what a excellent forum I have realised and spewing I didn't find it earlier.

So far just been observing the stars and a few planets (Jupiter with its 4 moons/Saturn/mars and of course our own moon.

Anyway happy for use to accept me.

Cheers Tuz

[rahulkhanna]

Hey Guys, I am new to astronomy. Just bought Celestron 4Se (didn't do much research before buying though). I have been watching Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and our own moon. I'll be happy to know other experiences with what it is capable of and what modifications I could do to enhance output. Thanks all.

[Rheita]

Hi, long time lurker here. What a great forum this is!
I have been interested in astronomy as a hobby my whole life.
In my childhood my father would allow me to use his spotting scope in the back yard to check out the various celestial objects.
As a young teenager when my pocket money allowed I purchased a 70 mm refractor from Australian Geographic and got a lot of use out of it.
Then when I was at uni I upgraded to a Meade LXD 55 10' schmidt newtonian.
This did me for a lot of years and at one point I even started to dable in astrophotography. Sadly in the last few years it has not been touched, mostly because I now have young kids and that kind of scope does not work so well for us.
I have been looking around for a new scope for a little while now and after reading a lot of reviews I am thinking maybe the Celestron Nexstar is the scope to go with, either of the 4, 5 or 6 inch. I am also wondering if the Meade EXT might be a good option.
Anyway my criteria are:
- goto star finder is a must
- quick set up is a must ~15 minutes
- portable as possible, we are planing a 9 month trip around Aus and it will be coming with us
- robust as possible as it will spend a decent amount of time in the back of a car
- ability to use a Cannon 60D with it is a nice to have
- budget <$2000

It would be great to hear from anyone in a similar situation that has purchased or used these scopes. Also I welcome any other scopes that would fit the bill that I have overlooked.
Thanks in advance for any assistance!
Cheers

[PeterAST]

Hello, IceInSpace community!

Just wanted to say Hi! I’m starting on this forum but I hope I can learn and expand my knowledge related to astronomy and astrophotography. This summer I started astrophotography with my first CCD camera.

During the day a software architect – by night amateur astronomer.

Regards
Peter

[Rod1448]

Hi,

Only a beginner in astronomy as recently bought an 8" Dob. and very much enjoying searching the sky's. I have found this to be a great site with so much information so decided to join up.

I'm enjoying it so much that I have decided to look at building an observatory at my place so I can house an astrophotography scope. Possibly looking at a HEQ5 or 6 mount with a Skywatcher 200/1000 ATO tube and Evostar 72ED guide scope with ZWO tracking camera, etc???? Still researching what might best suit a beginner and would like to use my Nikon DSLR for the photos with the recently purchased T-ring adapter. Any input would be greatly appreciated as I may need other stuff that I haven't even thought of or, my idea might not even work. Every time I look at photos in this forum they have what looks like hundreds of cables running around the scopes so I'm sure there will be more but maybe the extras are for later once I get the hang of it.

Also hoping to get some help with ideas, etc. for an observatory. Have googled lots and so many different types but most are in northern hemisphere so don't know exactly what I should be looking for here at Singleton NSW including build location/orientation. It might be very similar to other countries but would like to know for sure before I start. I'm assuming uninterrupted views of SCP would be a good start. I have looked at the Skyshed plans and don't mind this design but any help from years of experience would be greatly appreciated. Even the telescope pier, concrete or steel? pros and cons? There are so many options and questions for everything. Head spinning.:help:Thanks in advance.

I will place these questions under the appropriate forum locations as well.

Cheers
Rod

[Wez]

Heya everyone,



Just an introduction. I'm not to astronomy though interested for ages. I have lots of questions I'll ask in the appropriate forums as its all quite challenging.


I'm in Perth and just purchased a Skywatcher 400 Dob. I'm trying to work out the correct optical pathway for planetary viewing and eventually DSO.



I'm starting optically but will aim to move to a Mirrorless Camera at some point in the future.


I am also aiming to make both a equatorial platform and GOTO system for the SKyWatcher but that is a long term plan.

[PererHigham]

Hi people,
I’ve been into Astro photography for roughly 16 years now. Slowly getting better and spending more. I have a SkyRover 115mm apo triplet and a celestron 9.25edge HD. I have a iOptron cem60ec mount and a few different Astro cameras, CCDs and CMOS. Would love one day to have a roll off roof observatory but I still have a permanent set up I just cover at the moment.
Anyway,
Cheers for now.
Peter

[tempbark]

Hi all, I took the plunge into deep sky astrophotography back in July and have been slowly learning and building up my kit. I have always had a passing interest in astronomy ever since I was little. Looking forward to learning and sharing with everyone here!

[Estram]

Hi All,
I have just gotten into astrophotography in the last few months - started out with a DSLR and a Star Adventurer, and having loved that, decided to step up to a William Optics ZS81 and HEQ5 PRO. Still very new to it all but loving learning all the technical aspects! Hope to share some images in the beginners section soon.

[Ravenholm]

Hi All,

just getting started here, any good pointers for beginners?

[Finbar]

Had meant to post an introduction for a while, :hi:, but keep getting distracted.
First interested in stargazing as a child in PNG - the view some nights in the Highlands was awesome. So long time interest, primarily eyes only, then binoculars (birding). Dabbled a little later with borrowed telescopes, but recently, after so many decades, decided it was time to get serious (visual, not imaging [yet]). Have enjoyed many nights here, and love sharing views with neighbours and friends (though some are slow to learn to turn off their wretched torches and phone flashes). But we often have only 1-2 hours before clouds roll in. Atherton Tablelands not the best place to be an astronomer.

Have lurked here and other forums for a while picking up valuable information - thanks all in this brains trust. Now happily expanding equipment via classifieds here - so thanks all again. :)

Cheers,
Finbar, Fin, Barry

[GJH4208]

Hi everyone.

Total newbie here lol, so thanks in advance for all this wonderful information. I'm about to be lost in here for the next few evenings reading everything.

I live in Jacobs Well Queensland, it's nice and dark, so not a bad place to break out the telescope every now and then. However of late, the damn mosquitos and clouds have taken over my front yard and night sky :(

Now 57yo, I've always been an outdoors guy, with a love of fishing, boating, footy and motorcycles, until the inevitable Melanoma's appeared and the hospital visits begun in 2020. Hence the reason for my new "night time hobby". I'm fine now, just a bit more carved up than I was in 2019 lol.

I went all out in the pursuit of optical excellence for my first astronomy setup, purchasing an exquisite piece of engineering for just $100 from China. A Newtonian on a somewhat unstable mount, with a focuser best operated with a set of multi grips. Anyway I loved it and for a few months, it prevented me from destroying something precious and much more desirable.

Recently I upgraded to a used, but mint condition Orioin XX12G Truss Goto Dobsonian. I was so pleased, as I sold a guitar that cost me $300 and fully covered the cost of the new telescope :)

I couldn't believe it, I actually now owned a real telescope! Of course, I quickly bolted to the shop and bought two NASA shirts, as you do, so I'd look the part in my front yard, inside the tall fence, in the dark by myself haha

The new telescope came with goodies from Farpoint, Tele Vue, Orion "Stratus Eyepieces", a filter carousel and a number of diagonal attachments, so once these clouds disappear, I'm sure I'll be in for a treat.

If you are in the area, or want to set up here one night, feel free to let me know, you'd be most welcome.

I like to go events in Beechmont and Tamborine Mountain areas as well, so if you are at these events anytime, come and say hi.

Cheers and thanks for having me :)

Graham

[gabacus]

I have 2 daughters, the orders of which is 6. My brother was talking to her about starts a few months ago and she was very interested. He decided to buy them a telescope for Xmas. He found one online but didn’t do any research first. When he told me about it he said “I got them a 10in telescope”, to which I responded “are you mad?!”. He didn’t realise telescopes sizes advertise the diameter, not the length of the tube. He thought it was a little tabletop thing. So now I have a 10in dobsonian in my house. While unexpected, it is very welcomed. It’s one of those things that I’ve always wanted but didn’t really have the time to invest in it. I will have to make the time for it now! All I need now is a clear night... Not many of those in Sydney lately :(

[Allan_L]

Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:
Congratulations, you now have a great telescope.
Relatively easy to use.
Good for beginners and seasoned observers.
Good resale value.

All positive.
Now all you need to do is find a local observing group, who will keep you keen, and encourage you to develop your (and your daughters') observing skills.
And they generally have access to good dark viewing locations.

All positive.

Ask any questions here, we are a friendly mob, and too happy to help. :thumbsup:

[sneaks]

Hi all. Been lurking on and off for awhile, but finally bit the bullet and got a Star Adventurer Pro 2i and a 600D off gumtree. Will attempt my first polar alignment tonight and some basic exposures. Not expecting much, but it will be fun learning. :)
Paul.

[xa-coupe]

Welcome aboard Paul ... polar alignment is THE thing to crack and it's easy ... once you've figured it out that is. Ask away and you'll get someone to help you in no time at all!

[sneaks]

Thanks :)
I had a successful first test. Polar alignment took me an hour, because I could barely see the stars required through the alignment scope. The sky is quite bright here in inner Melbourne. I don't know if I could do it again with a moon out.
But I got it to match the pattern in the scope quite nicely. After that it seemed to track really well - but what do I know haha.

This is a zoomed in shot (55-250mm lens, only one I have atm). 30s capture to see if it would star trail on me.
There is some squiggly stuff which I think came from pressing the capture button on the camera. I should have put a 2s timer on or something.
(Intervalometer/camera control cable/etc still coming in the mail.)

It was fun. Now to learn how to process an image....

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qsulsq1mz1rnc5e/IMG_4294.JPG?dl=0

Question: the image has red pixels randomly throughout the image. Is that normal? Or is my camera sensor dodgy?
Thanks guys.

[Rerouter]

The random red pixels are hot pixels, most stacking software can remove them with dark and bias frames,

In a pinch you can use a stereo 2.5mm audio cable for a remote trigger, shorting the tip to the sleeve will take a capture, equally shorting out the sleeve to the ring will make it focus, and for most canons turn off the screen, with dramatically increases battery life.

Right now I'm using a lab power supply as an intervalometer... and worked this stuff out, its an odd sensation when the intervalometer is the most expensive part of your setup.

[Malang_Darwish]

Hello all!

I am new to the forum, and also relatively new to the hobby. I'm a member of another forum for astronomy, but when I stumbled across this community, I knew I had to become a part of it! I'm based in Adelaide, I'm turning 30 this year, and I guess astronomy/astrophotography is one of many hobbies which I seem to have accumulated over time.

I was always interested in the night sky, even from a young age, and for years before I bought any actual observing equipment, I had apps like SkyView on my mobile phone and observed with my naked eyes.

My equipment to date, I've listed in my signature. I also use my Google Pixel 4XL for astrophotography (to the extent that it's possible, more like moon/planets and sky shots).

I can't wait to interact with you all here, and thank you for having me. I love the vibe of this community already and it's a real privilege to be a member, I feel.

Best,

Malang

[AdamJL]

Awesome stuff, welcome Malang!

[Amaranthus]

I'm back, after a break! Glad to see everything still ticking over :)

[TanawhaGS]

Hello folks

I first became interested in the night sky trying to capture Halley's Comet on a Canon AE1 film camera in 1986. Managed a smudge on film. After learning some of the night sky and observing with eyes and binoculars for the last 35 years, I decided it was time for a telescope while camping and failing to get a good look at the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction in December 2020.

First step was a 5" Newtonian for my birthday in February. Aperture fever seems to arise rather quickly. By March I had a 9.25 SCT (Evolution), have joined the Brisbane Astronomical Society and attended a couple of nights at the Maleny site (Sunshine Coast QLD). Very friendly and welcoming crew!

Am looking forward to the journey and comraderie that is evident in this sphere. Have built a heater strap, battery box and Arduino-based dew heater controller using resources and ideas shared by others on this and other sites. Dew heater seems to work and I haven't set fire to anything. Yet.

Cheers
Geoff

[iborg]

Hi Geoff


Welcome, and don't worry, there is plenty of time to start the fire!


Have fun


Philip

[Kareta]

Hello to everyone!
I'm Katrin. I fell in love with astronomy when I was at school. And I'm very happy to become a part of this community. It's great.

[croweater]

Hello Katrin. Welcome to the forum. I bet you are our first forum member from Belarus! Don't be afraid to ask for help on any subject. There are a lot of smart people on this site.
Cheers, Richard :)

[Goffas1964]

Hi team,
Total newbie here and am embarking on the adventure of astronomy at a 'mature age'.
Hopeful to gleen some info from this site / forums on equipment to start and pointers to assist on the journey.

M

[AdamJL]

G'day Michael, welcome aboard. Lots of good info here :)

[druhl]

Hi,

Divye here from India.

Been a visual observer for a couple of years, but only recently getting into Astrophotography.

Here to ask questions & learn. :D

Cheers & clear skies,

[mura_gadi]

Hello and welcome to Iceinspace

[skiap]

Hi guys,

Filip here,
Last year I moved to Sydney from Hobart and I have to say it's been a downgrade in terms of light pollution but a huge upgrade in terms of clear skies :)

[Tyrone.Thomas]

what is the best telescope i am a beginner

[raymo]

Hello Tyrone, If you are looking at doing visual [observing], and maybe some basic photography, then an 8" Dobsonian is a great starting point, good amount of aperture, and not too heavy. If you want to do some simple snapping, then make sure that the scope you get can come to focus when a DSLR camera is attached to the focuser. All Skywatcher ones will be fine, but if buying another brand ask the seller if his scope does have enough back focus to allow the attachment of a camera.
If you want to move into more serious photography straight away, then
anyone here wanting to help you will need more info, such as what kind of targets you had in mind, and what sort of budget you have to work with.

raymo

[mura_gadi]

"what is the best telescope i am a beginner"

Hello,

If you have been reading about telescopes I'm sure you have seen the saying "The best scope is the one you use the most". The Questar 7" would be right up there for the best scope, small, light(well compact anyway) and packs a punch miles above its small foot print. But at a price that is more than a little restrictive...

The 8" dob is a great starter scope, plenty around 2nd hand as well. But depending on your fitness/age they can start to get "heavy", if you have to carry the base more than 30mtrs they can start to get awkward!

However a simple dolly can make a large scope easy to use every night.

Budget and a weight limit if there is one, also, do you have reserves left for incidentals such as eyepieces, shrouds, dew shields and a fairly endless list of addons after those...



Steve

[Allan_L]

Hi Tyrone,
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:

There are plenty of reviews in the beginners sections and in the Projects DIY reviews sections (left side column). There is one called General Principles for Choosing your first Telescope (https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=5953)

But in general terms, the answer depends on many considerations.

Firstly how much money can you afford to invest? It may surprise you to find several hundred dollars may be the base line, for a good starter scope that may serve your interest for a few years.

At the same time you should ask yourself how sure am I that this is for me? If this is a dip your toe in the water idea, you may not want to commit to a big upfront investment.

A solution to these issues is to use other people's scopes first. This will help to see what you can see with what it will cost. See if there is an observing group around your location. Most amateur astronomers are more than happy to share their experiences and let you look through their scopes. Especially Ice In Space members.

If you want to come to the Central Coast, I am happy to help you see some different types of scopes.

Next, do you want to observe or photograph. If you are like most, the idea of sharing your views is enticing. But astrophotography increases the investment levels and associated auxiliary equipment exponentially once you progress past very basic levels. I soon dropped this idea, but it cost me, because I was initially sold a scope that allowed for this, but was not so suited for basic visual, which is all I do now.

The simple answer is (for visual beginners) is the Dobsonian. You can get a reasonable size DOB for around $500 new. (6" diameter full tube $449; 8" $649; etc). The DOB base allows easy setup and moves up/down left/right.
It is easy to use visually.

I recommend an alternate tube type that collapses, Easier to carry and store. But price goes up. (8" flex dob $849).

Then there is locating and tracking your object. Computerised Go-To Flex Dob 8" $1649).

So many other types to consider. Equatorial mounts add to cost but move in the same fashion as the stars, so are more suited to photographic endeavours, but can be a literal pain in the neck to use visually.

Schmidt Cassegrains are more compact but higher cost again but more versatile IMHO.

These are all "reflectors". Purists may recommend refractors.

And on it goes.

This is why I would recommend looking through other peoples scopes first and listening to their stories.

A final consideration is Where will you observe from. Light pollution in Sydney is not conducive in many cases, do you need a scope that will transport easily?

Have a look for Star Parties in the star parties forum.

Sorry for long post but there are many considerations for you to ponder. Don't waste your money on a super cheap "toy", we would like to help you.

Regards
Allan

[Efendy]

Hi all,

I have signed up recently and very happy to be part of this great community.

I bought an 8" collapsible dobsonian which gave us great views of moon, jupiter, saturn, venus and Mars. Also looked at the Orion and a few other DSOs. However, a manual dobsonian is really difficult to use with small kids! Therefore, Ive just bought a second hand 8SE and waiting for it to arrive, can't wait.

I have a few questions to ask and I am sure I will contribute as well down the track.

Cheers,
Abdullah

[Allan_L]

Hi Abdullah
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:

Those are both great scopes.
The 8SE should make it easier to find objects, and keep them in the eyepiece with tracking. Relatively easy to setup and align, the only downside is the need to watch out for the power cable, (or keep a bunch of spare batteries on hand).

Ask plenty of questions we are here to share the experience.

[Efendy]

Hi Allan,

Thank you for the warm welcome!

My first question or concern is that I haven't received the 8se yet as a friend bought it for me in nsw and will ship it. It's in its original box and I will get tnt to courier it for me with fragile written all over the box. But I am still worried that they would drop it or mishandle it and it would break! It will be insured as well.
Do you or anybody in the forum have experience shipping telescopes? Any suggestions?
Picking up won't be an option for a while given the pandemic!

Cheers,
Abdullah

[raymo]

I have used Pack and Send several times, with myself packing the gear,
or them doing it for an extra charge, and have had no problems.
A tip, if you should end up using the postal system DON'T put fragile
stickers on the packages. No doubt others will chip in with their experiences.
raymo

[Efendy]

Hi Raymo,

Thank you for the suggestion. I'll definitely check out pack and send.
Is the reason for not placing fragile that they would try to damage it on purpose?

Cheers

[raymo]

The people in my local post office told me, so that would seem to be the case.
raymo

[Efendy]

That's interesting!
I'll see how I go but a bit nervous.

Thanks

[Tyrone.Thomas]

Hello everyone I'm a new beginner I was wondering what would be some great telescopes to buy as a new beginner

[raymo]

Need some info. Are you young/strong, old/weak, or somewhere in between?

What are your main intended targets, Moon, planets etc: faint deep sky
objects, bright deep sky objects?

Do you want to start on the path of astrophotography, or just take some basic snaps, or no photography at all?

Must gear be easily movable? What budget did you have in mind?
raymo

[Allan_L]

As per my previous post:

[mura_gadi]

Hello and welcome,

Not so much as what telescope to recommend, but a link for understanding what you might be able to see with various scope apertures. Deals with "seeing" conditions, scopes under 12" and various planets/DSO visual aspects.

The article covers aperture and optics over various benefits of differing scope design.

Ultimately, next to your budget, I would place the weight/easy of use of the astro package as a whole next (Scope, mount, associated kit). Too heavy or complex and your reluctant to setup and break down, too light and you'll always wish you had bigger scope.



Steve
http://www.deepskywatch.com/Articles/what-can-i-see-through-telescope.html

[RIX83]

Hi Guys n Gals.

been a lurker he for a few weeks now and just thought id introduce myself.
im Rick from Victoria. :hi:

Cheers

[m11]

Welcome Rick to iceinspace. :thumbsup:

[Lionheart]

G'day folks,

Wanted to introduce myself.

I'm Riyad from Brisbane. Member of the Scenic Rim Astronomy Association. It's a neat little club for socialising and enjoying astronomy.

I started astronomy with a 4" Mak. When I graduated from my PhD I bought myself a big present (Esprit 120). Dabbled in it for a while but didn't get serious. Gone back now to a 5" mak which pleases my wife, kids and I: looking at planets/moon in our backyard. Good viewing from the Scenic Rim as well.

[Gig60]

Hi all,

I'm a 61 year old beginner in this astronomy hobby. Its something I've always wanted to try so here I am. My telescope is a cheap Polaroid Reflector telescope 87x131x/262x bought from Aldi whilst on a shopping trip. Yes I know its not anywhere near as good as what you people use but thought to myself that if I don't buy it, I'll never get into this. Anyway I hope to learn from you guys and gals.

Take care

Gig

[Lionheart]

Hey Gig60!

Welcome to the hobby.

You'll probably enjoy looking at the moon with your new telescope.

Be warned though, it gets addictive and you'll wanna buy more, bigger, and better!

[redeye64]

Hi all
New here, l've dabbled a bit over the years, bought a 500/102 refractor 12 years ago largely for terrestrial use but also the occasional night viewing.
Recently bought a 8" dob which is getting me excited again - the 1st night seeing Saturn in all its glory was amazing. l'm in Currarong NSW

[iborg]

Hi


I have looked through a National Geographic scope also from Aldi. The view was awful, BUT, it wasn't the scope so much as the nasty little eyepiece that it came with.


If you can, borrow a reasonable eyepiece and compare. Even if the set up you bought is poor, the view might be much better with a better eyepiece.


Good luck and enjoy!


Philip

[Allan_L]

Hi Paul,
Welcome to IceInSpace :welcome:
Feel free to ask questions and join the discussions.
There is lots of knowledge here and we love to share.

[mura_gadi]

Nothing like Saturn at night live...

Start with Orion nebula and the jewel box, both are located in or near easy to recognised star patterns and are great for getting wow's.

There was a recent post for the brightest DSO's etc listed here recently. Gives you a good list to work through and you'll learn to locate a few objects from memory.

Or use the finder scope to slowly sweep the skies, check for objects that aren't like stars. If you can see an object at 8x50 as a fuzzy etc, using the 8" should show you a fine sight.



Steve
Ps. You have nice dark skies for a home location.

[ChrisDecrow]

Hi everyone, my name is Christopher, I'm 31 y.o. beginner in this hobby. It's started since I got National Geographic 114/500 Compact from my old friend. So now I'm completely drowned into stargazing and now in my mind are only Messier objects. I hope I can find like-minded people here

[MeliCelestron64]

Greetings to all. I am currently a star gazer via my own eyes only. Wanting to see more though, I purchased a really big scope in the hope to see both faraway facsinating planets and local ships on the bay. I had a decent budget and thought I had done enough research to make my own selection. It had to be mobile, it had to show me awesome deep space and it had to be great for a beginners eye to peer into and zoom in on the waters below. Enter the Celestron..


I went from deliriously happy to stunned silence as my stupidity dawned on me. And subsequently found that I could not easily locate the monster (as gorgeous as it is!) I had in my lounge-room in any suitable place, and nor could it serve most of its purposes because the perspective of my property doesn't allow for the deep space view I wanted and nor can a deep space telescope transition to view a city and bay-scape. I knew nothing!


A friend of mine suggested that I join this community to see what I could learn about different telescopes and astronomy and to perhaps list my naive order as a swap or sell. Over to the sell area for details for anyone interested..



Looking forward to connecting with many of you and learning what I should have in the first place :D

[Rod-AR127]

Hi again.
Was on this site a few years ago as Red_Dog, dropped out of the telescope scene for a while due to accidentally breaking my Bresser Messier AR127 I and also living in a very well lit suburb. Couldn't remember old username until l signed up again and found myself. :lol:

Now l have my own big backyard and when my new star diagonal arrives I'll have a functioning telescope again, sans finder scope which needs some fixing to the bracket.

Plan to get the SCP setup sorted, learn the basics of the night sky and build a home made pier as the OTA is maxing out my tripod.
Definately going to get out to some dark sites, I mostly have weekday RDO's and will be doing some camping.

Cheers, Rod.

[cciss]

Hi all..
not much at introductions so...
New to astronomy, always loved to identify Venus at night, how it is always early and bright at sunset and to point out to friends that planets don't twinkle, Betelgeuse (in case it explodes) and the silent witness of the moon.
Had people show me telescope as a child but very difficult to learn back then and images were so so.

But during Covid I bought a small, old SCT and started to learn more.
I have to agree with redeye64, that first view of Saturn is a real hook.
Anyway have been researching and know the scope I want, so 5 posts before I can advertise for one.

p.s. a friend already gave me an old "Julius Sumner-Miller Memorial" 10" home-made dobson which I am restoring, (which I should share with him, lucky it's big).
If anyone has any info, can't find anything on Google.