Just Got an El Cheapo:)

[renormalised]

My brother just walked in the door after doing some shopping with this case and I asked what it was. Turns out it was an el cheapo scope...little 70mm refractor. I thought he'd bought himself a scope, but it turns out it's for me:):). So I don't have to lug the "beast" around to star parties and such, and save my back in the process. It'll be good for nights like last night (JCU Star Party), where I can lug it and a pair of bino's out there without having to worry about all the equipment cases and such I do with setting up the beast out at places like that.

Yep, sure it's a cheap and probably typical middling quality store type scope but, hey, it's the thought that counts and it should be OK. We all started out on scopes much the same and I suppose this will bring back quite a few memories. Anyway, I can always buy some better lens for it at a later stage and retrofit them.

[multiweb]

No such thing as a bad scope. If you see stars on the other end it's all good. If not you have another glass of wine. :P

[traveller]

Any chance of a photo of the new baby? :)

[astroron]

Go Your Brother Carl :thumbsup:
I still get out my 60mm refractor some times just to have a look at the moon and some of the bigger clusters and planets Wow:eyepop: what a diffence to my other scopes.
Takes me back to my starting days 26 years ago.:)
Cheers :thumbsup:

[renormalised]

Hey Marc, that means if I drink more glasses of wine, I'll see more stars??!!:):P

Must try that:):P

[renormalised]

Might just do that....:)

[renormalised]

I'll bet it makes a difference:)

Ah....you're only a wee nipper at the game:). I've been at it for 40 years, now:). Had a pair of bino's (well, Dad's actually) at 5 and my first scope at 8. Got my first book of star charts (Field Guide to the Stars and Planets...by Donald Menzel) for my 7th birthday. However, whether you started 2 days ago or 50 years ago, it's a damn fascinating hobby we have:):). I don't know how anyone couldn't be interested in it.

[astroron]

Carl,I got a great kick on March 25 2005 using my 60mm refractor with a 12mm eyepiece to replicate the view of TITON on the 350th anniverary of its discovery by Christiaan Huygens. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Huygens)
It really put his discovery in perspective :thumbsup:
I actually got my first scope in 1968 in Malaysia which was 50mm spotting scope and saw the rings of Saturn for the first time :eyepop:
I only got really into Astronomy in1986 with Halley's Comet.:D
Cheers :thumbsup:

[renormalised]

That would've been fun viewing the satellite through such a small scope:):). Yeah, when you consider what they had to use in those days, it's quite remarkable that they were even able to discover anything.

I heard a good story about Saturn off one of the other members of our astro group, last night. Apparently Charles (the member in question) was giving a talk at a school about astronomy and one of the teachers came up to him and asked about Saturn's rings. She wanted to know if they were real, because she was under the impression they were drawn onto the pics just to distinguish the planet from the other giants!!!!!!:eyepop::screwy::lol:

Yeah, old Halley's. The night of its closest approach we had a blackout, which made life a hell of a lot easier for observing!!!. I just grabbed the bino's that night and went for a peek at the comet. Looked good in the dark sky and actually it was reasonably easy to make it out by eye. Would've been impossible otherwise, because we had a streetlight right near the edge of our driveway.

[Darth Wader]

Love it :D

My thoughts exactly.