Thanks Eric and happy b/day , good advise . except for one thing ....
My new NG 127 apo and mount and things that ariived just before christmas ,,, I will be fiddling with this until the dry comes around and as you say all the rest of my gear is packed away except for my 8x56 celestron's , one of my favorites .
Brian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by erick
Yes Bintel have a good reputation.
I'm gathering you are in Melbourne. The answer to your question "how many nights in the week/month on average do we have skies that are clear enough to view properly, without clouds interfering?" depends on location. Ask the NT, Nth Qld folks now and they'll tell you their gear gets packed away for several months this time of year.
Melbourne is moving into a dry season (believe it or not!) so you can expect plenty of observing nights from now until July. But, of course, they are always on the nights you are otherwise busy, and not on the night you have planned to go out observing! Prepare to be very patient. If you are not, I suggest that you pick another hobby! 
Depends what you want to see. For the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mars, double stars and bright star clusters - you can work from your Melbourne back yard. For galaxies, globular star clusters, emission and reflection nebulae, you'll need to get well away from Melbourne - out towards Gembrook to the east, Romsey/Lancefield to the North, beyond Bacchus Marsh to the West and well down the Mornington Peninsular to the South. Just try different locations and see what you can see.
Remember, if you want to see fainter things, don't try while the Moon is in the sky. Also don't try until your eyes have adapted to the dark - about 20-30 mins minimum.
Good luck |