Anyone into amateur astronomy

Viking64

HAHAHAHAHAHA A badge? OH BOY!!!

I don't think anyone is "homophobic". It's an imaginary concept.

Other than earning your little Boy Scout badges, what purpose does using the "mention" feature have?

verb

Did I mention astronomy is one of my hobbies? I love watching the latest documentaries. And the proclamation that dark matter and dark energy exists, cause they can’t figure out why the universe expansion is accelerating. Very interesting to me.

joecoulson

afterburnt wrote: »

joecoulson wrote: »

So if you want to set and forget, and not have to learn too much about the sky, an SCT is the way to go. Celestron makes great 6 And 8” versions that are very transportable. Most will come with GOTO mounts.

If you plan on imaging, set at least half that budget for a good ZWO imager.

I like to view more than shoot so a lot of my budget is spent on eyepieces. They can make or break a scope.

Dobsonians are fantastic to see deep sky objects (DSO’s ) but are rather larger (for a decent one) and not very transportable. And most do not come with GOTO (or motorized) mounts.

Lastly, make sure you plan for power, if you have a motorized mount, make sure you either have a plug-in available or a battery pack that will last your viewing session.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a dob used, I would really make sure you know who your buying from for an SCT (Schmidt Cassegrain Telecope) as they can get banged around and screwed up past the point of fix ability.

Good luck! Hope you don’t fall down the rabbit hole like me:

Wow that's a really nice rig! I would love to have one like that but I don't have a hitch on my car. I am guessing that one in the Amazon link that I posted would be pretty good for me.

YESSIR - GREAT SCOPE!

verb

Patience grasshopper! CL is your friend!

joecoulson

I will say I got the deal of a lifetime on that scope in the pic, its about a $6k rig I got for about $1500. If you find the right seller, you can get the very last scope you would ever need.

mhardy6647

afterburnt wrote: »

@mhardy6647 this is how I observed the last eclipse

Yeah, I like to do that, too. In fact...



The same partial eclipse, observed via the little slots for the strings in our blinds
(sorry it is sideways)

verb

I did the pinhole in a cardboard box thing during the last eclipse. Brought back childhood memories for sure!

verb

Found the pic! I was reminded that we were in the middle of moving, so no chance to do anything else! Plenty of moving boxes around!

maximillian

Buying used will save you some coin. Make sure you ask yourself if you want to get into astro-photography. If so, an EQ is pretty much a must. I have the Celestron 8SE that a friend recommended but it's limited for photography. The wedge is an option, but you might as well get the EQ if photographing is your plan. Someday I will have to buy a better mount.

Take your time and research the gear that gets your what you want to see. Also, this is a hobby of patience. Finding the right viewing position, viewing conditions and time of year for the object you are looking for take patiences. Light pollution is the enemy of all, and difficult to get around in most areas. You will need good filters.

I am still trying to get a good view of Jupiter. Perhaps it's just the time of the year (it's low in the horizon) and my choice of gear may not be optimal. As of a couple weeks ago I only got a bright blob of a view. I could see some of Jupiter's moons but could not make out the bands. Now that I have better filters I am patiently waiting for a non-cloudy day.

I have spent nearly double on accessories compared to the 8SE's base price. Better secondary optics, battery pack, upgraded 2" diagonal, a Baader zoom eyepiece, Baader barlow lens, better finder scope, a focus motor, vibration isolation pods, and a bunch of other stuff. And setting this stuff up everytime I want to view is a little bit of a pain. I may need a dolly system next.

The scope needs to be aligned which takes a few minutes eachtime. I got a little lazy and bought the StarSense camera. Probably would have been better to take the time and learn to do it properly. But with light pollution and initially not having a good finder scope, the StarSense camera helped with some initial frustration.

Many people get into this hobby and don't have the patience. That's why you see scopes with little use on CL. Lot of pain in this hobby: clouds, light pollution, and cold weather. But it is fun and rewarding once you learn what your looking at and get some nice images.

mhardy6647

^ excellent response!

FWIW, Jupiter was phenomenal throughout the summer.

Astrophotography. The problem, of course, is that it's dark at night and the earth rotates. Thus a properly aligned equitorial amount and a clock drive are necessities "for best results".

In terms of light pollution, there are a couple of "high tech" filters that are supposed to help a lot for things like nebulae -- I have zero experience with 'em myself; @maximillian do you?

These kind of things:

https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-SkyGlow-Broadband-Light-Pollution-Filters/rc/2160/e/3.uts
https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-UltraBlock-Narrowband-Filters/rc/2160/e/71.uts
https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-Oxygen-III-Nebula-Filters-for-Eyepieces/rc/2160/e/27.uts

joecoulson

I have a Baader Moon and sky filter that helps tremendously for the light pollution, but it's not cheap.

I also have the wedge for my Alt Az mount and it works good for about 30 sec exposures, DSO photography is better served with a good Refractor and even better EQ mount.

Jupiter was looking absolutely phenomenal this past month, plenty of nights I got the red spot, cloud bands and even the shadow of a couple of the Galilean moons in transit.

afterburnt

Will that GoTo mount automatically track? I am having a hard time finding details on the one that I linked.

joecoulson

Per the link you posted:
FULLY-AUTOMATED GOTO MOUNT: Featuring a database of more than 40,000 celestial objects, the GoTo mount built into our telescopes for astronomy beginners automatically locates and tracks objects for you.

Yes it will track, you will have to do a one or two star alignment so get a decent app for your smart phone like Skyguide or similar to help you locate two stars while you get familiar with the sky.

mhardy6647

joecoulson wrote: »

I have a Baader Moon and sky filter that helps tremendously for the light pollution, but it's not cheap.

cheaper than moving

I also have the wedge for my Alt Az mount and it works good for about 30 sec exposures, DSO photography is better served with a good Refractor and even better EQ mount.

Jupiter was looking absolutely phenomenal this past month, plenty of nights I got the red spot, cloud bands and even the shadow of a couple of the Galilean moons in transit.

maximillian

I just got the 2" Baader Moon and Sky filter and attached it to the diagonal. But I just got it and it's been cloudy for over a week. :-( It's supposed to be nice out tonight, but I have evening meetings. Double :-(

I think the white Jupiter glob that I saw a few weeks ago was simply because I had too much light. Hopefully the filter will help.

I contemplated getting the wedge instead of going full EQ. I heard some can get 120 seconds with the wedge but not sure if all my gear makes the secret sauce to get there.

jdjohn

Here in Nashville, we were near the center of the last full eclipse path. Our weather cooperated, and the sight was simply amazing...I felt the need to make a human sacrifice, but resisted. Crickets were chirping in the middle of the day, etc. I did get this pic:
I kind of enjoy the Google Sky Map app.

joecoulson

That filter is bad azz max. I got the 2” also.
It goes well with my kit

mhardy6647

^^^ nice optics

maximillian

My gear:

You can see the Baader diagonal and zoom eyepiece. I also have the Baader Barlow lens but not sure how to use it with this gear. If I attach to the zoom and try to insert into the diagonal then it will hit the mirror. The filter is attached at the entry to the diagonal.

The camera top right is the StarSense alignment camera. Again, probably not worth it but it does make alignment pretty brain dead. I have the attachments to mount my Nikon DSLR but haven't tried it yet. Actually, haven't tested the diagonal and focus motor either since between the weather and work I just haven't had the opportunity . The Click-lock system makes switching stuff around fast and easy. It feels really sturdy.

The finder scope is the basic Celestron upgrade but does the job well enough. The Suaoki jump starter battery pack has a 2.1mm barrel jack 12V output and works great.
It's small and seems to have enough juice to last a while. On night after 2 hours of use the battery was still at 87%.

I have a backordered JMS Holder Bracket for the hand controller. I am starting to think they may be out of business because they don't answer emails.

joecoulson

Nice setup.
Have you had much time with that diagonal? Thoughts vs the stock if so?

maximillian

Not enough time with it yet, but the ClickLock system is sweet. The Baader zoom eyepiece can be used with the stock 1.25" diagonal or 2". It's pretty awesome and well worth the money.

joecoulson

I recently purchased a visual back - meaning an attachment allowing fixture of the eyepiece at the back of the OTA without a diagonal.

Now this only works with objects at 50deg or less from horizon (or thereabouts) but the views were noticeably clearer than my diagonal - and I have the upgraded Meade version.

Makes me wonder if a Televue or higher end Dieletric Diagonal would be worth the coin?

tonyb

Those scopes look nice. Everyone I know who has one though, goes the way of a treadmill....sits in a corner unused.

I know Russ is from outer space, so pretty sure he's into this stuff. Actually, I am too, just don't want to shell out the coin for a nice scope. FB marketplace usually has some nice ones under 500, so if any of you guys are looking for some nice glass on the cheap, look there.

BTW- those automatic star finder things are the way to go, unless all your going to use your scope for is looking at the moon or your hot neighbors window.

Viking64

tonyb wrote: »

....your hot neighbors window.

At first I read that as "your hot neighbor's widow."

mhardy6647

tonyb wrote: »

....your hot neighbors window.

Viking64 wrote: »

At first I read that as "your hot neighbor's widow."

A spotting scope is preferred for these applications -- as they provide an image that's erect.



DSC_7238 (2) by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

Not that I am advocating any activities along these line, mind you -- and I will mention that spotting scopes are very useful for observing birds and other critters in one's backyard.

tonyb

so....that's the cover story you tell the wife eh ?

Might have to take up...cough cough...."birding" myself.

mhardy6647

say no more, say no more!

joecoulson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kwh3R0YjuQ

maximillian

tonyb wrote: »

BTW- those automatic star finder things are the way to go, unless all your going to use your scope for is looking at the moon or your hot neighbors window.

If you have the money or lack the patience, then sure. When I first started using the scope I got a little frustrated. This was part due to light pollution, a lack of patience, and unfamiliarity with the gear. So I broke down and bought one. Aligning is super simple with it.

However, once you learn the sky and know what you are looking at (which is part of the point of the hobby) and you have a good finder scope, then they become unnecessary. It take the StarSense 3-4 minutes to get aligned, but someone who is into the hobby and knows the sky can align in 5-6 minutes.

With limited funds it's better to put the money to filters and optics.

joecoulson

yep