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And it's hello from him....

Paul M

By Paul M
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Paul M

Paul M

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Hi everyone.

I'm Paul and I'm a stargazer.

I've been looking in on the forum for a couple of years but not joined until today.

I've been a stargazer since I was 7 or 8 and that was 41 years ago!

I got my first usable telescope at about 11 years old. A 60mm Dixons own brand refractor. I loved that poxy old scope and discovered the universe with my own eyes!

I managed with it for many years, particularly enjoying sketching sun spots. I kept an observing log for a few years too. I still have it somewhere.

Fast forward to about 1984/5 and I'd saved enough money to get a 6.25 f6 Newtonian from "Fullerscopes". Some of you may remember their adverts in Exchange and Mart....

Great optics, David Hinds hand finished I believe. Never was the same after getting the mirrors re coated.

I added homebrew motor drives to both axes with a joystick hand control. Browsing the heavens was never better but that scope never got as much use as the old refractor. Usual story of portability and set up time/effort!

It still lives in it's box in the garage which is attached to the house but it hasn't seen light since we moved to this house 10 years ago. Working life and family saw me having less time to stargaze and the scope got buried deeper and deeper under junk.

So for some time I've only looked skywards briefly or if there has been a particular event.

I've travelled to Bulgaria to see the '99 Total Solar eclipse and got a great view!

In 2006 we travelled the Side, Turkey for yet another glorious Total Eclipse. A contingent from Sky and Telescope Magazine were staying at our beach front hotel which was bang on the centre line.

Quite odd that we were stood on the beach as the Umbra washed rushed over the sea towards us. We were wearing only swimwear and eclipse glasses and behind us were the hardcore eclipse chasers in their anoraks and woolly hats with many thousands of pounds worth of equipment sat before them. I'm glad I didn't have any tasks to distract me from the visual experience of totality.

Bringing us up to date, I've recently started working shifts and so find myself out in the open at all times throughout the night. It's an urban location with some industrial lighting but I can find a few darker spots. I'm now in the process of trying to get to my scope buried at the back of the garage. It's time to see what the mirrors look like.

Looking at the price of the modern goto scopes, I'm playing with the idea of updating anyway.

There is loads of stuff I've missed but that's enough for an intro I think.

Look forward to posting some more.

Paul

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Paul and welcome to the forum. The only real eclipse I have experienced so far was the one in Cornwall back in August 11th 1999 and although sadly obscured by cloud, it was still a tremendous event and you can immediately imagine the impact that this would have way back for our ancestors - glad you've got to see a couple in clear sky! Glad you took the plunge to finally join us here and to share your experiences.

Clear skies and enjoy the forum,

James

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Paul M

Paul M

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Thanks James.

It was no accident that we were in Bulgaria for the '99 eclipse.

I'd been excited about it for 2 decades and as the year got closer I realise my chances of seeing it in the UK were slim.

I got out the maps and looked which countries the track passed through which were likely to be clear and suitable for a family holiday. The holiday aspect was important as that is the only way I'd get the funding past the MD! :grin:

The track centre crossed the Bulgarian Black Sea coast just north of the resort of Golden Sands so we booked to go there as soon as it was available.

We got a bus up to good spot on the centre line which was on a high coastal promontory. Great choice.

The 2006 eclipse in Turkey was planned using the exact same formula.

Others that never got off the planning board were trip to Novorsibirsk in Siberia. The nearest suitable hotel didn't have running hot water...

And this year in Cairns, Australia, never got off the ground. Too far to go for a relatively short totality...

I spend many hours looking at this tool. Dreaming of that next oportunity:

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/SolarEclipsesGoogleMaps.html

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JonDoe

JonDoe

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Hi Paul welcome to SGL, great opening post and looking forward to hearing more, hope you find the old telescope and its in working order.

im off to grab 2 hours sleep before the moon is over my back garden :grin:

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SteveA

SteveA

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Hi Paul,

I think you'll find a fair few on SGL with a similar story, it certainly sounds familure to me.

Crazy about stargazing as a kid...but along comes responsibility and commitment and before you know it half a life time has slipped away. I've also got my Dixons 75mm refractor stashed in the garage....I should really get rid of it as it'll never be used again...but I can't quite bring myself to it....

Welcome back!

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John_Prewer

John_Prewer

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Hi Paul,

I too have been stargazing about 40 years. I too started with an old Dixons Refractor and, yes, I too migrated to a Fullerscope Newt, an 8.5 that I haven't done much with in two decades.

I started restoring the 8.5 on and off a couple of years ago. Before Xmas I was looking on e-Bay for eyepieces and ended up buying the ones I wanted with a Fullerscope 4" Refractor and it's tiurned out to be a gem.

Now I am full steam ahead with the 8.5 putting its Fullerscopes MkIII back together so that I can strip the Refractor and fix the little that it needs done (mainly painting the tube & Dew shield).

Yes I'd love the modern technology, but I do Astronomy for fun on the very cheap and I don't see the point in upgrading, especially after hearing of metal fatigue on some very expensive mountings when I went to Stargazing Live in York recently. My target now is the 8.5 with the 4" on the same mounting or on separate mountings as I see fit - the 4" is quite portable. I'm then going to do some Astrophotography with a camera & 500mm Mirror lens on the side of the Telescope or camera fitted to either Telescope using the Fullerscopes Camera Adaptor that came with the Refractor.

It's back to my youth for my Astronomy, but I probably won't be able to stand the cold like I used to!

John.

To move the kit out of my Garage I am planning on a Sack Barrow from Screwfix with suitaable padding so that the whole lot can be move in one go in a couple of mnutes.

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Paul M

Paul M

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Thanks for the warm welcome!

The enthusiasm here is certainly infectious.

I'm working a night shift tonight and was hoping for clearer skies. Never mind I can just watch the Foxes on the security camera instead.

It won't point much above horizontal but I sometimes see the moon and planets as they rise and set.

Anyway, must go, I actually have work to do :D

Sent from my ZT ICS using Tapatalk HD

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Paul M

Paul M

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Hi Paul,

I think you'll find a fair few on SGL with a similar story, it certainly sounds familure to me.

Crazy about stargazing as a kid...but along comes responsibility and commitment and before you know it half a life time has slipped away. I've also got my Dixons 75mm refractor stashed in the garage....I should really get rid of it as it'll never be used again...but I can't quite bring myself to it....

Welcome back!

Hi Steve, I know what you mean. I can't actually remember where my old refractor went. I seem to remember giving it away on permanent loan with the proviso that it got used.

I wonder where it is now.

Hi Paul,

I too have been stargazing about 40 years. I too started with an old Dixons Refractor and, yes, I too migrated to a Fullerscope Newt, an 8.5 that I haven't done much with in two decades.

I started restoring the 8.5 on and off a couple of years ago. Before Xmas I was looking on e-Bay for eyepieces and ended up buying the ones I wanted with a Fullerscope 4" Refractor and it's tiurned out to be a gem.

Now I am full steam ahead with the 8.5 putting its Fullerscopes MkIII back together so that I can strip the Refractor and fix the little that it needs done (mainly painting the tube & Dew shield).

Yes I'd love the modern technology, but I do Astronomy for fun on the very cheap and I don't see the point in upgrading, especially after hearing of metal fatigue on some very expensive mountings when I went to Stargazing Live in York recently. My target now is the 8.5 with the 4" on the same mounting or on separate mountings as I see fit - the 4" is quite portable. I'm then going to do some Astrophotography with a camera & 500mm Mirror lens on the side of the Telescope or camera fitted to either Telescope using the Fullerscopes Camera Adaptor that came with the Refractor.

It's back to my youth for my Astronomy, but I probably won't be able to stand the cold like I used to!

John.

To move the kit out of my Garage I am planning on a Sack Barrow from Screwfix with suitaable padding so that the whole lot can be move in one go in a couple of mnutes.

Hi John, the Refractor sounds great. I love the solid feel of the old gear. If my old scope looks serviceable once I find it then I'll be a happy bunny. I don't need nor particularly want goto capability but I guess I'd get a scope with it if I do buy new.

Sent from my ZT ICS using Tapatalk HD

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Paul M

Paul M

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Before Xmas I was looking on e-Bay for eyepieces and ended up buying the ones I wanted with a Fullerscope 4" Refractor and it's tiurned out to be a gem.

I think I still have the old Fullerscopes brochure somewhere. I will look for it later today after I've been to bed!

I have some fond memories of thumbing through it's pages as a young man.

Do you have any pictures of the refractor? Back in the day their refractors were my ultimate dream.

Then again, I remember the day when my Fullerscopes Newtonian arrived. I think I spent the first few day just looking at it never mind looking through it!!

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Paul M

Paul M

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Well, after a sojourn into the loft I din't find the old Fulllerscopes brochure but I did find my old observing log and a book that I though was long gone:

post-28650-0-03369800-1359489392_thumb.j

The logbook shows my sketches of the Sun on Dec 17th 1978.

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