I first fell in love with astronomy when I was perhaps 5 years old. I remember my dad showing me some of the constellations one winters evening. I even was allowed to look through his 10x50 bins!!

Since then, it has always been a major interest in my life. It culminated 10 years ago, when I got my first telescope - a Helios 150 reflector on an EQ3 mount. Unfortunately, living in the middle of a city, and at the time not being able to drive, the scope got very little use. I used it perhaps half a dozen times, and it just started to gather dust . . . . so i sold it . . . .

Move on 10 years, I now have my driving license (didn't pass till I was 30 odd!!), and a renewed interest in getting back under the stars - this time properly, and with a lot more knowledge than I had ten years ago. I can now get out from under the LP dome of Derby, and head out into the Peaks - only a 30-40 minute drive for me - and I can be under dark skies!!

So, the current plan is to equip myself with a basic EQ mount, and a small 3 or 4 inch frac for visual observing. I have decided on the frac from a purely practical point of view. I can check a 80mm frac in the back of the car quite easily!! This will hopefully just be the start. My end aim is to have an 80ED on a HEQ5 and begin a quest into AP . . . . but thats years away yet, back to the present!!

So - phase one is complete!! I am now the proud owner of a barely used Skywatcher EQ3-2 mount:

Shiny lol!! So I'm off the blocks. Next purchase - a SW 80 or 102ST. Not yet decided on which. It will be ordered over the weekend, as I need it for when the family and I go up to the Lakes on 25th May!

One really stupid question though - do I need to get a dovetail to fit in here:

Cheers all