stolenfeather

Sounds like you had a very productive night! A month of bad weather? Sounds like EVERYONE is chanting the same them these days. :( I hope to see your pictures! Isabelle

I wish I cuould tell you but do not live in that region. All I know is that TELRAD is a definite MUST for any telescope! Isabelle

Sounds great Pat! I'm looking forward to reading it! Isabelle

You are a menace with your technology Pat! :P

You're not boring anyone Mrs R! I for one welcome your "wafflings". Congratulations on your twin girls and you blossoming interest in astronomy. For myself, it brings me much peace to look into my telescope and learn about the stars above. I find that many like to make themselves look complicated when they write, I guess this flatters their egos but your words sound genuine and I like that! Keep posting! Isabelle

That's the problem with the Internet. It can be a source of so much information that some will use it to promote untruths. It's hard to tell fact from fiction anymore which is sad. I'm happy you found your way to this forum Mark and feel comfortable in asking your questions. I wish more would do like you which is to seek the truth! Shine on! Isabelle :)

Risking the laptop in below freezing weather? I'd wait for warmer temperatures,.. our natural satellite isn't going anywhere soon. ;) Isabelle ;)

Thanks for coming by Jimmy! :) Soon, the loons and summer night sky will be ours! Isabelle

You have really captured the details of those craters there! Wonderful shots! I especially liked the first one. Isabelle

James, this is an outstanding post. I found it extremely informative and visually spectacular! I espcially loved the images with the night sky in the background while the telescope was in the foreground. Clear skies and thank you! Isabelle :)

I sure will! Now, all I have to do is wait!

I hope the cloud cover is just a temporary thing. It's frustrating isn't it to have the means to look farther and then,.. the clouds show up!

It's a husky mix I assume. I have seen wolves in this region but you would simply KNOW if it was one. Timber wolves are HUGE!

I can clearly understand your point of view Ray and when it came time to purchase a second scope, I seriously considered the "goto" option. However, I do enjoy the added challenge of finding my way around the starlit skies! But yes, less time searching means more time admiring and taking notes on the object observed. All in all, people shouldn't judge the path we choose to follow to explore the heavens. What counts is that we search, we wonder and question. I wish you clear skies Ray! Isabelle

I can recommend "Turn Left at Orion". It was the first book I purchased and it greatly helped me. The book "Night Watch" was helpful as well. Now, this being said, I also recommend downloading the Stellarium software found here ----> Stellarium | Download Stellarium software for free at SourceForge.net Now, the bright object in the south sounds very much like Venus to me! Isabelle

Good plan! I keep an astronomy journal as well and you're right, the pictures do help. There are so many that become so involved in the picture-taking process that they don't enjoy the image seen through their eyepiece. It seems that you're off to a great star on this astronomy journey! Since, at first, I didn't have any money for a decent scope I learned the star constellations before acquiring a scope. This actually made me quite frustrated when I had my Dobsonian because I knew where to point it but had trouble with the viewfinder. That's when I discovered the TELRAD! Isabelle

Know what? I just purchased my second telescope to be used when camping and it's a Heritage 130P! I can't wait to use it in the summer. My Dobsonian is way too big for to bring along for camping! I really don't see myself hiking with it on my back but one like yours? No problem! Andromeda looks like a big cloud amongst the night sky. The inkier the night sky the better the view! Remember, it's not what you see but what you know about the object that counts. When looking at Andromeda, you are looking at our nearest neighbour when it comes to galaxies AND one day,.. it will merge with the Milky Way creating a HUGE new galaxy! Cool no? Isabelle

There is one rule of thumb when it comes to magnification,.. the more you magnify, the less light you capture in your scope. Yes, it ALL has to do with resolution which pretty much captures the light needed and inky black skies. Light pollution will ruin any romp in the stars. When it comes to glares of street lights and such, I've bee told that filters can help. I wish you clear skies! Isabelle

I believe that your dog DOES live by the moon. Aren't Huskies a very close relative to wolves? I have seen wolves in the wild and yes,. the moon does have a close relationship with them. Isabelle

Sunday, February 13th / 2011 The sun was setting, the clouds were nowhere to be seen and the thermometer was friendlier than the week before. I told myself: This is it and invited all those interested to come to my back porch to view the stars. Three teenagers came for a look as well as one tiny astronomer who's small stature was towered by my telescope. The people were all there enthusiastic to see what wonders were hidden in the night sky (not all at the same time though). It was not to be. Between the moon and humidity in the air, there was not much I could share. The show had been canceled before it had begun. My visitors left quite unimpressed after seeing a hazy moon and a blurry M32. Beaten by the natural forces once again, I brought my telescope inside. I felt quite empty, when I returned to the the warmth of my house (it was -30 Celsius). The coldish temperatures paired with my disappointing stargazing evening made me dream of warmer days. Last year, I had been unable to look at the stars because my portable telescope (used during the summer alone) had basically broken to pieces. Yes, it is the one you see above. It was Konus (umm,.. I forgot). You see, I had many other names for it and all of them had some correlation with human waste matter. First, one of the brackets broke, Then the mount refused to be extended and I had to kneel to see anything, and finally the viewfinder broke off completely, When this happened, I did the only respectable thing,.... The Konus found a peaceful end within the nearest garbage receptacle. Yeah, using plastic for telescopes can only mean one thing,... GARBAGE! As I sat there ruminating the minutes of my failed attempt of looking at the stars, I remembered that I had no telescope for the following summer. I started looking around, asked questions on this forum, and flipped through my collection of "Star and Telescope" magazines for ideas. I had three interesting prospects: The SkyScanner 100mm Tabletop Reflector Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector The Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P A grab and go telescope that was not too expensive, was easy to carry AND gave me a worthwhile image of planets / deep sky objects? There was one and my husband surprised me with it on the following day. Steven and I don't exchange St-Valentine's presents. To tell you the truth, I'm not very keen on the idea of having a "love day". However, my wonderful husband saw my notes and when I wasn't looking made a purchase. "Congratulations," he said when I returned home for lunch. "Congratulations?" I said quite confused. Steven grinned and added, "You're the proud owner of a new telescope!" Now all I have to do is wait for it to reach the north via mail. I can just see it now,.. Poised on a table by a lonely lake. My tent all ready for another peaceful night. A loon crying out it's mourning chant and me? I'll be looking at the stars with this little gem! July isn't that far away,... I can just taste it!

You have definitely captured some fine detail in those pictures Todd. You should be proud of those pictures! Isabelle :)

You will see little colour. This is why many people are disappointed the first time they look through a telescope since they simply assume that what they will see looks like what they have observed in books. The fact of the matter is that the human eye can't decipher the colour that can be seen through long exposures. Some colour can be seen in the bands of Jupiter, blueish tinges in stars, and you will definitely see the reddish hue of Mars but anything else? No. Todd is right though, there is plenty to see. in the end, it's not what you see that counts right but what you know about it right? I wish you clear skies! Isabelle

Just take it one step at a time. Work with alignment, know your way around the stars and then (only then) should you attempt to take pictures. I wish you clear skies! Isabelle

The dog does look very wolf like, maybe that's why we have become close since wolves have always had a special place in my heart. "Vulpecula",.. I like that! :P Isabelle

Congratulations on a first successful night! The moon, Jupiter and a messier Object all in your first night! I remember the first planet I saw through the telescope, it was Venus. It has captured a special place in my heart since then. I can't wait till you see Saturn,.. It made me cry as it was so beautiful! Don't mind me,.. I tend to be over-dramatic about such things. Isabelle