Antoinfletcher

Quality is terrible, again captured with a smartphone held to the eyepiece. Melting on the 10mm eyepiece clearly visible (rookie solar projecting error many years ago). Bresser Skylux 70/700 - "Lidlscope" Just before Dschubba slipped behind the Lunar disk.

Another shot. I also had a look at Saturn and Jupiter a while ago. Jupiter looked wonderful, and I got a very nice view at 70x. Jupter was even better. Four moons, two belts and I'm almost sure I saw fleeting glances of the GRS (but that could have just been my eyes) I should add, this is my old celestron 10mm, which I burned while solar projecting on my old Astromaster (yes, stupid rookie error!)

Thank you! I'm downloading it now!

Captured using phone and Bresser Skylux 70/700 (Lidlscope). I don't have a smartphone adapter so I had to hold a very shaky hand to the eyepiece. 📱 I have to say, for 60 euro, this little refractor is a fun and lightweight scope. Quick to set up and easy to use. And, for the price, the views aren't bad at all! 🔭 I want to upgrade eventually, but a nice little instrument until I do.

Hello Peter and welcome! Glad to hear you have found the forums helpful. I have, too! Clear skies!

Magnificent detail, especially the shadowing along the range. Very nice resolution considering the high magnification.

Hello and welcome! What a magnificent spotting location and great scopes, too! Clear skies!

Hello and welcome, John! Clear skies!

Hello and welcome! You'll no doubt be in great company here as a beginner. And don't worry, you'll find many of us here are very much newbies and struggling to learn the fundamentals. You'll find plenty of support here and a lot of amazing and knowledge people who will make the learning experience far easier! Clear skies!

Hello Chris! Welcome to the forums! Clear skies!

Hello and welcome to the forums! Clear skies!

Hello everybody, I am looking to get started in basic lunar and perhaps planetary astrophotography. I had considered eyepiece projection, but I don't think my current setup, a 70/700 very basic refractor and mount, could handle the weight of a DSLR. My objective is to buy pieces I can use on my present scope to gain experience, but which I can also use on a new scope and mount when I invariably upgrade in the coming months. Does anybody have any experience with this camera? Compared to some other entry level lunar and planetary cameras, this seems like an incredible bargain. Also, my reference points are almost entirely visual, so I am struggling to understand the concept of field of view in an imaging sense. Bresser provides this table. In my 700mm frac, would I get a satisfactory large image of the Moon? Thanks in advance! Field of view for different focal lengths in mm (given in arc minutes): 400 mm - 41,2'x 30,9' 500 mm - 33'x 24,7' 600 mm - 27,5'x 20,6' 700 mm - 23,5'x 17,7' 800 mm - 20,6'x 15,4' 900 mm - 18,3'x 13,7' 1000 mm - 16,5'x 12,4' 1250 mm - 13,2'x 9,9' 1500 mm - 11'x 8,2' 1750 mm - 9,4'x 7,1' 2000 mm - 8,2'x 6,2'

Hello and welcome to the forums. It is always special to see somebody else nabbed by this hobby. I am hoping to get started in astrophotography myself in the coming months/years (as finances permit) 😳 With weaponry like 8 and 10 inch newts, you'll no doubt dazzle us with magnificent photos. I'm sure more experienced astro-photographers will be able to offer any advice you may seek and you'll find this is a friendly and helpful community. Looking forward to seeing your photos when you are ready to post them. Clear skies!

Australia is one country I'd love to visit. I'd love to get a look at the southern constellations. It would be a surreal experience, no doubt. You have a great view there and you really teased out nice detail on the Milky Way.

Lovely capture. Some exquisite detail, especially along the lower limb. You should be very proud for a beginner.

Very nice, indeed. I particularly like the Moon shot. Excellent work considering these are taken by a phone over the eyepiece. I find this method extremely frustrating and have not produced images as good as this. I have to agree with Saac though, a universal smartphone adapter would absolutely revolutionise your imaging potential. Give it some consideration because they are relatively affordable and the results can be pretty amazing, particularly on the Moon and planets. Keep up the good work and clear skies!

Really crisp detail and vivid colouring. Nothing like capturing a moon with Jupiter in a tight shot.

If I took those images I'd be rightly delighted. Considering you were up against less than perfect conditions, these are fantastic.

Magnificent. An impressive amount of detail despite the magnification. A well managed image!

Impressive. You really capture the scale of the range with that deep shadowing.

Very nicely captured and an excellent amount of features shown. The ejecta rays are particularly impressive!

Thank you for your reply, Franklin. I would actually prefer to go for an ED, but cost is a significant factor. I'm seeing 4" EDs for about €1600, but that is before the cost of the mount is added. I've no doubt they are more than worth the money, but for my budget I think I'd be best buy the scope and mount as a package. I might look at the Evostar 120 or 150 ed and perhaps save up for a mount at another time. That said, if the CA isn't ruinous, I'd tolerate it. On your Evostar 150 were the planets tiny points of light? Or could you discern details on the surface, etc. With seeing conditions here in Ireland, I think even x300 would be pushing it. I have had some people recommend large dobs. However, I would prefer an equatorial mount for tracking and also, I have read that refractors perform more reliably in poor seeing conditions.

Has anybody here got experience with the Bresser Messier 152/1200 (f8) refractor? If so, would you recommend it. It seems a good price for a large refractor (even an achromat). I'd primarily be an observer of the planets and the Moon, so I'm attracted to the aperture and the moderately high focal ratio. I understand these wide aperture refractors can have some issues with CA. Bresser also offers the scope on a computerised, equatorial mount, so it seems ideal for photography. I have also been looking at Dobs, but I want an eq mount so I can use the scope for short exposure shots. Furthermore, I am a bit intimidated by the need to collimate and maintain a reflector. My budget is up to about 1500 euro. Will this telescope at f/8 and say at x300 (under good seeing conditions), show Juputer, Saturn and Mars at a good apparent size in the eyepiece? Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.

Okay, I'm curious. I have read somewhere that the SW Mak 180 has a central obstruction of 24%. That would translate to about 40mm. Would that not mean that a 150mm Evostar refractor would have about the same (if not more) light gathering ability than the Mak 180? And if so, surely one could easily compensate for the lower focal ratio with increased magnification? I mean without losing significant amounts of light relative to the Mak. Would a similar apparent size for planets in the eyepiece be achievable in the 150mm refractor as the Mak180? I ask because while I'm primarily an observer of the Moon and planets, I think the added versatility od the f/8 refractor might be attractive. Also, a higher focal ratio seems like it would make the Mak difficult to align.

I'm looking to buy a scope and I find the idea of a dobsonion attractive (nice aperture to price ratio). I have narrowed it down to the Sky Watcher Heritage 150 flextube with virtuoso GTI or the Skyliner 200P. I am attracted by the 150's goto system, because I'm not experienced navigating the night sky. However, the 200 offers a lot more light for the cost. The scopes cost about the same. Any advice would be welcomed.