John

11 minutes ago, dave armeson said:

I had a Mak 180 pro before this. Great scope but the Intes Annihilates it, unfortunately 😂

Intes ceased production last year.

Thanks Dave. Out of interest have you compared the performance of the Intes Micro 815 with a top shelf 6 inch apo refractor ?

I'll do the best I can to measure and describe the mount as comprehensively as I can but I won't be taking it apart folks

It is being supplied with a Berlebach Uni 28 tripod with the the EQ6 fitting - my Berlebach is the HEQ5 type.

The mount is due with me on Monday - thanks very much Steve / FLO

26 minutes ago, dave armeson said:

My Intes Micro 815 Deluxe Mak Cassegrain will easily beat a top shelf APO 6-inch refractor on resolution and light grasp and is more apochromatic than any of them.

it has a system Strehl ratio of 0.985 - just a smidge short of optical perfection and 1/9.5 wave mirrors. The moon in this thing is absolutely awesome and ridiculous. It will outperform larger SCT’s on finer rendered detail - what is visible in the Intes will be blurs in larger commercial scopes of less optical quality. So aperture sometimes does not rule. Quality over quantity. Its alright getting the light into your scope it’s how the optics “massage” it when it’s in there what matters.

 

Fabulous scope the Intes Micro 815 Dave. I think they are available to special order only now, is that correct ?

The last time I saw one for sale new it was around £4,000 for the optical tube.

How does the somewhat more affordable and available Skywatcher 180 Mak-cassegain compare out of interest ?

Sorry to hear of the loss of your Father-in-Law.

It is worth bearing in mind that the price of used equipment is usually around 60% of the new price, assuming the equipment is in excellent condition and full working order.

If you use e.bay to sell it you will have their fees and possibly Paypal fees to take into account as well. In the case of a vendor such as Rother Valley Optics, they will have expenses to take into account as well and will have to spend time checking that each item is in full working order.

I'm not saying accept the RVO offer but being realisic about the price that you might realise from the equipment is important.

I do hope you are able to dispose of the equipment for a decent price without too much trouble.

5 is not bad - most of my observing is done under Bortle 5 skies. 8 and 9 are where it gets tough !

We (BAS) have run observing sessions on the Clifton Downs and it's OK as long as you stick with brighter targets. Our observatory is about 7 miles south of Bristol where it's around Bortle 5.

Just now, PhoTenix said:

Brilliant. Class 6 bortle 🤷‍♀️ is that right ? 

Here is a bit more about the Bortle Scale:

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/light-pollution-and-astronomy-the-bortle-dark-sky-scale/

Depending where you are in Bristol it can vary from Bortle 6 to Bortle 9. Local street lights, security lights and housing and industrial lights have a big influence.

7 minutes ago, PhoTenix said:

Thank you. Really appreciate all this advice. I'm not in a wheelchair...... yet 😂 but thank you for thinking of that as I wouldn't have ! 

Thank you ☺️

Thank you. This advice is great honestly. Giving me a lot to think about ☺️

That's brilliant thank you. Can I just turn up or do I have to join beforehand? 

At the bottom of the 2nd link there is some information about that. Your 1st visit is free. For subsequent visits we ask for £3 a session unless you decide to join.

The "Clear Outside" webpage is free to use and gives lots of info about your local observing conditions if you put them into it. This link is set up for my home town, Portishead but you can change it to suit your location:

http://clearoutside.com/forecast/51.48/-2.79

An estimate of your Bortle Scale conditions is in the yellow box below the location details.

1 hour ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

.... You never know with the dob you might get one last glimpse if tomorrow is clear.

Marv

Thats true - last night was not supposed to be clear but I got some observing in because the forecast was incorrect. My scopes are quick to set up and tear down and right next to where I observe so I can be responsive when the opportunity presents itself

Bristol Astronomical Society meet off Gloucester Road on Friday evenings. Here is the current programme - the "scope surgery" on 22nd November might be of interest as it's aimed at those who have got a scope that they are unsure about using and those who are thinking about getting one.

http://www.bristolastrosoc.org.uk/www/pages/programme/programme-20192020.php

Here is a bit more about coming to our meetings:

http://www.bristolastrosoc.org.uk/www/pages/programme.php

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Very basic beginners scope guides.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/buying-your-first-telescope/

 

And one more good one 

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/how-to-choose-a-telescope/

The starting prices on e.bay are sometimes very low but the bidding usually carries the final price up to, or sometimes beyond, the used market price. The scope you have linked to is a decent one but it almost certainly won't go for £49 - by the time the bidding has ended, the final price will be similar to the figures that fozzybear has quoted I expect, possibly a bit more.

Due to your transport situation, I assume you are planning to get the scope delivered to you ? That scope is collection only from Torpoint.

No chance of seeing the comets conjunction with Neptune tonight due to

Filters may bring some subtle improvements (personally I don't find them useful but some do) but the low altitude of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn at the present time from the UK limits the quality of the views whatever measures we might take.

To see what our scopes can really do with them I think that either patience or the ability to get somewhere further south to observe is required.

Saying that, I have had some nice views of all 3 of these planets but not as regularly or of quite the quality that I've seen when they are higher in the sky.

56 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Got a look at Africano earlier using 10"SCT and cheating GoTo, not looking very hopeful for tomorrow ATM.

Did you catch C/2018 N2 (ASASSN) yet John ?

Dave

Not yet Dave - it seems to be listed as mag 12+ currently so I'll need the 12 inch dob for that one.

I've just about managed to find it with the Tak 100 - darned hard work tonight !:

I think it's fading slowly and getting lower.

A surprise clear night here gave me the opportunity to have another peek at this comet now on its way between the Pisces circlet and Aquarius (near Neptune tomorrow evening).

I did manage to track it down but frankly it was hard work with the Takahashi 100mm refractor that I was using this evening. I think the comet has faded back to around magnitude 10 and the lowering altitude each evening adds some atmospheric extinction.

If the clouds allow the conjunction between Comet Africano 2018 and Neptune to be observed tomorrow evening I think I'm going to need to get the 12 inch dob out to make much of it.

Otherwise, had a nice scout around some binary stars including Theta Aurigae rising to the NE and a few brighter DSO's including NGC 404 (Mirach's Ghost) in Andromeda.

Really feels autumnal tonight - more layers needed to keep cosy !

If you are observing from the UK the factor that limits the results when observing Jupiter at present is it's altitude in the sky - it's very low and observing obliquely through the atmosphere takes it's toll on sharpness and contrast.

This opposition I've consistently found that my refractors (100mm - 130mm aperture) give better images of Jupiter than my 12 inch dobsonian. When Jupiter has been higher in the sky the 12 inch dob has delivered superb images of it.

It's a tiddler, but it's something

Could be very nice but will the clouds play ball

I've got a surprise clear night here currently, which is not what was forecast at all.

When perusing used equipment, whether on e.bay or on UK Astro Buy & Sell, it's worth bearing in mind that, in general, the price of a piece of used equipment should be around 60% of the new price. And that is assuming that it's in excellent condition and fully working in all respects.

I've seen many "bidding wars" on e.bay where the final price gets far too close to the new retail price

1 minute ago, Jiggy 67 said:

Don't know what your budget is but I would consider the Baader Hyperion Zoom. Might appear expensive but it's a good quality zoom giving you 5 eps in one at 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24mm and combined with a barlow further increases your options

Thats a good call if observing is just part of your plan. My only reservation with the zoom is it's limited field of view at 24mm so you might want a 30/32mm fixed focal length eyepiece as well for those wider vistas. With a decent 2x barlow lens you would be set up for most observing circumstances then.

I suggested a look at FLO's website to give an idea of what decent scopes to look out for

I've bought a few good things from e.bay as well but I've been in the hobby for 35+ years so I know what to look our for (and what to avoid !).

Hi and welcome to the forum

You need to be very careful in buying from e.bay. There are some decent scopes on there but many very mediocre or poor ones I'm afraid.

It is worth looking at the First Light Optics website because they only sell decent equipment. You will also get top notch pre and post sales service from them which is important because what you are buying is a specialised scientific instrument. Here is the First Light Optics starter scope section:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html

I agree with jadcx that the UK Astro Buy & Sell website is a better place to look for used astro equipment than e.bay.

Thats a step in the right direction at least

Good "Heads up" Chris.

If I get any chance to observe (pretty iffy forecast here as well) I will use a wide angle eyepiece to get both in the field of view together, which should be nice.

It's not a bright comet but well worth a look I reckon, especially when it's near something interesting in the sky