dobbyisbest

Wow! Thank you for the comprehensive answer and taking to the time to do so. That has been very interesting and enlightening - much appreciated. It’s one of those posts that I’m sure will become a timeless reference point for myself and others in the future. What you say makes sense after a first reading, but I’ll have to go ‘put it to practice’ to remember properly. Thanks again 🙂

Hi Don, Original responder here. Would you perhaps mind elaborating on the math/logic? My workings are 1250mm/24mm = 52.083, and then 68deg/52.083deg = 1.30568 FOV. Am I missing something? I was trying to give a good, honest answer to OP, but if I didn’t succeed, I’d be grateful to know where I went wrong. If I didn’t manage to provide the OP with the best recommendation, I’d be happy to buy the eyepiece from them if there is something better.

You’ve joined a long list of impulsive buyers in this hobby. 😂 I’m sure you’ll notice the difference in quality straight out of the box, but yes, let us know what you think, if the weather ever allows again! 🙂

Considering your stated budget, the APM 24mm UFF 65 deg eyepiece is by far the best option available. UK branded versions include: - StellaLyra at FLO: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra-eyepieces/stellalyra-24mm-ultra-flat-field-125-eyepiece.html - Altair Astro: https://www.altairastro.com/altair-24mm-ultraflat-eyepiece---precision-barrel-stainless-steel-237-p.asp The resulting field of view for them would be 1.25 degrees (vs the 1.04 deg FOV that you get with that 26mm Plossl). They also punch *way* above their price class and is really only surpassed by the Televue 24mm Panoptic: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tele-vue-eyepieces/tele-vue-panoptic-68-eyepieces.html For a slight increase on your budget still, you could go for the Baader Hyperion 24mm 68 deg, yielding field of view of 1.31 degrees (same as the Panoptic) Solid eyepieces: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/hyperion-8.html?srsltid=AfmBOorKJiWk3eV3JUoMPE4L__Sve5amBvMaYVtJ0KKn_a0NY9DXXX6Hgvw

Oh, definitely. This are definitely my favourite NH constellations and they are much easier to navigate, I just need to get out to a place with less light pollution and dryer weather, en then I’m sure all things will be equal. I may be wrong, but I got the impression that the NH has much more in the way of galaxies and and planetary nebula - that is actually what I’m focusing on this season and I can tell you, there are a LOT, and all of them are interesting sights!

Whilst I wait for the clouds to clear here in the east of England tonight (all set up, so fingers crossed), I thought I’d pass the time by writing a short observing report from my trip to South Africa (24 deg south, 28 deg east.. ish) towards the end of last month. I spent a few nights as the sole guest at a lodge under Bortle 3 skies (21.88 mag./arc sec), and was equipped with Skywatcher Heritage 130p, 12mm Plossl, 24mm Panoptic, a couple of filters, and a pair of 7x50 7.1 deg FOV binoculars. I only really got to observe one night, as the other nights were taken up by magnificent highveld thunderstorms and a lightning show to boot, but I was out for a solid session from 7pm to 2am under crystal clear skies on that night. The night started off by trying to get as much of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds observed at around 30 degrees before they set. The LMC is clearly visible with the naked eye, and with wide FOV binos this is truly the closest thing to science fiction that anyone could have the privilege to behold. The elongated core is very pronounced, and yet it doesn’t detract from the rest of the dwarf galaxy’s shape. The Tarantula Nebula shows extremely clear structure and filaments, and very bright. The galaxy is otherwise peppered by stars and clusters, too many to really be able to write about. Sufficed to say they were pretty, and I do think this is my favourite section of the night sky, or so I thought at the time. The SMC was a bit lower im the sky and not really as ‘tangible’ as the LMC. But what I aimed for was 47 Tuc, one of the two very famous globular clusters in the Southern Hemisphere. It absolutely popped, even in the 5” scope - really remarkable compared to one like M13 with similar equipment. After that, I spent some more time on the LMC for a while until moving on… Next up was Crux… Good heavens! That little Jewel Box Cluster just begs to be stolen! Very pleasing on the eye, to say the least. I spent a bit if time getting to the area, knowing that it would rise from its current position between 45 and 50 degrees, and knowing that I wanted to clearly see the Coalsack Nebula. I then started to sweep towards Carina. The area in and around the Lamba Centauri Cluster is just another jaw dropper. The Running Chicken Nebula looks like solid candyfloss, and the Pearl Cluster is another little object that could fetch a lot in a pirate market. At this point in the night I already felt very spoiled. M42 was right behind me, I grabbed a look and it was magnificent as always, but the realisation just set in that it might not even be on SH observers’ radar given all these other objects. And finally, on to the first of the Big 5 of the African Sky (as defined by the Astronomical Society of South Africa). C92, or the Carina Nebula, is the biggest, baddest nebula of them all. At 120x120 arcmins and 1 Mag brightness, she is truly a queen to which all other objects can only but humbly bow. There is so much clear structure and the thing is just so huge! The Oiii filter amplified all of it even further. Eta Carinae (the famous variable at its centre) was clearly visible but unfortunately the scope wasn’t strong enough to clearly see the finer detail around it as larger apertures would be able to. To the east of C92 was another extremely busy area with various open clusters that all just dazzled. To the south there was the Southern Pleiades, another Big 5 object. It is a remarkable open cluster in its own right, but I have a personal preference for the normal Pleiades (which is also visible from the SH, to note). I spent about another hour just revisiting various objects in Crux and Carina to properly acquaint myself, and specifically jumping back to C92 to discern more detail as it rose higher in the sky. Eventually I moved on the Centaurus, first with the binos. I knew Omega Centauri was there, but I didn’t expect to immediately see it! If I thought 47 Tuc popped, this thing exploded! I immediately jumped to put the scope onto it. Wow, just wow! Being the biggest globular cluster of them all, it showed presented itself extremely well in the little 5”, and I’d say it’s comparable to how I see M13 in a 10”. It is very obvious that it is a densely packed cluster, but hundreds/thousands of individual dots away from the centre were also clearly visible. After that I moved the Centaurus A, a +6.64 mag galaxy slightly to the east of Omega Centauri. It’s shape was clear, and under the dark sky I was very impressed with how clearly it presented in the little scope. I spent quite a of time star hopping in Centaurus, including moving down to Alpha and Beta Centauri - both extremely beautiful stars. At this point I took out the binos again to just gauge the context of it all. Information overload started to set in a bit, so I went get some coffee, a towel, some pillows, and then just lied on the grass for while, panning between Centaurus, Crux and Carina. It was so nice to just be able to observe all these objects whilst just relaxing. No rush to avoid clouds, no worrying about street lights, nothing but dark skies and the bush. At this point the Scorpius was already up, with Antares at about 30 degrees. Quite a bit to see there as well, but my attention started to shift to the Milky Way structure in itself, specifically the dark nebulae that form the dust lane or the Great Rift. From east to west, one can clearly see the dark structure overlays an otherwise bright band, and you can also trace it all the way to Crux. Using this method and direction, I finally got all the reference points and shades necessary to clearly see the the Coalsack Nebula. If Carina was the queen of the sky, this thing is like the dark lord. Edging against Mimosa and Alpha Crucis, it is just this massive black cloud just blocks out most of what lies behind it. A very remarkable sight, and I can’t really think of anything else like it. I tried to gauge it with the scope, but the magnification was too much and the light through the scope didn’t work as well as with the naked eye or binoculars, so I just settled down on the grass again going back and forth across the whole rift. This was more sci-fi stuff and I was happy for it. 😃 Eventually, Sagittarius was also at a reasonable altitude and I went for the scope again, picking off the various well known Messier and other objects there. I can’t really see these in the UK due to trees in my and neighbours’ back gardens, so it was a nice to be finally be able to spend some time on them. The Swan Nebula is what it says on the tin, and M6-M24 (bar M13 and M15) were all well worth the time. M24 does well with the binoculars, although I thought the 15x70s would have shown it in a more vibrant way. The areas around C76 and M7, respectively, were easily my favourites in these parts of the sky. Before packing up, I revisited all of the highlights that were still up. Carina Nebula, Omega Centauri, Coalsack, and the Great Rift kept on putting up a good show, whilst I otherwise kept being in awe of how much research I would have to do just to be able to know and describe all the busyness and grandeur of the Carina, Crux Sagittarius constellations. All in all, it was just a fantastic night and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity. But I hope to be able to go back someday, ideally to Tivoli or Kiripotib in Namibia where they have the big guns. 😉 In the meantime, I now look forward to the galaxy season up north and then the late but short nights in the summer. 😛 Clear skies to us all.

Definitely do not buy a kit. If you really want magnify more than you already do with your 10mm, just get a cheap barlow. But like AstroKeith said, you’ll rarely use that magnification. What you probably want to do is start investing in higher quality, wider field of view versions of those focal lengths/magnifications that you already have (or similar). Baader Hyperions, Altair Ultraflat (or Stella Lyra Ultraflat) and Explore Scientific are very good mid range eyepieces and really good value for money.

Anyone daring to have a go at Round 2 tonight? 😆 If I’m up for the task, I definitely need a better hand warming strategy; perhaps I should switch eyepieces less frequently and just push the dob with gloves on, and then see if prolonged staring at a DSO really makes it present better. I will definitely mot be going the multiscope route again tonight!

Truly an excellent sky tonight. 67% relative humidity, good seeing transparency, and all in the run up to the new moon! Only spent about two hours out running through a few regulars (until my hands started going numb), mainly to see if I could improve on the details of some objects and testing out equipment - 14” vs 10” vs 8” dobs side by side, and a Nagler 31mm that I took over from a friendly club member recently. I think these were the best sightings I’ve had of M42, M81, M82 and the Eskimo nebula since I started this hobby in September 2021. What a pleasure it was tonight, I feel I achieved my goals. All of them showed obvious additional detail not usually present, particularly in M82 (at x243) within the object, whilst there was ‘more’ of M42 visible in areas beyond the Trapezium and the wings that are normally visible (in what I can only describe as the round part or ‘belly’ that shows up in photos - happy for anyone to educate me on the actual descriptors). And appreciating that this is not an equipment review thread, I will just say that the Nagler 31mm is my new favourite eyepiece. Unfortunately, now I have an itch for 2” Oiii and UHC filters but will have to wait a bit before I can scratch it!

The sky here in Norfolk is fantastic tonight. No clouds and relatively low humidity so far. Had the 8” out for the one of the best (if not the best) views of Mars this season. Very much itching to set up the 14” for when the moon goes down at 11pm. It’s a ‘school night’, but I have this feeling only the weather can stop me now. I think we deserve it after a pretty miserable December. Hope some of you are out doing the same. 😉

Welcome to the forum. May you have and bring clear skies for years to come 😃

Just going to put this out there… If you ever have the good fortune to observe M51, M13 or M92, or M42 in a large aperture scope (14+ inches) under dark skies and good atmospheric conditions, it will change the way in which you view life. With even better fortune, the LMC (including Tarantula Nebula), Carina Nebula, 47 Tuc and Omega Centuari in the Southern Hemisphere is pure, pure glory. 🙂 I know you specified your kit and there are many posts on this thread providing true inspiration using smaller kits, but to my eyes, visual observation really becomes magical in large aperture and good skies, and there is just no way a photo can remake that with those objects listed. 😃

I have the 24mm and it holds its own again my new Panoptic 24. Curiosity motivated me to pull the trigger, and now I’m keeping both to be able to show anyone who are wrestling with that ever burning question. And I’ve been itching for the 30mm for while now. The stylish SL design and competitive price point of this incarnation might just clinch it for me. Apparently the 10mm is also fantastic at its price range.

Hi John, Slightly off topic, but did you rent that scope from a company/person in La Palma? If so, I’d appreciate a recommendation. I’m actually looking for a 8”/10” dob over there, but information is scarce. And what an amazing pic!

The Met Office and BBC Westher is telling me it is clear at the moment here in the east. Accuweather and Apple’s weather app says it’s cloudy. For the moment, I’m all set up and waiting, hoping my taxes are on the money tonight. At least I got a good 90 minutes in last night just before midnight, but was left hungry for more

Very grateful for having a clear night after two or so weeks of constant clouds and rain in Norfolk. Most of the night had considerably lower humidity than normal - cue the chill factor, but it was so worth it. Had the best views of Jupiter (with Io shadow transition + GRS) and Mars to date (I’ve only been in the hobby for about 13 months now), and saw Stephan’s Quintet and the Blue Snowball Nebula for the first time. Old favourites included the glorious Veil, always decadent Albireo, the Ring, M36, M37, M38, M31 and associates, M27, M81, M82, and a few NGC open clusters that I’ll have to do more research on. I observed with a 14.25” f5.4 dobsonian, and it performed well. I kept pushing until M42 was at a decent altitude to close off my five hour session… at which point my hands didn’t want to cooperate anymore. The pic shows the frost that formed on my shroud and the dew heater cable. That explained what my hands were complaining about. Two cups of tea and some chemical handwarmers quickly wear off This was also the first time I used a dew heater, and it worked wonders. Compared to a few weeks ago where the humidity was so bad that it might as well have rained whilst observing, this really was a good night.

Don’t own one, but New Moon Telescopes’ dobs look like they were forged in heaven, particularly this one: https://www.newmoontelescopes.com/shop/p/16 I can only dream.

It looks like what the Telrad neglected to become despite the obvious needs, which is something that looks presentable on a scope as opposed to a big bulky box that only fits onto its own base. The dovetail fitting is very welcome, and the dew cap/screen cover is also a sensible addition. I’m tempted, and would definitely use it next to a RACI one one of those dual shoe mountings.

Sorry, with SH I meant Southern Hemisphere. Ah and thanks, I’ve found your website now. I will have a good browse.

Fantastic sketch. What a beauty! Please do keep us posted, I am very curious. Having grown up in the Southern Hemisphere and now living up north, I regret not getting into astronomy earlier. Fortunately I have a trip planned to South Africa later this year and am very much going to hit 21.90+ mag sites for two weeks straight. I’ll only be able to see Eta Carinae late at night at about 15-20 degrees during that time of the year though, but at high altitude (c.1400m) hopefully it’ll be a decent view. At one point it should also be possible to compare it and M42 basically side by side. Also looking forward to LMC (specifically bought 7x50 binos for this), SMC and a few of the Milky Way core objects that we struggle with up here. Taking my 7x50s, 15x70s and a 4” reflector. As you can see, I’m only doing visual observation, so again, I look forward to your sketches and images. There is isn’t by chance a good SH book that you found helpful and would recommend? I find it criminal how scarcely documented objects like Carina and others down there are.

Now this is a place I need to visit! Just discovered it and it is already top of my list for the next time I want to go to the continent and escape Blighty. Bookmarked.

Very encouraging report. Can’t wait for astronomical darkness to arrive in the UK. Did you build the or buy that dob? If the latter, would you please link me to the vendor?