BabyJo84

Hi there. Fantastic shots! I'm also in Lancashire and Jupiter has been mega bright since October. Still going strong!

This is fantastic thank you and thank you to all who responded! I do have another question: The SQM number. The higher it is the better? Or is it the lower the number the better? I live in Lancashire so I'm going to make the most of the clear sky forecast tomorrow and head put to my local Bortle 4 area, equipped with my kit and all the great advice from here.

Hey Everyone 👋 I inherited my dad's Megrez 72FD last February, and I just adore the thing. However, I have no idea what I'm doing really. The kit includes: The scope First horizon 8115 mount and stand Dielectric 45 degree angled lens holder (??lol) Lenses: I know some of these are packing some value and quality. Are they wasted on a 72mm scope? Altair Lightwave LER Zoom 8-24mm Nirvana 16mm WO uwan 7mm 18.2mm Teleview delite Star guider 4 elements 3x Barlow Extras: An old Nikon Rebel T5 SDLR camera with lens and Nikon ring mount He also had/has a couple of camera holder attachment thingies and what looks like a really small table mount, the kind of thing you'd see on a Dobsonian which is Skywatcher brand. I can get some good view with this scope if all i do is swap lenses around. What I'm not getting is any wow worthy views of planets (they are insanely small with no detail and hard to focus) or DSO's. Even the Pleaides aren't much more than the 5 main stars. This is even at low light pollution levels. I can't help but feel like I'm just not getting the most out of this scope since all the reviews I read rave about it. Do I really need to invest in a 100+mm for a good all-rounder or are there accessories I can buy for my Megrez that will enhance its performance? My dad passed away in Feb and this is a hobby we shared when I was a kid. I've never been able to afford a good set up so I am reluctant to sell this on to raise money for something better due to it's sentimental value. Thank you in advance!