Bivanus

Oops ! Now I saw my post lacks the end of a proposition: "and one more Eyepiece like this UFF : APM Telescopes. APM Ultra Flat Field 18mm Eyepiece 65° FOV (apm-telescopes.net) 119 EUR of course you may also choose at the same price the 15mm APM Telescopes. APM Ultra Flat Field 15mm eyepiece 65° FOV (apm-telescopes.net) That would give you the following magnifications: 150x for 10mm ; 100x for 15mm ; 60x for 25mm"

Here are my sugestions: Sky-Watcher SKYMAX-127mm (AZ-GTi) WIFI Maksutov (robtics.nl) 775 EUR - it comes with Alt Azt WiFi enabled mount , includes a RedDotFinder , a 1.25" diagonal and two eyepices (10mm and 25mm) To this I would add a finder ( of course you may like the RedDotFinder and not need it by I find it usefull) Sky-Watcher 9X50 Angled Finder Scope with Bracket and Corrected Image (robtics.nl) 106 EUR and one more Eyepiece like this UFF : APM Telescopes. APM Ultra Flat Field 18mm Eyepiece 65° FOV (apm-telescopes.net) 119 EUR course It so happens that the total is exactly 1000 EUR , but you must also pay for transportation , so I thing you are just within the 1200 EUR

Hello @Raulvdzande and welcome to the wondefull world of astronomy. Sice you are in the Netherlands , maybe have a look at this site Robtics | Buying a telescope is hard? Ask for advice! They just happen to be one of the largest resselers in Europe so I have a feeling you might find something-advices included , especially if you have a clear budget. Talking about the budget , as other have already explained , you'll have to make up your mind first what do you want to put in. There are four parts : mount / optical tube assemby aka OTA aka the telescope/ diagonal and eyepieces/photo thinghies I also agree with @M40 , the the SW 127 Mak on the AZT mount would quicly satisfy all your requirements. Regarding the Celestron , well, it's almost there too , but in my humble opinion the Mak is better that the SCT at this size. Here's an older thread that maybe would give you more details. Also , the observation @Elp wrote is correct , however , if you would not require NASA level imaging but fun pictures of the Moon and Planets to show family and friends , it can be done with this set-up too. Beware all and everything related to "AstroPhotography" proper , at least if you want to keep the farm 🙃 His coment regarding a Dobsonian is also valid , since you have space available , however tracking &go-to are a tad more difficult. Maybe , and this is only a sugestion , a 4in/102mm refractor would be something to look at , they are in many people opinion - mine included - a sweet spot between optical quality and aplications posibility.

Also , going to a darker place , it would make sense to have a look at the settings required to take some photos of the sky, You will certainly find a lot of tutorials for both smartphone and camera ( if available) the trick is to play a bit before going to have an ideea. I have seen - on this iste and others - decent pictures that were the joy of those that took them ( we are not working for NASA so just because some stars appear elongated a bit you should not worry )

😄 Yup , I'll admit, I splurged. I was also reading about you using a double rig and USB ports requirements, the BeeLink is a tad lacking there whyle some NUC models can be upgraded with an USB quad lid like this Intel NUC Quad USB 2.0 Port LID for Panther Canyon NUC11PA (gorite.com) However , again , it's a matter of finding both the NUC and the lid AND it's USB 2.0 Makes one wonder why don't they add more USB 3.0 ports to new models ?

I have a BeeLink and it does everything I want from him. I have no doubt a NUC can do the same. The only thing you must be aware is the voltage required to supply them , as it's not 12V rather 19V or 21V depending on the model. There are some older and a tad slower models that do run on 12V so it's a question of carefull selection. My model is this : Amazon.com: Beelink SER5 Mini PC W11 Pro, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H(8C/16T up to 4.4 GHz),16GB DDR4 1TB NVME SSD Graphics 8 core 2000 MHz WiFi 6/BT5.2/DP+HDMI+Type-C Triple Display Mini Gaming PC Computer : Video Games

I've looked at what you tell are the options , and I can only convey what my choice would be : Celestron upclose G2 10x50 porro. It seems like a standard multi use binocular so I expect fairly standard performance. You talk about dissapointment - if you expect telescope level from a binoculr you would most certainly be dissapointed , however , would you accept that the wide-field bino is complementary to the telescope you will be happy with it. On the celestron skymaster 15x70 - I have one and you simply can't use it without a tripod especially for astro.

I was also thinking at a solution to mount a small refractor / large binocular on a balcony. I've found two things: 1. Robtics site : https://www.robtics.nl/en/photo-tripods/1951-robtics-micro-adjustable-table-window-sill-mount-for-spotting-scope.html 2.FLO site: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/opticron-spotting-scopes/opticron-car-window-mount-40502.html However , the Heritage line might be the best bang for buck. Maybe give a thought to the Heritage Virtuoso model that also have some tracking and even the possibility to upgrade to Go-To? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage/skywatcher-heritage-114p-virtuoso.html

Ask and thou shalt receive (if available 😄) : 'Credintele taranului roman despre cer si stele_Otescu Ion_Bucuresti_1907.pdf (bcub.ro)

Truth be told we call it "rândunică" but maaan , I really have no ideea how to explain "â" and "ă" sounds. So many english speakers use "rindunica" which is what also many children do . Still prety close to Latinm probably because those pesky Romans did ocupy a large part of Dacia and Latin was lingua franca long before the franks 😄 Simplest example : Latin - 'salutare' / Romanian - 'salut' / English - 'hello' ( or 'greetings' )

A picture worth a thousand words , so heres 2k 😄 Not my pictures , you find them on Agena Astro - link atached. In the diagram is SCT but as far as I know is the same for MAK : 1) Thread adapter to 1.25" holder to OEM diagonal to eyepiece 2) Supa-Dupa diagonal already fitted with thread adapter ( Named firms with mucho $$$ involved) to eyepiece Since you are doing it for the kids , maybe 1) is the way to go. Choosing and Using 2" Diagonals for Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescopes (agenaastro.com) EDIT: If you unscrew the two silver knobs , does the silver threaded tube comes out ? Looking a bit closer it looks like the nosepiece of a diagonal that was unscrewed.

@Alan White Did you like it? Sometimes old legends and stories are , well, let's say unscientific 😃 and I've found some people a tad disappointed that Romanian lore IS almost exclusively 'story' oriented . Somehow between the Romans, the Turks , the Tatars , the Rus , the Huns and so on and so forth coming to kill us , no real science was highly developed except those required for survival like food preservation ( like telemea cheese ) walls ( Murus Dacicus) and Uber stealth ( long standing joke about the host of Jabarkas the Terrible not finding a soul to kill , so they stopped to drink water , tied the horses from a great tree, and when he looked back his host horses disappeared , and a 'Thank you' note was pinned on the tree) and orientation ( the Milky Way wa named Calea Robilor - The Slave Road - because it was used for bearing by the captured romanians running from slavery )

@Louis D I have one 20mm 68deg from ES , was thinking to use it in a pair , sadly the lathe i've found only does 0.5/0.75/1mm thread steps and the ES has the standard 1.25" thread 27.5 x 0.6 so it'l have to wait. Probably going to 'upgrade' the binoviewer to 1.25" holders in the future but currently I'm playing with it as it is - and use eyepieces that come with 0.75mm thread with adaptors. EDIT: I was thinking at this type of adapters , iniatially wa looking at the click-lock but I did read that it sometimes does not hold the EP as intended and that the screw ones are safer.

Well, I finally did join the Dual Wielding Side of the Sforce , and in the most dastardly way posible it would seem : modified Leica microscope head with mirrors on 2" connection 🤣 Unsurprisingly , my OTA's only focused in straight thru view until I put toghether a poorman's GPC using a 1.25" to M48 filter adapter and a 2x Barlow lens cell. Also a tad to learn on the eyepieces as Leica uses D30mm microscope ones, untill then i'l use the 16mm equivalent EP's that arrived with the bino ( modified Zeiss 8x30 Deltrintem) and 23mm aspherics for which I've manage to get some 30mm adapters made. A third pair of 32mm Plossls is in work , I have to find the second piece in the pair. The moon looks magic through the Zeiss , full 3D magic and no CA and decent thru the aspherics ( you can see more of it with them too)

I liked the subjects , I liked the tone of the discussions, I liked the quirqiness - in a good way - and a certain comunity feeling I find endearing.

A newbie take on this: what's killing me is not the camera but the methodology - all the Dark/Bias/Flats addition substraction wavelets and so on and so forth - so if you already have a receipe working for you with the CCD it makes sens to stick to it as long as it delivers the beautiful outcome. The one thing that other have already pointed out is time - CMOS get's those pesky photons in less time than CCD , and that means either shorter time to have a peak between the clouds or , in those rare moments of clear sky , more data and / or targets.

To say this is rare is an understatement , this is up there with the "Human rights in the Aztec Empire" or "The Atlanteean Farmer Almanach" : a book about Romanian star and sky lore AND in english AND available on Amazon ! And lo and behold , also available as eBook ! Not affiliated with the authors , not involved with it's publication , but if something deserve the "hen's teeth" designation this is it : Romanian Star & Sky Lore: Otescu, Ion, Gheorghe, Andrei Dorian, McBeath, Alastair: 9786069569139: Amazon.com: Books

Never surrender !

Low level DIY since it's just screws but I know I looked for quite a while until I found an adapter that fits so maybe other are looking too since the Twilight I was quite common and the tripod itself was not that bad. The adapter I've found its under Artesky logo , however it seems something similar is on AliExpress - big surprize , I know. There are most certainly other adapters that might fit in the socket hole , however theis one has the M10 thread and the depth required to use directly the original TWI threaded bar. Have been using his bigger brother to adapt my EQ6 tripod (that one has an M12 thread at the bottom), however , the new combo is some 3 kg lighter and just a tad smaller in width of the open legs to allow me to move it through the door mounted. The whole shebang you see in the pic just gets grabed and away we go. Also , because I'm currently playing with a binoviewer , I wanted a higher column. Not finding one I've just screwed two Star Adventure extenders toghether - works like a charm and not a bit of wobble. EDIT: also the link Adattatore da treppiede EQ5 a 3/8 Artesky

If you have it , use it, if you'll like what you see you'll dig deeper after getting a taste. Another tip would be to get your camera out before getting to the dark site and play a bit with it to have an idea about the settings required to get those pesky stars 😂 Before thinking about using it on the scope, think about having some gorgeous dark site wide fields to wow your friends from home and from here. To have PERFECT shots you need this and that and so on and so forth , however , to get DECENT shots you need much less - a fixed portrait 50mm plastic fantastic is a rather standard fare for both Canon and Nikon and in a good dark sky punches beyond it's weight.

😄 For a VERY short while I was under he impression I was doing AP...Then it became obvious that I was really poorly doing EAA / EVAA which slowly and painfully I am learning to do a bit better. The cut is the mount & the processing. So if you REALLY want to go the AP way , there's where you money should go. Exactly how, well, theres a bit of talking there. Sell the big 200p and take the 130PDS - one way. Sell the 200p and go the dark way of the refractor , like an 80 mm StellaMira or something like that - another way. Bite the bullet and KEEP the 200p while investing in a serious mount - third way. You are at a crossroad , change is coming, you can feel it in the water , you can feel it in the air ...Oh, wait, that's from Lord of the Rings 😁

@DarkSkysregardless of the telescope decision , do try to have a pair of binoculars on hand too, nothing fancy , just some 50mm/7x or even a 10x.You will use them both individually and in tandem with the scope as a finder. Like other told you, really dark sites are a bit different than one expects. Oh , and remember: red light is your friend, harsh white light is not. Almost forgot to answer the question: get the Vespera , but train a bit with it before so you don't fumble in the middle of the night.

Oh no ! What happened ?!? He was I think in Istambul ?

Yup, right there in the article: Refractor with 45° Amici prism: Image is upright and right-sided Refractor with 90° zenith mirror: Image is upright BUT laterally reversed EDIT: At night I tend to use the mirror diagonal because is a dielectric 1/12 lambda 99% reflectivity , however , my not so glamourous plastic-fantastic Amici goes places far away from home-base and also gets used for day vision so each has it's perks.

Hello, I think this article covers the whole shebang quite nicelly Zenith mirrors and erecting optics (astroshop.eu)