GasGiant

It does look a great bit of kit for the cash ! Id like an allrounder, I guess. But not only that, Im interested in learning about editing and stacking etc Maybe the second hand market is the place to look. People selling bundled kit they got fed up with 🤣

So I've been happily pulling out the Dob and doing some general mooching around the sky. Its been dreadful weather but managed a couple of times. Ive managed to snag Jupiter which was very nice and also Saturn briefly before she ( are planets female? ) disappeared. Thoughts turned to imaging and potentially buying a second scope with matched mount to take some snaps. WOW ! I'm lost. There is just soooo much kit to look at, its no wonder people get confused. Its all nice and shiny and enticing me with is optical glow. but..... I see you can buy a reasonably 'set up' but what about future proofing? If I buy a reasonably prices set up, how long will it be before I outgrow it and then want the next fix. Does it ever end? 😆 Looking at something like the explorer 150 p ds. Looks good, reviews on youtube etc seem favourable and its in budget but then, Oh, I need a camera, I need filters, I need a laptop, I need this I need that. Then I looked at the 200 and then OOooo, whats this, the 250, HHmm! Oh my days😂 I cant afford to waste money on kit I will outgrow but then what ? Anyway, this is just a random moan. I presume other people here are at the same stage as me. Like every other hobby I have had I will likely waste a load of cash!! My misses says my motto should be BUY HIGH, SELL LOW🤷‍♂️ Too much choice. First world problems, eh 😁

Nice! Where is astro mode on the ultra ? Ive looked in the photo menus.

Can I ask a question plz, would you look at DSO nebulars and such, through a 30mm eyepiece/Dob for a wide FOV ?

I snagged Jupiter last night. Im finding that getting the moons in shot over exposes the planet. but if I crank the exposure down the moons disappear. Lots to learn yet ! Viewing with a 30mm Eyepiece is very comfortable. When I switch to the 9 ( its all I have a the moment ) the planet whizzes past at a great rate of knots haha. I have a job with the dob keeping up.

I saw Saturn for the first time ever ( Live) last night. It was only tiny but hey, I saw it 🙂 However, it soon disappeared 😞 I would love to see more. Jupiter and its moons were FAB last night.

Thats FANTASTIC !!

Thank you folks, very informative. I think on balance I will go for the starguider lenses. Having just done some quick research and seeing favourable reviews, I think at the point Im at now they will certainly match my expectations, and my budget ! I have popped some in my FLO basket as well as a barlow and will grab em on my birthday in Feb. 😀 Cheers folks Carl

Merry christmas guys n gals Im lost ! Im looking to get maybe two or three eyepieces to match up with my 10" Dob. It came with a 30mm Stellelyra and a 9mm plossl. There is such a vast array Im not really sure what I'm looking for. So my main targets will be planets but I would also obviously like to look around at everything else too. Am I right in saying that the smaller the number the MORE powerful the lens ? Were as a larger number will give a wider field of view but have less sharp detail ? Can anyone recommend a set ? Im not made of money so a mid range/quality, maybe ? lol Thank you Carl

I took this last night and thought it was pretty cool. Then I popped in here to post it and saw some of the others, and now I think my pic is rubbish. lol Anyway. its a start One is as it came and one i have edited to B/W to try draw out some detail. I saw Jupiter and its moons too ! 10 inch dob - S23 Ultra on a phone holding gizzmo l

Hi all Have not posted in ages as have been too busy with other things. I think my last question was 'how do you store a dob' ! or something like that. Ive not even had a good gander through this thing yet and Ive had it around 3 months. lol Anyway. Having no real space in other sheds I have dotted around I decided the best solution was to make a dedicated box for it. I wanted it to be super easy for me to just go out with minimal fuss when the mood takes me. I didnt fancy having it stored somewhere and having to disassemble, drag it down the garden, re-assemble etc. I think I would have been soon put off using it. So I made a box the right size and plopped it on a runway I made especially for it. I can now just open up the door, wheel it out down the ramp and Im ready to go ! Being a bit higher should make observing less of a back bending exercise and if something is in the wrong position I will just need to jump on the runway. The casters I fitted have locking feet so Im sure it will be secure enough ? I will make a cover sock for it and put in some moisture traps and I think it should be ok? Any thoughts, improvements ? Ive yet to finish it. It needs some vent holes and the foam lining finishing. The door is lined too. Excuse the state of the garden cough cough. Carl

Thank you folks. Im wondering if a DSLR mount will be better suited for me. Ive got an XT2 I could use. Surely if the moon is nice and bright I can select a fast shutter speed, this would stop motion blur of the slow moving moon ?? Its all very complex 😬

Dragged the new scope out last night and pointed at the moon. WOW ! just B E A utiful. I found the 9mm uncomfortable so switched to the 30. So bright ( I need a filter! ) So Ive been looking at cameras and more specifically the ZWO range. I have a Dob so I am aware that its not really the the best mount for astro photog. However, I really would like to take footage of the moon passing and some images. Im lost ! https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-cameras.html There are so many, gulp. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which one to buy ? I have a 10" Stellalyra Dob. I dont have pots of cash, so that is a deciding factor ! I read somewhere ( though ive lost it now ) that they can connect to you phone as well as a PC. This is a big advantage for me as I am a point and shoot type of guy. If anyone can post moon images using these cams, that would be fab. Also, this guy recons he has taken all these incredible images using the ASI120 MC @ 158 gbp. Is this possible or is it clever stacking/post processing. Seems like astro photog is a wormhole I should be wary of going down. 🤣

Hi all So I had my first look through the new dob last night. Eager to get out I was out early while the moon was not too high. Being a full moon as well it was super bright, but hey ho. Earlier that day I had set it all up and just left it outside. The condensation on the scope when I came to it was all over the wood mount, the lenses, the tube was wringing ! and obviously made any viewing totally impractical. We cant get away with it. Do you guys look at the humidity/dew point and just not bother if its high, last night was 75% humidity for me. Or what are your fixes ? Heated tubes, do you 'lag' the eyepieces etc I didnt run the fan last night, should I have ? Im a pretty practical guy, Id like to try some homemade fixes if poss Carl

That was easier than expected. It was near bob on through the Cheshire tool, just a few tweaks. I fixed a point in the distance on a neighbours chimney and in one of the vent hole lives a big spider 🤣😂 Things ive noted so far. Everything went together well and the overall feel of the stuff is nice quality. 1) The tightening screws throw the collimation out. Is this something I have to learn to live with ? I just ever so slightly nipped them up. 2) The metal bearing attached to the scope in the mount has some play in it on both sides. If youre fixing on a target this makes it a little tricky. They included a felt strip on one side of the cutout. I think it could do with it all the way around the scope mount just to cinch it up. Its an easy fix. Apart from that, lovely kit. I cant wait to see some stuff !! Carl

Well, its here. Now to figure out the collimation and line the eye piece up then hope for some clear sky

Hi Simon Instantly banned !? lol . Why ? Anyway, welcome.

Some great piccies here ! I have an S23 ultra. I was thinking of trying some images with my fujifilm but Im going to try the cam phone first. I just bought a phone holder. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09PVDGV6N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have image tracking on my phone, I wonder if that would work for say, the moon. Well, until it goes out of the view finder ? That way I could try multiple images and stack them ?

Cheers folks for all the advice. Going back to the storage. I had a cunning plan of making a tall box for it to stay out in the garden, all sealed ( apart from vents) and what not. I thought a run of slabs from the front to plop it on would work too. If its there and easy to get to I will be more inclined to use it ! I suppose I will have to paint it in some way, enough to please the misses 🙂

Just purchased the 10 " 😀

@Mr Spock Do you have any issues with scopes in a shed. I mean with condensation or whatever ? do you wrap them in a blanket while stored or just leave em ?

Ok, folks. If I bough the 8" what addons would you get for it please ? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/stellalyra/stellalyra-8-f6-dobsonian.html EDIT> just noticed this is OOS 😞

Im lucky, I live in a village with zero street lighting 🙂 However, Im only 22 miles from London town as the crow flies. I wonder how much light pollution will affect my views from that distance.

Thank you so much for the advise Ok, how about this ? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/stellalyra-10-f5-dobsonian.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw38SoBhB6EiwA8EQVLjzd32TX7r-CKJQYPTFUxEodD4ZeLq_nbnURiaZhLBmMWaiAQASe5xoC8icQAvD_BwE The 10 Inch version. 10 is better than 8, right 🙂 The reason I may get a dob is that even though it is a big unit, I have a spot I can keep it safe and dry. A more trad scope with tripod etc may prove more cumbersome.

Thanks folks As it happens, My next door neighbour ( who we are good friends with ) is an astrophysicist and she runs astronomy courses at the private school she works at. RESULT !! 🙂 She can come around, have a wine with the misses and teach me some stuff !