Machinetools1

This does suck for sure....I used to sell motorcycle parts on e-bay. I stopped as E-bay takes so much percentage of your money and I was burned like this once. Thats all it took for me. I would fight this one.

The light at my house is most likely like everyone else. I could be at darker sky's in about 25 minutes. I have been putting it off as I wanted more experience with using my scope. and it is easy in the back yard. I have been trying to get a grasp of the starry skies, man there is a lot out there and trying to find and remember where the items are is tough. I have a couple of star pinwheels and just trying to wrap my head around the vastness. I think I will get a better finders scope. I guess use it as you stated with the RDF. Thanks for the tips.

Very friendly and very informative. I get lost in all of the archive information.

Welcome to a great sight.

Welcome.....

Thanks for all the reply's. For the lens, I was using the Svbony 34 MM Ultra Wide Angle 72-degree HD fully coated 2-Inch. I was relying on the Goto with Starsense and my phone. It seems very accurate. I panned on Neptune, Saturn, Vega, the moon, cannot miss that, Sirius, Capela, Rigel and Betelgeuse. The Goto seemed to work well. I rely too much on the electronic system as of now. My goal is to star hop once I get familiar with the night sky's. My scope came with the stock red light laser. I had aligned it when I got my scope. I never used it to find what I was looking for as the Goto system always placed me there. I will check the laser finder when I have the scope out again. I also joined a local Astronomy club. I am very much looking forward to this. Its cloudy tonight and it appears there might be some rain in the forecast, so I will be checking that out the next time. Is there a better spotting scope a person could recommend?

I honestly think I had too much night light pollution, and the moon was out to boot. I was just curious as to what these items look loke in other observers 8-inch scopes., and also what eye pieces work for them.

I have an 8-inch Celestron Next Star Evolution with the Star Sense Auto Align. This thing works amazingly well. In my current back yard, I have quite a few streetlights and tree blockage. I have been experimenting and viewing the bright stars and Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune. Neptune is not much to see as it was closer to the horizon and it being so far away. It was almost a full moon last night and it was beautiful to look at, bad to try and find other objects. My question is, will I be able to see some of the messier objects. I tried to find a few last night, I was either doing something wrong or too much night light, or wrong set-up. I could not find the Crab Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula, the Orion Nebula, or the Bodes Nebula. I have a few eye pieces that I have gotten from my dad and some I received when I purchased my scope. Here is what I have 1) Svbony SWA 26 MM FOV 30-degree -2 inch 2) LVW22 MM long eye relief multi coated 65 -degree -1.25 and 2 inch 3) Svbony 34 MM Ultra Wide Angle 72-degree HD fully coated 2-Inch 4) Astro -Tech 28 MM UWA 82-degree 2-inch 4) Sirius Plossl Japan, 9 MM, 10 MM, 17 MM, 25 MM, 26 MM -1.25 inch 5) K 40 MM E.F.W.- 1.25 inch 6) Meade multi coated 15.5 MM -1.25 inch 7) Meade multi coated OR9 mm- 1.25 inch 😎Tele Vue 19 MM wide field - 1.25 inch 9) Meade super plossl 6.4 MM multi coated - 1.25 inch 10) Meade super wide angle 18 MM multi coated - 1.25 inch 11) Meade 2x Telenegative Amplifier Air Space Triplet multi Coated Model 140 12) Orion Shorty Barlow lens - 1.25 inch I feel I should be able to see a few Nebulae with my scope. Maybe there is too much light pollution. My scope works well for planets, the moon, bright stars, but I think the F number is too high for deep sky deep sky observing. Am I correct or am I wrong.

How can you tell how good a Barlow is? Obviously from a price point, but what makes a good one in the manufacturing process. Is it in the Lense design, coatings or how they are put together?

A warm welcome to SGL

A warm welcome to SGL

Well.... I find this forum very interesting, a wealth of information given from season veterans of the sport. I have been riding dirt bikes since I was 4 years old. This was my hobby of choice. After many accidents and broken bones, I can honestly say I still ride but no more racing. I was a machinist for 25 years before moving on to another career. It was great as I worked on my own bikes and made a lot of my own parts. When I raced or even still ride, people look at what you are riding and then judge your skills by the bike you ride. I have been put on the trailer more times than not thinking a person is riding a clapped-out bike and his skill must match his bike. Or a person that looks clearly out of shape only to humble you as he beats you back to the pits. The reason I say these things is the person that has the most money or the person that has that one-of-a-kind scope has the most knowledge. This is not necessarily true. Like motorcycle racing, money does not make you fast.....oh it may help but you have to be fast yourself. A bike is like a scope it enhances your skills. What they lacked in gear they had to make up for in study, sky knowledge and time. I see this more and more as I get out into the night sky. Once my scope is acclimated to the outside weather it takes less than 3 minutes, and I am stargazing. Now this is a great tool and speeds up your process, but it is lacking that one very important puzzle piece. Your knowledge of knowing the map of the stars, constellations and their movement. Every aspect of overhead looking at the night sky has to be learned and you have to put the work in to be understand what you're looking at and where it is in the night sky. Now there are several ways to learn and there are several ways a person understands. The three primary learning styles are visual, auditory and kinesthetic. By understanding the different ways people learn, you can improve your teaching and help learners achieve their goals. The 3 Main Learning Styles While widely accepted, there continues to be much debate about Learning Styles in the field of education. Is it better to teach using a variety of Learning Styles or is it better to use the one best suited to the content or the individual? Despite our improved understanding of psychology and neural physiology since the theory’s inception, a consensus remains unlikely. While multiple styles, models and frameworks exist, this article will only focus on the three primary ones.1 What is a Learning Style? A Learning Style is an individual’s preferred, most effective method of absorbing new information and learning new skills. It is also referred to as Thinking Styles, Cognitive Styles or Learning Modalities. Learning Styles can be fluid, changing depending on the task to be accomplished. It is not a measure of someone’s ability or intelligence, but rather a preference for one mode over another.2 Advocates of this notion believe that the individual should be taught in the style that best suits them, regardless of content. The opposing view is that the content should be taught in the style that best suits it, regardless of the individual.3 The pioneer of this concept, Robert Sternberg, also interestingly theories that governments are a reflection of how people think; Theory of Mental Self-Government: Thinking Styles. Learning Style# 1: Tactile or Kinaesthetic Kinaesthetic is learning through movement or by tactile (touch) memory. Individuals who gravitate towards this thinking style often appear restless or fidgety due to their constant need for movement. An example of this is someone who taps their foot when thinking or frequently gestures when talking. Kinaesthetic learn best by ‘doing’. For this reason, they can struggle with memorizing lists or have difficulty spelling. Recommended teaching techniques would be; Experiments and Labs Gamification Field trips Role-playing or Scenarios Problem-solving; case studies, simulations Learning Style# 2: Visual Visual learners need to ‘see’ what is being taught instead of being ‘talked at’. Often reticent, they shy away from active participation, preferring to observe group discussions or projects. Most commonly associated with the concept known as ‘photographic memory’, they are adept at memorizing diagrams, charts and images, tending to ‘visualize’ even abstract concepts in order to understand it. Visual learners are inclined to daydream, with their mind wandering during conversations. Recommend teaching techniques would be; Flash cards Color coding information Encouraging highlighting of key points in texts Using diagrams, photographs, charts, maps etc. Having them write down notes during lectures. Using acronyms, mnemonics or mind maps Learning Style# 3: Auditory Auditory learning is through the act of listening. Often outgoing, these learners revel in conversation and dislike prolonged silences. Easily distracted, it is difficult to hold their attention if they aren’t actively participating in the lecture or discussion. Auditory learners prefer to work or study while listening to music. These learners require some form of background noise and while this may be intrusive to others, it helps them focus and concentrate. Recommend teaching techniques would be. Videos or podcasts Having them read aloud. Using songs, rhymes or poems Group discussions or debates Teaching concepts using rhythmic sounds. Using word associations or aural word games Now it's Kinaesthetic learning that works for me. Never was good with textbooks and memory but great at hands on learning. So, for me looking at all of the star maps and going to the library and trying to learn by reading sometimes is a lost effort. It's not that I am lazy or uninterested, it's just a harder way for my mind to respond. So, for me I joined a local Astronomy club, and I am hopping this will be a better learning angle for me. I go out in the nights sky and pick up where things are with the maps and my pin wheel. Sometimes it gets a bit confusing for me and I want to ask questions but there is no one standing beside me. So, I feel a club might be my best bet. You have to put the time in somewhere and somehow. The great thing about all of this is there is a place you can ask questions without feeling humiliated or unintelligent. For me I am very grateful to have a place where us newbies can feel safe and comfortable to ask questions that are obvious to seasoned astronomers. In life sometimes we all do not start on the green flag. Thank you so much for this forum.

Thank you ... I am really looking forward to learning more about this fascinating hobby. Thank you for the worm welcomes.

Thanks for the reply's. I have been searching this forum for a minute and there are some very good topics for beginners. Its very refreshing to see the help of the other members helping newbies. As I look through this forum it is evident that newbies can benefit a great deal from the information given. Thank you

Thank you for the welcome mat. I am reading and trying to understand what the different types of eyepieces are and the dedicated jobs they do. When I purchased my scope, it had the Starsense auto align and this sure makes setting up a lot easier. I have some eye pieces that I acquired from my dad, just trying to figure out their job duties. Some of the concepts are foreign to me but I will pick it up the more I dive into Astronomy and read through the forum. Thanks for the invite.