paulastro

Thanks Ratlet I'll check out proshoot.

Coco I've only just your post or I would have commented before. In terms of the hardware you get they are worth next to nothing by themselves, I agree with you. Having said that, the difference having the Starsense system through the app is immeasurable in my view. For visual observers there is no faster, more reliable or easier to use locating system to help you find objects - including any goto system I'm aware of. Just price up any goto mount - the SS hardware can be used on any scope if you have the know how at very little cost - and it's a one off cost. Similarly, look at the price of digital systems using encoders, and the SS offers so much more. I agree £180 (less actually) is not an insignificant amount of money - but compared with many other things astronomers seem willing to spend far more on, its an absolute bargain. Over £400 for some eyepieces, hundreds and even thousands for imaging devices which, if you keep them long enough, will be worth almost nothing as they become out of date and incompatable. £200 plus for some filters, up to a £100 plus for adapters to make pieces of equipment to work together, the list is endless. Also, the fact I can spend virtually all my time under the stars observing rather than looking for things is hard to put a price on. The positive effects it can have on anyone's observing, however experienced you may be is immense. I don't know where you live, but if you are close enough I'd be happy to give you a demo, and you'd know then if it was worth the money to you. Or perhaps a local astro club may have members who use the system?

Keith, have you got this telescope youself? Is so I'm wondering if you think it would take a C5? It looks like a cloned Zhummel, or is it the other way round? 🙂

Thanks vlaiv and AstroKeith, I found out what the mount is, it's this. You're right vlaiv, the last thing I need is another scope! The mount you suggested might do the trick, though it's not the exact one of course. I'm also wondering if they would do the job. The money might be better spent on a strong table top tripod which will take my scopetech zero - if there is such a tripod at the right price. I'll give it some more thought. I'm more than happy for any more suggestions. Thanks again.

The telescope is a C5, and the pic is a still from a u-tube video by John Read of Learning to Stargaze. John indicates the mount came with a scope costing around 100 dollars, and that the mount is suitable as a tabletop mount for the C5. If I can find one used it could be useful. Does anyone recognise it? I have searched myself, but not found this exact mount. If anyone knows of something similiar that could do the job, that would be very helpful 🙂. Thanks for reading.

Why thank you Mike, I like 'talented'. Though, when you say 'imager', it's not usually a compliment 🤔.

I was out observing the Moon (and Venus) from 9.40pm to 11.15pm. Using the Celestron 8 inch Starsense Explorer Dob with 17.5 and 12.5 Morpheus eyepieces ans a x2 Celestron X-Cel LX barlow. Seeing fairly steady at times - good for my site. The terminator showed fine detail along it's length, but I paid most attention to Sinus Iridum plus Copernicus and its environs. The Ridges that are parallel to the Jura Mtns and to each other were very prominent. In addition, small segments of these mtn tops were illuminated between Promontoriums Heraclides and Laplace. Looking rather like a necklace with beads at various places. When fully illuminated, and when the bay is not illuminated immediately to the S, this is known as the 'Cup Handle' among other names. Further to the S, up to C.Herschel there is a named Ridge, Dorset Heim. This continues up into Sinus Iridum, but the Ridges across the bay themselves don't have a specific name as far as I'm aware. There was good detail in Copernicus, despite not being optimally placed. However, there was great contrast in its surroundings showing the variations in the ejects from the impact extremely well. The areas of dark Maria material to the N and E of Copernicus were very striking. The pics below are snaps taken with my phone, held a little behind the eyepiece so not as good as they could have been, but are sufficient to show the scene. The pic of Sinus Iridum was with the 12.5 and barlow giving x 192, visually it was really spectacular. The other was using the 17.5 giving x76. The map is taken from the Rukl atlas.

Just ordered one, many thanks Stu and Ratlet 😊.

Thanks Stu 👍😊

Many thanks,much appreciated.

Could you tell me where you ordered it from please? The link at the start of the thread didn't work for me. Many thanks.

PS Stu, what phone adapter do you use? I have the Celestron XYZ (I think) which I don't think is as good as it should be, some unwanted movement. Perhaps it's a dud!

Thanks Stu, no wonder its such a cracking picture. Just don't tell the Taki Brotherhood I said it though will you 😊.

Many thanks Kev, really nice pics. When I post observing opportunities like this, I do wonder sometimes if anyone reads them, never mind actually goes out to try and observe them. You're observation of the event and report are a great encouragement to me to post things in the future. If just one person observes the event its worthwhile to me. Thank you.

Very nice 'snap' Stu. Excellent, was it with your phone? My view was rather lack lustre, out at 9pm but before 10 the sky had gone very hazy and the moon was very dull. Still, good to have a view though 🙂.

https://stargazerslounge.com/forum/239-celestial-events-heads-up

Courtesy of S&N mag, May issue.

May 26th/27th, 10.40pm to 00.50am, 8inch Starsense Dob, 17.5 and 12.5 Morpheae and x2 Celestron X-Cel LX barlow. I spent most most of the time on the Moon. An abundance of intricate lacework-like detail along most of the terminator. Montes Haenus and Caucasus were right on the terminator framing the W edges of M Serenitatis, with Eudoxus and Aristillius just to the N. Very striking. With Julius Caesar on the terminator, Rimae Ariadaeus, Treisnecher and Hyginus were very well placed. When the poor seeing lessened its grip I could use a mag of x136 to good effect. The sky became increasingly hazy but I had time to observe a few more tolerant deep sky objects. These included globulars M13, M92, M10, M12 and M5, and open clusters the ET/Owl and the Double Cluster. I couldn't resist planetary M27, though it was extremely subdued in the haze and moonlight. I put the Orion Ultrablock on the 17.5 and it really popped. Better than I expected, and a suitable finale to a fine evening.

Nice one Mr Spock, excellent detail. Thanks for posting.

I'm delighted you're up and running again Andrew, welcome back! I'll look forward to reading about your second first light of the 10inch Starsense dob. You've got a wonderful location there, lovely pics. I'm only a little green 😄.

Thank again Stu, some good suggestions there, I'll take them on board.

Many thanks Stu, thats very kind of you. I had actually thought this myself before I posted it on this thread. I did think it may be of interest in a couple of other places, but thought this may be a bit presumptious of me. I must admit, though lots of interesting posts go onto this thread, I have had mixed feelings about it for a while. I feel that the individual observing forums (and probably others) no longer have as many contributions as they used to because the 'what did you see tonight' forum is used as a catch all for any type of observation. Before it was started I would browse the different observing threads for things of interest, but they seem to be used much less often than they used to be. This means I have to follow this thread, but I don't have time to read all of the contributions so therefore probably miss a lot I would be interested in. Just my own opinion of course, and it may not be an issue for anyone else. Also, having thought about it many times, I have no idea if, could or should anything be done about it. Probably not 🤔 🙂. Thanks again Stu.

Nice shot, it was lovely, nice through my 130 Newt.

On the night of 21st to 22nd I had a good session with a couple of surprises, which I'll get to in a bit. Generally the sky wasn't very steady, and there were frequent hazy patches - luckily the 8inch Starsense Dob can punch through it to some degree, and the SS locating system meant I didn't need to use the finder - just as well with the absence of fainter stars. Set up by midnight and then observed some objects less affected by any haze and had nice views of M13, M92, M57, M81 and M82 ( these two brighter galaxies where higher up so less affected by haze than most I looked at). I tried for M101 at this time to look for the supernova, but the conditions made it very difficult to make out. I looked at M27, but it looked tather ghostly so I added my ancient Orion Skyglow Ultrablock (made in Japan) 1.25 filter to the Morpheus 12.5mm. What a difference, it was a huge improvement, in the extent and detail of M27 itself and the increased contrast of the background sky - beautiful. I must admit I don't use this filter as often perhaps as I should. However, encouraged by this I turned to the Owl Nebula, with a similiar impressive performance compared with the unfiltered view. Just for fun I used it on M81/M82, but as I expected I preferred the view without the filter, after all its not really designed for use on galaxies. Undeterred I turned back to M101 with the filter on, more in hope than expectation, and there it was! It was also visible without the filter so the conditions must have improved since my previous attempt. I then took the filter off to look for the supernova, but I had only been looking for a few seconds when a bright satellite rushed through the field (mag 5 or 6 I guess but it looked bright in the 8 inch) from right to left above M101. Then for about thirty seconds perhaps, M101 was mobbed by a squadron of at least six more same mag satellites on parallel paths passing either through, above or below the galaxy! I looked away from the eyepiece but couldn't see any with the naked eye. The time was 1.30am (plus or minus a couple of mts) on 22nd. I presume they were part of some commercial satellite launch. Did anyone else see this, or know which satellites they were? I then realised I wasn't sure of the exact location of the SN, so I've no idea if I saw it or not! With still iffy skies, I looked at some more globulars for a while, M3, M53, M5, M10, M12 and M14. Itslways nice seeing and comparing a group of GCs, they all have their own personalities when you get to know them. I then started to look to the SE to see what more southerly objects I could find. There were few stars visible with the naked eye in that direction, but no problems finding objects with Starsense. I looked at M23, a nice open cluster and then two of my favourite objects, M11 the Wild Duck Cluster, the Eagle Nebula M16 then the Omega/Swan Nebula along with the open cluster M17. Then M18 near the Sagittarius star cloud. It wasn't the best views I've had of these objects but they all looked better than I expected in the conditions. My best views had been getting on for 28 years ago when I spent three weeks in Crete with a C5! The best was yet to come, when at 2.45am, I picked up M22. This great globular shines at mag 5.2 and is 32' across (the same diam as the Moon). It contains half a million stars and is the third largest globular after Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae. At only just 11 degrees altitude it was rather subdued through the layers of haze, but very impressive by its size non the less. If you can get a good view of it , it is almost beyond words. I left it at 2.58, still visible despite the haze and a brightening sky. Just as I packed up, one of our local Tawnies was calling, and a hedgehog startled me as it rattled a neighbours metal gate as it squeezed underneath it. A lovely ending to a fine night.

You need not be concerned about the database, it has tens of thousands of objects in the database, the SS software is very similiar to that of SkySafari - it comes from the same company. Read the Section on Starsense Catalogues in Alan Dyers review. https://astrogeartoday.com/celestrons-new-starsense-dobsonians-reviewed/ It's absolutely brilliant. I've been a visual observer for over 50 years and it's the best development there has been in all that time for visual observers as far I'm concerned. A real game changer. The best thing I ever did was to buy the Starsense 8inch Dob a year ago.