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DarkLane

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Everything posted by DarkLane

  1. @westmarchThat´s a great website, thanks for sharing that. I will definitely be using it.
  2. Thanks! thats great advice. Signed up for the monthly newsletter, should be a good edition to my library. I can already tell that my mount will be a weak spot, it bounces around pretty good so it´s now on my shopping list for upgrades once I figure out the basics.
  3. Thanks @Marvin Jenkins I'm looking forward to this viewing in just over a month now. I'm using a small Newtonian, a Celestron Powerseeker 114EQ, and I'm aware of its shortcomings but as a beginner scope I think it gave me the best bang for the buck. I'm lucky to have nearly perfect dark skies to travel to for my viewing so I'm hoping that helps a bit. The Dumbbell planetary nebula is the "difficult" target on my list but what's a list without a challenge, eh?
  4. Thanks, I'll have a read on Wikipedia. For a lark I looked up whether I could get a copy and I'll be damned, sure enough, you can buy a replica on Amazon! Don't you love the internet? Uranometira Vranometria Asterismorum Continens Expressa ps. Delivered!
  5. DarkLane

    Greetings

    Thanks all, I will post as much as possible with views once I get out there. @davhei I can imagine interest will drop off in the winter a bit but I will endeavour to see something in summer. Problem is the sun really, it's pretty well full on until September.
  6. Hi, could someone explain to me what the greek symbols on stellar maps are for? Here´s an example: Spica is denoted with an aleph, and the symbols continue through the constellation. I can´t find much info on them because I´m not sure what I´m searching for.
  7. Just stumbled onto your build thread here and was awestruck at the fullness of your construction, very impressive. I was wondering how you´ve been handling the high temperatures France has been getting, does this cause you difficulty later in the day when viewing? Are the domes conditioned somehow? so many questions...
  8. Hi, brand new at all of this and working out a list of the targets I´d like to see in September (Sun begins to recede here then.) I´m grabbing a number items that I´ve read are easier to tackle at first. I´m popping this here mostly so I don´t forget but any comments are welcome... Moon - Apollo 11 sites Saturn – Planet Mizar & Alcor – Multiple Star System Albireo – Beautiful Double Star Andromeda Galaxy, M31 – Spiral Galaxy Hercules Cluster, M13 – Globular Cluster Double Cluster, NGC 869 & NGC 884 – Close Open Clusters Dumbbell Nebula, M 27 – Planetary Nebula Seven Sisters - Pleiades - Open Cluster
  9. I don´t want to broach any SGL restrictions, I´m new here. I just thought I´d raise awareness. Moderators should feel free to move this discussion if it isn´t appropriate here. As far as I can tell it isn´t a sudden issue and has been protested from the 1950´s when the scopes were built. The issue seems to be one of legacy appropriation, the University of Hawaii´s rent-free status and foreign investment, lax planning laws in conservation areas, etc etc. It all sounds quite murky
  10. Read this article and I was quite divided by it Mauna Kea telescope protests I can remember the violent confrontations between Quebec Mohawk and Federal agents that happened at Oka over a land dispute (golf course development) not dissimilar to this one and my sympathies were with Mohawk rights since it seemed to me that prejudicial courts and church had stripped the land piecemeal away from the Mohawk over decades until they had nothing left. Now I believe a telescope is a far better development than a golf course, but it makes me uneasy to see astronomy advocates push this forward without much consultation with local native peoples. Can science and cultue exist in an imperfect world?
  11. Wasn´t that Ultima 2X discontinued? Would love to find one myself...
  12. Thanks Stu, I'll make sure to bring a big blanket...
  13. Hi from northern latitudes I'm planning my first observation sessions in September and a series of targets to get started with (did I say I'm new to this). I thought I'd start with the stars of Ursa major, Ursa minor, Bootes, etc. but then I'm looking at Stellarium for September and it shows the Perseids meteor shower, Northern i-aquariids, etc.. I would like to know if these targets are feasible for a beginner. Are meteor showers possible to see in a beginner-intermediate newtonian reflector? I realize I might be biting off more than I can chew but it would be cool to have a go at seeing these.
  14. DarkLane

    Greetings

    I´m afraid that Reykjavík suffers from the same kind of light pollution that a lot of other big cities do but I don´t need to go too far to get to decent skies (about 40 minute drive to a dark-sky spot). That´s the decent trade-off for having a small population. It is fairly rare to see the Aurora inside the city limits but it does happen sometimes
  15. DarkLane

    Greetings

    @Nigella Bryant Thanks and Yes, they are a treat and on good days I can see them in Reykjavik even with the light pollution. I have several friends that make quite a hobby imaging them.
  16. DarkLane

    Greetings

    @Philip R had a good chuckle at that, Iceland the store, yes we are selling bits off every day... @Demonperformer this is what I love about astronomy, so much to see for a very, very, very long time.... @MarsG76 Not yet Mars, sunrise is still around the clock where I am, it is starting to get mildly dark at about 3 in the morning but not enough to see stars yet Once again, thanks for the welcome. I will have load of questions as I bumble through
  17. DarkLane

    Greetings

    Thanks all, a very warm welcome. @Dinglem : I will definitely bring patience along on my sojourn, either that or a really warm blanket. @Philip R : I have heard of these "Jaffa Cakes" but they don't look like cakes. I prefer my dried haddock fillets and butter.... @cletrac1922: Thanks for the tip on the Rover, always looking for a way to gain posterity
  18. I´ve been playing around with the Powerseeker 114eq for a little bit as well and I´ve had some pretty good views come out of it. I´m at the stage where I think it needs a better finderscope and that´s on my list of improvements. I´d also like to get better eyepieces for it since the included ones are fairly basic. For a long time i struggled with idea of using the eq mount but I found a good tutorial online from Michael Bernardo on how to use the Equatorial Mount it showed me how to better understand getting to the objects i wanted to see. Also, i gave up on using the circular settings on the mount as a way to find objects, the Powerseeker just doesn´t have the precision in that department. I mainly just use star maps to see where to go next. it can be difficult to find things with this telescope because of the lack of precision on the dials/knobs etc...
  19. DarkLane

    Greetings

    After a very disappointing start in 2013 which tested my resolve to stargaze at all, I am finally in a position and place to begin all over again. I got my trusty beginner telescope (nothing fancy, celestron powerseeker 114eq), my maps, a good stool, log books, and coffee! I don´t know if there´s anyone else on here from Iceland but the latitude tests an amateur astronomer with only 6 months of viewing time, so I´ve been using my summer to plan out my strategy for Sept, Oct and Nov. Plenty to see if the weather holds. I´m looking forward to seeing the stars again.
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