m37

I think the noise setting is used to minimise or remove hot pixels...

If you plug your equipment details into this http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fov.htm You will get a pretty accurate representation of the field of view the object should occupy i.e. how much of the whole view it will take up. As for the actual appearance of the object, detail and so on varies widely depending on the equipment used. thanks Chris

I just use sketching as a form of recording my session. I basically imagine a clock face and locate stars as accurately as possible. I make a rough attempt to represent the brightness/apparent size but I'm not to obsessive about it. I've tried a couple of clusters so far, just did them as a smudge with areas of brightness represented rather than accurately recorded to the nth degree. Mainly I use it as a way to capture my observation and also to force my eyes to tease out every last bit of detail I can. Just use a cheap sketch book, couple of cheap pencils from the B end of the spectrum, finge

Never even been to Bradford but welcome anyway!!! Cheers mate Chris

That looks like a really great piece of ingenuity! Welcome aboard. If you could share how you built your scope we would all love to see the details. Chris

Welcome! Hope you enjoy it! Chris

Hello and welcome. Chris

Welcome to sgl my friend. You're in the right place, lots of knowledge on here. Friendly too! Cheers Chris

Welcome aboard! Could you post some pictures as you progress with your project? Lots of diy fans on here (me included!) Who would love to see your work! Cheers Chris

Hi friend, welcome to the board! Chris

Hello Ben, welcome on board! Chris

Hi Roy. Warmest welcomes from Nottingham! Cheers Chris

Hello and welcome. Cheers Chris

Hi mate and a warm welcome from Nottingham uk! Chris

Hi and welcome! Wex photographic sometimes have some good used and clearance tripods/monopods so might be worth a look. Your nearest London camera exchange might also have some used gear. Cheers

Hello and a warm cloudy welcome from Nottingham! Chris

Hi and welcome to sgl. A dobsonian is a fantastic choice. The 250px is really good for the money and will last you a lifetime. Just make sure you get something you will use regularly, dobs are perfect for this as they require very little setup. Quick check of collimation every now and then and you are sorted. No power required! Cheers Chris

Hi and welcome.

Hi and welcome. Your telescope will have a t thread if it's 42mm, this is the standard for astrophotography. You would need a DSLR to t thread adapter to go on the camera which then screws on to the t thread of the telescope. This is called prime focus imaging. A quick google did not turn up such a beast for your camera so you might be limited to a focal imaging where you leave the eyepiece on the scope and mount the camera with a bracket to snap whatever is at the eyepiece. Good luck Chris

That was the reason I opted for the Skytracker. Looks like the construction quality of the SW offering is probably quite a bit better but I just couldn't get round the obscured polar scope thing. I'm struggling with the weather at the moment too. New job means I am more or less restricted to Friday/Saturday evenings too so my chances of cloud-free sessions are greatly reduced. Chris

That is awesome and ridiculous at the same time.

How about a couple of sticky pads to fix it to the tube and some cable roles to lock it down tight? If you put it towards the objective end it might help to balance the weight of the camera (assuming you are imaging). You could do with treating it on the dovetail as a pivot to find the optimal balance point. Just check there is no play in it, if there is you could email flo and ask if they have a more mechanically sound solution. Cheers Chris

Let us know how it performs, I almost bought one instead of my skytracker. Cheers Chris

I have the non goto 250px. Out of the box it was a little stiff but useable. I found a couple of tweaks helped me no end. Initially a dab of light lube on the alt bushes made it move very smoothly and some Teflon furniture pads freed up the az axis. I went a bit further and added a lazy Susan bearing to the az axis wand now very fine adjustments are a breeze. To help locate objects I got a cheap digital angle gauge for the alt axis... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Protractor-Inclinometer-Leather-Batteries/dp/B001YJ8F8K ...and put tape round the base with 5 degree markings for the az. Works r

Is this to allow for time finding an object? Never heard that one before. What is it meant to achieve? I'd be interested as I just use current time with my Dob.