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Beulah

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Everything posted by Beulah

  1. That's was no mean feat. There's something so 'warm' and nostalgic with these images - can really appreciate the challenges of capturing these objects with film.
  2. Ah stunning. Airglow is very apparent in the second image. 🙂 Zodiacal light is present too at the moment - about an hour after sunset. Look to the west. It will be very easy to capture under those dark skies.
  3. This is a comparison of Newtonians on a Dobsonian Mount between two brands, basic models that are pushed 'the old fashioned way'... I currently own a 300p Skywatcher Skyliner solid tube, a 300p Skywatcher flextube and a 12" Stellalyra dob. (don't ask...😁) I would agree that some dobs are more equal than others at the same price point. When I bought the Skywatcher models, they were pretty much the best of the bunch in the budget models - functional, did the job, etc., but with great mirrors - I spent many a happy year studying all kinds of targets and was surprised at how great Saturn and Jupiter looked when the skies settled for those brief seconds... However, when I bought the Stellalyra dob, I was very surprised at the build quality, which seems far superior for something £210 cheaper than the 300p. Granted, the base is made of the same particle board, but the sensitive dual speed focuser is a dream to use. The altitude bearings are also machined aluminium as opposed to the Skywatcher's plastic alt roller bearings fixed with m6 screws (but somewhat elegant). Visually......I run a lot of astronomy events and have used different telescopes over the years - the "wows" started increasing more when we bought the Stellalyra dob for outreach. It just seems to be quite an improvement in the lunar and planetary department and pretty much equal to the Skywatcher in the DSO department. I've not found much actual research into primary mirror quality between Synta (skywatcher mirror manufacturers) and GSO (Stellalyra) but my feeling is the GSO seems more superior in general visual quality and resolution. It seems such a biased write-up but frankly, why would I spend more money on a telescope that doesn't match up to a competitor who are offering equipment that is visually superior and just engineered better? As a caveat, there needs to be a few post-purchase tweaks on the Stellalyra, such as the mirror springs (factory ones are a bit weak but tolerable), but there are always modifications required... By the way, Stellalyra, AstroTech, Zhumell, Lightbridge, Antares are pretty much made by GSO. You also have Explore Scientific....And Orion Optics... And Skywatcher... What a great time to be living with so much choice at the consumer level!
  4. I feel your pain! Very cloudy across the pond too; the number of full, clear nights since August I can count on one hand!
  5. Yeah, thirded! C6rrules doesn't quite have the same gravitas than Cotterless... 😁
  6. Clear night hikes with binos are an experience not to be missed.
  7. For a free and excellent resource I highly recommend Steve Tonkin's Binocular Sky https://binocularsky.com/ There are also monthly newsletters with the best targets to look out for.
  8. The mobile versions already contain comet data (I have Stellarium +). It's only the desktop version that elements have to be imported.
  9. The weather has been absolutely awful during the late summer/early autumn season. I have never known a time where so much cloud has been present and any clear skies are very short lived. Give the bloke who invented binoculars a nobel peace prize! There are some real gems to be discovered using binos.. I've particularly enjoyed the blue-and-orangeness of Omicron Cygni and 30 Cygni in Cygnus which appears in the field of view as if it is a beautiful double. Plus some open cluster goodness in Cassiopeia, Kemble's Cascade, etc. As with all things, these clouds will pass and hopefully I can clean the dust off the photon bucket to a clear sky one day....😁
  10. Congrats on your purchase; the 200p is a fine telescope. Absolutely fine to carry; just make sure the alt bearing handles (those side handles).are tightened to stop the tube from moving about and be careful with not jolting the scope -mirror alignment (collimation) holds pretty well with the 200p but knocking it about can cause the mirrors to misalign.
  11. Beulah

    M13

    Sorry, HD not HP. It's that lovely red star next to M13.
  12. Beulah

    M13

    Beautiful; Lovely composition with HD 150998. I haven't seen M13 this year due to exceptionally cloudy nights. It's usually a visual staple for me.
  13. If the shed is well ventilated and dry, then yes.. and damp proof membrane is your friend. I accidentally discovered this when building a shed on a level platform structure to defy the 1:3 slope in the garden. If you are leaving the tube open, a shower cap fitted at the mirror and the open end prevents spider poop and webs from forming in the OTA and on the primary mirror. Make sure the eyepiece cover cap it fitted too. I used to store scopes in sheds but there's a few light-fingered folk around even in these quiet parts. Now, they just have an overnight stay so I don't wake up the household by crashing around as you do with large dobs... 😁
  14. Clear skies are so infrequent where I live that I keep revisiting 'old friends' DSOs just so that I can remember where they are!
  15. You won't regret upgrading to a 12 inch dob. Plenty of aperture with relatively easy portability compared to a 16 incher. Two secrets to teasing out great details in DSOs are: Dark skies and a trained observer's eye that comes from plenty of experience at the eyepiece. Anything larger and portability, collimation and weight may become a problem. In addition to needing a step ladder depending on focal length or the observer's height. Aperture fever isn't a rational disease though... 😁
  16. Sometimes, those early morning wake-ups are rewarded with some of the most brightest star scapes I have ever seen, which somehow isn't replicated when observing earlier in the evening. Perhaps the eyes are so incredibly well dark-adapted after a sleep, even though it is thought that 40 minutes is all it takes for the eyes to adapt.
  17. Visit the property at night to see how bad the neighbours' exterior lighting is. Plus check to see if there is any street lighting... sometimes the fixtures are changed in between Google Street view visits! No street lighting is optimal but neighbours' lighting can be just as bad! You could also check the council's street lighting policy...LED colour temperature (sub 3000 Kelvins) part night lighting, etc. South facing aspect with a low horizon to access those beauties in Sagittarius.... Properties in valleys restrict low-placed targets but can shield light pollution from nearby habitations. Properties on hills can suffer from wind exposure. Another think about is access to darker skies ...is the property near any potential prime stargazing areas within a short drive? Rural and isolated is the best but there has to be a happy place between being able to access services/work,etc. We had an opportunity to live in a remote off-grid property a few years ago but had to compromise because of being able to get to work, etc! Good luck!
  18. Glendale app is pretty good too. It's more like a shortcut to a web page that you have on your phone. There's a lot of data to browse, including an IMF chart which predicts activity between 1-3 hours.
  19. I bought the pixel 6 pro on the back of @Stu's hearty recommendations and have been very very impressed with it so far. Taken earlier on this month Straight out of the phone Quick edit in photoshop (no noise reduction applied so it is apparent in the landscape)
  20. Ah sorry thought you meant the icons. Yes, those moving blobs are very much still there!
  21. Press menu button at the bottom left hand side of screen. Long press labels at the bottom and slider down
  22. I have had some experience with this product and we came to the same conclusion that you need a good quality camera on your smartphone for the software to work properly.
  23. A dark sky area with no light pollution is oft beset with clouds
  24. Those of us who have an audience (myself and other associates of IDA dark sky areas) are doing all we can to educate others about the scourge of light pollution though public talks, local campaigns and planetarium shows at school. We have to educate people about the precious resource of dark skies to keep a healthy ecosystem and a healthy humanity but show them how much has been lost. It's gone beyond stargazers wanting to see a pretty star-spangled sky....(one comment I had was "why should I turn my lights off for a niche interest?) Not to mention the precious energy resources we are burning up for the sake of unnecessary 24 hour lighting. As a friend said to me the other day that one of humanity's primal fears is the dark....a lot of re-education is needed.
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