yeti monster

That's a good obsy. A pier will really make a huge difference, no tripping over tripod legs, which will upset both your alignment and your temper.

Oddly, no response yet..........??????

Excellent Baz, I've just passed it on to some Land Rover folk who are expressing interest in astronomy.

Good stuff Ian, I'm thinking about a small Mak to bring to work next trip and your report is favourable. I'm trying to narrow my search down, but it seems to be widening.........

I picked up a cheapo parts box at Focus (sic) DIY whilst I was collecting stuff to make my Dob mount. Using the foam I'd removed from thr Maplins case I keep the 20x80s in, I managed to get almost every piece in except for the Carton (Prinz) EPs and my diagonal. Can't seem to find my camera though................

I knew it was something like that...........

I wasn't gonna mention the shroomz.........

The best way to see nebulars in colour is to buy an astronomy book full of glossy and grossly misleading Hubble type images...........

Or get your self to the hugest big scope possible perhaps...........

Magnification will reduce the contrast, making the nebulae even fainter. A wide, long focus EP will retain the contrast. Large aperture scopes gather more light, which in turn increases the contrast until eventually, so I believe, you start to see colours. I've heard 20" mentioned somewhere, I'm sure, to be able to see any descernable colour. But I'm still a novice, so don't just take my word for it.

Mine end up filled with bits of 'baccy when I do that!

Some nice, neat stowage going on here. My EPs are sat in a shelf in the office, I just nip in and grab the ones I need. I'll get a case at some point, I'll need one soon enough in order to become mobile.

I have a very simple "bridge" camera atm, but am hoping to progress to DSLR in the not too distant. If the property market gods are kind, I am also hoping to purchase a shiney new scope that will enable me to start imaging with said DSLR. I am inspired by this thread and will be seeking advice etc. when the time comes.

Hi, I too have only been here a couple of days, and am please with the warm welcomes and the masses of information I have stumbled upon just browzing the forumses.

A suggestion (probably already been made), FAQs for each section, so that a newbie/beginner/progressor may study the answers without having to cause folk to repeat themselves.

Naturally, there will always be many many questions anyway, but these may be more specific as the general ones would be already stored.

Anyhoo, so glad I stumbled upon SGL.

A nice refresher, for someone like me, who is (once again) stepping out under the night sky (when I return home in 2 weeks). I do have a rather old reflector, which was good for viewing planets, although I don't know how it has faired these past 10 years or so in the shed.......