Nigeyboy

I saw this! Like you, I was a kid of 10 at the time, and was gutted I couldn't see it from the UK! Some of the imaging of 1986A that has been coming out over the past 34 years (crikey - 34 years . . . !) has been amazing. I saw some animation put together from images taken over the years, showing the evolution of the immediate area, and you could see the shockwave expanding and heating the surrounding gas up into luminous pearls around it! Awesome!!

Fantastic shot! As mentioned above, its like a viewing port on a Starship!! As mad as it may seem, I have only flown on a passenger plane twice in my life (I'm 43!). Three years ago we went to Crete, and the flight home was at night. I recall seeing stars like that, and flying over a thunderstom - it was amazing!!

Thanks. I have a Skywatcher 150-PL on the standard EQ3-2.

Passed below the moon here in Derby:

I saw that totally by chance! Saw it coming over, and thought to myself 'thats going to pass in front of the moon!', but from where I was in Derby, it passed perhaps a moons diameter below! Shame!!

Hi all, So last night was clear for the first time in what seems like ages! I set up my 150-PL outside while it was still light. Not to cool as it was very warm last night! Think it was warmer outside the house than it was inside! The Moon was well up, but quite low over the roof of a house across the street. I spent perhaps 10-15 minutes looking, but the seeing was rough, and due to the phase, it was pretty dang bright! I did spend some time at high-ish power on my favourite Lunar formation - the Sinus Iridium and surrounding area! It was in full, if low illumination last night, and despite the shimmering it was a beautiful site as ever. I then turned my scope on Jupiter - my main target for last night. From my garden, Jupiter is fairly low, but the general direction is clear of house roofs etc. While the seeing wasn't the best, there were periods where it settled down, and the image became as steady as you like. I started off at low mag of 48x with just my 25mm. I spent quite some time letting my eye tease out detail in the cloud bands. I'm pretty sure I counted 4 cloud bands. I then popped in the 2x barlow with the 25mm. I rarely use the supplied 10mm eyepiece. The image quality is pretty rubbish to be honest. (I'm saving up for some BST ones at the moment) The four Galilean moons where widely placed - Ganymede and Io on the right, and Europa and Callisto on the left. I could make out a definite colour difference between the yellowish Io, and the Blueish Europa. The planet at 96x though was magnificent!! I spent a good 45 minutes on it, and the longer I stayed at the eyepiece, the more detail seemed to become available to me. At first, the cloud bands started to become more apparent. Then detail started to pop in and out of view. I could see a greyish blob just in from the limb of the planet, and realised it was the Great Red Spot! I was over the moon! I have never seen it before, and the longer I stayed looking, the more it became apparent. I checked Stellarium, and lo and behold, the spot was there, just where I was seeing it! I took a punt, and inserted the 10mm to give me 120x, and while the image of the planet was bigger, the detail was lost, so I quickly went back to the 25mm and Barlow. I spent a good 45 minutes on Jupiter, and the time was very well spent. Despite the wobbly atmosphere, during those steady times it was amazing. I'm wondering if a filter would help bring out more subtle detail? Any advise on that? After Jupiter, I swung the scope over a few degrees to Saturn. Obviously a smaller target, but surprisingly bright in my scope. I stated at 48x, but quickly added the barlow again. The rings . . . . totally absorbing. As with Jupiter I spent a long time just observing, and during the steady periods the planet and rings became very sharp indeed. I could clearly see the Cassini Division, and - i may have been imaging it - some faint cloud detail on the planet. The gaps between ring and planet were sharp and defined. I only saw one of its moons, Titan. I checked Sky Safari, and while there are a glut of other moons, conditions meant I couldn't see them. I contemplated staying out to catch Neptune, Uranus and Mars, but it was past midnight and I had to be up at 5:30am! Maybe this weekend if the skies remain clear! So - the main thing I learned last night was patience. You need to spend time teasing out the details on these magnificent planets. Do that, and you will be rewarded! I saw the GRS for the first time last night!! So, it was actually the Great Grey Spot, but that didn't matter in the slightest! Clear Skies Everyone! Nige

Ah, North Norfolk - AKA The Shire!! My old stomping grounds (from Hoveton)! Welcome to SGL - may you have plenty of clear skies!!

Hi Chris! A warm welcome from the East Midlands!! You have come to the right place!! Get that scope out, and back where it belongs - under the stars!!

Think that Dave may be on a budget Richard! That lens is over £800 new isn't it?

Fair comment! Only thought it a budget option for the OP above. Proper wide angles (ie wider than 18mm where most kit lenses start) for Canon APS-C cameras are either expensive. I did use a friends Canon EF-S 10-22mm once - great lens, but again, more expensive than the little 10-18mm.

I believe they will with one of THESE. You do lose any auto functions the lens might have, and admittedly its another piece of glass in the imaging train . . .

That's an issue with Zoom lenses - they are generally slower! I think its a trade off between speed and cost. Even some of the Samyang prime lenses are over £400. If you look at whats available for Canon fit at the extreme wide end, options are limited if you don;t want to spend a barrow load of cash!! Have you considered looking at some of the older FD mount lenses? These can be attached to your Canon by way of an adaptor, and you can pick up some real bargains on Ebay!!

Hi A 24mm on a crop sensor is actually nearer to 38mm so not ‘wide’ angle really. While primes are generally better from an image quality perspective, true wide angle primes are expensive. Take a look at the Canon EF-S 10-18mm. It is cheap but hits above its weight when it comes to image quality. As for Macro, I would think you will always want as much focal length as you can afford!

I managed all but Mercury! I had an early start this morning - as it was, I didn't pull the duvet over myself until just past 3am!! Mercury is still the only Planet I have yet to see.

Welcome / Bienvenue! This site is indeed awesome!! You really can ask any question, and you will always get a good and helpful response. I still a relative 'Noob' here on SGL, but trying to get more involved! Enjoy, and clear skies! Nige