Demonperformer

I'm looking to do a bit more visual rather than imaging, and am looking for a shortish focal length (f5 or f6) 6" scope, something like this, to give me some nice low-power views. It's a bit of a long-shot, but if anyone has one in good condition with which they wish to part, PM me and we could do each other a favour. Thanks.

Hi, Jeff, and welcome to SGL. Enjoy the journey.

Hi, Nicolàs, and welcome to SGL. Keep up the good work.

Hi, Grzegorz, and welcome to SGL. Enjoy the journey.

Hi, Barry, and welcome to SGL. If you have a standard DSLR, you could get a t/ring+nosepiece that would connect it straight into the eyepiece holder (probably your cheapest way in). Lots of other possibilities, but I used such a set up for a long time before getting into cooled ccd cameras. Certainly good enough for a start. A webcam might be better for the moon and planets, but will be (slightly) more expensive than the above option. I wouldn't worry about a wedge unless you get into serious DSO imaging. All that does is prevent the field rotating over a long period. For visual or EAA (electronically assisted astronomy) you won't notice the difference. Can't offer any advice on viewing from indoors, but I'm sure someone will have the answers. Enjoy the journey.

NGC 5195 visible? Check. Spiral arms visible? Check. Bridge between the galaxies visible? Check. Pretty good result with such limited data using a stock DSLR. Well done.

Well, I can't pretend it is very good, but it is clearly identifiable, which is always a good sign. And, most importantly, you are happy to have taken it. That is what a hobby is all about. And it is certainly no worse than my first photo, which you could just about recognise as Jupiter. And I guarantee you will be taking better pics before long. Well done.

6857BC was before even my time. What was the duration of the entire event?

Hi, Steve, and welcome to SGL. Enjoy the journey.

Hi, Grayskies, and welcome to SGL. Nice pic. What equipment did you use and how much data is in there? Thanks.

Hi, Monty, and welcome to SGL. Enjoy the journey.

Hi, Patrick, and welcome to SGL. Enjoy the journey.

Learning the sky does take a bit of time and effort, but it is worth it. A few things to try from Ursa Major (as you have found that!) * Follow the 'pointers' the wrong way and you will come to a bright star - Regulus in Leo. Leo is a great constellation, because it is one of the few constellations that does look vaguely like the object it is supposed to represent. Contains two great 'triplets' of galaxies and (one that can be easily overlooked) NGC 2903 just off from the 'nose' of the lion. * Follow the curve of the bear's tail and you will come to a bright red star. This is Arcturus in Bootes (a massive, but pretty obscure constellation, truth be told) which does contain some interesting double stars. * Continue the curve beyond Arcturus and you come to another reasonably bright (white) star - Spica in Virgo, which is the largest constellation in the sky and contains thousands of galaxies, many within the range of a small telescope. It has a sort of 'Y' shape and the 'bowl' of the Y is where you will find them. There you go ... three constellations to look for. Find them once and they become a lot easier. Orion is another great 'signpost' later in the year. As you find constellations, just start to fill in the gaps. This time next year, you will be navigating the night sky like a pro.

Very nice. Must admit to sharing your liking for Plato. Catch it right and you get a wonderful display as the shadows move across the crater floor. Thanks for posting.

Hi, Andy, and welcome to SGL. Try to resist parting with the 150 until you have had a view of Saturn through it. Maybe such a view would encourage your wife to allow you to keep it ... Enjoy the journey.