Moonshed

Astrophotography is something I started only around 6 years ago although I have been a keen visual astronomer for the last 60 years. Astrophotography was interesting and challenging and I love the images I have collected. However, that all became too much hassle and I have returned to the far more relaxing and enjoyable art of looking through the eyepiece. I have witnessed the rise of astrophotography using a smartphone and have to say the results are impressive, but it’s not for me. Thanks for the info Cheers Keith

I take your point about holding onto my gear until I’m sure I am finished with it but the thing is I am no longer young enough or fit enough to carry all that heavy gear in and out of the moonshed anymore. My health is not good plus at the age of 77 and 2/3rd and one week and 6 hours, 6 mins and ...25 secs , it’s all a bit too much for me, which has played a large part in loosing my enthusiasm. Also I feel it’s only a question of time before I loose my balance while carrying the Celestron in and out of the shed and reducing the OTA to a pile of junk and seriously damaging my long suffering back. This has nearly happened a number of times, dropping the scope, and hurting my back happens a lot these days. The smaller lightweight and easy to carry and set up new scope will go a long way to getting me observing again, plus I will easily be able to carry it to different locations within my garden when object goes behind trees or houses, something that I cannot currently do and as the trees grow taller my sky is growing smaller. I need to be mobile and able to shift to the front garden at times. I am now at the point where having finally made my mind up as to the way forward I just want to get it done. Thanks for the info. Cheers Keith

Now that I have finally decided what I am going to do, buy a 70mm refractor, all I have to do is sell my gear. That’s the 8” Celestron (circa 1985 but in great condition) the Bresser Exos 2 GOTO mount, Zwo camera, PoleMaster, flipmirror etc. All I intend to keep is the Canon camera, for “normal” use, and my case of EPs and filters that I can use on my new scope. I will get busy pricing things up, not an easy job. I would love to sell the lot to one buyer at a discount but that’s very unlikely so it’s going to be a lot of bits and pieces unfortunately. It has to all go though and will not only pay for my new scope but supply some much needed extra cash as well. When ready I will advertise it here. Are there any other good sites I could place it? Cheers Keith

Yes, it will definitely be a refractor and probably a Skywatcher, maybe 70mm on a simple Alt-az mount. The Skywatcher Mercury 705 AZ3 comes in at £155 on an alt-az mount, seems a good solution.

I will be observing the moon, planets and comets, not too bothered about DSOs.

Been browsing the Internet and found this Skywatcher Mercury-705, 70mm refractor with alt-az mount for only £159 https://www.opticalvision.co.uk/astronomical_telescopes-sky-watcher-refractors/mercury-705.html It seems okay but do any members have any experience of it? Cheers Keith EDIT. Found this, same scope for £155 but from Rother Valley Optics whom I have purchased goods from for many years without complaint. https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-mercury-705-az3-telescope.html

This Skywatcher alt/az mount from FLO looks to be very suitable for a 60mm refractor and only costs £179. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-pronto/sky-watcher-az-pronto-alt-azimuth-mount-tripod.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwseSoBhBXEiwA9iZtxkDgj5qm0-qc_bN2UK6OGKf8Pm5u3CBq0qk3NMy4Ay2R7wZG7Of_MRoCD6IQAvD_BwE If I can get a used 60mm frack for say £150 then the whole package comes in at only £329. Not bad.

I keep looking at secondhand scopes on eBay and I am surprised how reasonably priced most of them are. I would of course also buy happily from SGL members. I seem to be moving towards buying a used refractor for around £100 - £200, no mount required as I would use my existing one that currently holds my 8” Celestron, which I would sell. I will look at UK Astro Buy & Sell as you have mentioned them. Thanks for the info. Cheers Keith EDIT. Just thinking maybe I should buy a mount as well, just a simple non-computerised one as it would be so much lighter to carry about. Also means I could sell my existing mount that cost me £500 8 years ago. Going back to visual only with a lightweight set up that takes next to no time to set up certainly has a lot of appeal, exactly what I need to get my mojo back. Plus visual observing gives so much pleasure and is, after all is said and done, what drew to astronomy in the first place. I moved on to astrophotography only a few years ago and while I love the images I have I must admit I find it can be stressful, so much to get right and do and so much to go wrong, kind of put me off in the end, together with the weight of all the gear and the time it takes to set it up. Visual is definitely the way forward for me.

You raise a good point about grab and go refractors. I have just looked at the Skywatcher Evolux 62ED for only £325. It looks pretty good and the dovetail bar will, I think, fit my existing mount that currently holds my 8”Celestron. My only concern is that 62mm seems small, but maybe it will be good enough for eyeball viewing of the moon, planets and star clusters. Your Carton 60mm looks good and you give it a good review and searching through eBay I am so surprised at how cheap some pre-used scopes are, staring around £30! Something I will definitely have to look into but wary of buying what turns out to be worthless rubbish. What do you think? Cheers Keith

Do you have a particular refractor in mind? I have only owned one and that was a cheap 2” Tasco I bought specially to see Halley’s Comet. I don’t have much spare cash to splash out on a quality refractor, a cheap one will have to do for now. Thanks Keith

It’s moments like that, seeing Saturn and it’s amazing rings for the first time, that carry you through the times when it clouds over just as you finish setting up. I imagine it’s similar to a golfer hitting a hole in one, it puts all the other rubbish shots in the shade. Keep at it, you will discover other just as amazing sights that will stay with you for ever. Cheers Keith

Thanks to all the above. I will take a number of say 1 minute subs. (probably around 120) at ISO 500 and stack them and this method will avoid any overexposure. Thanks Keith

Hi, I intend to put my Canon, with a wide angle lens fitted to a 58mm lens, onto a tripod, centre it on Polaris and do a long enough exposure to capture concentric star trail arcs. My only question is what to set the ISO at? I’m thinking maybe 200 to start with but not sure. This will be done on a moonless night and my sky is Bortle 4 to 5. I’m doing this as a way of easing myself back into astronomy and astrophotography since I have lost my usual enthusiasm. I know this is as basic as it gets but at least it’s a start and when done well makes for an interesting and informative image. Thanks Keith

A lot of members are saying the same thing, get a small, portable scope that can be set up in a few minutes. The only problem I have with that is that I have yearned for a bigger aperture scope for years in order to capture those elusive faint galaxies and nebula and find it difficult to change my way of thinking. But my health is telling me I have to forget that idea now as I do not have the strength to move a big scope around. A small set up is what is required and I’m sure that all of you are right, the ease and speed of use would soon win me over simply because I would be using it more often. Thanks for the advice, I have a lot to think about.

I am definitely going to investigate smaller more portable scopes, seems the way forward all things considered.

I’m surprised that image came out so well, lessons to be learned, I am impressed.

Good point!

Yes it really does, thank you.

Thank you, what you say makes a lot of sense. I think I will detail a plan as to how I intend to capture the Horsehead and hopefully when the time comes I will be fired up and ready for it. Easy to say sitting here in the comfort of a warm house and remembering the preparations needed to go outside when the temperature is in the minus region, but I did it before, many times, and I’m sure that determination to capture a good image will return in due course if I don’t try and force it, a point that @saac made.

That’s not such a bad idea to be honest if all else fails. What I have done was to purchase last year a TeleGizmos scope cover with the idea of once I have set it up and achieved a good polar alignment of leaving it outside as long as the good weather continued. This was to eliminate having to PA every single time I used it. But as things are it would serve the bonus of being instantly ready to use with no effort required. When I do finally get started again I will definitely do this. A small highly portable scope also sounds very attractive, and Christmas isn’t far away. (Sorry to mention that).

That’s a good point, my 8” Celestron takes a fair bit of effort to lift out of the shed and set up. It was no problem 30 years ago when I first got it, but now I’m a 77 year old great grandad it’s all I can do to get it out of the shed.

I haven’t got my ‘scope out of the shed this year, apart from a couple of quick looks though the eyepiece back in March, just can’t work up the enthusiasm to do it. I still enjoy reading astronomy articles and looking at the incredible images from JWST and HST etc, but that requires next to no effort. I remember back last winter I wanted to try to image the Horsehead Nebula but had left it too late, it was behind the trees, and couldn’t wait to try this year. I wish I still had that enthusiasm! I would love to image it this year, it would be a great image to add to my collection, but at the moment I just can’t be bothered. I do hope I get my mojo back soon, I have always enjoyed astronomy, both visual and photographic, but whenever a good opportunity arises, a clear moonless night and some great DSOs, I can’t be bothered. I’m sure this must happen to just about all of us at some point and I would love to hear from other members as to how they recovered their enthusiasm. Or is it simply a question of sitting back and waiting?

I second that, I find the Telrad spot on. (Sorry). It sticks onto the optical tube and stays there year after year. It’s easy to adjust as well if necessary.

It often surprises me the odd things that still remain in my fading memory. I recall reading Michio Kaku’s brilliant book “Hyperspace” printed in 1995. It was Chapter 5 titled “Quantum Heresy” that he was discussing symmetry in physics and he referred to the poet William Blake and his marvellous poem “Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright” and quoted: Tyger! Tyger! burning bright in the forests of the night What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? That, to me, sums up Quantum Theory perfectly. All theories have their day before some new upstart theory comes along and knocks them off their pedestal. Just think how much Black Hole theory has changed in just a few decades, and is still changing. Theories are a useful tool to help aid our understanding but to believe they are they are the reality of whatever it is they describe is betting against the odds. Perhaps one day some clever theoretical physicist will come up with a theory that unites Relativity with Quantum Theory and for a while he or she will bask in the glory until eventually that theory too will be overturned. Will we ever reach the ultimate theory that cannot be overturned? I doubt it, for then we would know everything there is to know about the universe in which we live, and with that knowledge we would be as gods, and I cannot see the messed up human race ever reaching that pinnacle. Maybe instead it will be reached by AI?

Hi billhinge, I think we are in danger here of taking our hypothetical cube of nothing and then introducing whatever properties we wish in order to support any given argument. Everyone has their own ideas on exactly what nothing is, so until a unanimous definition can be agreed upon we can make our cube of nothing perform cartwheels if necessary. 😄 Until then, we can argue endlessly regarding what we can do with our hypothetical cube of nothing. Cheers Keith