GoodOleJim

7 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

I have the Samsung 24mm/1.4 and the 14mm/2.8 both frequently recommended for wide MW shots. I really like them both.

cheers Magnus

these were both done using them, the 24 for both I think

This sounds like it's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm having trouble finding it on the internet. Do you have a link?

That's actually the one I have bookmarked right now. I've heard nothing but incredible things about it, and the pictures hold up to the reputation.

I'm very well versed in telescopic photography, but am new to dslr work. I'm looking for a nice and sturdy tripod and a couple good lenses for my dslr.

I have a nice dslr, a Canon 80D, and want to pair a couple good lenses for milky way and night photography with it. Does anyone have any experience here?

Thank you!

Jim

Hello fellow star gazers. I have a student that wants to upgrade her current setup. She wants to see more from nebula, as this current setup isn't quite powerful enough to handle it, she wants the next step up.

Her current setup is this.

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-SpaceProbe-Equatorial-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BKOW

What suggestions would you go with? I think she's ready for an intermediate setup. She's proven to be ready to move up from this beginner's model.

Thank you for all of your help!

Clear Skies,

James

A thing of beauty, ain't it? What spurred the question was the new stars in its center. It didn't make sense to me since stars need cold temperatures to start the process.

Question of curiosity!

The Orion Nebula is an H II diffuse nebula. I long hear sources saying that Orion is still a birth place of new stars, but is it not too hot to still complete this process?

To my knowledge star formation mainly occurs in dark nebulae where temperatures reach fairly close to absolute zero? Where am I wrong?

On 17/10/2019 at 14:12, Adam J said:

I assume this is mainly electronically assisted astronomy, so a camera allowing you to see Deep space objects in near real time?

You must have some sort of budget so what is the budget?

I assume that will need to include a camera and many other pieces of equipment too.

Adam

On 17/10/2019 at 11:18, saac said:

Here's some very good well priced mounts which would be ideal for a school observatory. Either of these would allow you to have remotely controlled operation and would be fine for visual/astrophotography. 

SkyWatcher AZEQ6-GT

iOptron CEM 120

Depending on your budget there are less expensive options and as always more expensive    If you want a mount and telescope package then maybe something like Meade or Celestron would be worthwhile exploring . 

Meade LX 90 ACF

Celestron  Nextstar Evolution 8

 

Do you know what type of thing you want to be doing with the observatory - general visual of say planets/deep sky,  perhaps leading on in the future to astrophotography. Do you envisage perhaps eventually doing any scientific work such as spectrometry or measurements.  You wan't to give your setup room to grown but equally there would be little point in investing in a very capable mount/telescope if you are never going to use the capability.   As far as the telescope is concerned I personally would go with 8 inch Newtonian or Schmidt-Cassegrain  (give the pupils decent visual experience of say the planets and the likes of the more visible nebula).  I would be tempted to invest in the mount first (by a little future proofing) and perhaps save a bit on the telescope itself  - here was my first serious scope (still used today) .  It really all depends on your budget and what your aims are . Hopefully something to start the process off - what a fun project you have ahead of you, good luck. 

Bresser-Messier NT 203

Jim 

 

Jim 

Indeed. The mount is pretty ideal here. I'm gathering information still on our preferences for viewing, though I'd like to focus mainly on lunar and planetary viewing. 

Really we just need something we can control remotely! I've bookmarked all of your suggestions.

On 17/10/2019 at 14:12, Adam J said:

I assume this is mainly electronically assisted astronomy, so a camera allowing you to see Deep space objects in near real time?

You must have some sort of budget so what is the budget?

I assume that will need to include a camera and many other pieces of equipment too.

Adam

Right. Real time astronomy is what we're striving for. Our budget is pretty wide open right now, but don't want to spend above our needs. 

Based on our needs, we'll need the mount, telescope, and camera capable of real time viewing.

Hello fellow stargazers! I'm more of a lurker on this site, but the time has come where I need to ask some advice!

I'm an earth science teacher with a lot of astronomy experience, just not much with motorized mounts. We're looking to put a telescope on the roof of our school.

We've picked out a motorized observatory for a telescope, but we'd like a telescope that can be controlled via computer so we can control it from the classroom. We would more than likely need tracking software and such. Our school is pretty new, so when it was being designed we had tubing put in that leads to the roof for this reason, so cords will not be an issue. The observatory can hold up to a 10" telescope based on its side.

Do any of you know of anything that would fit these needs? I can think of some telescopes that I really like, but I'm out of my element when it comes to motorized tracking.

Thank you so much!

James