greeno76

Thanks for the reassurance! I'm feeling very excited now! I've been trying to get my head around calibration and alignment of the HEQ6 pro mount now. It's a new learning curve for me so I've been scratching my head and scouring this forum and youtube which have been a wealth of information as always! I'll report back once I've had my 'first light' moment! Best wishes, Jason

Hi, I've just ordered a Sky-Watcher Skymax 150 PRO from FLO. It will replace my wonderful 250px which is simply taking up too much room amongst my kids' growing population of Peppa Pig and friends! Will I miss the wider field of view and the light gathering capabilities of the big(ish) dob in my little backyard in averagely light polluted Bedford? I've read good things about the MAK but I'm nervous! Part of my motivation was that I want to be able to share the joy of the night skies with my young kids (6 & 3). The dob is fabulous but it's not that easy for them to see through the eyepiece without knocking it off target. I have an HEQ5 Pro mount (which I've never used). I'm hoping that, along with the MAK, the kids might have a better chance of seeing things and being inspired rather than frustrated. I'll almost certainly sell the 250px asap and free-up the space for 'Peppa Pig land'. I hope I'm not making a grave (and expensive) mistake! Best wishes, Jason

Ah! That makes sense. Thank you so much!

Hi, A polite appeal to the collective wisdom of SGL to get my HEQ5 mount back together again correctly... I was trying to install a counterweight extension bar to my HEQ5 mount (it doesn't fit, but that's another story) and once I'd unscrewed the bar from below this little piece shown in the photo below dropped out. Does anyone have any idea where it's supposed to go? Any info is very welcome before I throw the offending part away and pretend it never existed. Many thanks, Jason

Many thanks for the warm welcome. I've just come in from the crisp but clear night! Thank's I'd love to come along to the Beds Astro observing sessions. I've been following their recent activities on twitter. I was under the impression that the observing sessions are mostly wound-up at this time of year? Cheers, Jason.

Hi, I've been 'lurking' for a couple of months now and I've been astonished by the depth & breadth of knowledge and good-will shared around this forum, so I thought I ought to introduce myself - if only by way of thanks to the many members that have unknowingly enhanced my knowledge and enjoyment of astronomy so far. Despite my life-long interest in science and the universe, somehow in my 41 years of living memory I have never looked through a proper telescope. I can't quite understand how that happened so I'm making up for lost time in my back garden in Bedford (UK) with a 250px Dobsonian Skywatcher. I've been trying to apply the knowledge and experience gathered on here and I've learning more about the stars and interesting celestial objects that have always been around me all along. It's more than a little bit mind-blowing that I can see far away galaxies from my back yard... It's been an eye-opening and exhilarating journey so far and I'm justifying the limited budget of it all by making sure my very young children don't leave it as long as I did! Luckily the arrival of the massive box containing the telescope was welcomed (tolerated) by my wife since she fondly remembers owning a little telescope when she was little and has enjoyed our voyage discovery so far! So, I'll stop waffling and simply offer my gratitude to the good people of Stargazers lounge! Best wishes, Jason