Sunshine

A big welcome! Chris, we have all been fixated on the same constellations and targets when starting off, this is common. Turn Left at Orion, the book mentioned above is pretty much a beginners bible to amateur astronomy, you’ll love it. As for double stars? I have had a love affair with doubles since I bought my first refractor a few years ago, now they’re pretty much all I search out with that scope with the exception of a planet here and there. Also, I highly suggest you search out astronomy clubs near you, there’s no better way to enter the hobby, you will be welcomed and you’ll make friends with some great people who will gladly help you along. In the meantime, we’re glad you found us, we’re here to help, have a great time!.

@Stu Any planet views through the 128?

I wish the halo was more prominent but still an amazing sight. Throughout the night I would check outside to see if atmospheric conditions changed to allow for a more prominent halo. Jupiter can be seen near the moon at the 6:30 position, very cool.

Nice! I look forward to seeing some pics once you’re up and running.

A big welcome! and no, it is not a struggle if you enjoy the hobby and allow yourself the time and a bit of money to get started. You're in the right place here on SGL so ask away and we will help.

Welcome to SGL, sounds like you have a sweet setup under a nice dome!.

Amazing! a big congratulations on your new grandson! 

It’s wonderful! 

That’s awesome, now youre hooked because it only gets better as you learn more and work your way from one scope to another (because it happens to all of us) wait till you see Saturn’s rings for the first time.

19 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I’m fairly sure it is, and the TS 102ED, possibly even the Astrotech 102edl. One of the more knowledgeable members here will know who makes the various iterations of the scope.

Last year I had the pleasure of using the Starfield 102 at a star party, I was impressed with it when looking at Jupiter and some of my favorite doubles, impressed enough that I was looking at their 115mm version with hungry eyes. I’m sure your 102 is a variation of the Starfield, have fun with it, aren’t 4” refractors great!?

20 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Sounds like a great 4” you have, i wonder if it is the same scope as the Starfield 102.

Last year I had the pleasure of using the Starfield 102 at a star party, I was impressed with it when looking at Jupiter and some of my favorite doubles, impressed enough that I was looking at their 115mm version with hungry eyes. I’m sure your 102 is a variation of the Starfield, have fun with it, aren’t 4” refractors great!?

did I quote myself? not sure how to undo this.

6 minutes ago, IB20 said:

Love the Starwave 102edr more each time I use it. Just had some gorgeous views of Saturn and Jupiter with not a drop of false colour. Picked up Tethys, Rhea, Dione and Iapetus nicely. Dione and field star TYC-5809-0927-1 popping in and out of visibility too. Located Uranus nice and easily too with the 17.5mm Morpheus - every eyepiece I own works in this scope flawlessly. 
 

Clouds have sadly turned up now, boooooo!

 

Sounds like a great 4” you have, i wonder if it is the same scope as the Starfield 102.

4 hours ago, JeremyS said:

What’s a Takahashi? 🤔

I like to describe them as the samurai swords of telescopes.

Have you thought about the used market? your dream Tak could be a lot closer than you think, have a look at the Astro buy/sell UK webpage. Almost every scope I have ever owned was from the classifieds.

3 hours ago, Stu said:

An extremely quick first light for this old girl, a 77mm f11.8 Hilkin on its original EQ mount.

That looks so classic!

These are fantastic!

Welcome!

A beautiful image!

3 hours ago, MalcolmP said:

Oh yes, watched it since the start with William Hartnell, he was the best. It went seriously downhill later, especially with the trivial, comical, Tom Baker. *
That was not a typical ubiquitous British phone box - we called them boxes over here, not booths-
The typical public one was glass paneled red painted - long gone now, put out of action by the coming of the mobile phone, (hence my attempt at humour involving bell and ringtones) Are public booths still common over there ?
 * I am in serious trouble now, because most people would have you believe Tom Baker was the best, but by the time he arrived TV was a popular past-time and few youngsters were by then brought up on books of good hard science fiction. 

 

 

Oh yes I am aware of the iconic red English phone boxes, though i feel referring to them as “boxes” takes away from them as such an iconic piece of English history, regardless, boxes it is. As for phone booths here across the pond they are occasionally spotted but never in use anymore as they have also gone the way of the dinosaur. Those red British phone boxes are highly sought after over here and when one is spotted somewhere, there’s always someone looking to take their photo next to one. Case and point, my wife and I while touring Canada’s east coast we drove past a vineyard which had one of those iconic red phone boxes right in the middle of the field between the garpe vines, it was strategically placed to attract attention and bring passers by into the vineyard where the highlight was the rolling hills with that red box among the vines, everyone wanted a photo and everyone stopped in the shop to see the bottles for sale. A brilliant move by the vineyard owners, it worked as we left with a bottle or two once we took some photos with the beautiful red box. The tents in the background are both a shop and a wonderful restaurant where we ate among the vines, had the box not been placed there, it would have been just another vineyard we would have driven past.

2 hours ago, MalcolmP said:

What is a phone booth !
Was it something medieval, ante3G ? Like antebellum, before ringtones,

I'm trying,  very !!
 

Ever watch Dr.Who? that’s the most recognized phone booth on earth.

1 hour ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

When they aren't poisoning raptors, the game keepers set fire to the heather to encourage the growth of new shoots which the game birds feed on. The pollution is vile, but the land owning lord gets money out of it.

This sounds like something which would have taken place in England during medieval times, I struggle to comprehend all this.

24 minutes ago, MalcolmP said:

I would guess :-
That which the Scots suffer when they fall over whilst using haggis on hillsides, to emulate the English habit of cheese rolling ?
"Gamekeepers" are obviously, therefor, Ghllies. (aka Gilies)
 

I’m more confused than a moose in a phone booth.

55 minutes ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

It's the first couple of crystal clear nights here in living memory, so the gamekeepers have lit dozens of heather burns. Now I cannot even see clearly across the valley.

Sorry to hear that, and who are gamekeepers and what are heather burns? 

Hello Giovanni! a big welcome to SGL.

Love it!