robbymain

I've been enjoying my 2nd hand setup of consisting of a self-flocked 150P on a classic green GP (SW enhanced dual drives) for a while now and have been pondering the addition of a small general purpose refractor.  I'm thinking mainly visual (including lightweight binoviewing) with a bit of DSLR imaging only.

I would really like something that is mid-way between Skywatcher and Tak in terms of cost and quality (happy to pay £4-500 used) but light enough to sit on a Porta II for portability and travel. 

Any suggestions from you good people?! I was thinking of a Megrez 72 or similar. I would consider a SW but have owned several of their reflectors now and fancy treating myself to something with a little more premium

Just my Nikon Monarch 8x42 safari bins... I did have a little look at some bright globs in Sagittarius and Scorpio from outside our tent at Thanda safari camp but otherwise this is strictly honeymoon and most definitely not astronomy holiday

Epic whale watching this morning from Gaansbaai - Cape Town tomorrow!

A slight change from our usual suburban Bristol Skies as my wonderful new wife and I are on honeymoon at last!

Here in rural Kwazulu-Natal the dark skies are truly sensational with Sagittarius and Scorpius sailing high overhead and Centaurus and Crux (just visible) to the South. Don't recognise many other constellations!!!

Oh and the Large Magellanic Cloud was truly impressive naked eye from the helipad (!) at our hotel up in the Central Drakensberg mountains the other night!

56 minutes ago, Ags said:

I live in a city and successfully complained about the streetlight due south of my garden. They simply attached a little steel baffle to block most of the light shining into my garden. Nothing ventured, nothing gained?

That's a great result! I hope our UK councils can be so helpful. A lot of issues with annoying light trespass (unfortunately all too common these days with poorly designed, thoughtlessly installed, mega-bright LED floodlights) could be solved with a bit of cheap shielding.

On 09/09/2019 at 18:58, Helen said:

It should also be controllable via asiair, so that's the next challenge, in time for the SGL star party

Apologies in advance if I drool over your new mount at Lucksall - one day I will own one of these beauties! In the meantime I must be content with my vintage GP (SW enhanced drives) and not impulse buy an OTA that is too heavy for it (hate to overload a mount!).

Can I ask, did you consider an AP before deciding to buy this? At the current UK prices, the SX2 seems like much better value for money (not the Starbook 10 version obviously)

On 13/09/2019 at 17:16, Knighty2112 said:

Camping poles and tarp arrived today to try to shield that blooming LED streetlamp you can see on the right blaring away in my front garden. Hoping to test it a little tonight and see hows it goes! <fingers well crossed>

Just out of interest, have you made a complaint to your council? This type of light trespass is against the law under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (2005). Politely make a nuisance of yourself until they do something about it!

Hello Pete

I definitely understand your motivation - I'm a mechanical design engineer currently working in offshore energy after spending the bulk the bulk of my career date in military and civil aerospace with a bit of space thrown in). Personally, it would be amazing to be involved in the development of large research and 'giant' optical telescopes.

Have you considered contacting the Science and Technology Facilities Council's UK Astronomy Technology Centre? They might be able to help put you in contact with some of the companies that they contract work out to across the UK and Europe.

Good luck with your future career direction and please keep us informed - I will probably be changing course myself soon as my wife and I plan to move to Plymouth from Bristol in the very near future!

All the best,

Rob

Welcome! I'm currently Bristol based but my wife and I are planning to move to Plymouth in the very near future to be nearer her folks, the water and Dartmoor!!! Looking forward to observing with you at White Works or Wembury one day 😃

On 07/09/2019 at 11:39, robbymain said:

The only potential snag is that with the Friday being 'End of Month' she will likely be stuck in work late that day and I don't want to be turning up after dark =P I will have to speak with her to see if she can get some cover for the afternoon so we can arrive in good time for setting up in daylight, quiz and drinks!

Problem solved - she will be at work late on the Thursday but not the Fri so I plan to turn up mid-afternoon nice and early 😃

Really looking forward to this after last years abandonment!!! And the wife should be happy as we have a cosy pod booked 😃

The only potential snag is that with the Friday being 'End of Month' she will likely be stuck in work late that day and I don't want to be turning up after dark =P I will have to speak with her to see if she can get some cover for the afternoon so we can arrive in good time for setting up in daylight, quiz and drinks!

@Grant Similar to @teoria_del_big_bang's situation is there a contingency for anyone turning up after dark on the Friday?!

There are surprisingly few new/nearly new moon weekends per year on this planet! Also I'm away on honeymoon mid-Sept to mid-Oct....

Too few moonless weekends between now and Christmas so I am going to start looking likely weekends in early 2020 =O

I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do the 25th of October as it's too close to the SGL event at Lucksall the following weekend....

1 hour ago, John said:

Hopefully Arizona will do better in a few weeks time.

Whereabouts in Arizona are you headed? I've been to that neck of the woods a couple of times and long to show my wife Arizona and Utah one day!

As it is, for this year I will have to make do with my binoculars in Kwazulu-Natal next month while on honeymoon safari... 

I'm very much looking forward to a weekend's camping at Wimbleball Lake - I spoke to the campsite by phone yesterday and they were very helpful and even recommended which parts of the campsite would likely be darkest.

@CraigT82 Oh wow This looks ideal Thanks for sharing it!!!!

The weekend of 25 Oct works for me except that the SGL event at Lucksall in Herefordshire is the following weekend and I'm already signed up to that =P

On 04/08/2019 at 18:48, Dark Vader said:

I would like to look up from a dark site. I've been limited to back garden viewing, from the bottom end of Little Stoke. I've chosen the binocular route for now to learn my way around the sky. 

I did see a website just after I started that said Troopers Hill over in St George was a dark site but I've just not had the time to check it out.

Binocular or telescope, I hear a good dark sky is the ultimate upgrade 😃

I will keep looking for candidate sites - my next idea was somewhere with good horizons off a quiet road in the Mendips? Further from me than Westonbirt area but better for Southern and Western skies...

Happy to meet up and talk binoculars and beyond if you like - Little Stoke is practically walking distance from me!

All the best,

Rob

1 minute ago, Trikeflyer said:

Depending on actual dates I am definitely interested.

Steve 

Hi Steve

Good stuff! I will be away on honeymoon from 19th September until 14th October so let me have a look at the moon phases for the weekends before and after that...!

Cheers,

Rob

Hello fellow stargazers,

I live in Bristol suburbia and the astro-limitations of my light polluted garden have been turning my thoughts to the seldom-experienced joys of dark skies, open spaces and life under canvas!

As the Sonoran desert in Arizona is too far away for a 2 night excursion, I've been pondering a weekend camping at Wimbleball Lake Campsite in Exmoor which I hear is amateur astronomer friendly, not too far from the M5 and most importantly, DARK lol

Please let me know if you might be interested in an informal gathering at relatively short notice this Autumn - perhaps we could propose 3 or 4 consecutive candidate weekends and decide based on Clear Outside a few days beforehand? I would of course speak to Wimbleball in advance for advice.

All the best,

Rob

9 minutes ago, pandoraefretum said:

Let's have us a Star Party!

Oh We definitely should! I'm still searching for a decent dark site, away from roads but within 45 mins drive of Bristol - any suggestions?!

Now that is impressive!!! Well done!

Hi Andy! Welcome from another North Bristol-based gazer. Generally just been using my 150P from my back garden in Patchway but I'm interested in finding some darker sites up towards Westonbirt/Tetbury when the moon is absent so please let me know if you would be interested in same?

Booked an electric pod for the Friday and Saturday nights so my dear lady wife is happy she'll stay warm and comfortable no matter the weather! Thanks for organising my booking Grant!

Loving the 'vintage' Vixen mounts on this thread - I really regret selling my gorgeous green RA-driven GP back in 2005-ish and I'm now looking to pick up a replacement having got back into the stargazing malarkey with a Heritage 130P!

Next on the (ever growing) list is to replace the wonderful Orion Optics 200mm Newtonian that I stupidly sold at the same time =P 

All the best to my fellow Vixen fans ?