Raph-in-the-sky

If you wanted to do a quick DIY for a 9x50 finder and a Telrad, how would do?

Hey Guys,

Up until now, I beleived that dew wasn't affecting me... It sounded like a terrible plague to which I was immune ... Turns out I'm not!

Last time I went out, after about 45 min both my telrad and my 9x50 finders were covered in dew and unusable for the rest of the nigth. My main mirror was fine though (SW 250px full tube).

So here is my question. What should I do? 

I ve heard of dew shield (including home-made), heated dew shields, hair dryers,... What do you use and what would you advise for this issue? If someone could point me to a specific piece of kit that would be great!

Many thanks,

Raph

I would focus on getting a few decent eyepieces (probably plossls). Those will stay with you when you upgrade your scope (which you will probably do sooner than later if you get addicted like most of us).

Colour filters are mostly useless and if you upgrade the scope you will probably get a decent finder anyway.

Do not neglect second hand market. Prices are often close to 60-70% of the value new and astronomers tend to be really cautious with their equipment!

2 minutes ago, joe aguiar said:

binos have a place in astronomy but at that power you cant get close into the moon craters and mountain nor will you see a lot close up views if that's what the person giving it wants their partner to see. 

Can you see Jupiter or Saturn sure you can but they will be very small at that power, Saturn will be oval but the rings will be 1mm bump. Iam thinking the person wants to get some power and closer view like 50 power to 150 power.

there are few decent scopes out there like 

meade mini 114 dob

the 80mmf/5 refractor on camera tripod or az3 mount

130 skywatcher flextube 130

meade celestron and skywatcher all make these in that price range where they can power up the power and get close to the planerts sun and moon, and in this size they will see tons of other stuff.

maybe I will be the only saying going for a scope rather than binos here but that's ok

joejaguar

That sounds about right but I think that a book is necessary to start and those scopes won't fit with OP's budget. In addition, the eyepieces you get with those scope are trash so OP would have to spend a bit more cash to get at least a few decent plossls.

Second hand is often a good option. That would be worth looking at

1 hour ago, Daiboy1980 said:

 

Thank you for your response, and it is a shame my French is not up to star gazing standards, I can however order a Large beer!

I will await some Binocular recommendations.

French + Beer ... you are ready for Belgium my friend. You should pay us a visit!

19 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

It is! A handful of years ago I was sitting in the cafe after a rowing outing with some crew-mates. One of them, without a car, fairly urgently needed one for an upcoming trip to commentate a regatta in Europe. Another crewmate happened to want to sell his. "Just a minute I'll go to the cashpoint", and the deal was done. £400 as I recall...

I meant a small AND decent car

Hello and welcome to SGL,

First, let me tell you that you re partner is lucky to be with someone as thoughtful as you. You ve come to the best place to get advice (although it's not gonna come from me 😉 ).

For your budget a good pair of bins is clearly the way to go. I cannot give you advice regarding which to choose but if I were you I would include a book dedicated to observing with bins.

If you were a french speaker, I would recommend this

 https://www.stelvision.com/astro/boutique/coffret-ciel-aux-jumelles/

Maybe you should just quickly learn French 🙂 

What almost killed it for me is my first scope!

When I was 10 my parents got me a small refractor (60mm) for my birhday. I had a few looks at the moon which was great but I ve never been able to find anything else with it. I had no idea how to find planets (interenet was not what it is today) and the small book about DSOs I had only refered to scope from 114mm to 300mm ... Not knowing what to point at and the terrible quality of the scope almost killed it for me.

I only got back to it recently when I realised you could get a great scope for little money. I used to beleive that a 10'' Dob was worth as much as a small car! 

Oh... and Telrad is GREAT!

Telrad + 9x50 RACI (right angle corrected) is a very efficient and popular combo for Dobs

13 minutes ago, Totally_Computerized said:

Do you guys think it would be better to just get a camera phone holder and work with that for some moon and planet AP , insted of worrying about trying to attach a dslr ? 

I know it's a popular piece of kit but to be honest, I don't see the point of buying one to get a couple of decent pics of the moon and a few terrible pics from jupiter/saturn. Some will disagree.

17 minutes ago, johnturley said:

The 11mm NT6 Eyepiece arrived today, so I must have got one of the last ones available.

John 

I also recently got a 11mm T6 (second hand  ) as my first TV EP. I just got first light with it but so far it seems to be a cracking EP!

To OP,

If you re still looking for cheap EPs you should have a look on UK ABS. Especially those 2 ads:

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=155552

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=155553

Most of these are less than £10 per piece and are better than what you would get in the Celestron kit

11 minutes ago, Deisler said:

Back to my previous question regards filter, if I may -

Last two sessions when I viewed the moon (close to full moon), I felt very uncomfortable as my left eye was left with a bright white spot even 30 mins after I came back in. I know it is not ideal to view full moon, but I think I might have to buy a filter to make sure my kids feel comfortable with the brightness.

It would be great the same filter would work for planetary view too. Even greater if galaxy/large DSO, but not essential.

I have seen many people recommended "Baader Neodymium Filter" which "Intensifies surface details on Mars, Jupiter and Moon – and enhances many Deep Sky galaxies and nebulae against the background sky.. ''. Sound ideal for me.

Is it a OIII or UHC, or neither?

Any recoomendation you can give for the problem I have.

Regards

Deisler

I just got my baader neodymium and it s great! This filter is mostly used for jupiter, mars and the moon. Some say it improves some DSO but people tend to disagree on this point. 

It is by no mean a UHC or OIII filter which are much more restrictive.

5 minutes ago, Deisler said:

Hi guys,

Just to summarise what I have learnt so far from great advice you guys have given me and what I decide to do for my EP upgrade -

1) will get BST StarGuider 60º 5mm/15mm ED EPs - ~£45 each

2) will get a wide field low-power EP, currently leaning towards Aero 2'' 30mm (£100), but 32mm GSO Plossl (£33) is much cheaper but with some negative comments (like distorted view). 

3) will get a filter - still need to research this topic, i.e. UHC v.s OIII;

4) Next, probably in a six months time, I will buy a TV barlow or a TV PM, depending on if I need greater eye relief on my BST EPs.

 

Re. the wide field low-power EP, can you guys comment on 'Aero 2'' 30mm vs 32mm GSO 1.25'' vs other options' for my 200P Dob? 

I quite enjoy low-power view and found it very relaxing - so I want to buy a good one that will always be in my EP case. Any advice?

Cheers

Deisler

For the filter, most of us start with a UHC because you can use it on more targets. The OIII's main/most famous target is the veil nebula which is amazing and warrants the purchase of an OIII by itself (especially since it is very dificullt to see without it).

Regarding the low power EP, I'm currently having the same questioning. I am currently using a GSO 32mm plossl which I find does a decent job but only give 1.38° of true field of view so I'am considering upgrading.

So far the contenders are:

1) Skywatcher Aero 30mm +-£110

2) Skywatcher Panaview 32mm +-£100

3) APM UFF 30mm +-£180

In the end, it might just come down to what I can find in second hand.

2 minutes ago, Deisler said:

I surely will!

One quick question if you don't mind - re 'BST EPs' - do you think I should get a 5mm or 8mm, in addition to 15mm EP? 5mm will give me 240x mag, which I assume is for planetary view? Would 5mm also be useful for moon view? or 8mm maybe more useful for both planetary and moon?

I probably will only buy one high-power EP at this stage. 

This is a very good question. x240 is probably the maximum magnification that you would be able to use on a semi regular basis. If you go for an 8mm, you will  be able to use it more often but you won't be able to push the magnification when you have a very good night which might be frustrating. These EPs will be used mainly for the moon, the planets, globular clusters and double stars. 

If you plan to get a Barlow at some point maybe you won't need the 8mm (15mm/2=7.5mm).

Sorry for not giving you a definitive answer. I got the 5mm first but was really happy when I got an 8mm... Then I realised that 11mm would be nice too and bought a Nagler.... now contemplating buying a 30mm APM UFF.

The quests for the right set of EPs for you is long and difficult and in the end it is very likely that you end up with a 5mm and an 8mm. Deciding what you want first is a matter of "do I feel the need to be able to push my scope to its limits when the weather is right or do I want an EP that I would use more often". I know I felt the need to be able to push the scope but I'm pretty many on SGL would advise against that.

6 minutes ago, Deisler said:

Hi,

May I ask if the UHC filter works well in light polluted sky? My postcode has Bortle number 5.

Cheers

Deisler

Bortle 5 isn't that bad actually (I live in Bortle 9). UHC works well under a light polluted sky but will yield even better results under dark skies. My advice is to try to go to a dark place at least every once in a while ... it's worth it if you can manage

7 minutes ago, Deisler said:

Yes sir. I bought it but not yet used it. I used the stock finderscope and found it very difficult to hop between stars. I tried to follow bright stars in Andromeda to locate the galaxy but it is almost impossible for an inexperienced observer to do. I heard Telrad will help me a lot, so I certainly look forward to using it!

I am waiting for my plastic band to arrive tomorrow so I can fix it onto the tube. I don't like to apply the glue thing straight away as I fear I might do something wrong to ruin my tube. Maybe I am just being too cautious. 

Thanks

 

Good man! Telrad is the best kind of finder IMHO. Placing it first with something temporary to check if the position suits you is the correct way to do it. Afterwards you could fix it permanently.

One more thing to consider...have you got a Telrad finder? This is one of my favorite accessories !

11 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

I think that is what was meant above. UHC filter is very nice observing tool - it helps you when observing certain types of nebulae and I think it's worth having.

Barlow is also nice tool, but having had couple of them - in the end I decided that I like short focal length eyepieces more than barlow + EP combination. If you do end up getting barlow or telecentric amplifier lens - then you probably won't need anything below 10mm in EP collection unless you plan to use that particular eyepiece without barlow. Short focal length EP + barlow will give too much magnification. I'm guilty of using it like that - just as a "let's see what can be done" gimmick but never for regular observing.

If you are looking for cheaper comfortable eyepieces in short focal lengths, then do have a look at these:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-eyepieces/skywatcher-uwa-planetary-eyepieces.html

I had one of those and while I was not particularly impressed with optical quality - it was indeed better than stock eyepieces and served me well until I tried better / more expensive eyepieces. Later in discussion with other members I came to conclusion that I might have had rather poor sample. It was 7mm one.

For short focal length EP without barlow I recommend that you stay above 5mm for the time being.

Yes, this is exactly what I mean. I really preffer short focal lengh EP than EP + barlow... Despite having a pretty good barlow, I seldom use it. On the other hand the UHC filter comes out every single time I go out. It really significantly improves the contrast on many objects (only nebulae but it is a kind of target I really enjoy).

Regarding the Skywatcher UWA, I have some of those and some BSTs and for a similar price I would choose BST's any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

11 hours ago, Deisler said:

Dear All,

I have had two sessions (3 hrs+ each) with my 200P (f/6, 1200mm length) since it arrived. Spent most time on moon and bright starts in major constellations. Very happy with 200P and 25mm EP (moon looks amazing with 25mm stock EP). But when I used 10mm EP, I found the quality is quite poor and the lack of details is disappointing, although I don't really know what benchmark looks like to be honest. 

 

My plan is to get at least 20-30 hours out of 200P with stock EPs first prior to any upgrade, so I am not in a hurry at the moment. But I hope to get an EP upgrade close to Christmas/New Year.

I spent my whole evening and went through 20-30+ threads in this forum about first EP upgrade. Some very useful advice given there but very confusing for me still.

Currently I find myself in between a few options:

 

My budget is around £200, and I hope that can help me get enough EP range to cover moon/planet and large-size DSO. I am willing to put more money in - but I don't like to get something that I know I will sell in a few months time.

 

1) First, I read about highly rated Tele Vue Powermate - 1.25'' 2.5x . £172 on FLO. I realised with 2.5x, I actually only gain 1 'new' EP which is 4mm. 

I like the possibility of using powermate for luna imaging (I have DSLR), but maybe it is not a good idea to buy it as my first EP upgrade as it offers so little? Same can be said for TV Barlow I guess?

 

2) Many here also recommended Baader Hyperion Zoom. Most people said it is ok with 200P, despite of fast f/6. But it is more for convenience as I understand - and ultimately I will have to replace it with good EP for visual? It is quite expensive, £239 (barlow incl.), so I am not sure if it is a good buy for me now?

Generally do people use Hyperion Zoom for a long time, or is it just a 'starting' kit that will soon be replaced?

 

3) The other option mentioned many times here was to get a mid-power EP, such as BST StarGuider 15mm or 18mm. It is reasonably priced, and if I can also get a TV Powermate, then it really provides me with a nice range of EP (with stock 25mm). With them, I feel the only thing missing is a wide field low-power EP, but I don't think I need that at the moment?

My concern about BST EP is - How much an upgrade it is from my stock EP? Is it just a 'one-step' upgrade, and eventually in a few months time I will want a better one. If so, I'd rather skip it and buy a decent mid-power EP, like the Explore Scientific 62 degree series?

 

At the moment, I am leaning towards either 2) Baader Zoom, or 3) a decent mid-power EP plus a TV PM.

Any advice you can give, I will really appreciate!

PS: I would be keen to hear if you have other options to recommend as my first EP upgrade too.

 

Thank you in advance.

Regards

Deisler

I know its all relative and depends on one's taste but I will tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes (and I was not long ago).

So, for £200, I would get BST Starguiders 5mm and 15mm, a GSO/Revelation 32mm Plossl and instead of the Barlow I would get a decent UHC filter (Explore Scientific sells for £44 at FLO).

3 hours ago, DandD2014 said:

Thank you to the helpful replies that included some helpful information and signposting to useful resources based on what we have so far and my original question. Much appreciated. 

In regards to the scope it was bought with a quick setup in mind and ease of breakdown/storage. 

In regards to filters, especially the moon filter, I am recovering from bilateral cataract surgery last week and my eyes are, and will be for sometime, sensitive to bright light especially that under magnification. I felt a moon filter was a good and sensible idea. 

I was put off from the hobby due to the extreme restrictions posed by my previous eyesight. We wanted to purchase a scope that wasn't too expensive to test my hopefully new and improved vision without splashing out on expensive kit right away. 

We will be using the scope as much as we can, skies permitting, and will test the scope and my new eyes. 

Thanks

 

There you go! https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials-eyepieces/astro-essentials-nd96-0-9-1-25-moon-filter.html

No need to buy a whole kit useless if you just need a moon filter!

8 hours ago, JOC said:

There is a lot of sense in this.  If you want to improve the viewing experience then why not sell the current scope and put the cash and that from Santa's present into the purchase of something like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-150p-dobsonian.html - keep an eye on the second hand advertisments in the buy and sell section of SGL and you might be surprised at how cheap decent telescopes 2nd hand can be.  The telescope you have purchased probably cost £70+ from what I see online, the astromaster kit is another £50+ There is every chance of a much better telescope turning up on SGL in that forum for not a lot more investment and then you will really improve what you can see.

NB.  If Santa hasn't been shopping yet for the Celestron Astomaster kit in preparation for the future I think you would be better off investing in one £47 BST starguider EP than all the things in that box.

Definitelly better off with on BST starguider than this kit!

7 minutes ago, andcar said:

Hello everyone, my name is Andrea and I live in London.

Have been gifted my first telescope (Celestron Astromaster 130EQ) and I am beginning my journey into stargazing - which may take a while given I am a complete novice at the minute.

Just thought I'd say hi to the forum while I go through some old posts to get started.

Have a good day everyone!

 

Andrea

You ve just made your first right move by joining the best astro community on the net! Welcome to SGL!

Hey guys,

I would like some recommendations/comparison between cheap coma correctors. In another tread @Louis D mentionned the GSO/Revelation. 

How good is the GSO/Revelation coma corrector? Obviously, I am not expecting Paracorr performance but does it compare favourably to a SW or baader for example.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Clear skies,

Raph

7 minutes ago, John said:

I realise that there is some relevance with this thread but I'm keen that we don't go off on a tangent on coma correctors when the original question was about eyepieces

Fair enough. I'll start a new topic.