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Raph-in-the-sky

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Posts posted by Raph-in-the-sky

    What did the postman bring?

    in The Astro Lounge

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, Uplooker said:

    That is a lovely EP, it is one of my most used. You will have hours of fun with that one 👍

    Thanks, I'm pretty excited about my first TV. It's a big step up from BST starguiders!

    Just a question: do you manage to take in the whole FOV? I did a brief daylight test and I didn't seem to be able to see more than 80-90% of the field at once.

    However I did manage to see details never before seen on the house at the other end of the street. Exciting stuff 😉 

    • Like 1

    Accessorising my xt8 dob

    in DIY Astronomer

    Posted

    1 hour ago, strayring said:

    That's definitely a future plan, getting fine focus is one of my bug-bears. I had been looking into a Svbony helical focuser I saw on Ali express which is much cheaper, but I'm not sure that it will work the Orion XT8. I couldn't find any confirmed success reported on any of the forums.

    An added problem here is import duty is charged on items over $100 US which pushes the price up considerably.

    I got mine second hand for 35GBP... I don't know how often you will find these second hand but the product is really solid so no problem buying used. 

    Alternatively they sell it here (https://www.365astronomy.com/Lacerta-Dual-Speed-1-10-Microfocus-Upgrade-Kit-for-Skywatcher-Crayford-Focusers.html) for $88 US which should allow you not to pay the tax.

    • Like 1

    Which scope to buy

    in Getting Started General Help and Advice

    Cheap AP kit

    in Getting Started With Imaging

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

    Well, cost is a relative thing and depend on how much you can afford / budget for gear, but in my view there is no cheap AP kit out there.

    Mind you, when I say AP kit, I assume taking images with a telescope. You can get fairly cheap setup for wide field imaging with camera and regular lens (which again is not quite cheap if you factor in price of camera like DSLR unless you go for second hand). Also, my price reference for cheapness is visual gear. You can get fairly decent visual setup for about $300, but you will likely need to spend at least x4-x5 to start thinking about AP.

    Having said all that, let's figure out what could be "cheap" setup to get you started.

    You mentioned wide/narrow field, and let's discuss that first. Most people use different kit to do wide field shots and narrow field (close up) shots, but you don't need to do it that way. Maybe best approach is to start thinking about what would be narrowest field that you can achieve that will work well (this requires you to think about almost all components of imaging gear - camera/sensor/pixel size, telescope used and of course mount).

    Once you figure out what is the max "zoom" that you will be successfully using, then wider field can be accomplished by doing mosaics - shooting multiple panels and then "stitching" them together to form larger FOV. This is most cost effective way to get both narrow and wide field. In theory there is option to go other way around - using wide field scope and drizzling to get higher resolution, but I'm afraid that it simply does not work for amateur setups (although people continue to use it, but that is deep discussion). In my view it's better to go with narrow and do mosaics (a bit more involved, but it gets you results).

    First things first - mount, that is most important component. You want the best mount you can afford. In budget department you have couple of options:

    EQ3, EQ35, EQ5. While AP is possible with these mounts, if you can afford to get better mount - please do. With these light weight mounts, you'll spend much more time getting your mount to work to your liking (some people like to do that - get the max out of their gear).

    Next, true "starter" is HEQ5.

    Next is the choice of camera and good matching scope (depending on mount). For all "lightweight" mounts (eq3, eq35, eq5 and alike) you want to limit your self to scope like 130PDS. If you can afford HEQ5, then good scope would be 150PDS.

    Here things start to branch out and there are many possibilities leading to different budgets. Maybe if you start by telling your budget, we will be able to suggest best option for that?

    Thanks for that answer. 

    Actually when I say cheap, I mean cheap relative to other AP kits not visual.

    I see that suggest a newt. What would be the difference if I was using a 80ED as suggested above?

    Cheap AP kit

    in Getting Started With Imaging

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, Danjc said:

    Do you have any kit already ?

    What budget are you working to to give people an idea of what to recommend. 
     

    Dan. 

    I have a 10'' Dob for visual. The budget is one of the things I'm trying to figure out. What would be a cheap but decent option? How much would it cost?

    Upgrading my EPs

    in Getting Started Equipment Help and Advice

    Posted

    On 26/09/2019 at 13:39, rwilkey said:

    Hi Dan, the Celestron Omnis are OK but the Baader Hyperion does not perform well at f/5 (outer edges soft etc), I would suggest replacing this one.  I would recommend an Explore Scientific 62° Series 9mm, or the 82° Series 11mm if you can stretch to that price.  From expereience the 82° Series gives stunning performance and the 11mm is no exception.  Links here:

    https://www.firstlightoptics.com/explore-scientific-eyepieces/explore-scientific-62-series-ler-eyepieces.html

    https://www.firstlightoptics.com/explore-scientific-eyepieces/explore-scientific-82-degree-series-eyepieces.html

    Have you tried all the ES82°? If I was to buy 3 or 4 which one do you recommend? Are there some that are considered weaker?

    Which scope to buy

    in Getting Started General Help and Advice

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, PaulM said:

    You can separate the scope tube from the base, flexitube versions are obviously much lighter to move

    I have a 14" dob now - had an 8" and 12" in the past, 8" you can move as one unit

    I do not beleive this to be true. According to astroshop.eu the 10' Full tube weighs in at 12kg whereas the Flextube weigh in at 15kg (OTA only). I don't beleive that this difference is significant and the smaller volume when storing/transporting might be worth it for some.

    Which scope to buy

    in Getting Started General Help and Advice

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, johninderby said:

    I like the Bresser dobs as they don’t need the improvements that the Skywatchers really do. 

     

    What does the Bresser have that skywatcher doesn't? The only improvement I did was to install a lacerta 1:10 micro focuser (bought £35 second hand).

    I do agree that the Alt brearings seem to be better

    Which scope to buy

    in Getting Started General Help and Advice

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, mattjanes100 said:

    A question for those that have one of those 8" and above Dobs - just how mobile are they? I haven't seen or used one first hand so I don't have a good grasp of it but they seem quite cumbersome compared to, say, a fast Newt?

    I have a 10' Dob Full tube and I consider it pretty mobile. Once taken appart, the tube sits on the back seat of a small car and the base fits easily in the trunk. It's not too heavy. I guess an average adult can move in two parts (the previous owner of my dob added rings and a dovetail which make a very convenient handle). And setting up takes instants.

    I wouldn't go bigger than 10' in full tube as the 12' (skywatcher at least) is significantly longer (about 1,5m for 12' compared to 1.2m for the 10'). I beleive that flex tube is kind a mobile up to 14'... This should be confirmed by someone who has one of those. 

     

    • Like 1

    Observing techniques

    in Getting Started With Observing

    Posted

    9 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

    I think that for me, the time I spend looking and studying an object is very important. It doesn't matter whether its a faint fuzzy or the Moon, the longer you observe it the more you'll generally be able to tease out the detail. Taking notes or making a sketch also focuses the concentration.

    I'm really attracted by the idea of sketching what I see but I'm terrible at drawing and have no idea of the techniques/material used. Is there a tread or a section about it?

    • Like 1

    Observing techniques

    in Getting Started With Observing

    Posted

    Hello guys,

    I was just reading another tread about how/if visual observing was dying out and one point that caught my attention was how imagers could share so much technical information while observers were very limited in doing so.

    As a beginner observer, I would be very interested by a tread about observing techniques. 

    Obviously dark adaptation, sitting in a chair and trying to relax help.

    I've heard about adverted vision. Is it just looking a little bit off the target or is there more to it? Is there so guidlines on how to use it?

    Is there other techniques I've haven't heard about?

    Cheers,

    Raph

     

     

     

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