Stu1smartcookie

So , a three hour opportunity, starting now (8pm ) but of course it’s still light 💤, but , nonetheless an opportunity to set stuff up in the light . I know I wouldn’t need the Starsense with Little White , but I’m keen to find some whispy grey smudges later and this is Little Whites first light . The scope came with the visual pack which included an Altair 32mm diagonal , a really nice RDF and a 65degree 17mm EP . Moon has risen but will be a couple of hours before it gets into view . Hope everyone else gets some clear skies tonight . After a stressful day it’s so nice just to be outside with the birds singing . Happy night folks . Oh and the Dwarf is out too

Well for me its easy as i have the skytee and one clamp holds the starsense whilst the scope is on the other clamp... its easy to line up the starsense with the scope .

Hi ... so my friend "modified " the starsense module and i now use it on my SkyTee mount . It will easily work by placing a dovetail on the bottom of the module and placing it on the SA . After polar aligning the SA , find the target using the Starsense , which uses the plate solving routine . And , hey presto .

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum .

Looks great ... i'm considering this very combination .

Thank you to the Amazon and DHL delivery men .... But I am at work and I won't open the boxes until this evening . … and I’m home and I unpack a lovely little Altair Starwave Ascent 70ed , to go with its much bigger brother the 102 Ed . … a packet of Haribo into the mix .. and a very nice Geoptik bar .

I now own two celestron 8-24 for use in bino viewers and they work very well . i also own an SVBony 3-8mm zoom which is a fantastic EP , albeit with a short eye relief ... ideal for planetary or luna

Alan , i now feel responsible 😃.. please tell Mrs W that i had absolutely NO part in it and i was forced to sell Big Red to you .. you can sweeten it by saying no money was actually involved changing hands in person . After all online payments don't count .... do they ? lol Sometimes feel a little guilty when i look at what i've bought and changed , but , i always try to square it by letting Mrs Smartcookie know she can always buy what she wants ... be it a new frac , newt or mak ... i'm not fussy 😃

You obviously do not own one , and from your comment are not likely to. Thats fine, its your opinion , but , you should never describe something in such a way as "rubbish" without trying it first . Its a product that has created massive interest and is bringing astronomy to people that have only taken a passing interest . Firstly it makes you seem very aloof and dismissive , secondly for a lot of people the retail price of £539 ( now the promotion has ended ) is not "cheap " . The Dwarf ii has never set out to be better than a dedicated astrophotography rig , but it offers people with a passing interest in astronomy the chance to experience the hobby in a very interesting way . Have you seen the reviews ? Everyone who has reviewed the dwarf has had positive things to say ... Cuiv the lazy geek , Sarah Math(ews) .. who gave the most comprehensive review , Astro la Vista (aka Chris from this very forum ) and others have all welcomed it as another avenue into our hobby . But , you have disagreed and slated it as "rubbish " . I take it your "top of the range " gear makes you able to make such a judgement . Or is everything astro related rubbish compared to the JWTS or Hubble ? Sorry for the backlash rant . i in no way intend to offend Stu

Hi Ags ... the 3-8 Svbony is a very nice EP isn't it . And such a reasonable price . I was extremely happy with its performance on the moon last night . BTW , liked the report on the dog(s) . So , maybe its a chance to start a thread on "hard core dogs for astronomy nights " 😂

Agree , The "pioneers" ie the afforementioned Vaonis and Unistella had a head start in this and decided to price their systems accordingly . A bit like a TV manufacturer producing the first 4k screen . Inevitably though others have jumped on board and whilst i agree the aforementioned have produced a high quality product, pricing becomes more reflective of the intended market . I was always going to buy one of these products but the introduction of the Dwarf Labs and the See stars has made my purchase so much easier and of course affordable . For the record , the Dwarf imo is brilliant . I'm sure the See Stars will find its place in this field too . What an exciting time in our hobby .

So , first night with the new 102 ED starwave and would you believe it , first light too . Just an hour but enough time to look at Venus , the moon , beehive cluster , castor and Pollux . The highlight was using the SVBony 3-8 zoom on the moon … absolutely amazing . Even down to 3mm (x374 ) the moon was clear and showed no false colour . Finished off looking at Capella . A great start for the new scope

Yes I used the Binos earlier and wanted to see if I could obtain focus without losing the tube near the focuser … I couldn’t until i used the little Barlow lens which bought everything into focus .

So after the departure of my lovely and yet rather weighty Starwave 152 I have invested in a really “traditional “ frac ie Starwave 102ED F11 . I think it sits very well on the skytee mount . Many thanks to Altair Astro for a speedy delivery . Although a bit stingy not to include the finder shoe . Done a bit of homework regarding this scope as i had the red non ED version a few years ago ( I do like the red colour a bit more than the white .. does that make me shallow? ) . Apparently, and I am only going off a review on CN the colour correction on this scope is superb . We will see . Bought to observe the moon, doubles and planets ( where have they gone ) I need another short frac to compliment it on the skyTee mount . Regarding the mount , I was all set to sell it to @Sponcom but he graciously agreed to let me keep it . A really nice gesture from Paul ( Many Thanks )

Out last night with the Dwarf for a quick photo of the crescent moon , … reckon I could have nailed the focus slightly better but it’s so simple and quick to set up and use . DWARF_20230422204631432.mp4

Pleasure to meet you too , Alan … scope looks great .. happy it’s gone to a really good home mate .

Used the Dwarf to capture a solar image this morning through the clouds,a couple of sunspots visible

Well that’s a great post and to be honest sums up the worth of these small units . Having already purchased a Dwarf Labs ii I am mightily impressed and it’s , as you rightly say , fascinating to see the picture build up in front of your eyes . The software is easy to use and the Auto stretching feature is a brilliant addition .

Interesting comparison between thespecs on the Dawrf and the See Stars on "Rooster Observatory " (YouTube ) .. Certainly looks like the Dwarf is the better option . The guy on YT has the Dwarf and has put an order in for the SeeStars so he has no bias towards either . I applaud anyone bringing new gear onto the market as it shows progression . Sure these units might be a bit niche but in my case its a really fun way of capturing the night sky and the Moon and Sun , without the headache ( as i see it ) of teasing details from a program . I can now see the Leo triplet within 2minutes , which is remarkable . Also the feeback from reviewers has been both encouraging to the end user but also their critisisms have been listened to by the suppliers . Astronomy takes makes many forms . The SeeStars and dwarf can only enhance interest , Surely .

If enough of us actually look through our scopes we might start a revival . Lets have a dedicated "visual obsy only night " with sketches rather than pictures posted .

The most realistic post on this subject . Light pollution can be tackled ... but those wretched clouds ?... i'm not so sure . Also , there will be another twenty thousand satelites in low ordit to negotiate when trying to view anything .

That was the case with some early ones but i never had a problem with mine

Lovely isnt it ? ... the early morning when everything is quiet (ish) .. it seems we have the whole sky to ourself

i bought an adapter from them and it worked fine !

Agree entirely . I am a real fan of technology and the exciting products that are now hitting the market in astronomy but tradition in our hobby is a very powerful tool and new ideas and aids will never dampen the enthusiasm in using our eyes to look through a scope in awe .