Stu1smartcookie

Hi James , i briefly owned one but didnt get into astrophotography at that point , what i can say is the construction of the scope was very solid and they get a good reputation for widefield photography . I believe there was a very favourable review in "Sky At Night " magazine . 

Stu

A couple of “almost “ essential  accessories from FLO . I feel I have shares in Bobs Knobs lol and a collimation cap . 

Hi Billy i second what Doug has written ... i viewed Mars last night with an 8" dobsonian and only just made out some surface shading ... The planet is fading in magnitude quite quickly now and, even at its best , visually, it can be a let down . In fact Mars is a planet that you have to view for quite sometime before it gives you too much in return . Don't be too hard on yourself or the equipment .. it really is  difficult  to observe . 

Stu

An unexpected clear spell last night meant a quick set up of the Dob , just to give my 10mm and 6mm Ortho EPs a first go . Not ideal in a way as the scope was not sufficiently cooled but , the moon was rapidly disapearing over the roof so i had to take the opportunity . Spoiler alert , these EPs are fantastic . Clarity was exceptional when viewing the moon , i focused on the Apeninne region , starting with the 10mm . I was a bit concerned that the admittedly tight eye relief would prove to be an issue but , i need not have worried . No black spots when viewing just a lovely bright image , i switched to the 6mm , and the image was slightly softer as the scope hadnt properly cooled , but once again there was no problems regarding brightness . A quick switch to Mars which showed subtle shading , but in truth , the conditions were not condusive ... i really needed to put the Dob out 30minutes earlier. ( lesson to be learnt ) . 

A quick view of Orion , but using a 26mm EP showed the normal nebulosity and the trapezium . I then left the scope for around 30minutes before attempting to find the Comet . After a frustrating 15minutes or so searching in the right area i managed to locate it in the 8x50 finder . It was quite near a star (optically) and showed a fairly bright nucleus with a surround of gas , It was a great sight and one that makes this hobby really worthwhile . One thing i did notice was how quickly the comet is moving . From its starting distance from the star in the EP it had moved considerably . 

Clouds rolled in from the North West  ending the fairly short but worthwhile session . In conclusion , i need to buy the 18mm Baader ortho , as per @Franklin sugestion . 

And its going to be clear tonight too !

One image I took with the phone of the comet

10 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Stop buying astro-kit and it may clear up!😄

lol ok , … for one day only 

21 hours ago, Franklin said:

Excellent eyepieces especially for the money, if you haven't already got one the BCO18mm is a cracker.

I am certainly buying the 18mm  …   

mod course I was clouded out last night and it looks the same for tonight too , so , the curse strikes again. 😕 

A couple of Baader Classic Orthos courtesy of @PeterC65. Excellent condition and packed really well . Looking forward to trying them out . 

Hi, i can only speak of my experience in using 82 degree EPs .. i had three celestrons ... 10mm, 15mm and the giant 31mm ( very heavy ) .. they were all good in so much as they gave nice flat views but i simply couldnt get on with the wide FOV they showed . I found myself being distracted , especially in the case of the 31mm . the widest fov EPs that work for me , so far , are the hyperions from baader which i believe offer 68 degrees . In fact i actually prefer lower more narrow fov EPs . Its just my opinion and i'm sure someone else will comment that the 82 degree EPs are a wonderful addition . 

Stu

1 minute ago, paulastro said:

And yes, I sometimes sit back and enjoy looking at each one of them when it's raining and I can't use them 🤣.

 

lol Paul , you could start another debate with that line 🤣.. although im sure its been done before . 

So sorry to read about issues re;lated to the hobby , but , as has been written already i think most of us have problems, in one area or another . I am not the most patient of people and get frustrated very quickly when things are going wrong . The hobby of astronomy and of course astrophotography has so many variables and at any given time one thing can ruin a session . Couple with that the , quite frankly questionable skies over the UK and frustration and indeed an  almost depression like feeling overtakes . Of course its not a cheap hobby too , the more one gets into it , the more one pays . Sometimes its like throwing good money after bad . I really wish you well and hope you come back re-invigurated . 

A nice addition to my recently acquired Asiair 

this ZWO camera plus ir-cut filter will do me a treat. Many thanks to @wornish. Superbly packed and delivered within two days . 

3 hours ago, Beardy30 said:

How would the 80ED for example match up against the 127 Mak ? 

Hmmm they are so different , if you had one of each then I would say you have the perfect lightweight set up . Mak for Luna and planetary and 80ed for widefield I have the 80ed and I think it's a great scope for a quick set up and go bit the Mak doesn't take too long to cool and gives very pleasing views . 

Horses for courses ,. No one scope does it all , as the saying goes 

56 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Here are a few DSO sketches made using a 100mm refractor. I'll only post a few so as not to bore the pants off other SGLers who have suffered them countless times.

 

Fantastic sketches , and a great case for the Frac . 

37 minutes ago, StevieDvd said:

Another couple of simply processed new captures:

M1 - Crab nebula (cropped wideview capture)

 

NGC2175 - Monkey Head nebula

I just need to practise post-processing to see what I can pull out of the data (I'm pleased with the above) but not sure how much it would improve if the data was properly processed.

 

Great shots mate 

8 hours ago, bosun21 said:

Managed to get my first light with the 8” Nexstar SE purchased from @Stu1smartcookie. I made the grave error of not reading up on the Celestron hand controller. It’s alien to me after years with the Synscan. I was getting stressed as if it’s left sitting for a short while the directional buttons don’t operate. I was constantly having to switch it on and off again. I sacked the HC and switched to the WiFi adapter and Sky Portal. What a difference. Simple, intuitive and it works extremely well. First 3 star alignment and then slewed to Mars. It was I just off of centre with my 17.5mm Morpheus. Despite the seeing being a bit poor in Oxford tonight I still cranked it up to 225x with my 9mm Morpheus. Then while waiting for M42 to appear from a neighbors tree I selected Jupiter.  I used a 12mm Morpheus for 169x. Some decent NEB’s and EB’s but the poor seeing gave it a slightly underwater appearance. M42 was visible to me now so I put an Astronomik UHC filter on a 17.5 Morpheus and used the Sky Portal app on my tablet to go to M42. Once again it was in my FOV! Impressive. The difference that a decent UHC filter makes on M42 is not to be underrated.The nebulouslity was increased no end and stood out more against a darker background sky. Looking at the trapezium stars I could very easily spot 5. In better seeing with more magnification I could do much better. I quickly asked for the scope to go to Capella to check the collimation of the SCT. It was almost spot on with just a tiny tweak here and there to get it perfectly concentric rings on both sides of focus. Now for my favorite view of the night. This was the first time I had ever viewed the pinwheel cluster. With the 17.5mm Morpheus back in minus the UHC filter I was hooked on the this cluster and viewed it very intently. I had to call it a night despite there being no clouds due to the freezing temperature. I had endured 4 hours outside and had to seek warmth. Glad to say despite everything being iced up my dew ring that I recently fitted and a dew band around my eyepieces, my corrector plate was clear as a bell as was each eyepiece used. The Astro gloves acquired from @Littleguy80 were the best £13 I’d spent in a long while. Now to strip down and get into the warmth.

Seeing in my part of the world wasnt great , too ... but , you gotta take what you are offered i suppose ... a bit frustrating though as i had the same experience with Jupiter ...i set up just after 5pm and was back indoors by 7.30 as cloud rolled in . Tonight and tomorrow forecast to be ok , but then we will be back into milder cloudier conditions . My scope deinitely needs a collimation tweak... something to do during the day tomorrow . Nice report , @bosun21. 

Out with the Stellalyra 8” d dob for its first light… no collimation device but it looked quite good.. will need a tweak. Schoolboy error setting up to close to the house but just about caught Mars and the Hyades using the 31mm EP some really nice widefield views . Switched to the much maligned supplied  9mm and centered on the Orion Neb … wonderful  view with loads of nebulosity . Quite Dewey tonight but I didn’t use the built in fan although no doubt it’s a useful addition . Dual speed focuser was nice . A few extras needed including bobs knobs and a digital angle  finder . Maybe a telrad although a red dot finder would compliment the included RACI . One of the best things is the set up time of 5 minutes ! No stress or fuss … just how it should be . This scope is about 80 pounds dearer than the skywatcher version but the included extras are worth the extra investment . Looking forward to having a full session tomorrow evening . 

5 hours ago, bosun21 said:

DPD dropped off my new Concenter today. Bought this for my new 12” dobsonian as I modified my secondary mirror holder to allow it to be rotated. The Stella Lyra holder has indents that the adjustment screws fit into stopping any rotation. I also fitted heavier springs on the primary mirror so as you can imagine the collimation was way out. I found the concenter invaluable in positioning the secondary correctly. Collimation is spot on now, with my cap, Cheshire and Hotech laser all in perfect agreement. Now for the dark to descend.

If I need any modifications on scopes etc I’m bringing them down to you,Ian   

So , a delivery by DPD from FLO  to my work . And after transporting home one very large and one very square box I set about building the base , which went remarkably well for me , especially as I have no DIY skills at all . I decided to put the EP rack on the opposite side to the focuser because I was pretty sure it would be in the way whilst whilst viewing . To be honest I might take the damn thing off all together .. I can’t see me using it much anyway .. I think the scope looks great in black and actually will sit very nicely in our large kitchen just one patio door away from outside .  

2 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Oh and I also got the 8” dew heater ring and dew shield which are a must in these Arctic conditions. If I were you Stu I would probably opt for the 8” or the 10”

just ordered the 8" , Ian . 

6 hours ago, Pixies said:

 

Just raising a quick toast to the memory of JohnInDerby, then I'll be out.

Very classy and a nice thought , mate .

6 hours ago, bosun21 said:

I will giving both the 12” dobsonian and the 8SE a first spin tomorrow night.I have bought a short 2” WO visual back and the WO 2” diagonal that allows me to remove the nosepiece from the diagonal and screw on to the visual back. This enables the 8SE to slew to the Zenith without the diagonal hitting the battery compartment. FLO have sent me a replacement focuser for the dobsonian so fingers crossed that the Clear outside app is accurate for tomorrow.

I’m glad FLO have sent the focuser to you Ian( so they should ) I think we are due a few clear nights this week . Can’t wait to see the report on the scopes mate . I am looking at dobs as mrs smart cookie has said I can keep one by the patio doors ( happy days … I must have been good the last few days lol) .. just wondering what one to buy … 8” or 10” or be really naughty and go for the 12” , although I have to be realistic (ish

clear skies mate 

8 hours ago, Saganite said:

Very nice Stu.  The Cambridgeshire skies are incredible this evening.  Have fun.

I have never seen the skies so clear , amazing 

First official light of the Star Adventurer GTi and the Skywatcher ED80 , tracking was spot on. But I am no Astro Photographer, and I can’t help thinking that a 12” Dob is calling me ( @bosun21… I’ve got aperture fever after seeing the Stellalyra on Saturday ) 

Anyway an enjoyable if very chilly 2 hours of mainly star watching , and the inevitable Orion Nebula and the Beehive cluster which is always a welcome sight . 
 

I may attend . Never been to one of these before . 

So here is the field flattener that I collected from @bosun21. Looking forward to trying it in my ED80 … maybe Monday evening .