Stu1smartcookie

Steve that is truly awful 🤣

Oh yeah … lol … but it’s where the heart is ( don’t tell the wife I said that ) 🤣

lol Hobsons Choice !!!

So you search for a frac high and low and then you find one packed away in its case , very securely stored , doing nothing , just asking for me to buy it ! And , of course today the weather has turned from lovely sunshine into clouds ! 😕

Thanks for the replies guys . I like the Dx5 as the scope will also go on my nexstar mount . I think any gadget that helps people is a boon in our hobby .

Good evening everyone . I want to know if anyone has any in depth advice regarding the celestron starsense explorer range of scopes ? In particular I am looking at the DX range ie 5" or 6" sct's. It seems an interesting concept to have a push to type of system which can accommodate various tubes . TBH it's the scope that I want rather than the mount. If I didn't activate the code I suppose it could be sold on . Has anyone used one of these ? My second question is about the star adventurer GTi mount which is due out soon , it has a payload which is the same as the current SA and the GTI mount . I presume that's for portability sake - question is , will people abandon their original SA and GTI mounts to buy the upgraded mount ? If so there are going to be an lot of keenly priced mounts on the market - from what I've seen the new SA-GTi is being received very well . Stu

Yes , a fantastic time to see the pre-dawn sky . I usually go for a walk around 5am but its been constant cloud over the last few mornings ans as you write , its getting light at that time . I still would like to catch the planets in the early morning sky .

The pronto mount comfortably holds a 102 mak but , whist it will hold a 127 i think the additional weight will make it a frustrating experience . This is due to the focal length of the scope which in turn produces narrow field of view and high magnification.. why is that a problem? Well if the mount is not sturdy enough for that scope the vibrations will be a complete pain when moving or even touching the scope . If you could stretch your budget i would say the 150 heritage virtuoso... or indeed the 127 mak on the same mount

I bought the basic one and added motors to it , a bit cheaper than the goto .. of course you need to find the targets but it tracks well .

Physically not a problem , the difference comes when polar aligning , which by the way is not hard at all . The mount will follow the earths rotation and make viewing more enjoyable as you only have to concentrate on moving on one axis . Also if you do want to get into astrophotography then an EQ mount is desirable although not necessary.

Every now and then i tend to Fall out of love with astronomy due to sheer frustration and cold weather , but then i read little reports like this and i get enthused to "try Again ". Thank you for the report Mark , much appreciated . Stu

Assuming you want an EQ mount then an EQ5 , upwards , will suffice . The C6 is faily light , i use the EQ5 for my 8" CC and it still tracks superbly... maybe for future proofing go to ( no pun intended) an HEQ5 .

The AZ-Gti is a great mount. The convenience of goto in a small lightweight package , coupled with a nice 102 or 127 mak , or a small refractor = a great combination

Hi , Welcome to SGL and to the community . Harrogate is a lovely part of our world . You will glean a ton of information on here , regarding purchasing a scope .

Firstly mate sorry to read about your problems but delighted that you got out with the ZS73 . As most of us know , despite that much used “aperture is everything “ quote , using a small scope can and is often more satisfying.

i love the scope ... although the moon is a bit conspicuous by its absent , and as for the planets ... i will hopefully see them in the evening in a few months ... but as i said , i love the scope . Looking forward to doing a bit of lunar photography soon ... not in your league mate , but , hey , you gotta start somewhere

I've written it before ... we must be the most enthusiastic and patient astronomers i the world . Light pollution , cloud and rain , wind , dew , fog, poor seeing , its all here in the UK ! Only our joy from the hobby makes it all worthwhile . To add my 2 pence worth of knowledge ( for knowledge read mistakes made in this hobby) , a 200mm Dobsonian would be a great start on your journey.

Im marking you down for using that awful pun , Laurence 🤣

Amazing photos as always , Neil . As NeonSpectres writes it certainly inspires one to get out there and at least try to emulate such wonderful images .

Early mornings are lovely , i go for a 2 mile walk every morning at about 5am ... whilst its now getting light at that time its still the best ime to be out and about . The moon is a wonderful sight at the moment , and whilst most of the stars are rapidly disapearing in the early morning light , Venus is still shining brightly . Mind you i am looking forward to the planets once again appearing in the evening sky .

This is the scope that i have wanted ... having bought and sold ( and lost loads of money ) trying to find my sweet spot in this wonderful hobby , i am at last happy ! Now , where are the planets ???? hmmm, in the East in the morning ... ah well , there are loads of doubles and a very nice moon to look at .

.

This will be my target tonight .... weather permitting .

Well for the first time in about 14 months !!! (exageration) i was able to actually use the scope for about an hour . to me it felt like i was out there all night . To be honest i was only interested in a couple of stars and the moon , i hovered my phone cam above the EP and took this shot .. not too well framed but for me it was just a joy to be able to see something . taken on iphone , through 25mm EP , Ts Optics 8" CC

I have met a few people that i certainly would not have met if we didnt share the same interest . Most i've met when i have bought or sold astro equipment, which has tended to be quite often up to now , mmuch to the dismay of my ever so patient wife . Also i have been honoured to meet people who i now call "my friends " . this hobby is indeed a singular one but there are thousands of like minded people out there , just like stars in the sky . Sites like these prove invaluable and like @Franklin says we think we know each other without even meeting . Also , don't you think its such a civilised hobby ? ... Niche ?... maybe , and its a bit annoying when the media get a sniff at an astronomical event and hype it to the extreme , but , we will take that , cos we all know , there is nothing better than quietly looking up .