Stu1smartcookie

My first image from the SeeStars .  4 mins in total , processed on the Phone 

My first try with the seestars last night , between clouds . Any editing was done on the phone so not very professional but an enjoyable hour overall . One thing I observed was how long I actually spent outside with the S50 .. it was quite chilly and a strong breeze was an annoying pest but I still preferred being outside for the majority of the captures rather than inside viewing on the tablet . Photos  . Plaides, M82( with M81 in the corner) and finally M38 in Auriga. One thing I should add is that the Plaides was around 4 minutes of exposure , M82 was 10 minutes and M38 was 2 minutes 

Just reprocessed the Plaides on the phone ... a bit cleaner now .

44 minutes ago, mr_belowski said:

my niece got a cheap 72mm short Celestron refactor on a basic alz-az mount / tripod and she *loves* it. It gives reasonable views but more importantly (for a 6 year old) it looks like a real telescope and she wants to use it and enjoys using it

absolutely my point

Not sure Light polution has much effect on viewing planets really . but , i agree its a "horses for courses " thing .

5 minutes ago, Elp said:

The robo scope won't give good planetary views due to their short focal lengths this is true, but you'll see a lot more via the robo scope than you will ever see visually.

Can't argue with your point , but , kids like to see planets and the moon , as they are visible to the naked eye . And thats what Elisa said she wanted to do in her introduction . 

The SeeStars and dwarf , are brilliant , Binos are brilliant but nothing beats looking through a traditional frac , especially when children are involved . there is just something about a traditional looking scope that provokes a wow factor to kids ( and adults alike ) . 

Whilst I am 100% behind the seestars and dwarf smart scopes ( I have both ) I am not sure that it’s a good starting point , although I will say that the fascination of seeing things the eye cannot see materialise on a screen is magical but from what I read I think the target initially is planetary , having read Elisa’s intro on the forum.Those scopes just do not cut it on planets . I stick by my suggestion of a refractor .. maybe a StarSense 80mm from Celestron .. a decent focal length for planets and the StarSense unit attached to find other objects and what’s more , it’s not too expensive . After all , a 6 yo may not keep interest in the hobby . 

25 minutes ago, EliinAfrica said:

I would need to take care of the basic maintenance myself, but the least maintenance is required the better it is.

I would suggest a refractor on an alt-az non computerised mount would be a good starting point as it would be casically maintenance free . Not sure what your budget is though , so that is a key factor . How easy is it to buy astronomy gear where you live ? Here i the UK i'm sure we sometimes forget that buying scopes etc can be somewhat challenging in certain places .

Welcome to the forum , Elisa.  Don't be afraid to ask a question .... as everyone on here is keen to help . 

2 hours ago, MalcolmP said:

but what else is there to do when its cloudy  , , , , , , 

Malcolm , lol I won't show my wife your comment 😂

TBH ive never heard of the "AllStar " but the Sky Align in the signature alignemnt procedure for Celestron mounts . I would do a two or three star alingnment instead . 

6 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

I do but with a little touch up with my ipads editor and now a bit with Lightroom, you couldn't get much better with my eyes but then again I am not real fussy.  I bought it to have some fun as an alternative to my refractors and ha work, its a great, new field of astronomy !  The amazing thing is that the SS is so simple to learn, to use !

Agree entirely . 

Question ... Is there anyone left that just uses the seestars to display the image it produces rather than  the extra processing ?Apart from me that is ...lol . I am sure i will get drawn into the (tedious, in my view)  enhancing the image, eventually .... its probably unavoidable a "do it once and you're hooked"  thing 😂

Hi , Yes its all on the handset ... or if you have a wifi module you can align the mount via an app on your phone . Sky Align is a bit hit and miss but when it works it works well .

Stu

25 minutes ago, cimh said:

Hi all. Picked up my ss from FLO today - For me there is a bit of a learning curve to getting started. Is this an appropriate forum to ask questions - or is there a better place? The android phone I am using is a bit old and does not have 5g wifi so the first hurdle was having to log on with my iphone to change the settings in the SS to 2.4g after that the android phone connected fine. 

1. Testing to look at the sun -ss had the elevation right but was looking in completely the wrong place - at least 90 degrees out horizontally (compass setting and tripod level was good). I read this might be a bug or is it  something I am doing wrong?

2. Managed to manually get to the sun and took 4 photos. But where are they and how do i access the jpgs? The /myworks folder in the SS is empty. I can't see them on my android phone anywhere like DCIM. But when the app is connected to the ss I can see the images so they must be somewhere?

Apols if this is not the right place.

 

Hi , I picked mine up yesterday and when you start using something new it's always a bit overwhelming . The instructions are a bit basic but relevant. The images once taken are stored on your device by default but I believe you may have to give access to your device at the set up .

1 minute ago, Chandra said:

It seems that no one paid much attention to the slight partial eclipse of the Moon that occurred on Saturday night... The shadow of the Earth "ate" a portion of the S-SW of our satellite... The best thing about the phenomenon is that it did not happened at odd hours...
Already in the early morning, the apparent approach between the Moon and Jupiter produced a beautiful conjunction that must have gone as unnoticed or more by most mortals than the eclipse a few hours before, except for night owl photographers like my brother-in-law from Paris (I share a photo he sent me)... So, what happened this Saturday was a kind of Saturday night astronomical fever 🕺💃

Wonderful setting ... unfortunately in the UK most of us were blighted by cloud . 

15 minutes ago, Giles_B said:

Yes, plastic ones being sold on ebay for a fiver, and metal ones on AliExpress for a bit more.

many thanks Giles 

Hi Guys , Forgive me for not reading back through the entire thread but has anyone printed a lens cover for the SeeStars yet ?

Call it OCD but i hate the idea of that lens being uncovered when its not in use ( yep i can use the solar filter , but i think thats not the best way )

KR Stu 

Just collected from the Widescreen Centre , yep Sunday evening ... 6pm ! Great service , Simon and Elena . 

Couldn't resist a little play with it , took an image of the moon . 

13 minutes ago, powerlord said:

I have to be in kitchen for it to work. Awful.

I've now got that song " you'll always find him in the kitchen at parties" in my mind now  

20 minutes ago, powerlord said:

So far... the mobile app is a hell of a lot more rubbish. Calibrating is a hit or miss affair

Agree with this 100% ... the update is apparently coming ... but its taking its time 

Amazing . Io looks incredible ! .. And Jupiter is truly stunning . 

I have used it on the AZ-GTi before ... it seemed to be ok .. not ideak in any breeze though

I liked the 130PDs when i had one , but its all about personal choice and if i hd the choice i would go for the refractor . 

1 minute ago, Beardy30 said:

How would the startravel 102 compare in terms of optics to the Skywatcher Explorer 130PDS - similar price point but is it a better better as a 6” f/5 

you will have to take into account the central obstruction on the Newt , but of course there will be no false colour visible with the 130pds . You will need to use a collimation tool from time to time of course . 

Nice report , mate ... the winter constellations do not disapoint .