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Too many think a brightly lit city nightscape the most beautiful thing to behold! Those are the same ones that ignore the cost and problem of our excessive need for 24 hour daylight conditions.

My first 2" eyepiece. But it seems that the delivery came with a curse! USPS delivered my new toy, and the weather Gods delivered two days of clouds and rain! I have to admit I was surprised at how much larger it is compared with its little brothers.

Thanks. While I was printing the charts, I couldn't believe everything there is to see.

Perhaps I've answered my own question. Found a set of Messier finder charts on line. Still a little, fuzzy, on exactly which I saw though. But it was pretty amazing.

Out again this morning. Mostly visually observing while waiting for the moon to rise. While panning across the sky towards Scorpios, I was able to pick out three distant "fuzzies" I know had to be either starclusters or galaxies. I understand the idea of Ra Dec but with a manual Dob, it's more of pointing and looking. Heavensabove listed jupiter at 17h 31m 44.9s around 3am, so the fuzzies I saw were close to 16h 30 min and -20 degrees. Between jupiter and Scorpios. One was very close to an incredible star field not visible completely till I looked through my 8"dob and a 32mm lens. What's my best choice in finding how to determine what I'm seeing.

I hope soon to upgrade. I would love a C14 SC, but right now, of have you hit the lotto. So my plan is probably going to a 12" dob, with me grinding the mirror for the experience. Then later jumping up again to an 18 or 20. But, all that changes if the 2 tickets I'll buy to tonight hit.

I really enjoy reading these post where everyone is able to banter back and forth, even when they have different views and opinions!!

Yes, I was referring to the hubble. We all seem to have our own ideas of how something should appear, what is beautiful and what is not. That's what I was meaning with my comment.

Our weather forecasters keep claiming, this is really the last cold front. After all, its April! But we had another one. Jupiter was shining brilliantly, living up to its reputation on being the brightest thing in the sky till the moon rose. Barely 10 degrees to the west, Scorpio stood out very distinctly. The milkyway was just beginning to show better as my eyes began to adapt. I grabbed my camera and took a few widefield shots before jumping in the car for work. Next two days are supposed to be good too, but of course I work both days.

I know whom ever is doing it, the images are incredible. As far as the way a final image looks, I think we have to remember, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If our eyes do not really process many colors well, aren't we all taking an artistic liberty to process an image to fit our own ideal picture? Just my two cents.

Got these in three different 8 sec exposures. Canon SL1, 18mm 8 sec exp, 5 second delay. Fireflies are my only guess, though I would like to claim UFO's.?

When I got back into this hobby, I did a lot of reading before taking the leap. I decided on an 8" dob because of ease in handling. But now that I've built an observatory, I wish I had gone 10" or 12". So yes, I'm still suffering the fever and it's not letting up.

Don't disregard a goto system even to start if you can afford if. I enjoy my 8" reflector but I find I spend a lot of time searching to find something, many times being unsucessful. My next scope, when the budget allows will be goto system/tracking capable. You can't believe how quickly something moves through your field of view at higher magnification. Go as large an aperture as you can afford and easily handle moving around. And enjoy the wonders you'll behold.

Wonderful images of an amazing world. As much as I enjoy looking up at Luna, could you imagine the sight of those rings overhead! It would be breath taking!

I was so tempted to make a mad dash to the cape. But I didn't. I'm only a little less than 3 hours of hard driving from there. Maybe next time. I want to take my 2 youngest grandkids to experience it close up.

Amazing I noticed this thread yesterday, and just now I see on the local news a man sentenced to 1 year 9 months for shining a laser at a police helicopter. Remember what 'Forrest Gump' said. "Mama said, stupid is as stupid does!"

Remember, the first astronomers, and they probably didn't even call themselves that, had only their eyes and mind when they gazed into the night sky. Look up at the growing moon with the wonder a child feels. See the shape of a constellation in the stars for the first time, as you tell yourself 'Now I see it!' Wait for a shooting star and think at that very moment, you could be the only human alive to see the end of something billions of years in existence. I get frustrated too, but even as I walk in to go to work, the last thing I do is look up into the night sky to see what's there. The sky above us is endless, as is our possibilties learning it.

A few days ago I gave up on Mercury and let it get darker. Turned to Orion nebula with my 8" dob, Canon SL1 prime focus. Had to go high ISO and even 1 second exposure I see some stretching in the stars. No processing.

I've really been wanting some binos to help my poor old eyes to find faint objects easier. Found a used set on Amazon.

Is that kitty, kitty? Or is that a fox? Nose looks a little long for a cat.

My simple 8" dob with my DIY dewzappers. Nor really much to look at, but boy do I have fun. And yes, the finder scope had not yet cleared up. This was this morning while I looked at Venus and Jupiter.

Fantastic! I'm happy to hear the procedures were a success for you. My mother had one eye done but it wasn't good, so she refused to do the other one. I have to say, one of my biggest phobia's is having something done in my eyes. I look at it as a last resort.

I would really enjoy seeing a photo of a completed set if anyone has one. I think of the docking pilot turning the model in the movie 'Pitch black'. One of our solar system would be awesome.

Fantastic thread. Thanks! This gives me hope being I consider myself a baby, not even rolling over yet compared to those with experience. Hopefully I'll start crawling soon.

With fall and winter coming up, hopefully my neighbor will shield those LED.