Marvin Jenkins

11 hours ago, michael8554 said:

You mean Storms Storms Storms.............  :-<

Michael

I have just seen what is coming…. Batten down the hatches.

I have decided on a completely different angle. I have bought a camera and some other kit specifically to photograph clouds!

I figure that if buying telescope kit brings the clouds then kit for photography of clouds will make them go away.

It is currently raining so hard I can’t get outside to take a photo😂

Looks like my plan backfired.

M

4 minutes ago, jjohnson3803 said:

Agree completely with that.  I gave up on galaxies in my light pollution soup quite awhile ago and had been concentrating almost exclusively on open clusters.  I started observing some doubles rather recently and it's opened up a whole new realm of observing.   Splitting a double is really quite satisfying for whatever reason(s).

Cambridge double star atlas is a gem. Wouldn’t be without mine as many nights look promising, stay clear but the transparency is awful so I give up on faint objects and delve into the atlas.

Marv

Everything depends on your location in relation to light pollution as far as deeper sky stuff goes.

I originally started with a 130 newt in B3/4 skies and I can only agree with bosun21 that is all doable.

At one point I thought I would need to up the aperture to see more but in fact a decent mount EQ5 was an eye popping difference and really shows how capable a small newt can be.

If you don’t have great skies then don’t ignore double star astronomy like I stupidly did for the first few years.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. And so you know, my original 130 is most used scope to this day in a grab and go situation.

Marvin

Very nice image. For maximum feedback it should be posted in the imaging section.

Marv

6 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

Yet conversely, it is ironic that if fortune had it that you did get a good night out observing, all of those notions just melt away and you get to thinking hmm maybe I'd like to include this or that - for next time.  However it has been rather grim and uninspiring a lot of the time. It is definitely a pursuit that requires a mindset that this is for the long game, or to put it another way, occasional, by which having other hobbies and interests on an equal footing is necessary for your free / leisure time. 

Couldn’t agree more. That whole position of should I shouldn’t I, is it even worth it punctuated by magical moments of triumph seem to be the tiny area of overlap that holds the incredible moment we are looking for.

Marv

Nothing wrong with your thoughts and decisions. I started observing thinking everyone is in it for the same reason, to look at the night sky. 
I realised after some time that some astronomers never look at the night sky. 
some astronomers have the complete opposite reaction to yours and the cloudier it gets the more they spend on kit to compensate. 
I really do think that some of us are not astronomers at all, we just love owning beautifully crafted telescopes.

Do what feels right for you. My own personal experience is that I was never hungrier for any opportunity to observe no matter how extreme when I had just one small scope and a box of cheap plossls.

Marvin.

Wow. Sounds like Midsummer without the murders. I think I will take my chances in an inner city crack area, at least I know where the walls are.

M

13 hours ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

My next rant will be titled 'Bloody thread bandits'.

Don’t include me in that rant. I explained it perfectly with the smallest amount of difficult to spell words and didn’t include a single phone box!🤣

2 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Sorry to hear that, and who are gamekeepers and what are heather burns? 

People who keep game and burn heather🤷🏻

Starting astronomy with a 12” goto flex tube is one hell of a way to get started! 
A twelve inch Dob is a big old beast and a joy with some experience behind you. Add goto, alignment, handsets, Wi-Fi and apps and all the fun has just evaporated away.

You need hands on help in my opinion. Do you have an Astro group or club near you? 
You can’t believe how simple it can all be when helped by people with experience.

Not only that, most astronomers that get asked for help by a new astronomer are more helpful than you would ever believe. We want you to succeed and contribute.

Marvin

Welcome aboard, you will not regret joining this is a good place.

Marvin

Happened to bump into my old friend with the glow in the dark Bushnells and here she is in all her bolt together wobbly glory.

1 minute ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Very few astronomical sighting compare with excitement of seeing a bolide. I've witnessed three in about 50 years of interest in the night sky. Each was absolutely magical.

I can only agree. This one just didn’t want to give it up and just kept on burning. My previous bolide which I captured on my dslr was just as bright but lasted just a second, this one had my jaw on the floor.

M

I am most likely wrong but it bears a striking similarity to a mount and tripod supplied by Bushnells.

A client of mine has it and indeed the scope is bolted directly to the mount head with small coach bolts and wing nuts that come through the ota main tube.

The saving grace with the whole setup is that the raised Bushnell lettering on the OTA glows in the dark😂 I’m not kidding!

Marv

Couldn’t sleep! Despite the ridiculous full moon allowing me to see some colour in my garden at 3am I grabbed the binoculars.

Turns out I didn’t them for this arrival. 03:40 travelling south to north across my eastern horizon a Bolide.

It was quite slow compared to a shooting star but it was larger, orange and sparkling as it tore across the body of Orion. Then a piece broke off and burned away in a shower of sparkles whilst at the same the main body momentarily flared bright white and continued behind some trees.

The angle of entry was very shallow so the whole thing was more across the horizon than down towards the ground.

Not a fireball but the best bolide of my life. To top it all off I walked my dog this morning just after 7am with Jupiter bright and high, Venus a little way behind and to my surprise the brightest Mercury I have ever seen and not a telescope in sight

Marv

I have been hitting the weights recently in preparation for ordering a Planewave. Just need to win the Loto now.

Marv

Just wanted to mention that this post is in the observing section and as such may well get over looked by other imagers.

Marv

I looked it up in Burnhams and indeed it is a very interesting globular. I will definitely take in more of my Southerly horizon in the future.

M

Welcome.

Good to hear you got back okay. I will absolutely being going next year as the reason for not going this time backfired.

We had friends come over for a holiday and right in the middle was our wedding anniversary!

The whole ten days my friends have done absolutely nothing but be waited on. They get up at 9am and fall asleep by 9pm.

My wife drank champagne on our anniversary and crashed out snoring by 8pm. Next year I’m on the road to the star party😂

Marv

8 hours ago, faulksy said:

Sounds like you know that one marv. 

Good idea that 

Not saying a word.😖

By definition a theory is unproven. If very smart people didn’t waste time on theories there would be no facts.

6 hours ago, Epick Crom said:

Hi Marvin!

M22 is spectacular indeed. I'm in Australia and it is an impressive sight as it's gets virtually overhead here. Having said that, wait until you see NGC 5139 (Omega Centauri) and NGC 104 (47 Tucanae) 🤯 Those two are in a class of their own! NGC 6752 in Pavo is also incredible.

I hope you can visit our fair shores one day to see them for yourself!

Clear Skies

Joe

Thanks Joe. You answered all my questions before I asked. I will be paying another visit to Auz sometime in the future as I kick myself about not being into Astronomy last time I was there.

Marv

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

It’s a pretty spectacular globular, especially from southern latitudes 

Have you seen it from southern latitudes?