Marvin Jenkins

I am currently in a conflagration with a friend about buying his first scope. He, by no means is a fifteen year old, but may know less than a knowledgable 15 year old with guidance.

My friend is going to save for a couple of years to buy a ten inch Dob, (Bresser Messier) fine scope but for the next two years he is not star gazing!

I put it to him, that buying a 130p heritage means he gets to start seeing star clusters, globular and open, some galaxies, a few planetary nebular, let alone some planets and our moon for not a lot of out lay. Learn the sky and train his eyes for what is out there.

The other important point is he can have this ‘little scope’ for a year or two until the Bresser arrives, then either pass the 130 to a youngster eager to learn (they are the future) or keep it for an opportune travel scope in the boot of the car.

As far as I am concerned there is no difference between a 15 year old beginner and a 32 year old beginner except the wallet and the eyesight.

Marvin

I won’t go on about dogs or this thread might get bumped into the lounge. However, I know how you feel. After we lost our two the house was like a museum.

Dog rescue, to the rescue. First one was a beaten and abused pup (sure would like to get my hands on the owner) and the second was much loved but couldn’t afford to feed her.

The house has been transformed, not just because they ate the furniture.

Just so this can be classed as Astro related I have the ISS app on my phone, so I will keep checking.

No idea, but really cute dog in your avatar. I have a half boxer half beagle that is not dissimilar called Lexy. She is mean and lovely all at the same time.

Marv

I wouldn’t buy either. My first choice would be a SkyWatcher 130p Heritage, an absolute bargain.

My other question from the first advert is how can it be viewed on a tv? If other people are to enjoy the show how can the view from the eye piece be projected to a tv without some kind of webcam or similar being in the loop?

Mark, well done, nothing like getting involved with like minded people. I lived in Church Crookham near Fleet in Hampshire. As a kid the Basingstoke canal dominated my life. The woodland all around, The villages dating back to the doomsday book, float fishing for perch and roach.

I hope the canal life is still going strong, as my parents chose France over a narrow boat.

Marv

Great stuff. Thanks to the posts on this site I feel like I have been along for the ride, so thank you all.

As I am quite new to this utterly addictive pastime/way of life, I have so many firsts that many of you probably saw years ago for the first time, so here goes....

At least 60 of the Messier list including M1 which disappointed and made me dance at the same time. I am now up to 80 of the 110.

Comet Iwamoto with much effort, but found it with pure determination.

Planet Uranus, couldn’t quite believe my own eyes.

Jupiter shadow moon transit from Ganymede.

Captured a bolide by accident in a wide field shot of the Orion area of the sky.

Comet C/2018 W2 Africano, epic star hop for over an hour until I was sure.

Plus some fantastic Lunar observations and most important of all getting to do some of this with like minded friends and being able to share the experience on here.

Here’s to December and rounding out the year well and Here’s to a great 2020.

Marvin.

You are in good hands with Stu, no truer word spoken when it comes to the heavens. I can only add that I have many opportunities to view M31 and up until recently they were much like your own.

I think I was eager and trying to hard. I had no idea how big that galaxy is and I was concentrating on the core thinking ‘that’s it’ It was not until I got a really dark night with great seeing and a wide field eye piece that I realised it was still bigger than the field of view.

M

2 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

ah luckily I'm near the top of the hill, but of course the garden fence reduces how low I can view, but generally the planets have been quite well placed as the LH fence isn't so high. More an issue if the other side are in and have the lighting on the back of the house turned on, bye bye any dark adaption, but luckily she's not around a lot  

What are you doing outside? If this works out I’m never going out again. Stay indoors, you need not worry about fences or neighbours lights ever again.

12 minutes ago, xtreemchaos said:

the thing to do is get the window open a good hour before you plan to obs/image so the scope can cooldown and no heating in the room helps not so much with the moon or sol but deepsky stuff it really matters. charl.

I hear you on the heating. My only problem is if my wife minds a 150pds on a eq5 standing on the coffee table in the middle of the lounge. 

I have been observing since November 2017, so new to all this madness. I thought at first that due to taking up the obsession I have become super sensitive to the weather, but even I am not this paranoid.

Started November 2017. Occasional nights till February 10th 2018. I missed two unexpected nights with bad seeing, cleared June 23rd 2018!!!! That’s Feb through till the end of June.

Right now my last clear night was October 9th with the exception of two nights bang on the full moon and a partial clear night for the Monocerotid meteor shower that never was. It’s now November 30th and I ordered a new OTA so that’s it till next year.

Astronomers keep diaries. Surely there are the old school crowd that can look back through note books and say “you know what, it’s not any different to 1974” or “This is definitely new”

Marv

1 minute ago, xtreemchaos said:

every big science telescope dos it from indoors so why carnt we even when were not stuck on top of some volcano. every image I have taken in the last 5 years has been taken from indoors and I don't think ive done too bad "fingers crossed"  when life gives astronomers lemons we make batterys 🙂. best of luck. charl.

I know I was having some fun but I am going to give it go. I have a large skylight in my roof and I will give it a back to back test against the exterior. My biggest problem is everything dewing up so quick, so perhaps the thermal trade off would be positive. Everything is worth a try.

M

I sometimes find myself thumbing through my Astro diary, not just for the year but year’s previous. I looked back through 2018 and other than my own personal milestones I noted the final page. Aims for 2019.

More detail and accuracy in recording my observations.

If possible, never miss a clear night, no matter what. It may be three months till you get another.

Get a Goto kit for my EQ5 mount.

Buy a bigger OTA which can take a DSLR.

Reading my reports for 2019 I can say yes. But I now realise in the rush to bag Messier’s I can do a lot better. As for the second point ‘ I was on it’ but the weather did not play along. Got the  Goto kit (thanks mrs Marvin). Just ordered a SW 150 pds from FLO so there goes the weather for another two months.

I am relatively happy with my years observing. How about the rest of the forum? Have you fallen short? Knocked it out the park? Or after a lifetime, observed that one elusive dso?

Marvin

Just now, johninderby said:

Or.............

I am ordering mine right now.

That’s it. I have had enough. All this polar aligning, equaling temp rubbish, I am going to cut a hole in the roof and view from the comfort of the sofa. Complete genius, why was I thinking of building an ror obsy when I can just fit a sky light.

No power issues as there is a plug socket right there. Dew control! Hardly matters your indoors. The options are limitless, I live open plan so pot noodles and coffee can be at arms reach and for educational purposes I can have The Big Bang on the tv.

No muddy boots, no carrying kit outside then back again. With all the lights off it could be described as my own dark sky site, I’m sold.

M

That’s quite scary for a beginner in a light polluted area. I guess we just have to deal with cards we are dealt and be prepared to drive to a darker site.

Just re read your original post. Don’t put your scope out so early. It is important to get your scope equal to outside temp, but if it is running in water then not so.

I have the same problem. Scope out to cool down, half hour later ringing wet and no viewing. A lot of it is not our fault. My last clear sky was Oct 9th, then rain for ever. First clear night after forty nights of rain is going to be saturated. Just because I can the see the stars tonight does not mean ideal viewing conditions.

The other thing is, put your scope out to cool down but put a light weight rain coat over it, why give the dew a head start.

Marvin

There are many well educated people on here that will direct you to specific anti dew systems which you are going to need. Plus the power system to feed them.

Dew is a bane of of our lives. You say after three hours, you lucky duck. I have tried wide field photography destroyed by dew after fifteen minutes. I guess it depended where you are.

There are dew bands that Velcro around your scope and accessories that run on battery packs. Check out FLO under dew control as it starts simple and can get very complicated depending on the amount of external areas you wish to keep free of dew.

If you are visual only then it is not a big deal. For visual I have a small hair dryer on an extension lead from the house, does the job fine. 
 

Marv

For fear of anyone on this thread thinking I am picking a fight, or dising anyone’s efforts in Astro photography, I can clearly say I am not.

I am quite new to all this Astro stuff but not new to photography. I came up in the 35mm film era which is a pain as I became that age group that embraced computers or got left behind and I am in the second group.

By the way I bought the bought the book. ‘Thank you Steve’ and I was most surprised by your personal reply to me, which I did not expect.

The ‘thing’ that is bothering me reading this thread is the utter reliance on software and computer compatibility. Now I realise that if you want a remote obs then computers have to be running things. Here come the tough bit...

How many clear nights have been wasted trying to get systems to ‘integrate’, domes to aligned, mounts to track, etc.

I am at present a visual observer with small kit, and I have had diddly since October 9th without missing an opportunity. Frankly with this amount of opportunity, adding all that infrastructure seems restrictive as I would have no images to process.

I can see what you are all trying to achieve and it is a thing of wonder. But with modern weather and system errors and incompatibility I am wondering if it is something along the lines of the law of diminishing returns.

I see so many posts with software issue this, problem using version that, I wonder where the astronomer ends and the IT tech begins.

All this from a guy that wants to do astrophotography sometime in the future.

Marv

10 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

It's certainly a classic!

I was certainly taken aback by how aggressive he is reported to have been. I know there are rules on here for keeping it clean and I have seen some comments about swear words in inverted commas with the central letters missing, to leave it to our imaginations not being acceptable.

However, this is the work product of Sir Patrick Moore, Brian May, and Chris Lintott I am going to quote. (Despite copyright law as I am going to also say buy this amazing book, perhaps their legal team won’t kill me)

”He references to his colleagues as “Spherical B’st...s” Spherical, because they appeared to be “B’st...s” no matter which direction you looked at them from.

According to this record he threatened the life of Walter Baade who was a colleague at the same university simply for being German at the time of WW2.

What an unusual guy. Clearly exceptional in his field but I am unclear as to how to feel about him as a fellow member of the human race.

Marv

On 24/11/2019 at 19:22, ollypenrice said:

I think the picture in question is very well known and probably hasn't done much for Zwicky's reputation. A link does not infringe copyright. Might it be this one?

https://www.google.com/search?q=fritz+zwicky&rlz=1C1CHBF_enFR821FR821&sxsrf=ACYBGNRzCKp2s9Xxko6_x1a06zff9_3Z_Q:1574619720277&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiH-9TIu4PmAhXwDmMBHcRvCe8Q_AUoAXoECBMQAw&biw=1536&bih=750#imgrc=4g2nFfpakmssKM:

Olly

Yep that’s the one.

That’s the stuff, you have the beginnings of your own Astro society.

M

I reply to all of the above as the questions are valid. I live in a very rural environment. I have one neighbour who is lights out by mid afternoon, different story.

Nearest village is three k away to my north west and the street lights go out at midnight. My Southern horizon is somewhat compromised by three large towns and a nuclear power station 25k away, which do not effect visual normally, but show up in photography.

My North and East are totally uncompromised and the air quality here is superb, especially as the rain has been cleaning the sky for over a month. The Pyrenees mountain range is 100 k away and after rain I can see snow on it’s slopes.

The thing that really got me is the uniform ‘unseeing’. We all get used to something getting in the way, ‘but the whole sky’. I can only think it was a high level super thin over cast, uniform across the whole sky reflecting light.

Marv

Hi Draven

There is a current thread in Communities about the Bristol Astro society. They will have the stuff you need.

Marv

Nice one, you got some crisp detail for day time. I am going to get my lunar map and check out the southern lunar crater area. Please try this shot night time if your weather allows, my best ep shot is still my screen saver.

Marvin

I will get a copy of this, as I was just this morning reading the fascinating book BANG the complete history of the universe, by Brian May, Patric Moore (no Sir) and Chris Lintott. In the back pages are short biographies of the most important and Zwicky certainly stood out. His picture is highly animated and I thought about posting it here but I am aware there is something called copyright law.

Marv