Marvin Jenkins

This might sound really weird…. But there is something ‘really in space’ about it. 
I am in my heart an observer that likes a little AP, so images that look something like a visual representation (surroundings for context) just work in my head.

Marv

On 12/06/2023 at 18:40, Naughty Neal said:

 

Very nicley put StarDuke.

I did take up art at school when I was a teenager as one of my main subjects, but that was well over  45 years ago.  I haven't tbh touched sketching or anything  since .

Keep up the good work. I like your sketches very much. One day that sun will come out to play and I can join you all again.

Marv

8 minutes ago, NGC 1502 said:

Hi Marv. I’ve not done anything like that myself…….but on many occasions Mars has been reported as a Nova😁

BTW, I’m another fan of Burnham’s Celestial Handbook. My 3 volume set is the rarer hardback versions.

Ed.

Burn ham’s is a joy. I have a hybrid three volume set.

Vol 1 is a new hard back. Vol 2/3 are second hand paperbacks. My wife got them for me and that is just how they came.

M

8 minutes ago, saac said:

Mmm maybe, maybe not.  I think there are an awful lot of folk like me where once the AP run is set and up rolling we turn our attention to visual, so red light is just as important. I honestly can't think of the last time I just set up for an AP session only, would seem to much like a wasted opportunity to me.

Jim 

I get what you are saying. I however am on the opposite run of things.

I seem to get so few opportunities due to weather, life, work and all the rest that wasting a precious minute of observing trying to setup an imaging session seems madness right now.

Now if I had a permanent setup that would be different.

Marv

2 hours ago, John said:

No light at all is best if your targets are faint ones.

 

Couldn’t agree more. I hate even using a tiny red pencil light on my star charts but I do have to look at them to find my way around.

I find any device screen at minimum, turned to red light sooooo bright I wouldn’t dream of using a phone app at the EP.

I use a five inch newt for visual however I do have a six inch newt on a goto and cannot understand why the lowest setting for the handset is still way to much.

Marvin

Yeh but it looks good on the YouTube vid. White light at night detracts from the whole visual at night thing. 
It matters not a jot that they are not going to look through the scope. What matters is that to appear to be astronomers out in the darkness.

I am not criticising anyone. It is just a prop that is used to make these vids digestible to the general public.

Off to watch the new Astrobuscuit vid now, hoping to see a red torch in an AP challenge.

Marv

Like many of you I suspect, I look through my Astro books for targets that will come to our skies in a few months or more as part of planning ahead.

I was reading through Burnham’s Celestial Handbook Vol 3 in particular Taurus. I know Taurus is a winter target so I was wandering through the pages and found an entry for a diffuse nebula.

S147! Huge oval cloud!!! Never heard of it! Looked in my star charts, nothing. Stellarium shows nothing. I hit the button for DSO and the Crab is labelled…. Nothing for the object right next door.

I start to get excited. Is this a long forgotten target in the night sky and I am going to find fame rediscovering it?

Turns out it is the Spaghetti Nebula. 30 minutes of super excitement followed by a fall. Anyone else done anything similar?

Marv

I agree with all of the above praise, it is well deserved.

But how exactly did it all begin? Are there founding fathers/mothers of this creation that are still members?

Marvin

You are a year ahead of me and I am watching closely. 
No need for ability excuses. It is a big build for you, as something similar in the future will be a big build for me.

Keep up the hard work and keep on posting as this kind of thing is invaluable to someone like me.

Marv

All done. I can pay my tax’s now.

Just now, saac said:

If you are a British citizen then you can sign it, you do not need to be resident nor do you need to be a franchised voter. 

Jim 

Wow, something I can finally vote for. If it is successful then my mate Sean in Basingstoke can get his neighbours 10,000w of lighting shining down the garden instead of up the back of everyone’s houses😂

I am going to reply but might have to add a countdown clock to moderator intervention.

Firstly I am not making any political statements, just statements of fact as I know them. Secondly I will not endorse or side with views of any political party or person.

The fact that I am denied a vote anywhere is a matter of circumstance and a consequence of events outside my control.

I would love to add my name to this petition but don’t think I legally could.

Marvin

I didn’t add my name as my domicile is France. Furthermore I am not allowed a vote in the UK or here. 
In fact I am not allowed to vote in any election vote or referendum at all.

No taxation without representation 🤣 oh no! Have I broken the no politics rule? 
Marvin

Wow didn’t expect quite a large response. Firstly I am not suggesting that images in any form be excluded from the observation section. My original post clearly states that and a reference picture or two can be very beneficial.

I have noticed recently that some posts that are purely AP with details of scope, mount, subs, duration etc listed without any actual observations.

It is just my own opinion that Observation is a special thing, diminishing in some respects which is logical with the explosion of tech and light pollution.

I love the simplicity of pure observation so I tend to get miffed with AP posted in the observing section.

And yes! I am pretty sure I have posted incorrectly in the past so please forgive me.

Marv

Why do members keep posting photography in the observing section? 
There is an area of this site specifically for that.

I can understand a picture being posted to back up an observing report. However I keep finding AP and Solar photography in here.

Perhaps I have OCD and it doesn’t bother anyone else.

Marv

You lucky so and so’s.

That’s great to hear Calum. I wish you luck in your animation endeavours.

I hope you have clear skies and creative endeavours.

Marvin

I have to be really careful with this as #CosmoCartoons you may well be a great person with lots going on, However.

I am always very uncomfortable with brand new members looking like they have joined to advertise an internet presence on another platform.

That may not be your intention at all and I wish you all the luck and success in your endeavour if that is the case.

Marvin

After a tip a long while ago from #stu I decided to leave the scope out and observe later which seems to be at total odds to what I feel, as observing near the horizon is normally a no no.

Just five minutes before dropping down below my west tree line (five minutes ago) I thought I could catch glimpses and occasional two second periods of faint granulation near the edges.

Is that doable or is it an atmospheric quirk?

Marv

Thank you Wookie, I am finding that not knowing before the observation actually helps. Perhaps I have a very lazy brain (perhaps)🤔

First evening observation ever as it was just roasting hot this afternoon. 
Nothing but clouds for ages so I was gob smacked at the detail.

I have started to do basic sketches only because I enjoy it and it makes me concentrate on details which can only be good observer training. 
Due to this I started to observe first and record then look up on the web what is there photographically.

Not a masterpiece, however can anyone comment on the obvious sun spot without an AR designation?

Marvin

I second all of the above. I watched it with air of someone on the inside (not prison) but someone slightly in on the show.

I liked it very much. Be proud of your efforts and how they have been shown, you deserve it I think.

Marv

That is terrific. Pardon the pun but you are doing blinding work there. 
I only wish I could join in. Nothing but endless clouds and storms down here. 
Thinnest year by a long way since I started in 2017. All set to change at the end of the week so I hope to join the party.

Marv

On 19/05/2023 at 00:49, RyanL said:

Hi,

I recently picked up a Skywatcher 114/1000 eq1 for the grand sum of £6.50 on eBay ( I know not the best but couldn't let it go far that price!) and I'm thinking of getting a couple of Astro Essentials Eye pieces to go with it and to maybe also use on my Heritage 100p.

Are these EP's as good a bargain as I suspect they are and which one would be best for a wide field of view particularly with the 114? I already have 2 lots of the standard Skywatcher 25mm and 10mm EPs and 2x Barlow so would something different be better for higher magnification?

Cheers

Ryan.

I want to be the first to say well done. Entry into astronomy for less than a tenner!

A lot of good advice here but I can’t help but feel that you just need clear skies and opportunities, don’t we all?

Will you be the first to do Astro photography with a phone holder for less than 50quid.

Good luck with your purchases and clear skies, enjoy the bargain.

Marv

39 minutes ago, CHR15 said:

Hi lightfoot,

I have literally just started electronically assisted astronomy. It involves a telescope, a motorised mount, a camera and a laptop, tablet or phone.

Days are gone now of bending over to get a comfortable view in the eyepiece or straining my eyes trying to find targets, which I couldn't find most of the time as they were either to faint or because of bad light pollution.

I went for the asi air plus as the computer as it has everything set up and ready to go out of the box (the red box sitting on top of the telescope in the photo). It also connects to your phone via a wireless connection. You can sit inside and view the images as they come through if you wanted to.

My set up can easily be carried from one place to another without any hassle at all.

It is a skywatcher 70mm refractor, skywatcher azgti mount, skywatcher wedge, zwo asi air plus and a zwo asi585mc. I only observe in the back garden for now but it's possible to buy a battery that will power the rig out in the field if you want to go mobile. This is well within your budget and you will see alot more than visual astronomy, plus its also an introduction to astrophotography.

 

There is something about your whole setup and ethos that makes me recoil.

Then I think about it for about three seconds and the other non conformist side of my head says “work of pure genius”.

How do I dislike and love it all at the same time? I guess I can see the future coming and it looks good as long as I can stop thinking about ‘how it used to be done’.

Just think of the savings on EPs. Teleview are out of business.

Marv