wesdon1

Again Thank you all for such a warm and friendly welcome to the Forum. You all seem really friendly members and i'm even more enthusiastic about my new hobby because the star gazing community on here are all so friendly and welcoming! I look forward to many years of learning, experiencing and sharing my new amazing hobby. I just wish i would have got involved years ago when i first started looking up and wondering...

I can't agree more with your sentiments about Bee's. Spiders etc being welcome, but not Wasp's! They are very aggressive and need no reason to sting you, and they often attack in packs/swarms for no reason whatsoever! I was stung multiple times on the face and neck as an 8 yr old child, and i was simply playing with a friend on the school playground!?? They ( the Teachers ) subsequently found a nest close to where i was playing, but we weren't very close, or trying to interfere with said nest!?? Maybe another member might be an expert on insects and will challenge my comments, but in my experience, Wasps are vicious, but bee's are gentle, docile little fellows who will only ever sting if threatened or provoked... Edit-i will never hurt any creature unless it is actively seeking to hurt me. I'm a animal lover, and this extends to insects and all living entities, even Wasps!

Thank you so much for your kind comments. Very much appreciated! I'm learning at frantic pace, and enjoying every minute and moment of it!

Thanks Kirkster501, i've learned a lot from all the very helpful/educational comments to my Topic/Question! The late SPM was fascinating to listen to on TV, so anything he says, i consider it incontrovertible fact! lol I'm thinking, after reading the many comments, that i should get a 70-90mm Refracter, and a 200mm Newt on a dob mount. (much more for your money, i'm learning! lol) Then i will drastically improve my EP collection, to get maximum benefit from said instruments.

I got 500x Mag on the Moon a while back. I was using a 130mm/900mm Newtonin, with a Super Plossl 3.6mm EP, in a 2x Barlow. The veiw was obviousely a bit wobbly with atmosphere at high mag, but no more affected than when veiwing Moon at 150x ish. I only tried it to get an idea how awful the veiw would be! haha what a lovely surprise i got when it worked so well! (on that particulare night/conditions etc)

Wow, i didn't expect so many comments! Very very much appreciated! It's patently obvious, after reading through all the comments, that i am even more of a "Newbie" than i originally thought! haha I've learned a lot from every single comment, and i very much appreciate all the knowledge shared with me. I would just like to add, i didn't mean to Demean 5.1 inches of aperture on a Newtonian, or any other type of Instrument for that matter. I was just trying to express (in my own very inexperienced, Naive way) the "Relative Size" of my Telescope, in comparison to what's available! Please Please forgive me if i offended anyone in any way whatsoever! I'm learning fast what matters, and hopefully one day it will be me giving advice to some other "Newbie" who has "Aperture Fever" ( Or "Mount Fever" or any other "Fever" for that matter! haha) To finish, Thanks again for all comments and advice, it really helps people like myself move forward in this amazing hobby/Passion! Now will someone PLEASE TURN OFF THE STREET LIGHTS WHERE I LIVE!?? haha

I'm just throwing this one out there. At what point do you stop seeking more and more Aperture? I'm at the beginning of my Astro journey (5 months) and as yet only have a measly 5.1 inches Aperture. I'm obsessed with bigger and bigger already! lol But i was wondering, what point (if any?) do you get to where more aperture isn't really necessary? I'm thinking of saving for a 20inch dob, as they just look so desirable! All that light gathering ability! Imagine what Jupiter would look like through that! (compared to my measly 5.1 inch Newtonian! lol) I was thinking buy a 8inch dob next, but then i thought "but i'll only then want a 10inch, then a 12inch...and so on and so forth! so i might as well skip all the middle sizes and go as large as i can afford! lol Basically whats the best aperture that "will do" for many years of satisfying star/planet/DSO gazing...?

Hi Stu/Super Nova, thanks for the comments. I was really shocked and pleasantly surprised. I won't get my hopes up for it happening very often, because as you say it's rare to get seeing that good, i'm quickly learning! lol. I actually almost got rid of my 3.6mm plassl almost the same night i first used it because due to me being a newbie, and not having collimated my 'scope, when i first tried it on a few stars the view was so dark and blurry. So i assumed i had a dud eye piece! even though i had bought it brand new from FLO lol! i've since learned about collimation, seeing etc. so i know better. For your information, i am on my second scope, my first was a SW 1145p ( 114/500 ), now i have a SW 130 eq2. ( 130/900 ). I'm 5 mon ths in to my new hobby. It's beyond amazing and i only wish i had got into it years ago!

I'm new to astronomy, but i kid you not, i was viewing the moon this morning (Mon, 22/04/19 around 5am BST, Liverpool, UK) at 500x mag with my 130mm/900mm Newtonian and although there was a bit of image wobble, i could see really well! I'm expecting almost everyone to laugh at me or call me a liar but i swear it's true! I put a 3.6mm plossl on the 2x Barlow, effectively making the plossl a 1.8mm, just to see how bad the image would be, but was shocked when i actually managed to get a sharp focus ?? It's opened my eyes, literally, to what's possible when seeing, optics and collimation etc all come together perfectly! I'm assuming it would never happen with anything else as the Moon is very unique in that it's relatively huge, very very bright, and obvs silly close to earth, in astronomical terms.

Hi David, Thank You for the warm welcome from yourself and others. I'm hoping for some clear skies tonight (20/04/2019) Liverpool area looks good on forecast, so hopefully i (and many others! lol) can get a good night/morning out of it. I currently do a few hours after sunset, then set my alarm for around 4am to try get a couple planets in. Obviously i'm only 4 months into my new hobby (though like a lot of adults, I've always wanted a Telescope but for various reasons had never got one) and still have tons to learn, so please excuse anything i say or am doing if it's wrong, or goes against sky-gazing and Astrophotography etiquette! lol I'm already suffering terrible Aperture Feever! haha and at 130mm (F6.9) there's definitely room to grow! lol Also, i'm really interested in AstroPhotography. I'm saving up for both a larger Aperture, sub-F7 'scope, as well as a decent webcam/imager. Buying a DSLR seems like using a sledge Hammer to crack a nut imho, as for starters, they relatively very heavy and would cause damage to focuser apparatus and affect collimation, secondly, they're designed for a completely different area of photography imho, and thirdly, they're expensive! I can buy a decent enough Camera like a SVBONY for around £50 that looks like it will do a fine job for the money? If i'm completely wrong then plz forgive me! I'm still learning! lol

My goodness what a lovely warm welcome I've received from many members! Thank you all so much! Here's to many a future conversations and knowledge sharing!

Hi all ! I've just joined. I am on my second Telescope. It's a SkyWatcher 130. I lost my Virginity to a SkyWatcher 114/500(P). She was a great little Gal and gave me the taste for more! lol Metaphors n rubbish aside, my current 130 SW is a great scope, though i'm quickly learning our UK skies are a pain the the back side for clouds!! Then when you get a clear night, the seeing is normally bad!?? lol I'm in no way fazed though cos afetr first seeing Jupiter and 4 of her Moons, i was/am completely HOOKED!! Amazing sight! Saturn was awesome too, though the veiwung that morning was pretty bad, so i couldn't get the best resolution etc. Anyways, any other newbies out there, drop me a line any time and we can discuss whatever you like and learn from each others mistakes! lol Yours in Wonder of the Heavens, Wes.