wesdon1

@SwiMatt It's sooo frustrating isn't it! Here too in UK, between June and August, we don't have true dark night skies, and even in May before and September afterwards, the nights aren't truly dark for very long. very frustrating!

@RobertI Thanks Rob! I'll start a thread on Bino's section and go from there! On another subject, tonight I have a fair chance of getting outside to image for first time since mid June! Fingers crossed! LOL

@SwiMatt My friend, over here in UK, we've had nothing but rain and clouds since late June! So I truly understand your frustration about the weather over in Sweden. I am guessing you are also having to deal with much less dark nights, being even further north than UK?

@Ratlet Thanks for the heads up Ratlet! I will check them out! I also thought, after reading @RobertI comments, that I could use Bino's to scan and learn more of the night sky while sat outside with my rig imaging.

@RobertI You're most welcome Rob. Yes after reading your comments, it finally convinced me that Bino's deserve their place alongside all my other gear. I'd hesitated for some time thinking the money was better spent on some other astro related gadget, but your comments finally convinced me they have many more uses than I thought. Thanks again Rob! I'll go for a pair of Celestron 20x70's, or similar. If you think that's a poor choice then please let me know thanks Rob!

@RobertI May I ask, Rob, are you a school teacher or university professor? The reason I ask is you dealt with the weather problem so constructively and positively, unlike myself ( I'm a builder! LOL ) who just starts whining and complaining! LOL. I've wanted to buy Bino's for a while, so after reading this i'm going to finally take the plunge! Thanks Rob!

@The Warthog Fantastic bit of writing. I would suggest this as essential reading for any newbie or not so newbie who likes to refresh their memory and fill out any blanks in their understanding of the hobby. Brilliant!

@Astronomist A warm welcome from Liverpool, England. You're in the best possible place for astronomy and astrophotography related help and guidance.

@Elp Sorry for sucj late reply. LOL yes it's such a pain having them sat there doing nothing from new! Yes that is definitely my hopes for it, because I won't have a proper cooled astro cam for some months, due to the fact i've already spent £100's in last two months. Even a member of staff at Rother Valley optics was agreeing with me a couple days ago, that our beloved hobby is bloody expensive. And that's from a guy who works at the store selling the stuff! LOL

ahahaha! That's DEFINITELY ME!! Glove's en'all !! Love it!! Haha

@Louis D Thats a good analogy Louis, where you describe you guys treating summer like us folks treat winter. Personally I have a flask of hot coffee in winter outside, and wrap up really well. Because I live on 3rd floor of flats, I have to stay outside all night when imaging because I can't trust leaving my expensive gear unattended outside. So the winter really tests my resolve! LOL. That being said, i still love being outside all night, and I simply watch YouTube vids on my phone sat on my chair next to my rig, drinking hot coffee to keep from freezing to death! LOL.

@JonHigh Yes jon it's been awful, and the forecast for next 10 days looks bad too. I too cannot recall last year being this bad?? Oh right? brilliant mate. I am going to go for the 585MC next week. What annoys me though, is I recently bought a 224MC planetary camera, as well as buying the L-Enhance filter for DSO imaging, and still haven't been able to test them out!? ( except for one very brief 10 minutes using the 224MC before clouds rolled in! ) hopefully in a couple of weeks time, we might get a decent run of cloudless nights mate.

@Elp yes AC is a life saver in such extreme weather. But as you rightly point out, it's no good for astrophotography outside. Greece is going through a terrible time at moment too, with fires caused by record heat. Global warming might actually already have started to bite us hard? You only have to look at the planet Venus to see how dreadful a runaway heating cycle can get. I fear for future generations, it's going to be a nightmare...

@PeterStudz Amazing images here Peter. And you only used an iphone on a dob!? Imagine what you will achieve with a modest planetary camera! Awesome! @PeterStudz Amazing images here Peter, and all done with just a smartphone! Imagine how good your works will be with a modest planetary camera!? I am really looking forward to imaging Jupiter and Saturn this year, especially Jupiter because it's the highest in night sky it's been for years. Also I bought a ZWO ASI 224MC planetary camera a few weeks back, so I'll use that for planetary imaging. I just wish this dreadful weather would go away pete! LOL Wes

@Lodun Hi from Liverpool, England and welcome to SGL Lodun! You have a great first telescope there, the Celestron 8" EDGE HD! This forum has been amazingly helpful for me during my astrophotography and visual astronomy journey, so you are in the best place my friend! I look forward to seeing what you image and get up to with your gear! Clear Skies! Wes

@Louis D My goodness Louis, 100+F for weeks is literal torture!!?? I recall alst summer here in Liverpool UK, we got a record high temp of 40C+ ( roughly 105F ) and that day was absolute HELL!! And that was one single day!!?? So to have those sorts of unbearable temps for multiple days or weeks is just hard to fathom Louis!!?? IMPO that is literal torture!! I really hope you guys over there get some respite asap!!

@Mike Q Mike it feels a bit strange me hearing you mention how cloudy Ohio is because as a brit, I'm used to it always being the UK that's a cloud ridden mess! LOL. I forget that it's not just the UK that suffers extensive cloud cover year 'round. I guess we just have to patient and remember that it makes those rare cloudless nights all the more enjoyable. Conversely, Liverpool, my city, had an amazing run of about 9 straight nights that were cloudless non stop all night long. It was incredible!

@nitram100 Aww mate I share your frustration because I also bought a ZWO ASI 224MC camera about 5 weeks ago and I still haven't even had a chance to try that out on some planets yet either. So i have a L-Enhance filter and a planetary camera just sat there still waiting for first light. I guess we just have to bare with it mate, because when we do finally get a chance to go outside imaging, it will feel all the more special for waiting so long! @nitram100 My goodness! I've just remembered! I did actually manage to try out my 224MC camera a few weeks back! I tested it on the ring nebula ( or a DSO very similar, I forget it's name? ) for about 30 minutes, just out of curiosity to see how it fared doing DSO imaging! I totally forgot, sorry! LOL

@Ratlet My goodness I just noticed, you are up in Scotland, which is even further north, so you will be experiencing even worse problems with lack of true darkness during summer months! Aww yes it drives you nuts mate! It's so frustrating!

@Elp That rings a bell Elp, I think I saw a YT video where a guy was saying the 485MC was great value too? I'll take a look at it and compare with the 585Mc. Thanks Elp! Wes.

@Mike Q MY goodness Mike, you have my full sympathy!

@MonsterMagnet Aww i'm gutted for you mate, those 533MC's look awesome for cooled astro. I'm planning on buying the new uncooled 585MC, i don't know if you've seen the reviews and it's stats, but everyone is raving about it. It's got amazing stats for an uncooled camera. That being said, If I had the money now I would buy the 533MC but for now I can only afford the 585MC. Hopefully you'll get a chance to test out your new camera soon mate... Wes.

@M40 LOL I finally get what you meant now! Sorry! DOH!! My goodness my brain is really slowing down! haha!! Haha were all doomed when all those new Seestars S50's arrive!! haha!

LOL i'm so sorry to you and all members! I'm guilty as charged! Haha!! LOL do you mean that new automated 50mm 'scope that does a similar job to the very expensive Vaspera and the like? Sorry if I sound dumb! LOL

Hi all, just a quick rant. This weather has been utterly merciless, it just will not go away? Rain, Rain bleedin' non stop rain for weeks!! I bought a new Optolong L-Enhance filter at the end of June and just always happens, the weather went awful and hasn't stopped since!? LOL. It really is true that when you buy new gear you provoke the angry weather Gods!! LOL. PHEW!! Now I feel better! LOL