ScouseSpaceCadet

Oooh, I'm all aquiver! 😁 Claire, telescopically observing Jupiter for the first time does often seem to have an emotional effect in people. It certainly did for me. Did you manage to observe any particular features?

Two items ordered. Despatched the day after ordering and received the following day well packaged. One item was not suitable so a return was requested and accepted with no hassle. Excellent service as usual.

I finally managed to get locally an excellent condition used Skymax 127 to hang off my AZ5/AZGTI mounts and couldn't resist a snazzy Oplok bag from FLO...

Yay let's get hundreds of people at a time trodding already well worn footpaths and lighting up the area with illuminated globes - taking masses of artificial light to reconnect with nature. None if it makes sense. Whacky.

A major consideration: take the fastest route to results. Adults who are seemingly enthusiastic, when waiting to see something can quickly lose interest, especially if it's cold! Setup well before time. Makes sure gotos are perfect and select the prettiest objects you can see at your location. 😉 Basics like the Double Cluster, Pleiades, M42, M44, a couple of colour contrasting doubles and if your skies are good and the scope is up to it, fit in a brighter galaxy or two. Good luck. 😬

Afaik an fp51 triplet would be as good as, or better corrected than an fpl53 doublet of the same aperture and similar quality. Although heavier and with a longer cool down time. Edit: Vlaiv beat me to it. 😉

Consider a trigger grip and monopod. Although solo trigger grips at the moment seem to be out of stock, Amazon do one with a tripod. You're getting the tripod for about a tenner: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01LQX0P8Q/ref=psdcmw_1104574_t2_B000XUXPJ0 The same monopod as mine: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265154279828 Bracket: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Opticron-Binocular-Tripod-Mount-Binoculars/dp/B005F51HE8/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?crid=16QFFWTLUVA0Q&keywords=opticron%2Bbinocular%2Bbracket&qid=1644178179&sprefix=opticron%2Bbiocular%2Bbracket%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-6&th=1&psc=1 Relentless cloud for at least the last two weeks here. Although it's clearing up a bit tonight and the 40mph gusts are heading down to a mere 20mph so a quick session in the garden corner may be grabbed later...

The more people who take part, the better. You may be helping to form future government policy by spending thirty minutes observing the sky from your garden. That's a small price to pay for potentially reduced future light pollution and quite enjoyable if you wrap up warm. 😀

You're halfway there..just eat the rabbits.

We are expecting LRO style lunar pics now Neil! 😁

I'm honoured and humbled! 😁👍

Using various sources to keep abreast of celestial events like SGL, Sky at Night Magazine (inc. their Youtube monthly), BAA journals, Astro Soc. newsletters Observers' guides like our very own @Ags Discovering Double Stars and Sky Safari Pro. Then good old pencil and a paper note book to make lists and journal observations. The less time spent looking at a screen while at the eyepiece the better.

That sounds like a great idea, however despite successfully similarly chopping an ota in the past, I'm not that handy and don't fancy doing it again. 😬

The dovetail bar fitted on the right in relation to the focuser and finder position like this:

After more navel gazing and re-evaluation I think I'm almost there... The ultimate grab and go - 10x50s. Extra binocular aperture with fast set up - 15x70s on a monopod and trigger grip. They will show a lot more than the 10x50s on camping trips. 2x grab and go mounts (manual and goto) with 5kg limits - I'm trying to get hold of a left arm mounted 127mm Mak for these. Rare as hen's teeth as a separate ota. An ED72 frac was contemplated, but I am happy with the binos for travel and the Mak is just as compact with more aperture - better for those brief back yard lunar and planetary sessions. The Celestron AVX has a decent weight limit and does what I want, however in the future this may be replaced with a similarly hefty AZ/AZEQ mount. There's no rush. The 4" 102 ED sits on the AVX great and is enjoyable to use but a 120mm f7.5 or 127mm f7.8 apo would be a nice step up. Again, there's no rush, but that is the definite direction headed. Finally something I don't need but would really like is a decent dob that I can move easily without damaging myself! A 12" would be ideal but I just don't have the space until my 22 and 16 yr olds leave the nest... So after three years, much deliberation and experimentation I'm not too far off having a complete suite of gear that suits my interests, time available for the hobby, storage space and wallet!

I forgot about that one too! Seeing Ceres shimmering in the 10x50s was a mini event for me.

I used the city council's online street light fault reporting process to request a shade for a light shining into my garden. It took two attempts over several months, but the job got done and made a huge difference

I started three years ago with the below although it was quite a bit cheaper. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescopes-in-stock/sky-watcher-explorer-130ps-az5-deluxe.html The telescope was sold to a very happy buyer so I could try other styles, however don't let the sale detract. If it was given back to me now I'd snap it up as I'm stuck for a very light weight grab and go scope at the moment. The heft of the AZ5 mount made the telescope feel over mounted and the slomo controls were in the perfect position and worked very well. I've tried four different telescopes on this mount (albeit with a steel tripod) and the 130PS still remains the one that fitted the mount best. This telescope introduced me into astronomy and I observed a great deal for the first time under my urban skies. Take it somewhere dark for extra 'wow' moments. The secondary mirror may need collimating *occasionally* but this is a process which with practice only takes a couple of minutes using a collimation cap (<£10) and an allen key. The focuser isn't the best, but you get what you pay for and it does the job. I still have the mount plus tripod and they have seen a great deal of use. A max budget of £400 will leave you enough to buy an extra eyepiece or two. Alternatively the whole kit fits nicely in the bag below (I still use mine) with space for plenty of accessories: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-bags-cases-storage/oklop-padded-bag-for-small-telescopes.html Short term you could buy the kit, a collimation cap and the bag, then when you have £25-50 to spare, buy an an extra eyepiece, building a small collection. Bear in mind you cannot really use newtonians for terrestrial use because the view is upside down (this doesn't matter in space 😀). However, this is the nearest to a 'multi purpose' astronomical design from all those mentioned.

To be honest you really should start a thread in one of the imaging sections. A pic of your whole kit, a list if it, how much it cost, the results achieved , the usual ap technique blurb so this is not missed. All the ap rigs in this thread are fantastic for newcomers with some brains, a willingness to learn and limited budgets. I keep banging on, but interesting, educational & enjoyable astronomy does not need to cost a mint or require a 30kg setup..

You should be proud of those pictures and your ingenuity. In a short length of time, achieving those results with kit bought for less than £500, including a cannibalised alt az mount and a 50mm guide scope for a lens is simply brilliant. I'd go as far as using 'inspirational' to describe your efforts. You deserve lots of 'likes'! 👍

Great. 👍 I forgot about the Jupiter transits. Add a first Ganymede transit to my list too. 😀

Obtaining a reasonably hefty goto EQ mount, leading to... ... using a dslr and a planetary cam. Some degree of success and comical failure, nonetheless still good learning experiences. Trying a Vixen 4mm SLV eyepiece with my 102ED refractor and on the first look during a night of great seeing, observing Saturn's atmospheric banding. A perfectly clear September night under bortle 3 skies whilst camping in the Yorkshire Dales. The best Milky Way view since my visit to Kielder twelve months earlier. On this occasion clouds didn't ruin the session and I got to see several extended DSOs for the first time, going to bed very happy. Convincing the local astro society they should let me in. 😁

From WoB.. listed as Very Good Condition but looks perfect for £3.49..

Mine is *very* approximate! My latitude is 53.4. to get Polaris roughly centred in the AVX polarscope, the scale sits at 55. Gotos and tracking are fine so I don't worry.

Really not recommended. The ota and accessories will overload the mount. Tried and tested. @kasabian21, please see the threads linked below: