ScouseSpaceCadet

The app was recommended to me GlassesOn. Easy IPD measurement.

A few weeks ago I drove into our housing development and was pleasantly surprised to notice the LED lamps were all dimmer than usual. One could still see perfectly fine however the whole ambiance along the streets and our cul de sac just felt more 'night time'. This lasted approx. a week before night as day returned. Someone in the local council is definitely toying with my emotions! 😱 I feel sorry for the birds singing at 1am in February. Our feathered friends must be exhausted... 😟

They've been there a few years now but not been so bothersome. I've just had a another look in daylight while setting up for Venus. The lamp has definitely moved somehow.

I nearly suffered a heart attack at the weekend looking out my conservatory window at the clouds..🙄 Channeling Victor Meldrew, the monstrosity below has just been reported! This should be shining down onto the east bound lanes of a 40mph dual carriageway, not lighting up the rear of several houses. The light is brighter than before and angled badly so I wonder if we're the victims of poor maintenance.

I observe in light polluted Bottle 7/8 skies. Starting with a 130mm newtonian to a 127mm refractor, 150mm & 204mm newtonians and 102mm refractor with a couple of small Maksutovs thrown in. I found the 8" dob didn't help me observe significantly more objects however extra details were observed in the objects I can see. Globular clusters for instance resolved more peripheral stars. Open clusters looked brighter and more dense due to resolving some of the fainter stars & and the extra aperture gathering more light overall. In the end I decided to downsize to a 102mm refractor as my main scope because I discovered I prefer observing with an easily managed mounted telescope while also managing my own expectations! Aperture is king but personal preference and circumstances trump the generic ideal. Hopefully that makes sense. I'm slightly distracted watching Liverpool stuff Manchester Utd.🥳🤣

Haha. As much as I hate spiders and they can give you a fright, it's the midges I'm really scared of. The last time I camped in Kielder mid September, being super butch & macho 🤠, I wore shorts and was eaten alive!

You're safer far out in the countryside than an urban garden. I've jumped out my skin a couple of times in the garden with ears pricked and eyes on stalks. Although it was probably just next door's rats or a cat rustling! Loads of people solo wild camp etc without issue. The farther away you are from civilisation the better. Especially in the UK with no bears or wolves to size you up.

Same here. Since 1995 we have had a shed broken into, a wannabe house burglar (hopefully) frightened for life by me and only five years ago, a successful car key burglary & subsequent car robbery. An oversized rear fence installed three years ago makes it just a bit harder to gain access and tall conifer removal makes it harder to hide. I'd feel much safer in a rural dark field!

Haha... I turned over after the Beavers to the documentary about Mormons... Before that the Jupiter/Venus conjunction poked through the clouds for five minutes. 🙄 My part of the world has been a cloud magnet for weeks. It will be clear at full moon though!

Each to their own Mark. You are taking part and that to me, is what's important. There are some regressive attitudes in this thread. Next we will be getting told unless we are grinding our own mirrors and engineering mounts from scrap metal we aren't doing it right. 😴

For a minute I thought I'd clicked on the Fogies' thread in the Lounge... If technology is cheap and abundant enough for people to own, who are interested in astronomy but may not have the time or decent skies to get involved or continue their journey, then the situation is far from "sad". The more the merrier. GoTo systems are not easy mode. Many a newbie has been warned to think carefully before purchasing these systems because there is a learning curve and some troubleshooting or even tinkering may be required. We are not all the same. As described elsewhere in the thread, some like the 'thrill' of the hunt. Personally, I learnt how to use maps/star hop and still do occasionally especially when binocular observing, however during those few great nights when I'm at the telescope for hours, I'd rather find an object quickly. Using GoTo doesn't mean I have the attention span of a goldfish. The time saved is used to observe as much detail as I can, read up at the eyepiece and write notes (with actual old fashioned pencil and paper 😱) Using a GoTo system with accurate tracking is a very relaxed way to study. One can even switch to using a camera very easily on the fly for casual DSLR or afocal mobile phone photography at least. Just about every session I learn something new. Isn't that utimately what amateur astronomy is about?

I cut it unbelievably fine this year to say the least. Arriving home this evening at 18:45 on the final night of the count, I jumped out the car and did the count a minute or two before clouds rolled in from the east. Plus a bonus lovely first quarter moon and a Jupiter/Venus conjunction I dragged out the missus for (not literally 😀). 10 stars counted. I may have picked up another one or two in the rear garden and a degree of dark adaptation away from the cul de sac LED lamps. 🙄 Hopefully others had a bit more luck with the weather this year.

I often but not exclusively use GoTo. Why not if the technology is available? Hands free tracking is a huge bonus when you're writing notes or having a tea break... Shorter observing sessions of less than an hour then I'll use a manual az mount with slomos. Star hopping doesn't require mystical trickery, just some practice matching dots on a map with what you see in the sky. Admittedly when starting out I struggled for several weeks then the penny dropped. Living on the outskirts of a city, the extra few minutes setting up a GoTo system overall speeds up target acquisition and is invaluable during those few and far between longer sessions. I spend less time finding & keeping targets in view and more time observing.

The new status won't make much difference to humans but the rest of the animals will be happy!

This is a first. They don't want me to go!

I stupidly sold my last 2" diagonal. Fancying another, @Stephenstargazerswapped his TS-Optics 2" for one of my 1.25" diagonals.

I regularly just sit there looking up in between observing. It's a good way to spot meteors. 😉 Those occasions when setting up the kit ain't happening are when binoculars become the instrument of choice. 10x50s and a comfy chair takes no setup time. 👍

That's brilliant and deserves another meme...

Haha you're definitely a glass is half full person. 😉 Actually mid way through a clear night when sensible people are in bed, the sky at zenith provides enjoyment. Although I fear the light pollution is getting worse. Even during the four years I've had telescopes there's been a noticeable deterioration.

A mobile phone image taken during Winter 2021. Light pollution. 🥺 North is worse. West even more so as the city centre is in that direction and east my house blocks the view. 🙄

I was considering replacing my AVX with an alt-az mount but then the cheap option of a Starsense popped into my head. However reading all this has put me off! I assume if you take the kit to a star camp for instance, then the whole laborious auto polar align and calibration needs to be done again? For visual it's likely way faster just to look through the polar scope, adjust and then pick two or three stars to align to. 🙄

External lighting getting an amateur astronomer's nerves doesn't legally count as a light nuisance...

Before the taller fence was erected and LED lamp shielded. If I remember correctly it's an AZ5 mounted ST120...

The 102mm fits in a standard camera bag. Unfortunately the 127mm doesn't so there's less choice... I ended up splashing out on this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-bags-cases-storage/oklop-padded-bag-for-90-102-127-mc-tubes-accessories-or-star-adventurer-mounts.html

I've made a similar transition from a 130mm reflector to a 102mm f7 ED refractor, albeit via several other flavours in-between and do not regret the purchase. The FPL-51 f7 doublet I own is in-focus, pretty much devoid of the dreaded chromatic aberration mentioned here and good for 200x. I've only ever experienced obvious (yet very slight) fringing when zoomed in on an LED street lamp and Sirius is a challenge. I considered the telescope a bargain, but the new price has recently increased to £600, moving it closer to the FPL-53 so if choosing now, I'd be more inclined to save an extra £300 for the Starfield or similar. After all, the experts must be right? I have thought about "upgrading" but do wonder if I'll kick myself if there isn't a huge improvement over my £495 scope... 🙄 Do not expect to see more. What you will see is greatly improved contrast, a cleaner view so to speak and obviously no diffraction spikes. These refractors do have other benefits for instance the focuser is a joy to use and they're less prone to dewing than a reflector. Bear in mind, I call my AZ5 'Wobbly Bob' for good reason. When using medium-high eyepieces and the refractor, there is annoying focusing vibration even with the 1.75" steel tripod (essential) upgrade. My most enjoyable longer sessions have been when the refractor is held incredibly solidly on my Celestron AVX. To be honest, and especially if you have reasonably dark skies you may be better off with something like a Celestron Starsense dob for the money you're willing to fork out. That's for you to decide what your priorities are. Also if dobs aren't for you, and if all you have is the AZ5, I'd seriously think about keeping the 130mm and save for a sturdier mount. A good mount really increases your options.