Dark Vader

Never a truer word spoken in jest...at least the bottom of the clouds will look a lot closer. 😀

Thanks, got that sorted with the latest Stellarium on the laptop and Sky Safari 6plus and Lunar map hd on the mobile. 👍 now to get used to seeing things backwards 😀

Well I've finally jumped in the deep end and ordered my 1st scope after spending the last 18 months exploring the sky with bins and desperately trying to understand scope collimation. 🤪 The chap next door had 2 nearly 'house sized' trees and just last week has had them taken down, opening up a large area of previously obscured sky at Vader towers. Mrs. V. authorised a budget so I went for it before she changed her mind. 😀 I've gone for the Skyliner 200p, a premium Cheshire, a SW right angled erect image finderscope and an astro essentials 2x Barlow (with the supplied 25mm and 10mm EPs). I couldn't quite stretch the budget to a BST barlow or an EP, although some BST Starguiders will be done as soon as funding allows. There will be a water butt stand coming soon. Have I missed anything that I'll need to get going for now? T.I.A. Andy PS. Sorry about the weather 🙄

Theres an app called Lunar map HD which I find pretty good.

One I use is the £6.49 option. Never tried the pro, not sure what the benefits are.

Yeah, all good now ta 🙃

You go to 'Observe' -> 'Equipment',then add your scope, bins, EPs, etc. Then 'Observe' -> 'Scope display', and add theFOV indicator from the list you created above. Yep, that's the one.... 😁 DV

No worries. Version I use is 6plus. Costs a couple of quid. There's a free version as well. One of the functions is you can display a circled field of view to match the view through your bins. Very useful, however I can't currently remember how to set it due to alcohol consumption 😂

Thats a lovely sight. I've not seen them paired up like that before so had a look on Sky Safari. My last view of them was 2 each side on June 2nd (below) It amazes me how fast they orbit. I tried to get my son out of bed for a look but he wasn't having any of it. 🙄

Did you get to see the 4 Galilean moons in the 10x50s? It's a sight I never get tired of.

Welcome to the best Astronomy forum....from the North Bristol end of South Glos. 😃 Andy

In a word, no. Ain't no such thing, unless you need a new paperweight 🙂 Hth Andy

I have both the Olympus DPS1 and Strathspey marine 10x50s and I find both are very good for the money. The Opticron adventurer 10x50 has good reviews, and if you fancied something a bit bigger the Opticron oregon 11x70 might be worth a look. I've been tempted by the Oregons myself for the extra light gathering. Hth Andy

I expect the manfrotto will be better quality but this head is perfectly ok. There is a similar head on there for about £40 without the tripod, so effectively you're getting the tripod for less than a tenner. 👍

I went for one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-177-cm-Pistol-Grip-Tripod/dp/B01LQX0P8Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=tripod+and+pistol+grip+ball+head&qid=1589099474&sr=8-2 and a Giottos 3290B monopod. Unscrew the head from the tripod, put it on the monopod and fully extended its taller than I am (6'5"). Used in a recliner, just cross your ankles over the bottom of the monopod for added stability. Works well with my 10x50s and 15x70s Andy

I don't have any experience with the Opticrons, but I bought the DPS1 10x50 as my first "proper" binocular (after dabbling with some free 7x50s) about a year ago. I find them Very good for the money, and after getting a few more bins since then they are still the ones I use most. If I remember correctly there's a 25 year warranty on them as well. Amazon currently have them at a penny under £60. Hope that's of some help. Andy

+1 for the Olympus DPS1 10x50. Very good for the money and the bins I still use the most. The Amazon listing gives the weight as 853g. They are very hand holdable and give a good sharp image. Another selling point when I got mine was a 30 year warranty. You could do a lot worse for 60 quid.

Should be... Stellarium is a free download and I think the basic version of Sky Safari is too. A quick look on google play should give you an idea of the best one for you.

Another 1 for Sky Safari (6plus), I also use Stellarium free but not as often. Andy

Just got some very nice used Strathspey 10x50 Marine bins for around half the price new. Now waiting on the clouds to do one!! 🙄

I managed to find a Giottos 3290B monopod on fleabay for about 30 quid. It's huge - fully extended it's 190 cm, then the pistol grip ball head and binocular mounting bracket puts another 28cm on it. If I'm viewing around zenith I'm normally on a recliner or a sun lounger but when you have to stand it's ideal for a 6 1/2 footer. Andy

I started off with a "free" Mirador Japan 7x50 acquired in a box of "junk" from a friend who passed away. Cleaned them up, pointed them at the moon and was hooked!! Bought a 10x50 Olympus DPS1 and a Celestron Skymaster 15x70, an Amazon basics tripod with pistol grip head, and a long Giottos 3290B monopod. The 10x50s get the most use.

1 more recommendation for the Olympus DPS1 10x50. Great bit of kit, very hand holdable, and a long warranty. If you wanted to mount them for more stability, these are good value... https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-177-cm-Pistol-Grip-Tripod/dp/B01LQX0P8Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=amazon+basics+tripod&qid=1565942935&s=gateway&sprefix=amazon+basics+tri&sr=8-7 Andy

It's still available, just under 24 quid online - here's the ISBN. ISBN-10: 9780521793902

I did have some doubts about the existence of a dark site in a city 😀