Stardaze

Sounds superb, definitely makes me want to get to a dark spot. Some great targets too, enjoyed reading that. 🙂

There's already plenty of great advice and I'll reiterate a pair of 10x50 binoculars too,  plus one of the yearly monthly guides from Phillips or Collins. A planisphere does really help initially to work out what constellations are on show presently and without question download SkySafari for your phone. The free basic version is fine to start with as you can point it at the sky and work out what is what. I certainly did that for a year before buying a scope, it's invaluable and will set you in good stead. I also agree about the most often promoted book (turn left at Orion) I find it a bit too heavy to start with from nothing, buy a copy if you decide on a scope later. There's plenty of info around here, just keep reading around SGL, another invaluable resource and take your time.

20 hours ago, GavStar said:

These are my bad boys. A 103mm William optics Binoscope. Fantastic widefield views of the skies...

They’re nice and exotic, look awesome!

On 25/04/2021 at 12:05, badhex said:

So far very impressed! A good example of getting what you pay for. 

Indeed, but... bags are a really personal thing. I’ve been through so many camera bags over the years.

16 hours ago, badhex said:

Okay next bit for the travel kit arrived! Think Tank Airport Essentials bag (it didn't come with all this stuff in it though sadly) 

 

Think Tank bags are excellent, have had a few over the years.

14 minutes ago, mark81 said:

That's a nice selection you have there... I have the Stella's but the 10.5s and for the price you really can't go wrong - also the weight is still manageable, if you go for some Apollos it's quite a jump and makes handheld too difficult.. (although any 70mm really need some sort of support to get the best out of them)

I wonder how long it will be untill you add a pair of 80mms or bigger...

Mark

As you do, you find yourself wondering “how much better could the HR or Apollo’s be?” Diminishing returns and all that, which usually applies from mid to high end. 
 

Definitely need some support. I’m generally using the monopod with the 10x50’s but tripod for the 15x70’s at the moment. Now I have a joystick head, really taken to it for a lightweight, quick option. There doesn’t seem that much difference between 10x and 15x though in practice. Bet 20x would make a difference. Not too fussed about that just now..

Just googled the Apollo weight, 750g heavier than the Stellar’s. 

I’ve recently bought the Nikon 10x50’s and Helios 15x70’s so the Bushnell 10x42’s will be kept for compact convenience no doubt. Wasn’t sure whether to invest in a more expensive pair of 15x70’s but really impressed with the Stellar ii’s as my first pair this size. Used the Nikon’s last night and cold do with adding a bino bandit I think having got used to it with the Helios. Should be sorted from here. 

22 hours ago, chrispj said:

Yesterday the postman brought the missing piece of my puzzle:

 

So finally I could get out side and look at something!

 

Spent a happy hour lining everything up so both scopes and the finder point in the same direction...

Not much to look at other than the moon, which was stunning. Navigating the stars is obviously an art I'll have to learn with the view being flipped and was confusing with one scope having a diagonal and the other a 45° erect-image.

 

Now to start browsing the world of filters and diagonals and eyepieces...

Nice, I fancy a small frac and certainly thinking sky tee and the SW tripod, is that an 80ED and 127 Bresser?

1 minute ago, jacko61 said:

My problem is sneaking stuff past the wife 😄

The actual ‘stuff’ isn’t my problem, it’s the paper trail of the ‘stuff’ that I need to be creative with 😉

1 hour ago, Mr Thingy said:

AA* Meeting Minutes 20th April:

My name is Mr Thingy and I'm an addict - I can't stop buying astronomy equipment.

Despite already owning a new and decent mono camera (ZWO ASI183MM GT), I decided to purchase a ZWO ASI533MC-PRO, which I told myself I must have for extra utility.

However, despite this setback, today I have managed to go a whole 5 hours without looking at the FLO website. Tomorrow I promise only to look at dovetails and cable options and I definitely will not be looking at APO refractors. 

*Astroholics Anonymous (AA)

Thank you for your support 🤭

That’s the first step towards recovery.. admitting that you have a problem 😂

2 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Have a few book tokens to spend - this looks great, so thanks for posting

Someone posted the all time current low price of £38 which spurred me on. Was £58 but have seen as high as £72. Lovely map though.

Finally bought a copy of this. Was on back order until end of May, but miraculously delivered within a few days 😀 

Super write up Luke, enjoyed reading your account of a very successful evening at the eyepiece.

3 hours ago, SuburbanMak said:

Thank you @Stardaze - I have been lucky enough to catch the Leo Triplet a couple of times ( & 2 of the 3 a few more times) with a Mak 127 from the local park, still suburban Bortle 5 up above but a good open horizon above 10-15 degrees with less much peripheral interference from street & security lighting than the garden. Here views are blocked below 60 degrees by houses to the W, lights to the North & with views to South & East possible above 25 degrees but punctuated with the odd tree! Yet to see them in the ST80. 

I guess most of us are working with what we have in front of us, most of the time. My eastern view is completely obliterated by an oak tree on the roadside. SW to West are my best viewing spots, providing the neighbours don’t switch their light on. I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve managed to see from here this last year, but still so much to learn and take in, certainly will keep me searching avidly when time permits.

29 minutes ago, John said:

I find the moon very interesting. So much to see. A book that I've found has fired my interest in lunar observing is the 21st Century Atlas of the Moon by Charles A Wood and Maurice J S Collins. Far from being just another atlas of the Moon

Mind you. I'm not a particularly avid solar observer while others spend a lot of time (and money) observing it so there you go !

Transparency is not bad again tonight - even the little 100mm refractor is showing plenty of galaxies in the Leo / Virgo / Coma area.

 

 

 

I’ll check that book out 👍

Just had an hour, the moon is starting to spoil things now, early on. Struggling to see the Leo galaxies in the bins, only really M81/M82 that looked convincing for me.

Really would like a frac for quick sessions but i’ll make do for now with the bins. Not sure what I’d get, was looking at the TS Optics 80 but probably better going 102. A while away for the moment anyhow.

26 minutes ago, John said:

It's just cleared here as well !

Popped a refractor out to look at the moon

Just been out with the 15x70s on the tripod doing the same. Not sure what it is, but the moon doesn’t seem to interest me at all other than a quick look? Probably need to read up a little more?

10 minutes ago, John said:

The odd thing about last night was that the transparency did not look that promising to the casual view. Indicators such as the visibility of Ursa Minor stars were not that good and the sky generally had a slightly milky / yellow look to it. When I actually started to observe with the scope though, things were somewhat better 

The distant galaxies in Coma B that I picked up had a surface brightness of around magnitude 13 I think, which is not too bad from my back yard.

Clouded out tonight so no observing

 

 

 

It’s supposedly clouded here, but right now its clear as a whistle. Wasnt planning a session as a lot on tomorrow..

Sounds a great evening. Maybe just need a slightly darker spot to find the triplet? I managed two of them in the 15x70 binos last night (bortle 5), but worth persevering. 

I’m so envious! I got it badly wrong. The forecast changed for the worst by midday and so I committed myself to some more painting, typically come dusk, it looked great. Had an hour with the binos 😂

1 hour ago, StuartT said:

One slightly annoying feature of the APM binoculars is that each eye focuses separately. This is rather fiddly. I'd much prefer a central focuser and a right eye diopter adjustment. That way, once you've adjusted the diopter, you only have to focus once. 

Not sure why they've done it like that, but I guess I'll get used to it

Most larger, observing binoculars are like that. In theory, for astronomy use, once they’re set you shouldn’t need to readjust. Doesn’t worry me at all with the 15x70’s but it wouldn’t be right on the smaller 10x50’s as they can be used for all sorts where re-focussing is commonplace.

Had another couple of hours last night, mostly going over similar targets of these last few weeks, whilst adding a few more. I was a little late out in the end with the kids being off, the little one was far too late to bed last night, which stopped dad getting out on time. I wanted to try the new 15x70's a little first too and so not having put the dob out earlier as per normal, gave me that time. Must say I am very impressed with the Stellar II's, now the bino bandit is positioned better, I wasn't fogging up last night. The double cluster, now dropping quite low on the horizon by 10.30, was just so impressive. So too was the Beehive Cluster. I could make out the shape of the Starfish (M38) too. I started skipping around Leo and had a good look around the areas I've been observing these last couple of weeks. Couldn't believe it when I very faintly saw M65 and M65. That prompted me onto packing the binoculars away as I reached for the dob. 

I won't go over old ground again, but covered many of the targets of recent weeks (Leo Triplet, Markarian's Chain, M3, M51) but for the first time I took in M53, The Black Eye Galaxy, Needle, Silver Needle and The Whale. Both needle galaxies were very faint and nondescript and so I will be sure to go over this area again soon, hopefully tonight. There's just so much to take in around here right now that I feel like the clock is ticking quickly. Hoping to take the dob for a drive later for the first time and find a bottle 4 spot - that's the plan. 

A little late to read your excellent report Neil, but glad I did. Hopefully I’ll be inspired to take my dob for a drive tonight too.

Didn’t seem so bad for me here, better after midnight. I did Izar too last night for the first time this year but concentrated, maybe wrongly, on fuzzies. 

Last night was a great night for it, good to read your observations. I also saw the whale for the first time too, but forgot about the hockey stick.

I think @Ricochet offers some sound advice above. The biggest consideration is the head itself, a decent tripod or monopod will provide the support well enough (I have a manfrotto carbon 055 and steel 680b manfrotto monopod, they’re both over 10 years old) but the head is the critical element. More so on a tripod as the more vertical you go, the ball will need to lock without slipping. You tend to get what you pay for with ball heads but a joystick is the best design. I’ve managed to find a secondhand version of an old model that manfrotto discontinued (222) which is similar to the one mentioned. The other version doesn’t seem to be available anymore in the UK on its own. 
 

Do also look at the height that monopods extend to. Mine could do with offering a little more and I’m only 5 ft 9 (you can easily put a step of sorts underneath to add a little more). But monopod is easier to use in practice for general use I agree. The advantage with the manfrotto system is that the common RC2 plate is interchangeable so I sometimes have the tripod up too and pop the binos on there whilst using the scope for example.