Pixies

The first time I saw them, I wasn't looking for them and I thought they were some kind of reflection problem with the binoculars. If you are doing it hand-held, they can be hard to make out. If you can get the bins stable on something (tripod especially) you should see them pretty clearly on 10x50s

Ha! I know all about trying to find the section to display the FOV on the screen. It took me ages to find it! You go to 'Observe' -> 'Equipment', then add your scope, bins, EPs, etc. Then 'Observe' -> 'Scope display', and add the FOV indicator from the list you created above. Now you can also use 'Observe' -> 'Scope display' to select which FOV indicators to display on the starfield. Note - you will need to select 'Show even if not connected to telescope'. You can also add Telrad circles, which is very helpful for starhopping (if you have a Telrad, obviously). Here's my display with Telrad circles (red) and the FOV of my 18mm Starguider on a 8" Bresser Dob:

I learnt the sky before having a telescope mainly with binoculars (that and growing up as a kid in an area with reasonably dark skies). But if you can afford a reasonable pair of 10x50 bins, it'll give you a head-start, especially if you suffer from light pollution. When I say reasonable, £50 is more than enough.

Hi Khalid. This place is a wealth of help and information, as I'm sure you are aware, of you've already been browsing through the posts. I bet thE western Sahara has some dark skies!

As an aside... from a Premier drum fan. The Premier Resonator was produced from mid-late 70s to the 80s. The shell is 3-ply birch (with reinforcement rings) and used a thin inner liner (separated from the main shell with a air-gap). Any pre 80s drum shell will likely be 3-ply with reinforcement rings. More modern shells have many more ply without reinforcements and are generally heavier. So if you are looking for lighter shells, then earlier drum kits are what you would be after. Anyway - a Premier Resonator dob. Clem Burke would approve!

As a long-term source of fluid, it's not very good for you! But for the occasional sip, it'll be ok 🤮 https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/nutrientschap12.pdf

and a partridge in a pear tree...

I have you now...

If you are having trouble seeing stars in the first place, star-hopping might be a little tricky! I'm in Bortle-6 and this time of year the sky is very bright and stars hard to make out. A non-magnifying finder won't help you. I'm sure the more experienced star hoppers here might be able to help. I would suggest that if you can't get a magnifying finder, why not get a pair of binoculars to try and assist you in finding stars. I notice that once you have seen them in the bins, they start to pop out of the blue sky. Either that or wait a few months..... 😭

RO water from a Fishkeepers shop is about £2 for 10 litres. You'll need to take your own container.

No. Cooled boiled water will be even more concentrated with minerals. Do you have a local tropical fish store nearby? You can ask for RODI water. (Reverse Osmosis Deionised Water)

What finder do you have?

The observation list feature is worth it alone! You can download pubilc lists - some of which are on this site. Red night vision with the observation lists is what I've been using to find and view my targets recently.

yep - I'm on v6 plus. Here's what's NOT in the basic version: Control your robotic or “goto” telescope Record and plan your observations Add sky events to calendars Travel in time from 99 999 BC to 99 999 AD View hundreds of satellites, comets and asteroids Create your own databases Add images to any area of the sky Create custom full sky (180 degree) star charts Create custom Field of View indicators for your eyepieces and CCD’s Generate ephemerides Explore advanced topics in SkyGuide Preserve your night vision by reddening the display

Ahhhh! Found it! It's in the 'Observe' section.... 🤦‍♂️

Sorry to be so dim - but I can't find these settings anywhere. Using android BTW. Can you explain where to find them, please? Thanks

Thanks - but I'm using version 6 and it's a little different. The settings you mention aren't there. I'm sure they're hidden away somewhere else. I'll go and RTFM

Hi Chefgage. Where can you set that in Sky Safari?

Hi, What are you using in the way of finders?

I've a Bresser 8". It needed quite a tweak, too.

For a fast scope, I think so. If you can see the whole of the primary, you're fine. ps - I like the shade of green. I'm usually an burnt-ochre man, myself

I'd say that was pretty good.

Hi. John knows his stuff with this scope. But you can also try this for background:

Cool. You've got NGC 3077 too

The sky is getting so light in Edinburgh now, it's hard to make out M81 and M82 with my 8" dob, but I could just find them tonight. Had a quick sneaky peek at PANSTARRS, using SkySafari to confirm where it was. I could see nothing at first, but settled down to wait. The sky is so light, it's not really worth getting one's eyes adjusted. Even with the moon long gone. Eventually I reckon I could just make it out with averted vision and a bit of judicious wobbling.