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Hi Richard, which ones are these on Alixpress??

I echo what Geoff said. ditch the wedge for now. Only used for long exposure photography. you could ditch the wifi module and just use the handset with starsense, but using the wifi module and phone/tablet has some advantages. If using the wifi and phone (you leave the handset connected, this is the star database) you connect via the SkyPortal app which automatically gets the time, date and Lat/long co-ords from the phone. You then use the phone app to connect and align the scope using starsense. The starsense will take control of the scope, move it to 3 areas of the sky and plate solve the image, thus aligning itself. It's very easy once you get the hang of it. if not using the wifi/phone, just use the handset to align. You will need to input the time, date and Lat/long co-ords

I know there have been a few threads on this but just sharing my experience as a positive note. For anyone suffering from streetlight pollution you may or may not know that you can request your local council to fit a light shroud. My local council has a simple online form to fill out. (You'll need the lamppost number and fill out some simple info) Initially I requested the lamp outside the front of my house and also one that shines into my back garden be shielded. The council's contractor fitted the light shields in about a week. The one out the front of my house worked ok, but I hadn't considered that the lamp shining into my rear garden was actually facing us, so the rear-mounted shield didn't help. So I contacted them again explaining the lamp was facing my garden, and they came out again last week and fitted some internal baffles. It doesn't eliminate all light, but I would say it has reduced it by about 50%. So in my case persistence has certainly helped. Just letting everyone know as until I saw those internal baffles I had no idea they existed. the picture below shows two adjacent lamp posts. The left one is unshielded, the right one has a rear shield and internal baffles

@Adreneline nice job. I hadn't seen this one before. Thanks for the info

Well this is the start of my mini observatory. I Picked up a second hand Keter shed this morning to go along with a Pulsar pier I got a few months ago. I've got a few other jobs to do around the house before I can start clearing the area where the pergola is, which is where the obsy will sit. This will be s slow burn, but gotta start somewhere. Not 100% decided yet whether I am going to do a roll off roof, or put the whole shed on tracks and have a roll away obsy. Once I've got rid of the pergola, I'll see how it sits

Thanks, I saw the FB group, but I generally don't post on public groupd

Is the camp private to the astronomy group? Is it safe to leave telescopes up (weather permitting) will have a go on my PC but couldn't sign up on my phone

@Amberr_bamba It is possible to image the solar system with your scope, but as stated above, almost impossible to do deep space objects like galaxies and nebulas without a tracking mount. for solar system objects like the moon and Jupiter you need to take short videos using a mobile phone or dedicated planetary camera. Align your chosen object (moon for example) on the left side of your field of view. Let the telescope settle and take a video as the object passes through your field of view. You will end up with maybe a 10-20 sec video. Without changing focus you can nudge your scope to get the moon back in your field of view and take one or two more videos (if required) then download the following programs (free) PIPP, Autostakkert, Registax. first PIPP will centre the target of each frame of the video. Autostakkert will stack the best percentage of all the captured frames. Registax is used to bring out the detail of the stacked image Back to the camera. You can use a mobile phone mount (I recommend the celestron NexYZ) which fits over your eyepiece. Or replace the eyepiece with a dedicated planetary camera. A ZWO ASI120 is a good starting point but there are plenty of other choices. The camera is connected to a laptop via a USB lead and the images are captured on the PC. You will get better results with the planetary camera as the designed for this purpose, so have small pixels and high frame rates, therefore take a lot of frames in a given 10-20 sec video. any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. And as an example I got the following image with a £25 76mm first scope and a mobile phone

Hi, looking at this post and previous posts, it seems like everyone knows what pitches they want, so I assume you are all regular visitors. I was thinking about attending a star camp somewhere but a little intimidated by the thought of meeting a bunch of strangers who all seem to know each other already? So is the event ok for (Shyish) first timers. Obviously the British weather is the British weather, so does this site cope with rain ok, as I only have a tent? thanks

I personally wouldn't bother with an EQ35 either for a C8. If you are just doing visual and planetary imaging then an AltAz mount like the Evolution would be better. If you want to do deep space stuff, an EQ mount would be better, but an EQ35 is not up to the job. i'd spend my money on an Evolution mount for easy set up, or a second hand HEQ5/AVX for aspirational DSO imaging

Not sure about the GTIX, but I wouldn't but a C8 on a standard GTi mount. I have both and defo wouldn't trust it.

I echo what John said. The weather has been absolutely terrible here in Cambridgeshire. I've maybe had my scope out 3-4 times this year. But I'm now involved in a local astronomy club, which is interesting and keeps me interested in the hobby. We also have a club solar scope, so that has been interesting using also

@Andrew186 i personally think C8's are great scopes. Amazing views of the solar system, and some smaller DSO's (with the right mount) but still manageable for setting up and even putting in the car. the evolution mount is great with the C8. Built in lithium battery and wifi. Easy to set up, and ok for planetary imaging. Planetary cameras are relatively cheap, starting at around £80 which connect to any laptop via usb. You take short videos, and then use a bunch of free software to break the video down into individual frames that are stacked and edited. It's pretty easy to get the hang of. imaging deep space stuff like galaxies and nebulae is a lot more difficult, and the C8 with it's long focal length and narrow field of view is not well suited. then you are better suited to a refractor or reflector and an equatorial mount. --------- Az mount = easy set up = easier to use for basic visual = ok for solar system. EQ mount = no field rotation, so longer exposures = better for DSO imaging = more complicated and time consuming to set up and align. ---------- C8 (catadioptric) = long focal length = high magnification = narrow field of view = great for solar system 70mm refractor (for example) = wide field of view = less magnification = more forgiving for long exposures = great for widefield DSOs like nebulae In summary, some people prefer solar system imaging (C8 is great), some people prefer DSO imaging (refractors and reflectors are better) for those of us that like both, probably end up with at least two scopes. If you want to stick to one mount, then you need an equatorial mount. HEQ5 regarded as a good starting point, Eq6 better. But I for one also love my AltAz mount for ease of use, quick set up, great for star parties and outreach. so I've ended up with both mounts and two scopes. But IMO the C8 is a great scope for starting out

Lots of local astronomy clubs around the country. Where are you based??

Thanks for the reply, but not really sure what that means. what will be the real world effects? anyone use a 533c and a C8? ta

Hello, i was considering the Altair 533c protec, mainly to image DSO with Altair 70EDT. but I also have a C8 so I was wondering if anyone had experience of using the 533c on a C8? I was thinking for planetary nebula and small galaxies etc thanks

Glad I didn't go then if the vendor exhibition was so poor . I was interested in the talks but not at £50. Unfortunately PAS doesn't have any talks this year.

Hi does anyone know how to create a planetarium show using stellarium, to show other people?

Welcome, it was my kids that got me into this game...lol

I'd get a 2nd hand skywatcher Azgti and wedge. You can start AP with your existing cameras/lens and then when you are ready you can get a small refractor and/or 5" Mak for DSO's or planetary. The AzGti is a great little mount. Can be run in Azimuth or equatorial (with wedge) mode. Is also portable if you need to travel for dark skies. lots of great AP images with that mount

I have a sirui 284 that I got off a member on here. Great little tripod that folds up small but still sturdy enough for my AzGTi and either my Altair 70EDT or Lunt 60, or even just my DSLR for milkyway. I would highly recommend

My first telescope was a similar 114 bird-jones reflector, it didn't give great views but you should be able to see Saturn's rings, the disk of Jupiter and Jupiter's four main moons. firstly can you get good views of the moon 'in focus'??? If that is ok your basic optics are fine! Are you using a red dot finder or an optical finder? either way, ensure it is aligned to the main scope. Best to do this in the day time, by pointing your scope at a distant church steeple, pylon or apex of a roof line. Then look through the finder scope or RDF. Then if necessary tweak the 2 adjustment screws, so the finder is co-aligned with the main scope. then best to start with Jupiter or Saturn, as they are the easiest to find. Using a planetarium app identify Jupiter, point your scope in the general direction. Look through the finder or the RDF, and put the cross hairs or dot on Jupiter! Then hopefully when you look through the eyepiece the planet should be in the centre. Start with the largest eyepiece, usually 25mm. When centred you can put higher mag eyepieces instead for more detail. good luck

Welcome to SGL. They are a very friendly and helpful group on here 👍

My first ever solar image. i borrowed a Lunt 60 from my local astro club. Mounted on an AzGti with a ZWO 120mm. captured around 2mins of video and stacked using AS7 and Registax

I paid a visit to Altair Astro today, wow what a great store. So much eye-candy I barely escaped alive!! anyhoo, the reason for posting was i took my Altair 70EDT which had a problem with the fine focus knob. I wasn't sure if it just needed an adjustment or a repair. Ian took into the workshop for a quick look. It came back 10 minutes later with an entire new focuser fitted. Amazing service and very friendly owner. Many thanks to Ian at Altair. I love the scope and I also love the service