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RobertK

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Everything posted by RobertK

  1. Absolutely. Looking through Plossl initially confused me as it was very difficult for a newbie like me, let alone completely unaware family mambers, to see anything. Viewing through the Baader piece is so much nicer. I may be losing a little bit of view quality but it still makes it much more accessible.
  2. Fitted straight to Hyperion and couldn't get focus on Jupiter or Moon on either the 2" or 11/4". Had put some grease and loosened the focuser locking knob made it easier to adjust but still no joy. Took it back home and Hyperion had the 1.25" adapter fitted to which Barlow with its converter were attached. After removing the Hyperion 1.25" adapter, Barlow fits straight on with its converter. This makes it usable up to around 9mm (18mm/2). At higher magnification the focuser would need to extend more but it's at the limit. Need to think about 2" collar to let the Hyperion slot out further outside to increase the gap. Still, managed to get a view of Moon, Jupiter and Saturn at 9mm. Admittedly I can get 8mm without Zoom so this was more of a test. Oh, also NexYZ has arrived and it's actually very descend although it's tricky to operate Hyperion's zoom with it on.
  3. I've got an iPhone X so maybe I'm missing something, but the best I can do is get a Live photo and then convert it to Long Exposre. That's only about 3 seconds but on my dob that should be fine. EDIT: Just found it: "The Night Mode camera is a great feature of iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max". That's what I am missing then A newer phone
  4. I got my Hyperion zoom yesterday but waiting for the barlow to ship. Doesn't look like I'll have a chance at trying it again tonigh as the weather is getting worse as the afternoon comes. 😕
  5. Had clear skies today and my Baader zoom arrived so had a first ever go at finding these. Was tricky until it got darker around 10:30pm and my eyes adjusted as well. Finally saw it as a single star around that time and pointed with telrad. Went up to 162x but could not split either of the pair. I'll have another go again next time weather permits. This time I'll know better what I'm looking for. Also waiting for the 2.25x Barlow to arrive, so failing my eyesight actually doing its job, I'll have 370x to attempt this
  6. Telrad fitted. Baader zoom has to be used in place of the 1.25" focuser, straight into the 2" focuser. Had a go at collimating first and managed to mess it up. All I could see after pointing at Vega first was a blob of light. Collimated again and was better, but realised it's too far from the secondary mirror. Removed the 1.25" focuser and fitted straight into the 2" one and that's perfect. Need to grease the focuser. Found Double-Double but was unable to split the 2 stars into 4 at 162x. Jupiter at 162x fitted 4 moons in the fov and shows nice banding. Saturn at max zoom a bit fuzzy but still can see the rings very nicely. Forgot to look for Cassini division but probably need Barlow for that. Was still to bright for Andromeda and was getting late so looked at Mizar but haven't seen the second star, I think. Need to check sky maps. (Turns out my zoom was too big and missed Alcor)
  7. New right angle erecting finder scope and shoe, Baader Zoom Mk4. Weather looks promising tonight too
  8. I'm new to all this but I'm the same Love to learn about things I love. So much that I've been doing a lot of research and ordered some goodies I can't wait to get. Welcome!
  9. Hey. I'm a newbie myself and only picked up a telescope recently. Was in the same predicament as you due to all retailers being out of stock, as well as the next delivery already being sold out. Managed to get a great deal on a second hand dobsonian. Not only did I pay less than half the cost of a new one, I also got a 10" mirror. Not sure where you're located, but it may be worth a shot. https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?typechoice[]=Telescope-Reflector&titlechoice[]=For+Sale&statuschoice[]=Active&minprice=&maxprice=
  10. I've read a lot of reviews and have decided. Few upgrades happening in the next few days then I hope those will last me for a while without a need for any other eyepieces etc. - Telrad - Right-angle erect image Sky-watcher 9x50 Finder Scope with a William Optics finder shoe - Baader Hyperion Zoom 8x-24x - Baader 2.25x Barlow - Eyepiece mounted phone holder for some simple photography EXCITED! 🤩 Needles to say I've spent 3 times as much as I did on the scope with those orders, but I think it will be worth it. Down the rabbit hole we go ...
  11. I saw a trick on youtube where you take a few short exposure pics (like 5 seconds) and then stack them. That way you avoid stars trailing and you can still get some good photos out of it with less noise.
  12. Seems like a few members in my area then. Would be great to attend a future even when these resume. And thanks again for the welcome. Right-angle finderscope is definitely on my list, but not rushing it as I should have the Telrad today or tomorrow. The scope is stored in a dry shed so hopefully it will be fine. But as the board was slightly bent already, I may look at upgrading it in the near future.
  13. I've always used the web version, but since I got the telescope I decided to install the full desktop version. I managed to save my setup and eyepieces etc. Things that I unable to save and not sure whether I should be able to: - start in Windowed mode - fixed both settings and viewing bars bottom left corner - Object information - I set my 'Customised' options, but after relaunching the app they are lost_ - basic stuff like date format, start-up time (default to 10pm) - I think I can say that NONE of the Configuration [F2] settings save - Sky and viewing options window [F4] - NONE of the options changed here save between sessions The only thing that saves is .. my location. Am I missing a plugin, some sort of trick to save those, should I reinstall or does Stellarium simply not save these F2 and F4 settings between sessions?
  14. @NGC 1502I guess I need a range of 6-15mm eyepieces for different purposes and conditions. Which would be easy to get at a decent price as a Celestron kit, but I am then worried if I should try to get the smaller eyepieces as Wide Angle, or just not bother with that for now and get the Celestron kit? The Telrad will for now replace the awkward finder scope, but I'm planning on having both at the later stage. @Starwatcher2001That's a coll looking trucks I like a bit of DIY and as this will most likely be our telescope for life, I don't mind it looking a bit 'original'.
  15. From the limited amount of videos I've watched, it does look like a Telrad base. Actually bought one already on FB marketplace so will find out soon once it arrives. That finder scope I have right now will be going off. It's so awkward to use it's spoiling half of the fun.
  16. Thanks guys Nice to be in a group of people sharing the same hobby and learn!
  17. Thanks guys Yes I saw the 2" focuser and I guess I am wondering if 2" eyepieces offer more than 1.25"? I have a dillema about the focal length of the eyepiece I should get next. Obviously I want to see it as big as I can but don't want to go below the point where it all becomes a fuzzy mess. I've been recommended 6mm 66 degrees eyepiece for planetary viewing, but wondering if getting something like a standard FOV Celestron Zoom would be best for me newbie to see the difference in what I can see at different magnifications on my scope. Then again, I need to keep in mind that Zoom is slightly worse than 'fixed' focal eyepieces, and also wide angle lens should give me better view at that zoom? Of course I may be very wrong here as it's all new to me and I've only just began to learn about how the optics on telescopes work, so please feel free to set me straight I can get a Celestron kit of 5 lenses, 2x barlow and planetary filters for £90. Or I can get a Zoom (which being honest seems to me like a good idea) for maybe half of that price. Oh, and last night I pointed the 25mm piece at Saturn. Could see the rings very clearly, as well as Titan shining nearby. Can't wait for more magnification
  18. Thanks guys! @toshapetrijiare you a member of Swindon Stargazers? Looking to join a local group for meet-ups and to learn from more experienced observers once the pandemic calms down.
  19. Thanks! I'm giddy like a child just thinking about having another session with it tonight (if the weather holds up).
  20. First kit and I feel like I'm starting with the biggest setup I can own. Picked up from astrobuysell.com for £125 including a 40mm and 25mm Celestron E-Lux. Finder scope will be replaced with right angle. It has a Telrad mount (as I found out by accident) and I've alreadyt found cheap one on FB so should have that soon. Next pieces to get will be WA 6mm and 15mm. There's a small mark on the main mirror, but it doesn't seem to affect the view, and at that price I can't complain. The base also needed some attention. Vertical movement is smooth, but horizontal rotation was hindered by the bottom board being slightly bent, and rubbing the corners against the telescope base. I have added some washers between the teflon pads and it's much better. Not buttery-smooth, but I feel like that would make it too sensitive to movement, In the current condition it lets me track Jupiter easily. I guess the real test will be when I get the 6mm piece Collimating laser is also coming to make sure the mirrors are aligned after haling it home for 40 miles. Other than that it doesn't seem like it needs any serious work, so for a 20-30 year old telescope this is amazing.
  21. Hey everyone. I was always fascinated by the night sky since I was a child, but always living in cities made me only see the brightest stars. When I was younger we could not afford any decent telescope, and I didn't want a small desk telescope that will offer very little in terms of details. At some point life took over, career, wife, kids ... Now my older boy is 3yo and he's showing interest in planets etc. I thought I'll wait a bit, but after speaking to my wife, she said she's also interested! So we decided we'll get something for the whole family to enjoy. I've recently bought a 10" Dobsonian, apparently made by Dark Star, for a bargain price of £125. Already had a look at some of the threads on here about those telescopes, so learned a bit. It needs a bit of TLC, but it's in great shape nonetheless. Managed to get some clear skies shortly after 10pm yesterday after the weather kept me anxious all day with sunshine, rain and thunderstorm. Scope wasn't aligned and I could work it out, so it was a bit off. Took a closer look today, and I have worked out how it's supposed to be adjusted, so it's perfect now. Still, managed to put it near Jupiter and then with a bit of scanning with the 25mm piece found It. At first only saw the bright disk and 3 moons. After a moment I was able to make out a fourth moon near Jupiter’s shape and could see the colour bands on its surface. Next moved towards the Moon and then I moved the telescope towards the luminosity to focus on it. I wasn’t expecting Moon to make such an impression on me. Spent a while just looking at the Moon and took a short video on my phone, not mounted just trying to alight it to the eyepiece. Still below from the video, crappy quality but I wasn’t preparing for this. Still a memory of my first night with a telescope https://bit.ly/3f8N4T9 We were going to finish for the night, but I was still hungry for views. Spotted a bright star near the zenith, turned out later it was Vega. I'll post another thread in the hardware section to keep track of what I have and the work done to it. I'm glad to be on board, and although late to the party, I am rekindling my love of the night sky, and willing to regain the knowledge long forgotten.
  22. Watched Moon during the day. At 10pm tried to find Saturn but it was low behind the apple trees. Had to move the telescope around a bit, but managed to get a shot at it between the branches. Could see the ring and Titan.
  23. Managed to get some clear skies shortly after 10 pm after the weather kept me anxious all day with sunshine, rain, and thunderstorm. Had to align the scope slightly, still needs some tweaking but I can’t get it to turn as it shows on some YouTube videos. Still, managed to put it near Jupiter and then with a bit of scanning with the 25mm piece found It. At first, only saw the bright disk and 3 moons (from left Callisto, Ganymede and Io on the right side of Jupiter). After a moment I was able to make out the fourth moon (Europa) near Jupiter’s shape and could see the colour bands on its surface. Next moved towards the Moon and then I moved the telescope towards the luminosity to focus on it. I wasn’t expecting Moon to make such an impression on me. Spent a while just looking at the Moon and took a short video on my phone, not mounted just trying to alight it to the eyepiece. Still below from the video, crappy quality but I wasn’t preparing for this. Still a memory of my first night with a telescope We were going to finish for the night, but I was still hungry for views. Spotted a bright star near the zenith, turned out later it was Vega.
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