Jasonb

27 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

 

 

This Pic from @DaveL59 shows you the red line (1) which is the width of the part of the mount that attaches to the tripod legs.

If it's the same width as the width of the red lines/arrows in the pic below (taken from the eBay tripod pic) then the tripod legs from that eBay Ad will *probably* fit your mount. However, as others have said, the second eBay Ad, while possibly not as sturdy a tripod, might have other extras that would come in handy (like the counter weight DaveL69 talked about, and possibly more Eyepieces, that might fit yours (and we'll know that once you measure those "blue lines"

Hope that makes sense!

Yep, that's exactly the diameter I was looking for. I read through the Instructions linked upthread, and it doesn't mention if the Eyepieces are .965 inches or 1.25 inches.  

If this is to be a working telescope, you will need more Eyepieces. The one you have, the 6mm one, will give you 150x magnification (and a very high and probably not very usable 300x magnification if used with the 2x Barlow). Usually you would also get an Eyepiece with a telescope that would be maybe 25mm or 20mm, which would be 36x magnification or 45x magnification in this telescope; a much lower magnification and a much better place to start (usually, when observing something, we start with a lower magnification and then move up to higher).

So, by measuring the diameter of the blue lines in @DaveL59's post above, we get a sense of how easy it will be for you to get more Eyepieces for this telescope.

Ok, not to be too simplistic, but I thought I'd label exactly what you have, which might makes things a bit clearer for you and us (if you pardon the pun... )

!. The Reflector Telescope Tube itself.

2. The Mount, which is used to attach the Telescope to the Tripod (which you're obviously missing) and to enable you to move the Telescope around to view different objects in the sky

3. The Finder Scope. This is a smaller telescope which you attach to the main Telescope to make it easier to find objects in the sky.

4. What looks like a Barlow, which is a type of lens that you connect to the telescope to increase the magnification of whatever eyepiece (more of that in a minute) you are using

5. A slow-motion control. It's attached to the Mount and twisting it moves the Telescope in a more precise manner for when you only want to barely move it.

6. An Eyepiece. This is connected to the Telescope and you look through it. Different Eyepieces give different views/magnifications.

7. This hole is where the Eyepiece goes in, and the little screws hold it in place. You then look through the eyepiece. In very simple terms, light (from the stars, moon etc.) comes down the tube of the telescope, bounces off the big mirror at the bottom (called the Primary Mirror), and then bounces off the smaller mirror back near the top (the Secondary Mirror) and is therefore pointed at the eyepiece so you can see.

8. The focuser wheel, used to bring the star/moon etc. into focus. It would be a simple test to turn that and see if it moves easily or is going to need work.

9. The Bracket for the Finder Scope (Number 3 in the first pic). It slots in there, and you can look through it to make sure you can see the star/moon etc. before you look in the Eyepiece.

I hope all that helps a little?

As for the tripod on eBay, whether it would work for you would really come down to the measurements, will either side of the top of the tripod legs fit around the protrusions at the bottom of your mount for example. That can be easily measured on your mount, and you could ask the seller to measure it on eBay. But there are a few more things you could check to make sure the Telescope is usable before you buy the one on eBay. 

Is there any writing on the Eyepiece? And could you measure the diameter of the metal cylinder at the bottom of the eyepiece? Also, if you could take a pic looking down the tube where the eye piece goes, it will give us a view of the smaller mirror.

Thanks!

Funny, my Tripod is the Meade Tripod that was given with this Telescope years ago. It's a monster of a tripod, I got it cheap, I think it would take *my* weight!

5 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Images of a handbook for a telescope with that same designation have been posted here

https://www.cloudynights.com/gallery/album/8277-tasco-11t-manual/

 

And those instructions are from 1980, which gives an estimate as to the age of the scope...

Just to note, the instructions are for a completely different telescope, from what I can see!

2 hours ago, AstroNebulee said:

No problem, when I do I'll post the process. 

 

Lee 

Great, much appreciated!

9 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

They must have dialled it back a bit.  Makes sense.  My 130pds is on the heavy duty tripod and is a bit wobbly bobbly at high powers and it probably only just gets to 5kg

Interesting, I hadn't seen that reduced limit. My 150 Reflector is 6.5Kg, so very close to it.

3 hours ago, AstroNebulee said:

Thank you 😊, 

I will open up the both axis on the AZ5 and regrease it with white lithium grease. 

Lee 

Would you be able to document that please, I'd be curious about it! 

Thanks...

Hi there,

Welcome to SGL!

I'm afraid I don't know much about the Bresser at all, but looking at it I do think that's the one I'd be tempted to go for, for the same reasons you listed (closed tube, focuser etc.).

FLO stock both of them, you could send them a friendly email asking for their thoughts?

Excellent bit of work!

Just one small note, I have the AZ5 mount as well, and the manual says that its limit is 5Kg on the "portable" tripod and 9Kg on the "heavy" tripod. So, depending on how you class your tripod, you could be fine up to 9Kg. I think the distinction Sky-Watcher make is portable = aluminium and heavy = steel.

Either way, great engineering and a great solution!

Thanks for your replies everyone...

It sounds like two things to definitely change is to put the Dew Shield on immediately, and also don't leave the Telescope pointing up. And yes, sorry, it is a solid tube Newtonian.

I can also try using the scope sooner, for lower magnifications at least.

Some sort of Dew Heater/Hair Dryer might also come in handy, but I'll see if the above steps help first.

I should have said, I have an EP "storage bag" that I use, so they're all kept in that and I take them out, put them back in as needed. So they're not left outside for long periods of time.

We'll see how the next sessions goes!

Hi all...

Am a little frustrated with my observing attempts tonight and am looking for some tips.

It's been cloudy for ages, and I've been dying to get out, especially to try my new UHC Filter on M42. However, the session turned in to a bit of a disaster, and I quickly had to give up due to clouds and dew! There's not much I can do about clouds, but the dew I'd like some advice about.

So, here's exactly what I did...

Firstly, it's cold tonight about 3 or 4 Degrees C and dropping. I had my tripod/mount set up outside for a couple of hours, so I wouldn't have to do it in the dark. I then brought out my Sky-Watcher Explorer 150P f/5 and left attached it to the mount, facing directly up into the sky with the main dust cover off, but the lens covers still on the Finder Scope. I left it for 25 mins.

Then I came out with my EPs (which had not been outside at all) and my Dew Shield, which I attached to the telescope. From the off though I could see I had dew issues, the view through the finder scope was clear, but through ANY of the EPs it was poor. All I could look at was the moon, clouds had ruined everything else (including using my UHC Filter), but the view was washy with condensation. At first I thought it might have been the variable polarising filter I was using, maybe it was dirty/scratched etc. (it's second hand), but even without that it was obvious. Oh-so-clear through the finder scope, murky through the main EP. And then the clouds covered the moon and that was that.

So, my questions. What did I do "wrong"? Did I leave it out too long before using it? Was pointing it upwards a bad idea? Should I have left the dust cover on while cooling down? Should I have had the dew shield on from the start? Should the EPs have been outside as well for those 25 mins so they would cool down too? I'm not sure if it was the EPs or the Secondary Mirror that dewed up. I *could* see dew on the Secondary Mirror after I brought the scope back inside, but that could be from bringing it back into a warm house?

Lots of Qs I know, but I'm currently looking for a dark sky site about an hour's drive away, and I don't want to go that distance and to have to stop after a few minutes! 

Which leads to more Qs. Looking at the situation I was in tonight, what do I do to solve it? I didn't want to go wiping any EPs or the secondary mirror or touching any surfaces. Do I just bring everything (EPs and Telescope) back inside again (or into the car if away from home) for a while, until the dew is gone, and then go back out again?

All advice welcome, thanks in advance!

 

As a purely Visual Observer (so far!) I find these kind of images just stunning. Beautiful work!

As far as possible really! The most distant "point" you can see, be it the top of a tree, a church spire, a telegraph pole etc. You can find tune the alignment at night with a bright star, but getting it close at day time is just easier. It's never going to be spot on, but I think your Scope has some sort of Go-To/StarSense automatic system, and someone said earlier in the thread that it only has to be aligned enough to help you get the GoTo working...

Hey there...

I'm afraid I don't have much of an answer for you regarding the alignment. I have occasionally struggled to get a finder aligned 'cos it's run out of room, as you say, but eventual with some gentle pushing and moving of the finder, and then using the alignment controls again, I usually get it pretty close. 

When I think I do have it aligned, and it's clear out, I'll do a quick test by looking at a bright star (so it's a pinpoint) and seeing how close it is then. Minor adjustments aren't too bad in the dark, but I do find it handy to do the first adjustment in the day light, assuming you can find something far away to aim at, just to get it close.

As for the never ending "Is it going to be clear?" I used to use the Clear Outside App, but to be honest its results weren't that accurate for me. Now I look at Met Eireann's website (for Leinster for where I am) and check out their forecast. For tonight it says...

"Long clear spells will develop tonight. Very cold with lowest temperatures of 0 and -3 degrees leading to widespread sharp frost and possible icy stretches. Mostly light northerly breezes."

So that's telling me there's a chance, for clear skies, but it depends how early they start to develop (I won't be up at 2am let me tell you!). Apart from that, it's like you say, sticking your head out a window and seeing how clear it is! I haven't really got a chance to "plan" many observing sessions, instead they tend to happen when I noticed it's clear out!

6 hours ago, Muc said:

I took a look at the details, is there an actual star party planned with people bringing scopes etc or is it mainly talks?

It looks like there are talks etc. during the day, but this line suggests a star party too (weather permitting of course):

"This Venue also provides us with a Dark Sky for observing as it is close to Lough Boora Bog with little or no light pollution so please feel free to bring a Telescope."

7 hours ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

Excellent! Looking forward to meeting you!

Me too! Anyone else going to Cosmos 2023 and fancy a mini SGL get together?

2 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

I'm in Maynooth. I'm about 5 minutes walk from the Meath border. I'm surrounded by open countryside, so I'm spoiled for dark skies.

Excellent, you're spoiled then! I'm in the middle of Naas and surrounded by street lights and house lights! 🙄

7 hours ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

That would be great!

Well, I just booked my ticket for Cosmos 2023, my first Astronomy event. Would be great to meet some Irish SGL members on the day.

And @Bogmonster, apologies for hijacking your thread so much, I had no idea there were a few of us Irish Astronomers on here!

9 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Hello from Kildare. Dublin born and bred, but in Kildare for 9 yrs now. 

Another Dublin-born blow in to Naas here (though I'm 21 years here now!). Whereabouts do you observe from in Kildare, anywhere with decently dark skies?

If a few of us are going to one event we could arrange a mini meetup, just to put faces to names! I'm looking to see if the 25th suits me for the Midlands COSMOS party! 🤞

Thanks @Nicola Fletcher! Much appreciated.

There are lots of forestry roads leading to lots of clearings that would be perfect, but they all have gates on them unfortunately. I'll have a look at Glendalough and the Sugarloaf too. I think meeting fellow stargazers and learning that way would be very helpful too, I might have a look at Irish Astronomy Week and Midlands Astronomy. Thanks!

That's amazing, and fascinating to see the detail and the change in size!

3 hours ago, Bogmonster said:

I'd feel a bit strange going to some remote place on my own with my scope. I live in the middle of nowhere so I can just go out to the driveway but even the thoughts of setting up in front of my house weirds me out a little as a few random cars can pass by. I don't really want to draw attention to myself. Generally, a lot of the areas have a certain type of inhabitant who will approach you and they don't care about your scope (if you know what I mean).

That said, I wouldn't mind going out with a group of like minded people to a dark spot.

I've been on the look out for some dark sky locations, and things like tyre marks left on the road (especially large circles) give me a hint that the place might see some hassle of an evening. As others have said, a lot of the concerns would probably never happen, but if you're out on your own, with heavy equipment that you can't move easily, you just don't want the hassle. I'd definitely prefer to be with a few people.