DanWri

16 hours ago, Sluke321 said:

Hey all,

I would like to share my experience with some light pollution from a lamp post and how the Council were so efficient in dealing with it.

We have a really bright LED lamp post behind our garden lighting up an alleyway. Regardless of looking at the stars, the light from it is excessive and floods into mine and the neighbours gardens/windows. We can view with our telescope out there but we have to shelter behind an outbuilding so that we are not in the direct beam of light. This hinders what we can look at and can be really frustrating!

 

I thought I would chance my luck and ask the council if they could help in any way. The beam of light enters many gardens and is is quite overwhelming regardless of whether you are trying to use a telescope or not. 
 

I contacted them around 5 days ago to see if there is any way in which they could assist with guards or to even consider turning it off. 
 

I was out in the back garden this afternoon and I noticed the lamp post was being lowered down. I went out to speak to a workman about it. He said they are fitting guards to stop the beam of light entering gardens and also turning the brightness down! 
 

Absolutely fantastic result and all done within the week. I thought it would be a good idea to share my experiences in dealing with the council to highlight there are options out there. You don’t have to give up with stargazing or put up with invasive light on your property. 
 

All I would say is be polite, be constructive and be realistic. The council should do what they can within their budget to help you if they can. 
 

All the best and good luck if anyone else is trying to deal with light pollution from street lights on your property

 

 Unbelievably suprising that not only did they listen to you, but were so quick to respond to your issues. Your council deserves a lot of praise for this. Congratulations on the reduction of light pollution!

Welcome aboard, Carl. And welcome back to the hobby, too. Clear skies!

16 hours ago, banjaxed said:

Hi and welcome to SGL. A SW 200P is a great starter scope, personally I would opt for the Dobsonian as the EQ mounts are a little more complicated IMO.

+1 for this. Welcome aboard!

1 hour ago, keeney said:

warm welcome to SGL

And welcome aboard to you too, Keeney!

Hey, Angela - can you clarify if you're looking for binoculars or a telescope?

Welcome!

You can find all that information for free using weather apps/websites like BBC Weather or the Met Office.

9 hours ago, 200pman said:

Get yourself a Waterbutt base.brings the eyepiece up to a more comfortable position.depending on how tall you are.

Some fantastic modifications there. Excellent job! Really wish I had the DIY-mind to replicate it.

1 hour ago, bsshog40 said:

Well it won't let me get into most of it. 

 

The core function of the app is still there, you're hardly missing "most of it." In regards to the actual skymap you're limited to objects up to mag 10, whereas pro goes up to mag 25. It's a great app, especially at the price tag of "Free."

Congratulations on your first experience! And it sounds like a successful one too! That absolutely is the Orion Nebula - well done for finding it. One of my favourites.

If you find yourself out again soon, try working through this excerpt from the Messier Catalogue - You might not be able to see them all depending on the weather and light pollution in your area but it's a fun little hunt to try out.

Clear skies!

Evening Martin, and welcome aboard!

9 minutes ago, Viktorious said:

Thanks! Yes I have a Losmandy GM811G, beast of a mount. 

Holy moly that is one expensive mount! No wonder you can get gorgeous images like this. 

Hello Michael! Your studies sound like an amazing plan, one which I hope comes off for you! As a proud Yorkshireman it's difficult to be nice to someone of the Red Rose, but I'll do my best! 

Very nice to meet you. Clear skies!

That's amazing. How did you track the nebula in order to avoid light streaks? Do you have a motorized EQ or something?

Yes remove the Barlow! From what I've read on here people seem to rate Svbony kit quite averagely - not great but not bad either - so it's purely down to your taste vs how much you want to spend. If you're going to go for individual eyepieces then it's a +1 for the BST starguider range from me, but I do still use the stock 25mm SkyWatcher which will be the same as your Celestron (owned and manufactured by the same company) so don't rush to get rid of that one. The 10mm on the other hand...

Welcome aboard, Gaz. Hope you find someone from your area that can recommend decent dark sites, however you can look at the known ones for yourself in the meantime here (Peak District is probably your best bet). Clear Skies!

Welcome aboard. That's a great setup. I've no doubt you'll get some amazing views in good skies.

Thanks for sharing. Always good to hear from someone who shares a similar enthusiasm. I think the Pleiades cluster is amazing and, if I'm honest, probably my favourite sight in the night sky at the minute. Most nights after giving the "right, let's go to bed" speech, I'll stand outside with some binoculars and just stare at it for a while. Very clear skies this Saturday for us in West Yorkshire, hoping it's the same for you over in the East!

Welcome aboard Paul. Those shots are certainly beautiful in my eyes. 

Wow, that's absolutely amazing. Fantastic job!

Welcome aboard!

Update: Was able to find Andromeda tonight despite the abundance of clouds! Victory!

23 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

I can see them!

Oh wait, they're actually snowflakes... 

I wouldn't be upset with that sight either. Love the snow!

That was a great report. Thanks for sharing. It's been great getting the other half out in the garden to look through the eyepiece, so I can relate a little!

Another White Rose compatriot! Welcome

10 minutes ago, Waddensky said:

The Quadrantids are a rich shower, but with an incredibly narrow peak - which unfortunately occurs during the day for observers in Europe this year. Maybe a few meteors can be spotted Sunday after dusk before the Moon is up.

That's true, but according to the BBC the shower is still able to be seen both tonight and tomorrow night.

6 minutes ago, Paul M said:

It's very clear here now and forecast to be for some time.

I've never knowingly seen a Quadrantid but I haven't really tried for decades. I seem to remember they have a very sharp peak in activity. I'll have to look up the circumstances for this year.

 

Paul, it's a little off topic but I couldn't help spotting your profile picture. Is that where you live? I can imagine the light pollution is close to none!