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PeterStudz

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PeterStudz last won the day on July 17

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  1. That does sound a great shame! When you say “completely unnoticed” do you mean that it hasn’t been liked or commented on? Or it hasn’t even been looked at? I have found observation reports really useful in the few years I’ve been using this site. Even ones that have been years old and I’ve discovered by a search. With a very old report I often don’t make a mark/comment but maybe I should.
  2. Visual or astrophotography? For visual I think it would be difficult to get better than the Dob you have as you’ll be bumping up against the seeing, which in the UK tends to limit things. Even if astrophotography there are people getting outstanding images of the planets with a 10” Dob. There’s an advantage with a bigger Dob (or other telescope type) when imaging the planets as the software can, to a certain extent, deal with less than ideal seeing, so potentially there will be more details on your final images. Some, I think, just comes down to personal preference- eg some aren’t keen on Dobs! At least that’s my basic understanding. But maybe others with more experience can comment.
  3. Worth a go but the specs on that aren’t as good as the camera on my phone. However, it looks easy to attach to an eyepiece, Although I now have a simple way of attaching my phone. And it does need some mobile software. Others are doing off their own back for the phone cameras so it is possible.
  4. I’ve been keeping an eye out on these. Might well try one. But it’ll be interesting to see if it’s any better and easier to use than the AstroShader app on my phone. That will align and stack live during the image capture process giving a simple EAA experience.
  5. Yes, it’s one reason why, when I left IT, I decided to ditch the home computers. All those years sitting in front of a screen took a lot out of me! I’m naturally an outdoors person too and I missed being outside. However, much of my IT work was in GUI and interactive design. It’s easy to make things complicated. It’s not easy to make things easy to use. A reason that I still have a soft spot for mobile devices. I can well remember when the first iPhone came out. I rushed out and purchased an iPod touch (then iPhones were harder to just buy). In the office everyone gathered around and went “ohhh and ahhh”… at the genius of its simplicity. It was obvious that this was going to be something big.
  6. I have no reluctance to use technology! I spent about 30 yrs working in IT. But I don’t own a “computer/PC” and don’t need one. I really don’t want to buy one just for astronomy. What I’d like is a smart-scope that could also be used for visual. As @John pointed put “I think the involvement of using mobile phones for control, viewing and image processing is really the "smart" part about these devices”.
  7. I appreciate that. Is there a link to something I can buy now? A complete ready to use item that’s easy for a novice or beginner to use?
  8. I certainly don’t think it’s a fad. These devices are in their infancy and will only get better and better until they eventually slow and reach a peak. And when that happens I have a feeling that for many this will be all the astrophotography kit that they need. But for me astrophotography and observational astronomy are two very different things. I’m in Bortle 7 and still get a kick out of the brighter DSO’s. Then there’s the planets. Jupiter alone is ever changing, plus I love shadow transits. Mars and just seeing its polar ice caps. Also lunar and simple white light solar. Double stars and star clusters too. These alone keep me happy when out in my back garden and aren’t impacted by light pollution. I can see how a smart-scope could complement and be used at the same time as my observational astronomy. But for me it would still be lacking. One of the reasons I enjoy using my smartphone to take pictures through the eyepiece is because it’s taking an image of something I’ve seen. And an image I’ve seen moments just before via exactly the same glass. I use it to document and record. Not dissimilar to a holiday snap. Everyone wants a perfect image but that comes down the list. The important thing is that it’s a snap of something I’ve directly seen. Now, if there was a smart-device I could put over/on my telescope and take smart-scope type images I’d be really interested. Or maybe a duel purpose telescope that could do both astrophotography and observational astronomy via the same optics.
  9. Not everyone is the same. This includes kids. I gave my then 12yr daughter the choice of a Seestar S50 (well, I asked her if she’d prefer it over our Dob) and was given a big flat NO. In the past she’s referred to astrophotography as “those fake pictures”. And she’s heavily into smartphone, tablet and social media, often frustratingly so. I’ve also had some of her friend over, some of which have said that they have no interest in astronomy. But then I’ve got a “Wow!!!” when they see Saturn’s rings through the eyepiece. This despite seeing countless “Hubble” type images on the interweb.
  10. I do too. The worry for me is if it ALL becomes too easy. At that point I’d lose interest. I use to have a big interest in making and flying model aircraft. But lost interest when you could buy the things ready made (although they are rarely as good as something made by yourself) and became “easy” to fly, ie drones.
  11. I think that the last bit is an oversimplification and in some ways the opposite can and could happen. Back in what must have the mid 1970’s I can remember reading that walking, trekking, rambling etc would become a thing of the past as people became more accustomed to driving. I’ve always been big on the outdoors. And camping would become a thing of the past as people became accustomed to affordable, comfortable hotels and accommodation. I run foraging courses all based outdoors. I’ve been doing these for 25-ish yrs and picking wild foods for over 40 yrs. At that time I’d get asked questions like “with food becoming so cheap and available in supermarkets surely the faff and time consuming act of foraging will go completely out-of-fashion”. However, the complete opposite has happened.
  12. For some reason this type of gaffe makes me more inclined to make a purchase.
  13. 8mm steel shaft… https://amzn.eu/d/28LenK9 Pillow bearings - 8mm bore shaft. Various other diameters too… https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283226070554?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=L2304HqnQ2q&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=I8jCpZsmREe&var=583669819920&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
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