Orange Smartie

For various reasons, I've not done much observing since last January, so there was no way I was going to squander the opportunity to get out this evening, even if it is rather cool with the windchill. I just about caught Io separating from Jupiter. Its shadow was nice and clear (when the wind wasn't playing havoc with the Dob). Took a look at Uranus, which was really easy to find, being about half way between Pleiades and Jupiter. Spent quite a while trying to track down NGC 1535 in Eridanus, but got there in the end. Did a few of my easier favourites as well. I'm so glad I bothered to get out. It was freezing, but very satisfying.

I have the slightly larger Heritage 150p. The nature of the Dobsonian base is that you learn to nudge it to keep the object you are observing in the field of view; this means that is actually beneficial if it turns easily on the base. It's counter-intuitive initially, because everything appears rotated by 180 degrees, but think of it like dragging a mouse on a computer - as the moon disappears off to the left of the field of view, "drag" it to the right, and you'll keep it centred.

If the first rule of reflector ownership is don't obsess about your mirror, the second is only shine a torch down someone else's 'scope!

I would stick with my basic dob setup; possibly to downsize from 10" to 8", but probably not. I like finding stuff myself, rather than using a goto setup, and it has enabled me to learn the constellations. My perspective is somewhat biased, as I haven't used anything else, but I am happy with the bang per buck a dob can give me.

I have the 10" version of the Stella Lyra and although I can't comment on the Bresser, I'm very pleased with my purchase. I've read comments elsewhere on SGL that the altitude bearings are nicer on the Bresser; mine aren't perfect, but they're good enough for me. The dual-speed focuser is very useful and the Stella Lyra also has a cooling fan as standard. I think 8" is a great size for a starter scope, but bear in mind they are a big object to store. I'm sure either would be a good choice.

I'm happy with the combination of Rigel quickfinder plus RACI finder. I'm too close to an airport to be shining lasers about.

Regarding a collimator, I received a collimation cap with my Heritage 150p (same scope as yours, only slightly bigger), so if you're lucky, you may find one is included. It worked fine for me. If you don't get one included, you could make one easily or buy one cheaply. Alternatively a Cheshire collimator can be acquired cheaply enough.

I'm feeling your pain, as I have a number of hobbies, including music, board games, astronomy etc etc, all of which incur visible expenditure. But to put it into perspective, my wife will happily spend £2.5k on a skiing holiday....and she'll take more than one holiday a year. Unfortunately, sometimes equipment for hobbies gets labelled as "toys" by some people. But I do have a lot of "toys"! Test: I just asked Mrs Smartie if I could buy a £2.5k telescope. Her reply: "You can if you want."

Hello. Can anyone explain the difference between this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-go2-telescopes/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-go2-wifi-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope.html And this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-skymax-127-az-gti.html ? Although I love my dob, I can see that I would get some use out of a Mak for lunar, doubles, planetary etc. I'd appreciate anyone's viewpoint on one Vs the other. I'm not really interested in astrophotography. Pete

Agree with scarp15 - I struggled with these using red dot finder, but I could see them in my finder.

Apologies if this already been mentioned or if it is too obvious, but just to say don't be tempted to wipe dew from primary or secondary mirrors. They are very easily scratched. And welcome to the hobby! Pete

Definitely getting fed up with cloud, but added to that, my back is currently so bad that I couldn't take my big telescope out anyway.

I dislike these kinds of labels (although I note we have been upgraded from "mob" to "brigade", which is progress). My first telescope was on an EQ mount. For visual use, I find the Dobsonian base far more convenient and yes, I would choose a dob again if I was planning to do purely visual astronomy.

A slightly left-field suggestion here - could you not have a go-to dob stored in a shed or outbuilding on a trolley? Then you wouldn't have to do any actual lifting. @Dave scutthas a nice one. https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/384441-trolley-to-move-my-dobsonian-about/?do=findComment&comment=4151161

That looks interesting - would be good as an education tool, I think. I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it.

Thank you again. That looks good; now to get used to using it.

Ah, so I think I don't have SkySafari Pro, just an upgraded free version. V7 is about £28, whereas V6 is £15. Which version are you using and do you have a reason to favour one over the other?

Thank you @josefk, that's brilliant. I thought I'd already replied to you but perhaps I deleted my reply. I use SkySafari loads, and the upgrade was only £3.59, so well worth it. I only use this app on my phone, so the display size is somewhat limited, but it's still good. Do you know if there's a way of making custom lists on a phone?

Hello all. The other day I was wondering if there's a 3D browsable model of the universe or of the Milky Way. I fancied knowing where we are in our galaxy and which way I'm looking when I'm observing things in the night sky. Anybody know of one?

I have the heritage 150p and I later upgraded to a 10" Stella Lyra dob. It's great, but if you want a light manageable telescope, this is not for you. It is big and it's heavy. Plus, not really suited to astrophotography.

I managed a short but decent session last night. Torn between choosing a spot in the garden with a good southerly view or one with a view of Jupiter but trees to my South, I choose the latter. Jupiter was "boiling", low down in the sky when I started. By the end of the evening, with less atmosphere to look through, it was far clearer. A 80A blue filter helped me pick out a lot more detail than I would have seen otherwise. The Great Red Spot was very clear and I was able to note its rotation between my views of it. I was hoping to take a proper look at M33. I'm fairly sure I was looking at it, although with the lack of real darkness, it was tough to make anything out. Andromeda was easy to spot, as was M110. I couldn't clearly spot M32, which is unusual. Perhaps the sky really was too bright. I took a look at the Blue Snowball NGC7662, a lovely compact globular M15, plus the showpiece globular clusters M13 and M94. What really stole the show for me was the Veil nebula. I've seen the Western segment before, finding it easily by means of 52 Cygni. Last night, using an OIII filter, I panned across to the Eastern bit, and there it was, absolutely stunning. A fab night.

I have a blue filter that I managed to use in earnest for the first time last night. In my 10" dob, Jupiter is very bright with little in the way of detail being visible. I found the filter removed all the glare and gave me a nice clear view of bands and the red spot. Mine is an 80A, but for a smaller telescope the 82A might be better, as I believe it transmits more light. A basic colour filter for a 1.25" eyepiece is only £9! I don't particularly like the idea of looking through a colour filter as I like the idea of seeing things as they are. There's no denying the improvement in view, however.

I've never had an issue with dew on the primary. I have had problems with the finder dewing up, and I have a simple tube that I can slide into the finder to sort that out.

The 150p is a great instrument. Enjoy!

This is what can happen when you ignore the advice to buy an 8" dob. Just sayin'.