Sabalias

Hi All,

I started stargazing in the 1990s with a pair of good binoculars before switching to telescopes, then I took a break, and now I'm getting back into telescopes again. I still have the binos but, as I have aged, I have developed a strabismus (sqint) and find I have significant difficulty resolving a single image through them. Anyone else experienced something similar or perhaps a diffierent physical impairment that they have had to overcome to pursue their hobby? I don't mean to pry, it's just interesting to see how people may have adapted - if they are happy to share.

Stu

Hi All,

I'm interested to see mention of the mirror clips on this page. I recently flocked my 150 PDS. I also took the opportunity to clean off any loose dust and detritus from the primary mirror (just with a flow of water). I noticed that the screws holding the clips in place were extremely tight when I came to removing them and when I replaced them I didn't tighten them too much but, clearly, they need to be even looser. Why do you suppose the screws were so tight in the first place?

Stu

Hi,

Have you seen this TED talk?

I don't know if it will help you but it's very interesting and informative.

Stu

I don’t think you are missing anything. Your logic is sound for most celestial bodies. If we see a star 500 light years away go nova then it went nova 500 years ago by our reckoning or time. The problem is the concept of time and space. If we see something sufficiently far away then, in theory, we might be looking at the light from an object that just came into being (possibly at the point of the Big Bang though that brings up even more questions, particularly when you consider that as you get farther away the objects are travelling faster). The age of a star is estimated by looking at its motion, luminosity and spectrum. 

Stu

Hi there and welcome to the forum. For someone with no formal education you articulate yourself very well!

I have no idea if this is correct but what I think of when I hear the phrase ‘Edge of the universe’ is this:

Generally all the galaxies in the universe are moving away from each other. The further away you get from the universe’s core, the faster they are moving. If this is accepted then, if you run time backwards, everything will get closer together. You can imagine that, if you go back far enough in time, everything will be at one point which exploded. Thus we get the Big Bang. If there was a Big Bang then  you could see that there would be an edge to the explosion, so being able to peer at the edge of the universe would be to look at the edge of the expanding explosion of the Big Bang. 
 

Stu

I missed the boat on DSLRs for sale on the forum so I recently spashed out on a 600D from MPB and then sent it to Astronomiser for modding (combined price is within your budget). I've not been able to use it in anger yet but I connected all my kit to my Astroberry and it worked without a hitch.

Stu

I hope someone out there can provide a bit of advice.  I’m a bit concerned about my DSLR connection to my Skywatcher Explorer 150PDS.  I’ve got the adaptive ring for the Canon and it screws onto an extension tube which then slides into the focus tube. However the extension tube/focus tube connection seems to loosen quite easily and there seems to be a risk that it may completely fall out of the focus tube.   

Is there a better way of attaching the camera rather than using the screws in the focus tube?

Many thanks,

Stu

I’m looking forward to being able to use this when nights allow; although I’ll miss my EQ5 Pro for its better portability. I realise there are heavier mounts than the HEQ5 Pro but I didn’t need something that big (or that much more expensive 😂).

Stu

Thanks all. I've flocked and rebuilt the scope. Not the best job if I'm honest but it's a real faff getting it all smooth and the sheets butting up against eachother properly for the full circumference of the tube. I didn't thoroughly wash the mirror but I did rinse it off under running water, then distilled water, and then let it air dry.

Stu

I'm going to flock my newtonian reflector and wondered if it would be sensible to wash the primary mirror while the scope is dismantled. It's not particularly dirty and most of the dust specks have come off using a camera lens puffer. Any advice please?

Thanks,

Stu

17 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

If its for the 150 probably only need one roll and makes a difference better contrast as no reflections.

Thanks. FLO says 1-2 so I erred on the side of caution. Should have checked on here first! 😂

Looks like I’ve got some work to do…

Hi there,

I can see what you are referring to, the secondary looks very slightly off centre, but it still looks pretty good. If you are trying to adjust it then it think you might be right, the secondary could be moved slightly towards the front of the scope. Have you looked at Astrobaby’s site which explains the process really well?

Stu

10 hours ago, johninderby said:

There is Bresser 127L in the sale section at the moment. Better optics and excellent build quality with a great focuser. Worth a look.

 

That looks like a good deal. If I was able to get to Cheshire I’d snap it up. 
 

Stu

Thanks Felias.

Has anyone else have some ideas? I’m not wedded to the idea of an additional scope, I’ve also considered selling my EQ5 Pro Synscan (V5 I think) and buying an HEQ5 or maybe a 6 of some description. 

Thanks, 

Stu

Hi Chris,

My mount is pretty much the same so I think it’s normal for that model. It’s not ideal but I can still set the home position of the scope. 

Stu

Hello All,

I’m after a bit of advice please. I’ve come into a bit of cash and wanted to buy a second scope to be used for imaging and viewing. I have a Skwatcher Explorer 150 PDS so I’m thinking along the lines of something a bit more portable. Having done a bit of digging I thought the William Optics Zenithstar 61 II APO might be the way to go but wanted to get some opinions. My budget it about £500. 

Thanks in advance,

Stu

Ah yes, daylight saving. I'd forgotten that.

Stu

Just now, dc22957 said:

I don’t believe it has polar alignment. You simply have the tube level facing north, enter your location and select one, two or three star alignment. 

This may sound like a silly question, but how are you finding north? Does the scope require magnetic or true? The only other thing I can think of is that the latitude may be off by a small amount....

Hi there,

I'm not familiar with that scope so I'm afraid I can't comment on the functionality; however, my immediate thought is that the polar alignment might be slightly off? Of course, that assumes that polar alignment is required in the first place.

Stu

UPS has just delivered my newly-modified EOS 600D. Work done at Astronomiser - thanks Andy 😁

Just need some longer, clearer nights!

Stu

37 minutes ago, scotty38 said:

I set mine to yes when it's on ie now and then off again when BST stops. It's a Sky-Watcher mount but the principle will be exactly the same.

 

Oh daylight savings is during the summer months not winter, maybe that's where you're getting mixed up?

Scotty’s absolutely right; we are currently an hour difference from GMT so daylight savings is ‘on’ for us in the UK and, I believe that it’s ‘on’ for France too. 
 

Stu

Hi there,

I’m a newbie on the forum and a comparative newbie in terms of astro photography (just at the toe-dipping stage really) and I agree with everything said before. The question really is - what do you (or your wife) want to achieve?

Is it observing with the naked eye?  Go down the dobsonian route - or maybe smaller if space is an issue.

Is it taking photos of visible, barely visible and invisible (to the naked eye) celestial objects? In which case get the best tracking mount you can afford which will take the weight of the camera and lenses.

Either way your budget should get you started (but it probably won’t get you set up for both).

There is nothing quite like seeing an object through a telescope whether it’s the moon, planets or deep sky objects. Equal to this is the thrill of finding that you’ve managed to capture an image of something. 
 

Stu

Hi. Welcome to the forum. 
 

Stu

Hi. Welcome to the forum

Stu