Rob Aylen

Yes it was pretty much the same in my 10inch dob but it's great just to know that you are looking at the last planet in our solar system- quite remarkable really! Also, I would agree that the veil was very impressive, even in the budget 32mm eyepiece I'm currently using, I think its going to sit in amongst my favourite objects from now on. Thank you all for the kind comments ref the sketches as well. At some point I should edit them properly on my PC rather than via my phone though.

I used the astronomik 0III for the first time last night and it really does make a big difference. Was using with a 10 dob, Bortle 4.

After what has felt like an eternity of overcast skies I was finally able to get the scope out for a few hours last night and use my new 0III filter! Conditions were good for the UK and I was able to see the veil nebula for the first time. The "core" of the dumbell nebula certainly appeared brighter through the filter than it does when viewed unfiltered. So overall I was really pleased with the results and it looks like it will prove to be well worth the investment... in another first for me I was able to see Neptune. A small blue dot but a very distinct disk compared to neighbouring stars. I've tried to capture the green hue from the filter in the two nebula sketches. Overall a great night! Clear skies, Rob.

I had a shortish session observing the shower last night, from around 22:40 till 23:45 but in that time I saw a decent number of meteors ( I should have counted but I'd say it was more than a dozen). I was at a fairly dark site however so maybe that made a difference (lucky to have Castlemorton Common just down the road). On the other side of the Malverns, Tom Jones was performing at 'Lakefest' at Eastnor so it was quite a surreal experience looking up at the milky way whilst "you can leave your hat on" was belting out and all the while just a few metres away a rather large cow was still fast asleep! I took some photos on my Samsung but didn't manage to capture a meteor in any sadly.

I already had an interest in photography so it's natural that I've dabbled in imaging whilst I've been visually observing. So far I've only done a bit of smartphone eyepiece projection or basic astrophotography using my DSLR. There's definitely an attraction to imaging and knowing that you captured something so beautiful. Working on a computer all day though, I'm not sure I fancy getting full on into imaging. Deep sky imaging seems very involved and likely expensive to me. There is a real simplicity to 'just' observing that I enjoy and I love sketching the deep sky objects that I'm looking at. I like that it gives a more accurate depiction of what my human eyes can actually see too. I can forsee that I'll probably stick to mainly visual work on my dob but I may invest in a proper camera for planetary imaging in the future to use on the side.

Thank you all so much! I'm waiting for a nice clear night again in these parts so I can get back out at the eyepiece- I've just purchased an Astronomik 0III filter so I'm itching to turn it on the dumbell and have a sketch of that and I may even see if it can tease out the veil nebula too! Hoping we all get some clear skies for the Perseids on Thursday night

Hi Astro_Nic, I can only speak from my own experiences but it should hopefully be useful nonetheless. My first serious scope was an 8 inch newtonian on an eq mount (fully manual) back when I was in my late teens. At that time I was living in the centre of Derby and it was before things like the stellarium app etc. were available. Maybe it was my age at the time but I found the whole deep sky thing pretty difficult under the light polluted skies and after a few years the scope was seldom used and then sold. Now, 15 or so years later I find myself under bortle 4/5 skies and I've now owned a 10" dob (goto) for just over a year and I tell you what, I wish I'd purchased a dobsonian all those years ago (even a non- goto) as it's the cheapest way to get a large aperture and it's just so simple to use. If you are only interested in visual observing and if deep sky is your primary interest, then I think it's the way to go (and by the way, it still gives me stunning views of the moon and planets when conditions allow). What I like about it is that as mine is a truss tube, it's easy to move in and out of the garage and take out in the car if I want to go somewhere darker( that's why I chose the 10 inch over the 12 in the end- I would have loved the 12 but I did have to consider moving it about). You literally plonk it down on the ground and away you go- perfect for those short breaks in the clouds! ( ok there's collimation to consider and star alignment with the goto but that's nothing too bad once you get the hang of it). I don't think goto is essential- it's a nice to have but star hopping is certainly more rewarding, I think if anything it's the tracking aspect I like the most. But goto or not, owning a dob has really opened up the hobby for me and ultimately, a telescope that is easier to use is the one you will use more often, that much I do know. Clear skies, Rob.

Thank you all for the warm welcome and kind comments & nice to see a fellow Malvite (if that's the term?!) On here also! I'm really enjoying the sketching, I find I spend longer looking at an object and in turn 'see' more as a result.

Hi everybody, I'm new to the forum and fairly new to serious astronomy. I'm primarily A visual observer and my weapon of choice is a skywatcher 10 inch GOTO dobsonian. I've had the telescope just over a year and have started doing some sketches at the eyepiece. I'm also into photography and already I've been using my smartphone to take pictures via eyepiece projection. Here's some examples of what I've managed thus far. I'm really enjoying the hobby and look forward to contributing to the forum! Clear skies everybody, Rob.