Where are you all??

[Bosuser]

Okay, moved up from just inside the M25 last year, now located in Sudbury on the Suffolk/Essex borders.

Rekindled my interest in astronomy once I noticed how much darker the skies are up here compared to London.

I've currently got an 8inch Newt on an EQ5 Pro but have just ordered a Celestron Edge 8 HD SCT on the AVX mount - so when it arrives (sometime in January)  I'm going mobile to look for a few astro pics.  Not sure where to go yet but I'm planning on a nose around to see what comes up.

Definitely interested in meeting up and if this group does get together count me in  - I'm a novice and could do with tapping into some expertise.

[Steve Ward]

Welcome to the forum and to the area sir ... 

There's an AstroSociety just down the road from you in Cavendish , next meeting tomorrow at 7:30pm.

Haven't been myself but may pop over to say hello tomorrow myself.

http://www.strellis.com/SAS/index.shtml

[SkywatcherNick]

Hi 

I am a bit further north of Cambridge in Ely :-)

Nick

[ronin]

Someone said there was a club in Ely now?

[SkywatcherNick]

yes there is! just looked it up may go along to one of their meetings. 

[SkywatcherNick]

have just started getting into astronomy so prob would be a good way to improve knowledge.

[Bosuser]

Thanks guys, Steve I've looked up the link to the stour astronomy club in Cavendish and will pop along tomorrow - thanks for the info.

[Steve Ward]

Got a link ... ?

[Bosuser]

Yes thanks Steve, you gave me the link in your previous message.

[Reggieo]

Well 12 months since the last post, it is quiet in EA   I am over near the east coast in Burgh Castle, Great Yarmouth, Looking forward to getting to a club sometime.

[BobSki]

Well, I was born and bred in South Ockendon, Essex, BUT I have lived in Daventry for the last 47yrs. We DO get Look East here, so I believe I qualify. I Think thr Rugby & Districy Astronomy Society is the nearest club to me.

[simmo39]

Anybody else out there in sunny Swaffham?

 

[JOC]

Deepest Essex for me - I've checked and my nearest club is 40 miles away - looks like I'm on my own in terms of working all this out.  Thank goodness for SGL!

[PESKYWAABBIT]

Only joined SGL recently and yeah it seems EA is quite quiet. 

Located in a great dark area between 2 Suffolk and 2 Norfolk towns, Bardwell. If any fellow Bardwellions are on here, let me know!

Looking for a local SG club also.  

Peace.

 

[SmokeyJoe]

Hello from Watton

Sorry to all in East Anglia, just ordered a new mount after three years of inactivity, bad weather set to continue for at least a week after I take it out of the box!

Sitting in the middle of a housing estate, looking for some darker skies and better views, If anyone knows anywhere nearby.

Peskywaabbit have you tried Breckland Astronomical Society, just of the A11 on the other side of Thetford.  Attended a few times but had to quit due to ill health.  Nice bunch of people and a nice big scope in a dome, http://www.brecklandastro.org.uk.

[PESKYWAABBIT]

Hey SmokeyJoe,

Nice to see you getting back on the horse again! I was not aware of Breckland Astronomical Society, I will give this a look in. I am hugely surprised there is not a society for Bury St Edmund, after all we are quite a large town now! 

Any hint on the new mount you've got on the way? I'm curious 

[SmokeyJoe]

Hi Peskywaabbit, 

New mount is an EQ5 SynScan, arrived today! Jumping up and down with excitement but think it's going to be a little while until I can use it!  Previous EQ5 has had a bad time I've then last few years and is no longer in working condition.

With cost of a power tank and other bits and pieces I needed I couldn't quite stretch the wallet to the HEQ5 (not jealous, honest) , but we will see how things go with this one. The plan is to gradually upgrade kit over the next few years until I have a semi decent imaging setup.  Managed to get some half decent pics of Jupiter with an EQ5 with just tracking motors so hopefully this will be an improvement.

[PESKYWAABBIT]

That sounds awesome mate! 

5 hours ago, SmokeyJoe said:

Managed to get some half decent pics of Jupiter with an EQ5 with just tracking motors so hopefully this will be an improvement.

I hope to see them one day.

 

I've only just started imaging myself and I'm finding it quite the challenge!

I'm curious as to which power tank you bought for yourself? I'm on the lookout for one myself!

[SmokeyJoe]

Just bought the 7Ah from sky watcher not sure how successful it will be, they do do a bigger one 17Ah I think but money's too tight to mention right now. I will let you know how I get on with it once the clouds clear. Speaking of which, so clear here last night at about 10 but too windy to set the scope up

[PESKYWAABBIT]

Ah okay that's cool. I'm looking out for one but they are pretty expensive. Currently I just run an extension lead from out of my house, but that obviously limits me to garden use only I guess! 

20 minutes ago, SmokeyJoe said:

Speaking of which, so clear here last night at about 10 but too windy to set the scope up

Yeah I noticed too! I chanced it and set my scope up about 9pm last night, was really clear for about an hour just enough time to setup but constant clouds did come rolling in here and there. Luckily the scope can see right through them! I think I got lucky though as my house acts as a huge wind breaker for my scope so I got out last night! (rarity).

I'm still trying to learn how to image properly and the conditions weren't great for it due to cloud cover, it seems my mount doesn't track as fast in one direction as the other. I may have balance issues possibly. 

It's good to see people talking in East Anglia again!

[SmokeyJoe]

Just asked a question about power tanks in the getting started equipment section,  sorry don't know how to link to it.  I paid £54 for mine from a place in Norwich I'm sure they are available elsewhere at the same price.  According to one reply on the above-mentioned post it will run an HEQ5 for a night.

17 minutes ago, PESKYWAABBIT said:

It seems my mount doesn't track as fast in one direction as the other. I may have balance issues possibly. 

I am sure the folks at Breckland can probably help you with that, they seem a very helpful bunch. Will be going myself soon but I share a car with my other half and she works silly hours so I have to wait until she has a Tuesday off.

I still have the joys of setting up a goto mount to go it's currently sitting in my living room in the box.  Read the manual, waiting for a clear night.

[PESKYWAABBIT]

I just saw your power tanks post, I have it followed!

4 minutes ago, SmokeyJoe said:

I paid £54 for mine from a place in Norwich I'm sure they are available elsewhere at the same price.

Oh really? There seems to be no decent astronomy shops in Suffolk at all (unless someone here can suggest one) By shops I'm looking for an actual retail shop I can go into and look at the items, not them have to order it in store for me, that is a pain!

I may have to branch out abroad (Norfolk and Cambridgeshire) for my supplies. What is the company you got your tank from?

Cheers!

 

 

[SmokeyJoe]

I got the power tank and mount from Wex Photographic just outside Norwich it's actually a photography shop (warehouse, huge place) but they carry a range of astronomy gear decent stuff like celestron and skywatcher. They had the power tanks in stock but had to order my mount.  The website will tell you what they have in stock and what they have to order in. There is also Altair Astro which is a bit further (Alysham,  North of Norwich).

[Errol]

On 09/11/2011 at 22:05, Dave Dubya said:

Northampton's covered on Look East, so that's good enough!

Here's another one in Northamptonshire or Wellingborough to be exact though I head out to dark sites nearby to do any observing

Errol