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Re: Astronomical newbie


Caz

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Hi to you all, let me introduce myself.  My names Caroline, but prefer Caz, I live smack bang in the middle of a city, its full of light pollution, I've only been stargazing for approx 5 weeks with my 10x50 binocs, and I'm enjoying every cloudless minute of it all.  But I'm itching to get a scope, can't control my excitement any longer!

Nice to be here.

twinkletoes  :sunny:

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Hi Caz welcome to the forum.

Your gonna have a blast in here.

A couple of things to consider before buying a scope.

What do you want to do with the scope? ie- lunar/planetary viewing / imaging

How much you are willing to spend.

Portability - the weight of the thing/size of it.

I know its a lot to think about but there are plenty of knowlegable people in here

that will be only too happy to give you good advice on this subject should you need it / ask for it.

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Hi Caz

As an owner of the 8" version, I can tell you it's a cracking scope. As Tom says, big enough for you to see plenty of objects, but not so bulky as to put you off taking it out on a clear night. It has been said many times before, but the best scope is the one that you use !!

Now is an especially good time to get a scope with the things like Orion getting higher, and Mars is still a good view with Saturn following on as well.

Any questions, don't be afraid to ask - we're here to help!!! :clouds1:

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Hi Caz,

Sounds like your having a lot of fun with the Night Sky and you have already clocked up some nice views :clouds1:. Just wait until you get a Telescope and point it at Saturn you will fall in love with the Planet and the Moon is just awsome in any Telescope +the Billions of other Objects.

Dont worry about going to the window every 5 mins we all do that hehe.. As to the Light Pollution there are new laws coming into force in 2006 not sure what they are at the moment but watch this space!

Have Fun!

James :clouds1:

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Hi Caz

Welcome aboard.

I too recently joined this little group of fello astronomers, and I have to say that they do seem quiet a wonderfull, and chearfull little lot. After reading some of their comments on various topics, I just have to laugh to myself sometimes.

Anyway, nice to see a women taking up this great hobby. Don't seem to see many on these typoes of groups. Well, at least I haven't :clouds1:

I too was comtemplating with getting the Exlporer 150 or the 200, but I have decided to go for the 200 model. I also suffer from light pollution from a nearby Retail Park, with Tesco blazing the night away, and also Stoke City football ground not too far away (again, not a fan), so I can totally understand your frustration with LP. Hope you get a good reply from your MP about the LP. Maybe, I should try mine, or even ask Tesco and the other Retail outlets about doing something about their lighting.

Anyway, good luck with your scope purchase.

Andy

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Oh that reminds me, the day I bought my binns was the day my lovely neighbour decided to erect a security light at the back, so when I go into my garden, guess what happens??????

Caz (feeling not so  :sunny: at the thought of it)

did you just buy a pellet gun?

Andy

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Thank you for that lovely warm welcome!

The discision on the scope hasn't been an easy one for me, its been a case of, yes, no, yes, ahhhhh, maybe, ooooh yesssssss kind of scenario, can anyone relate to that? :? I like to look of many, but obviously some are way out of my reach price range. I did like the look of the dobsonian 8", but it was to bulky for my family dwelling. So I have finally decided, well I can't say finally, I am a woman after all :clouds1: on the, Skywatcher Explorer 150 EQ3 Reflector f/5.

Caz,

Worrying over which scope to buy is called "paralysis by analysis" weve all been through it... :clouds1:

Gaz

BTW get the 8" Dob, with reflectors 6" to 8" is a big jump in views.. :clouds1:

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The big question is, what sort of viewing am I going to get from it, what can I expect to see.   

Hi Caz,

You have chosen a good scope/mount combination. 

A focal ratio of f5 is quite fast so you should get great wide-field views; open clusters such as Pleiades, Beehive and Double Cluster will be spectacular.  You should also see some of the brighter nebulas such as Orion, the Ring and Dumbell. 

For planetary, you will need to invest in a good 10mm (ish) Plossl and a 2x barlow.  You can then look forward to seeing weather bands on Jupiter, several of its moons and even shadows cast on the planet surface when Io transits.  Saturn will show surface shading and its rings, and the Cassini division should be routinely visible. 

If light pollution is a problem, a Baader Neodymium Moon & Skyglow filter (£26) will reduce some of it and enhance planetary detail, particularly when viewing Jupiter. 

Hope that helps,

Steve :clouds1:

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Hi Caz

You might also want to look at Starry Night software (Steve - is yours still for sale??) - with this, you can plan your viewing sessions, zoom in to objects, take space tours, but you can also tell what size your scope is, what size your eyepiece is and it will show you what you can see.

It's a pretty powerful bit of software and one that many of us use

HTH :clouds1:

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Welcome Caroline,

Good luck finding a scope - I could recommend a 8" Newtonian, good all round scope, I had some spectacular views with it tonight when I got home from work.

Good bunch here - you will enjoy it.

Welcome.

Greg

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Oh that reminds me, the day I bought my binns was the day my lovely neighbour decided to erect a security light at the back, so when I go into my garden, guess what happens??????

i am on a corner lot, so my neighbour's front lights shine very brightly into my back yard. Since I cut down the big tree that covered my eastern view right up to the zenith, I can now move my scope out of the light on days when he leaves them on, but I did a temporary solution by hanging my patio umbrella on the fence so it created a shadow in my yard. This actually works quite well.

My neighbour is a nice young man, but I dont' see him very often. I'd ask him to not put his lights on if he doesn't really need them, but he'd probably forget and leave them on anyway. I'm thinking of making a screen to hang on the fence. Eventually he'll probably ask me about it, and then maybe he'll put his lights out when he sees the screen, and isn't expecting guests. The screen would only have to be about 3' x5'. I know people who have made them out of lumber or tubing, and black cloth.

I can put out the streetlight across the street by carefully aiming a keychain laser at the photocell on top, but it only lasts for about 10 minutes. Mrs. Warthog gets upset when I do this, however.

If you stand very still at your scope when the security light goes off, it will stay off. If you put a screen between you and the light, the IR detector won't be able to see you, so...

Can you talk to your neighbour? Tell him he doesn't need the security light, because if any burglars come into his yard when you are out, you'll hit them with your scope.

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