Polluted Skies & First Telescope

[robgazer]

Hello all,

I'm happy to announce tonight that I've actually pulled the trigger on the Heritage 130p and bought it, I can't wait to get going.

This will be the first telescope I've ever looked through.

Many thanks everyone who's helped me out with my decision.

[DannyHarvey]

Good for you, well done!

Enjoy!

[DannyHarvey]

BTW I live just outside London. My main interest is planetary/Lunar and Light pollution isn't really a problem. There is lots to be enjoyed from just this area of astronomy so I don't worry to much about deep sky stuff.

[Stu]

Hello dick_dangerous,

Milky Way from the New Forest, up until I witnessed the miracle in the Hoch Schwartzwald I thought it was all camera wizardry and air brushed pictures, but it does exist even in this country.

I'll have to get to a dark site I'm curious how far I'd have to go to see this spectacle again.

You'll certainly see it in the New Forest still. I get spectacular views in the late summer down on the Purbeck peninsula in Dorset. I would expect you can also see it on good nights down at some of the dark sites near Guildford and Dorking, Ranmore common or Albury Heath for example.

Stu

[Mr Q]

   Happy for you in taking the plunge. The choice of a 4-6" for LP skies is a good one, since larger scopes make the sky background brighter (washing out dim objects) while a scope smaller than 4" will do the opposite and limit you to only the brightest objects.

   And yes, portability is essential because if the scope is harder to set up, it will be used a lot less. I would question going for an 8" unless you have a decent location to use it at. From my decades of experience, yes, you made the right move

[happy-kat]

If you have direct light any where a light shroud makes a difference, easy to make for this scope. My lp is more from sitting under a street light so I need the shroud to reduce washout on the secondary.

Very pleased with our one so quick and easy to set up and little space needed to store.

I am next going to see if placing a towel over my head helps my eyes dark adapt.

[robgazer]

Hello happy-kat,

Thanks for your reply.

I'm suffering LP from close street lighting also and not just the orange halo above.

My house is a couple of houses down from a corner and through that corner gap in the houses there's an orange street light bathing part of my back garden in its wonderful glow. Turning to my left about 140 metres away there's a main road with some very tall lights, blasting out orange lumens like little mini supernovas.

I definitely had plans for a light shroud before I bought it, but just out of interest I want to use it without a shroud and see what it performs like so I'll have the comparison.

I have plans for a dew guard (that will also help with stray light).

[happy-kat]

I have a street LED lamp about 12 feet from my front garden observing position and another about 30 feet away. Then there are many more out on the road and nearby roundabout.

so I get to observe east to EES between the two lights and can see stuff so all is not lost.

North is a wash out and West in the back garden over maybe 50 degrees high is OK when the decking is bone dry.

[Mr Q]

    Robgazer - During your home trials with streetlights, try to position your tube so that no direct streetlight enters the inside of the tube. If any does, it will wash out your view greatly. An extended dew shield may help in this regard. A thin, light blocking blanket over your head and EP will also help in keeping your eyes dark adapted as well as shielding stray light from hitting the EP, which will also wash out your views.

[Daniel-K]

Rob its not alll that bad living in the red zone theres plenty to see, the 130p will show you alot more than your bins. although i would upgrade the finder to a decent red dot.

[robgazer]

Hello Mr Q & Daniel-K,

Thanks for your replies.

When I do actually have a decent working version of this scope I'll put a dew shield/light shroud on it.

I ordered this telescope yesterday from Amazon and was entitled to their “Amazon PRIME” next day delivery. Top marks to Amazon it arrived next day.

When I took the dust cap off I noticed straight away that the secondary mirror was not fixed in a rigid horizontal position the rod/arm that holds the mirror was loose (in a lowered position) and could not be tightened back into its locking/retaining nut. Upon further inspection of the secondary mirror itself I found a large chip.

As far as I'm concerned it's used and has been returned to Amazon and they give it straight to me in that state. Within a few minutes of noticing these faults I was already online to Amazon and started the return process.

I'm livid with Amazon and have requested a refund, they've wasted my time and have my money. I will  source one elsewhere.

Having put this issue aside and had a general look at the scope it's well made and has a feel of quality about it, I still want it.

[Daniel-K]

try FLO the forum sponser always had A1 customer service from them

[Fahndar]

I live undet polluted skies, on the border between the red and pink zones according to the LP map mentioned in this thread. I test the sky NELM every night I observe and these are the results: 4.21 before midnight, 4.34 after midnight and before 2 AM, and 5.0 between 2 AM and 5 AM under 100% clear sky. I use different bonoculars: 7x50, 16x50, 20x60, and 25x70. These are the LM using binoculars so far (during 4.21 NELM): 7x50 7.6m, 16x50 8.81m, 20x60 at least 9.03m, and 25x70 9.78m. The higher magnification binoculars work definitely better in LP sky as you see.

The above tests are all using averted vision.

[Mr Q]

 Robgazer - That's so depressing.  I wonder if having it shipped too quickly had any cause for the damage. Like Daniel said, try FLO this time. Amazon is such a large company, I bet they don't care about their customers like other companies do.

   I have bought a few things from Amazon recently and did regular shipping with no problems but each time something arrives, I anticipate problems but so far all has been OK.

[DannyHarvey]

Recently got my C11 from FLO no problems at all

[robgazer]

Hello Fahndar,

Thanks for your reply.

Thanks for the that info about your viewing conditions, it offers hope, even for binoculars.

I've been viewing with arm strength alone, I probably need a tripod for best viewing results. Although considering that my 10x50 binoculars were only £18 ($30) new I was probably expecting a bit too much of them.

[robgazer]

Hello Mr Q, Daniel-K and DannyHarvey,

I've been shopping at Amazon for about 15 years and bought a good few items over that period, this is the first time they've sent me a complete lemon.

Having said that, I think this time I'm probably better off going to FLO who's a specialist retailer. There's a few dealers on fleabay where I could save £6, but they're mainly camera shops and not specialists, so off to FLO I go!