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New scope owner, long-time stargazer

artman1974

By artman1974
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artman1974

artman1974

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Hi all.

Just a quick hello to all established & other newbies on here. Only recently got into the whole astrophotography scene. Got my first DSLR last Boxing Day & only got my first scope & mount last Wednesday (Skywatcher Explorer 150P with EQ3-2 Mount). Took me 3 attempts to be able to get a decent photo of Saturn the other day (not the greatest pic, but I was happy with it all the same. Also, I never realised just how much light-pollution I have around my house - which made viewing rather tricky - until I was testing it all out) & am looking forward to the Perseids this week.

Happy stargazing, everyone.

post-46353-0-19509100-1439212312_thumb.j

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artman1974

artman1974

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Thanks for welcome, everyone. :) I should reiterate about my pic of Saturn. I said it took me 3 attempts to get the shot. By that, I meant it took me 3 EVENINGS and a LOT of trial & error. Plus, it doesn't help that the planet is being very cruel to me in that it's positioned right above a lamppost from my perspective, meaning I have a window of about 30minutes once it gets dark enough to view to get all lined up & focused in. Night vision is near impossible as on all 3 corners of my garden there are more lampposts that, I discovered are all right in my line of sight. Once I'd got that shot, I thought I'd turn my attention to Cassiopeia. However, after turning my scope round, I ducked down to look through the finder scope & BAM, another streetlight right in the eyes. *sighs* On the bright side, though, the in-laws, who live right out in the sticks, have said I can always go over to theirs in the evening & set up. I think the wife & I may be dropping our little one off at theirs even more from now on. :p Still, as I said, more than happy with the shot I did manage to get, especially after discovering that my mount is renowned for wobbling.

It may sound strange but I actually came over all goose bumpy the moment I saw Saturn through the viewfinder for the very first time. Of course, I pressed my eye too hard against the viewfinder, causing the scope to shift slightly, which meant I then spent the next 15mintues trying to get it back in focus as clearly as I'd had it at that first moment.

I've been looking at all the accessories I may (or may not) need & I'm under no illusions that this is gonna be an EXPENSIVE hobby. Still, as the guy in the film, Contact, says: "Small steps." :)

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simonperks

simonperks

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Hello and welcome!

I think it's a very nice photo - it's certainly a whole lot better than my first attempt! Saturn's a great target for observing and it always goes down really well at our star parties. At the very least, you know you're looking at the right thing...

Simon.

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