Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

Hello, From the Merry Family from Essex, UK

djjohnmerry

By djjohnmerry
in Welcome

Recommended Posts

djjohnmerry

djjohnmerry

Posted
Posted

Hello All,

I thought I would join a forum and say hello as we as a family are buying our first telescope to look at the planets and maybe a star or two and might need some help along the way.

So a little about us as the merry family. The family is myself (John) and my 3 children plus the wife.  However this new hobby is mainly for myself and my eldest son (8 years old) but my 5 year old daughter is very keen as well to see the moon and stars.  So for Christmas my son as asked for a telescope and after some research (over a fair few days) and being from an IT background I was very keen to see what we could get as a starter set for him / us.

Therefore I have purchased a celestron powerseeker 80eq telescope as this seemed to be a good starting point with a small budget of £100 and if any extra Christmas money maybe investigation into a celestron 8-24mm Zoom eyepiece. (All thoughts welcome!)

We hope to start with viewing the moon, Saturn and Juniper then maybe a easy to see cluster of stars? We are beginners so will be looking at all the posts here for help  and maybe asking a noob question here and there :-p

Fingers crossed for a clear night on Christmas day :-)

The Merry's  :grin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 33
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Physopto

Physopto

Posted
Posted

Hi John,

Welcome to SGL. You will get all sorts of help here and a myriad of suggestions as to how top go about things. But I would suggest you spend a large amount of time reading the posts on the beginner forums. If you can join a club. You will be surprised the amount of help members will give, and what you can learn over a cup of tea or coffee.

Derek

Link to comment
Share on other sites
swamp thing

swamp thing

Posted
Posted

HI John and family.

A warm welcome to the stargazers lounge. :)

I would second the advice above about having a good look through the beginners section on the forum. 

Don't be frightened to ask any questions as we were all beginners once and remember how confusing astro kit can seem to newbies.

Have fun and enjoy the boards. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MattJenko

MattJenko

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome.,

I am close as well, being between Colchester and Manningtree, so not far at all. There are a few astronomy societies/groups in the area which would be good to check out, as you will then have access to a wealth of experience and difference scopes etc as well.

As for the current cloud cover - boo.

Matt

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NGC 1502

NGC 1502

Posted
Posted

Hi & welcome from another Essex member.

You are a bit too far from my local club (Castle Point AC) but you have Clacton & District close by or North Essex club near Witham.

Of course you are already a member of your nearest club right here on SGL, hope you enjoy it.

Regards, Ed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted

There are a few clubs in Essex, check if any are within reach. http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/

The PS-80 is a nice start.

For Jupiter you will need about 60x and above, an eyepiece of around 10mm (90x) will be good.

Saturn needs a bit more and you will need say an 8mm (112x), maybe a bit more magnification.

At f/11 most decent plossl's will be fine, so no need for overly costly ones, but if you carry on then might be worthwhile looking at bit costlier items simply to use on whatever next.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Phil Fargaze

Phil Fargaze

Posted
Posted

Hello! You might find the full moon on christmas day to be too bright or there is no detail. Dont panic or be disappointed but try looking at the edges of the moon and not the centre of it at the moment. As the phase decreases then some much more amazing detail will come into view. Happy stargazing

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JamesM

JamesM

Posted
Posted

Hi John and family and welcome to the forum. We're here to help you so feel free to post your questions under the relevant section headings and the replies will surely follow shortly.

Clear skies and hope you and your family can experience some good weather over the holidays season. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.