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Astro_Baby

By Astro_Baby
in The Astro Lounge

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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What seems like about a year ago but was in fact only a few months I revived my interest in astronomy by splashing out on a new telescope. I bought a Skywatcher 130 PM for a host of reasons many of them non-astronomical. My partner had been most persuasive in me taking up a hobby again. Anyway over the past month or so I have done a fair bit of observing and learning bordering on the obsessive and this week we were due to take a holiday down to the West Country where I had hoped to get some nice dark skies and with any luck some observing in with the baby scope.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray and this week was no exception. My partner found an urgent work project called them away and combined with the generally dreadful weather we decided if we were to be rained on we'd just as well stay in in our own flat as in a cottage somewhere where my partner could work in comfort and we could go out for the odd day.

This came as a bit of a disappointment to me especially as I was about to buy a bigger scope when my youngest child suddenly found he needed some serious dental work which took most of my savings for my proposed scope with it. So all in all I feeling pretty glum with no new scope and no real holiday either. I wouldnt overstress the glum because I seldom get 'out of sorts' I am philisophical about most things and just plod on and deal with whatever gets thrown at me but its fair to say I was felling a bit 'down'.

Imagine my surpise, joy and general jump up and downendness ( plus skipping up and down the hallway doubtless to the annoyance of the residents downstairs ) when I cam home yesterday from a very tedious day out on my own to find ( roll of drums, peal of trumpets ) my partner had decided to cheer me up with a present. What ? What is it ? Get on with it AB !

Its a Skywatcher 200 with an HEQ5 mount AND a holiday booking for later in the year down to the North Devon coast. Romance and Astro never went so hand in hand I think.

Its early days and I will write up a review of the kit - my first impression was WOW ! Its about twice as big as I had imagined. The mount weighs a ton. To be honest I think I will struggle getting it moved around as I have to be mobile having no garden but the scope was ( sort of ) set up about an hour ago - I am taking the odd break to have a cup of tea, read the manual etc and type here between messing about with it.

I guess other astro enthusiasts can imagine how happy I might be right now. I always wanted to own a large newt years ago but they were always out of my price range. All I need now is some clear skies and of course - a ton of extra knowledge on how to get the best from it - oh and a Synscan upgrade and some 2" EPs and ...and...and.... - well you know the list is never complete I am sure but I am certainly one happy girl right now.

Expect a ton of questions from me sometime in the next week :D

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

Posted
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An excellent choice of 'scope and mount too! This is a very nice 'scope that will give you some very fine views. I have had some hands on with one of these and it performed very well indeed and the upgrade to SynScan GoTo is pretty straightforward when you do decide to take that route.

Something you do need to add to your list of 'extras' though - a large battery pack, as you appear not to be able to view from home, a car 12v jump starter pack would make most sense.

I hope your new acquisition gives you much pleasure.

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Naz

Naz

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:hello1: Congratulations on your surprise present, you will find that the 200mm will open up the views for you, when ever the clouds decide to part, in about 2 weeks :D

Archie

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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Only too well Mike - in fact I originally wanted a 10" but decided it may be too large to transport - I am pretty certain now that there was no 'may' about it.

Only having vaguely seen an 8" some time back I was floored by how physically large it actually is and my partner I suspect is now regretting they ever suggested I take up a hobby.

If you want a laugh - this all sprang from our new flat. We decorated the living room and moved all our furniture in and one night my partner said "you know this room needs a conversation piece - something like a telescope - it would look good in the far corner". I was thinking of a hobby and thought 'hmmmm your probably right and if I took up astronomy again the scope could be used' They had in mind a brass antique type thing - I thought an all white telescope would look good. Something like an Orion Optics 6" - then we started shopping around and I bought the Skywatcher 130 as I wasnt sure if I would get back into it and I thought if I dont we can always paint the OTA white and get a wooden tripod for it. Cheaper than lashing out £500 on the Orion Optics scope and, if it ended up as just interior decoration, a better deal.

Now they are stuck with what looks - in a small flat - as if NASA moved in and left the Hubble Space Telescope in the corner while they went off for a coffee.

The sad thing is the little 130 has to go as we dont have space and I am very attached to it.

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beamish

beamish

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That's a fine set-up AB, your excitement shows up in abundance in your post, and why not? :D You're gonna have a lorra lorra fun with it. Hope your partner is aware they'll soon become accustomed to going to bed alone whilst your out freezing your tootsies off and saying "wow" over and over.

Karlo

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aries

aries

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Well done on the upgrade AB! NOW you're cookin'!

Your story bought back memories of something very similar that happened recently.........

Came home one afternoon, and Mrs Aries was in the kitchen looking very pleased with herself, as she started to tell me that she had bought me another present for my "Hobby"

So I was made up! started running around the house, looking for a place

that she could hide my 16" Dob, and all the bells and whistles.......

Nope, she had certainly hid it well!

"I give up" I cried, "Where have you put it?"

"It's here, on the kitchen table" she replied...............

An Optical lens cleaning kit, comprising of a bottle of Optical Cleansing fluid,

and a lens cloth! Great...............

As she passed them to me, she dropped the lot on the Tiled kitchen floor,

smashed the bottle to pieces, and cleansing fluid went everywhere! :shock:

Oh well, still got a nice lens cloth........... by the way, where is it? :D

The kitten had grabbed it and run off outside and was chasing it up and down the gravel drive, pretending to attack a mouse, or some other rodent! :)

On close inspection, the cloth had more grit in it than Bricklayer's Sandwich!

And the kitten has a new toy!................... :D

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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Robin - I might well bring it along to an Adur meet - I am hoping we will get an observation site and go out as a group and will be happy to bring it along. I have to go out anyway to get any real observing done anyway. Its going to keep me fit for sure.

Beamish - they already are starting to hate it. Only two weeks ago I woke up at 3am, spotted Jupiter through the bedroom window and dragged the SW 130 into the bedroom, opened the window and sat there for 30 minutes going 'whooo'

Aries - at least you had a clean floor :D - optically perfect.

Still fiddling about with it but am taking a break.

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Astro_Baby

Astro_Baby

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No idea why Warthog either. Way back when I were a slip of a girl almost any 8" reflector was big league stuff. A 6" marked you down as someone to be reckoned with :D

It might be an 8" falls between two stools - too big for most people to want to lug about for people like me who need to be mobile, too small for someone with a fixed set-up who could go to 10" or beyond. Thats just a guess.

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