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Newbie from Hamilton saying Hi.

Derek1973

By Derek1973
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Derek1973

Derek1973

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone, 

I had been thinking about buying a telescope for months and now I have finally took the plunge after a really enjoyable evening at the Scottish dark sky observatory, so last week I picked up a second hand skywatcher 200p dob for the bargain price of £150, it looks like new. Then after doing some reading on here I ordered some eyepieces 8mm, 15mm, and 25mm bst explorers, so I am all set to go exploring the skies as soon as I can find a break in the clouds. :hello2:

thanks for reading

Derek

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cletrac1922

cletrac1922

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Hi Derek from land down under, where every night is a clear night, without light pollution

Have a Skywatcher 10" collapsible dob, and a Skywatcher ED80 on a EQ5 mount

When doing scout/guide group space badge program, find 17mm wide-angle eyepiece great with 7-9yo's

Happy viewing when u get clear skies

 

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Charic

Charic

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With your first choice of scope and some eyepieces to match do you really need our help?

Of course you do and welcome to the SGL.

I can't fault your choice and selection. Well done. 
 

I also have a few very cheap GSO [Revelation] Plössl's, should you wish to try them ( I mean buying your own :happy9:  )Their cheap but very, very good, got mine from Astroboot when their available. Their branded Revelation Astro, built by GSO.

There are some expensive brands out there too, but not always beneficial unless you need much wider views than the BST's offer. 

One unique piece if information, but don't pass this on? find your self a dark site to view from ( one where you cannot see man-made light, so 10+ miles grace in all directions is a good place to start?) but seriously, you'll get used to what your immediate skies and viewing condition offer, but the first time I viewed from a decent/proper site, I had to sit down, not because I use a drum stool for a comfortable viewing ( don't stand!)  It felt like I had another/better scope, such was the difference between my own site to that of the darker site, and when I mean darker, just man-made lighting darker. From my dark site, there's enough Starlight it casts a shadow on a Moonless night, just stunning, but then with so many  extra visible Stars, and under the Milky Way, where are the constellations? their much harder to locate than you think. I have two extremes, really good observing sites a short drive away, to the constant Summer twilight, whereby my scope gets little use, if/when the conditions don't allow, but theres still the Moon.

Lastly just take your time when observing, the nudging is easy, study Jupiter for a long time, and when the conditions allow, you will be rewarded with a great view. It will be small, a bigger scope will fix that, not just power or magnification? Go too powerful and you'll destroy the image, and setup your finder scope to align with the telescope during the day on a far distant target, and collimate AFTER you have used the scope for the first time. Bought from someone else, its probably already to go, and a cooling of the mirror, just leave the scope outside with the caps of for about 30mins, and the image detail will/should get better, Lots to learn as to the where's and why's.

After all that, enjoy

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BeerMe

BeerMe

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Hi and welcome from just up the bypass in Coatbridge, Derek :-)

It may be worthwhile checking out the Central Scotland Observing Group boards at  http://scottishastronomers.com/forum/index.php .  They have meets during observing season at dark sites in West Lothian, which is a great way to meet other people/enthusiasts and have a look and try of their equipment.  It also makes a difference talking to a seasoned observer who can, literally, point you in the right direction (as @Charic hinted, the night sky from a dark site can be confusing and leave you bedazzled).

Good luck with your new hobby, you've made some great choices to start you off, not least joining this place :-)

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Derek1973

Derek1973

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Thanks for the warm welcome, i have been waiting on some clear sky to try out my new scope... been pretty poor this week but i see the forcast for next friday and saturday is good here. Fingers crossed. 

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