Hints, Tips and Trickery

[scarp15]

Good point and something that would most likely happen with my daughter, I'm a bit old school and mostly just use a lap top. Good luck when you are able to make the purchase.

[JOC]

Oh, yes and I was going to comment on gloves.  For skiing we can get little thin silk inner gloves.  When worn with ordinary skiing gloves over the top they provide an extra layer that is also wickable and they really make a difference to keeping hands warm.  They are not hugely expensive and might help anyone with cold hands.

[Cinderhella]

I've just had to add my credit card to my Paypal because my card company thought I was committing fraud!

Payment has been made! I'll soon own a shiny telescope, plus a nice zoomy eyepiece, two books, two filters and a moon map.

Yippie!

[LukeSkywatcher]

The things about gloves for a wheelchair user are:

1/ They have to provide warmth in cold weather, but be breathable in warm weather.

2/ They have to provide good grip (in wet weather)

3/ They have to be durable

4/ They have to offer flexability while providing all of the above.

The material which they are made of is all important. Simple wool or synthetic materials dont cut the mustard. They may offer warmth, but no grip.

 

[Cinderhella]

Here are the heated ones I briefly mentioned to you. They're extremely pricey, though very well made. My advice would be to go to a brick and mortar shop so you can have a true look and feel of what's available. It's not unlike shopping for a telescope now that I think about it. Lots to think about as you say, such as the material and whatnot. This place here is a fantastic starting spot on what can be had glove-wise.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_cat/1772

[LukeSkywatcher]

Bit more than i'd ever want to send on gloves, not to mention where do i plug them in.

[JOC]

The material is why the liner gloves work for skiers.  The silk is thin enough to remain comfotable inside the gloves, yet provides tbat essential extra layer of air to keep hands warm under a more durable pair of top gloves.  Skiers often wear their gloves for hours and hours at a time.  What I don't like about doing so is that they often get smelly, the solution to which is often a bit of Vicks vaporub on the hands, but I'd sooner not need to deploy that solution!

[Cinderhella]

7 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Bit more than i'd ever want to send on gloves, not to mention where do i plug them in.

The gloves take a battery, but it has poor battery life and they can also be connected to the bike itself in order to keep the rider warm. Which is why rechargeables are the way to go, like the RST CE Thermotech. They're not perfect with battery life, not by a long shot, but the gloves themselves are designed to retain heat and especially around the knuckle area, which gets extremely stiff in cold weather and you know yourself that way lies pain when you have to push a wheelchair with rusted knuckles.

[SilverAstro]

6 hours ago, Cinderhella said:

Just a shame I can't go camp out at FLO for a day or two and have a play LOL

Yep, me too !

6 hours ago, Cinderhella said:

I think talking with FLO will be the way to go here, I think,

but how ?

5 hours ago, Cinderhella said:

I've made my decision and giving the Startravel 120 AZ3 a go. Got a moon and light pollution filter in there before I upgrade the eyepieces.

Bravo, admire a person who can decide, I am hopeless - prevaricate for months! we look forward to first-light reports, good luck on your new adventure.

PS just as well we cant camp and talk, prob saved me a fortune in temptation !? (I am old school and it dont feel right to order  postal 'on speculation' and return, but I suppose that is the modern world and I should get used to it ? )

[Cinderhella]

I hate speculation, too, but it's just so much easier to have people bring me things while I file my nails and feel like lady of the manor

[SilverAstro]

14 minutes ago, Cinderhella said:

I hate speculation, too, but it's just so much easier to have people bring me things while I file my nails and feel like lady of the manor

  I wish I had a manor in which, and nails worth filing

But 120 is a good aperture, lots of objects within range of that. I have had loads of fun over the years with binos, they are so convenient to grab gaps in the UK climate. I also have a a 9.25 SCT but that takes planning a-fore-thought not to mention the energy So thoughts have been turning with advancing years, to an intermediate ,, I will pay some attention to your selection.

Another prob with modern life - so much choice, connfuses one at times (without the ability of hands-on and a chat !,,, but I must not harp on!)

 

 

[Cinderhella]

I can't help with the manor house, but nails? I'm your girl! I can give you strong, flexible nails inside of six weeks that are pink with health.

Just gotten a phone call to say all of the books I ordered with my kit are out of stock, which is a bit of a moper since books are the be-all of astronomy. Scopes will give you a look, but looking won't get you far if you have no idea what it is you're looking at!

My plans to purchase the Vixen SG 2.1 will come to fruition in the near future. They look like so much fun and the thought of reclining my wheelchair to the max and just gazing up without a care in the world is sincerely tempting as it gets LOL

[Galen Gilmore]

You could download stellarium on computer or mobile as an alternative to books. Doesn't give you instructions on how to find things, but it does give you an idea of where things are in the sky.

[Cinderhella]

I'll be looking about for those tomorrow, Galen! It never ceases to amaze me just how true the words "There's an app for that!" really are in this day and age

[SilverAstro]

If you like paper charts there are various free downloadable printable ones.

I like these three (and Taki has lots of other interesting stuff on his site, including his Basic computing stuff that started all this GoTo m'larky way back in 1989 !)

http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/

http://www.deepskywatch.com/deep-sky-hunter-atlas.html

https://www.uv.es/jrtorres/triatlas.html

 

[JOC]

You could always buy a cheap and cheerful rotating cardboard planetarium too.  I get on really well with a copy Stellarium on my mobile phone.  There is also one that is called Sky map which when on your mobile allows you to hold it up to the sky and it attempts to overlay what it is you are pointing at.

[SilverAstro]

and there is a diy printable planisphere on Taki's website (the first link) as well.

if one is into printing and paper and scissors and glue and BluePeter

 

 

[Cinderhella]

It's here! It's here!

My telescope is here and so is the Planisphere that needs no Blue Petering!

Huge, huge thank you to the lovely delivery driver.

Colour me chuffed to bits LOL

[happy-kat]

Super, that's going to be fun carefully unpacking :-)

[Cinderhella]

The delivery driver was given a telescope that's spent it's life unused. Told me all about his star chart that was on his wall and had a right good old natter with him and told him to get his rear onto SGL 

I hope he does join as he was so excited for me getting this scope, bless him LOL

[JOC]

Wish you well to use it, do you have someone that can help you with the boxes and unpacking?  It looks a bit unwieldy and awkward given what you have posted about how and where you can move.  Once it's set up it might be a lot easier, but for the moment they look potentially large and weighty boxes.

[Cinderhella]

I do, Joc, and he's called Granda!

I'll be giving him a ring after he finishes work up at the school crossing and telling him to come help me get Serenity up and running. Yes, I'm a Firefly fan and yes, I have named my scope.

So there!

[JOC]

What would we do without dads and granddads?  Excellent news, I'm sure he will be excited to help you with something a bit interesting and out of the ordinary.  Don't forget you don't have to wait until night-time.  Providing you point it in the opposite direction to the sun, setting it up during the day and trying to focus on a distant tree or spire can be a very good learning process and it means you get to have a play in the daylight as soon as you have it set up - very exciting and you will be able to see what controls do what much easier.  Nothing wrong with naming a scope IMO.  I've not bumped into Firefly, but it looks an interesting premise (Google knows all) - I'll take a look if it is screened where I can watch it.  I like SciFi 

[Cinderhella]

What's not to love about cowboys in space?!

As for dads and grandads... I hit the jackpot for sure! Dad worked for Black & Decker, while my granda worked first as a miner, then Smarten Browns, I think it was called, and then Thorn EMI, one uncle works in the timber trade and the other is a very well-to-do builder, so I was raised with a bunch of tradesmen that taught me well 

[Cinderhella]

When you try an eyepiece and your 15 year old cousin sticks his hand down in front of your telescope, you jump a mile, scare the cats and lose your cup of tea...