The morning after each night out...

[solwisesteve]

Is it only me that has to rush off to FLO and spend even more money the day after a viewing session?

e.g.

Out for 3 hours on Friday night. I spent the last hour of the session struggling with dew on the guider scope and telrad :-( When the main front glass started to get fogged up despite a dew heater wrapped around the end it was time to give up. So now another fifty quid spent on a heater strap for the guide scope and a dew shield for the telrad.

It does seem to be never ending... this spending lark I mean ;-) I suppose there's a minimum level of kit and accessories required - I hope I've now reached that point :-)

[ejp1684]

There is a minimum level of kit, but unfortunately it doesn't remain static. When you think you've arrived at the min level, a couple of clear nights out is all it takes to convince you that in fact you were mistaken in your previous belief. Resistance is futile!

[rwilkey]

Hi Steve, welcome to astronomy!  I have none of things and have only ever bought one dew/light shield for my Newtonian.  I have spent most money on eyepieces where I am always striving to get the best possible views.  In truth, there is always something around the corner, you just have to decide whether you 'want' it or 'need' it haha!

[solwisesteve]

Yes that's a worry..... I'm sure once I get my setup working nicely then there'll be an urge to change it and then the cycle starts again ;-)

[rwilkey]

1 minute ago, solwisesteve said:

Yes that's a worry..... I'm sure once I get my setup working nicely then there'll be an urge to change it and then the cycle starts again ;-)

I found that when I bought my C100ED, I had to up my game considerably to match the fine optics of the new scope, and it has been an enjoyable journey I have to say. 

[EWHB]

An astronomer can never have enough gear :-)

[Knighty2112]

I did get nippy the other night, but didn’t think it would be enough to cause a dewing issue? Anyhow, for a couple of my finders I used some black A4 foam sheets (aquired from The Range for £1 per sheet) to use as dew shields. I did think about doing a similar thing for my Telrad too a while back, but plumped for the official Telrad dew shield with an internal mirror combo. However,  in reality I may make an A4 foam one also for my Telrad to see f it fares better. It also acts as a shield so that glare from any light source (I.e street lamps) are much reduced.  

[solwisesteve]

Everything was ringing wet by about 2am..... perhaps it's standing in the middle of a field that exacerbates this.

[JOC]

I am now convinced I have all the EP's I shall ever need!  :-D

[Knighty2112]

7 minutes ago, solwisesteve said:

Everything was ringing wet by about 2am..... perhaps it's standing in the middle of a field that exacerbates this.

Were you viewing from the Westwood? If so gotta watch out for those cow pats!  

[solwisesteve]

Field behind the house.... It's nice to have your own field to view from :-)

[JOC]

9 minutes ago, solwisesteve said:

Field behind the house.... It's nice to have your own field to view from :-)

Isn't it just :-D   We'll have to set up our own SGL sub-section - People with a clear 360 horizon!  (Though in my case it's a case of being bothered enough to walk things the 150 yards necessary to make use of a clear horizon in all directions - mostly I still work around the house for convenience LOL)

[Ledge1962]

I am new to astronomy but wanted a telescope for as long as I can remember. I picked up a Meade 2120b with Equatorial mount and an ETX astro for a good price, but since then, spent twice as much on better eyepieces, filters, barlows, heated dew shield and the list goes on. I had a boat, and that was the same. I had to have the latest hydraulic stabilisers, all the electronics that I could cram in it, better steering gear... so I am wondering now if I need all these bits or just want them.

They say a boat is a hole in the water you keep pouring money into. I guess the sky is a black hole you can (happily) do the same with....

[geoflewis]

On 08/05/2018 at 08:34, solwisesteve said:

I suppose there's a minimum level of kit and accessories required - I hope I've now reached that point :-)

Nah, not in my experience anyway....