Newbie has landed

[c4llum83]

Hi all, thanks for all the historic posts and wealth of info I have found on this forum over the last few weeks. 

Been a lifelong Apollo Mission nerd and always wanted a decent telescope to explore the lunar surface and also start venturing into the wider skies. Had a Celestron Travelscope for a few years to get me started, and with lockdown and my birthday coinciding earlier this month, gifted myself a new SkyWatcher Heritage 130p Flextube Dobsonian having seen tons of great reviews and posts about this compact but powerful little scope. (Know a Mak or Reflector probably better for moon observation but have a 7yr old at home so needed something easy to pack up compact with small footprint and no big tripod to trip over!) 

Got some nice early shots of the recent moon and then as expected it's been cloudy since so ive been doing more reading up and of course splashing out the rest of my birthday money on some upgraded glass using lots of advice on here to guide me. So far it's all mostly been 2nd hand finds and I'm reasonably proud of my collection and cant wait to get out and play more... 

5mm TS Planetary HR
6mm Skywatcher Ultra Wide 66°
8mm BST Starguider
10mm Celestron stock
12mm Celestron Omni Plossl
15mm Vixen NPL 
20mm Vixen NPL 
25mm Orion Sirius Plossl
32mm Meade 4000 Super Plossl
Celestron Ultima SV 2x Barlow
Celestron Variable Polarising Filter & Moon Filter

 

Considering saving up or asking Santa for Baader Classic Orthos for the 10mm & 18mm gaps based on recommendations that they're superb. Or maybe the BCO 10mm and the 18mm BST Starguider.

Looking forward to learning lots and getting out as the skies clear starting with Luna and then beyond!

Cheers, Callum 

Edited April 18, 2020 by c4llum83

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL. Nice moon shots.

[c4llum83]

Thanks! 

I have spent lots of time over the years reading many Apollo astronaut autobiographies (some signed - Buzz Aldrin XI, Jim Lovell XIII & Gene Cernan XVII ) and various NASA, Apollo and Space-race books (see my little "Lunar Library" below + of course the Lego lunar lander!) but after casually glancing up to the night sky I'm now looking forward to starting to explore the moons surface properly and the wider night skies myself! 

[banjaxed]

Hi Callum, welcome to SGL.

[c4llum83]

Thanks! Happy to be here formally after a while of lurking lol

[Mick J]

Welcome Callum, I just finished reading Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Coppel, interesting and touching as well as easy reading.  Did you see the enhanced pictures on the BBC news web site earlier in the week, stunning.  Hope you find SGL an interesting place.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52264743 

[c4llum83]

6 minutes ago, Mick J said:

Welcome Callum, I just finished reading Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Coppel, interesting and touching as well as easy reading.  Did you see the enhanced pictures on the BBC news web site earlier in the week, stunning.  Hope you find SGL an interesting place.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52264743 

Yes amazing stuff. The last few years especially have unearthed some amazing new unseen images and new digital scans of original film footage like in the brilliant Apollo 11 documentary. Stunning. 

[Floater]

Welcome. Have lots of fun. 🙂

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi Callum, welcome 

[PeterCPC]

Hello Callum and welcome.

Peter

[F15Rules]

Welcome Callum, you have a great set of decent eyepieces to get you started. If you do get the Baader Ortho pair you will get great results..unless you wear specs to observe, in case I'd suggest something with more eye relief.

Have fun!

Dave

[c4llum83]

12 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Welcome Callum, you have a great set of decent eyepieces to get you started. If you do get the Baader Ortho pair you will get great results..unless you wear specs to observe, in case I'd suggest something with more eye relief.

Have fun!

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I think the coronavirus lockdown has probably meant I've been a little more trigger-happy on eBay but I'm also aware that I wanted to experiment with different eyepiece powers and makes/styles to see what I prefer and what works best with my scope.

I've been careful with my purchases to try and spot good deals for well respected mid-level upgrades (most only cost between £20-£40 each) but I knew from reviews that getting the best eyepieces I could afford would get better views out of the scope. 

Looking forward to clear skies and a new moon to try them all out properly! 

Callum 

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by c4llum83

[sloz1664]

Hi Callum, and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[c4llum83]

14 hours ago, laudropb said:

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL. Nice moon shots.

I also could not resist working out what area I had captured (Gassendi crater) using a moon map app and overlaying the image... 

Edited April 19, 2020 by c4llum83

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @c4llum83 and welcome to SGL. 

I do like the overlay of the second image as shown above. 

[ronl]

Hello Callum, and welcome to the community, hope you enjoy your time here in SGL,

the18mm BST Starguider is a really nice eyepiece, I will see you around the forums.

Clear Sky's.

[c4llum83]

On 19/04/2020 at 08:55, F15Rules said:

Welcome Callum, you have a great set of decent eyepieces to get you started. If you do get the Baader Ortho pair you will get great results..unless you wear specs to observe, in case I'd suggest something with more eye relief.

Have fun!

Dave

Having read so many good reviews for sharp lunar views I couldn't resist and just grabbed a bargain - £28 for an 18mm Baader Classic Ortho! (Dropped to £48 on Amazon and I had £20 gift balance) so the "final" set is now... 

5mm TS Planetary HR
6mm Skywatcher UltraWide 66° "Gold Line"
8mm BST Starguider
12mm BST Explorer
15mm Vixen NPL
18mm Baader Classic Ortho
20mm Vixen NPL
25mm Orion Sirius Plossl
32mm Meade 4000 Super Plossl

Heard the BCO barlows well too so with my 2x Celestron Ultima I also potentially have 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 7.5mm, 9mm, 12.5mm and 16mm. 

Not a bad range of magnifications and mid-range eyepiece styles /brands to play with for the next few years... ☺️👍🏻

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Peter in Bedfordshire 🙂