Hello from Wiltshire

[WiltsStarGazer]

Hello,

I have recently joined the forum so thought it best to say hello.

I have had a passing interested in astronomy from many years which did result in me having very briefly an secondhand refractor telescope which I did manage to see Jupiter and some of its moons with help from Google Sky. 

This was when my children were very young and I soon realized that heavy telescopes on wobbly tripods and toddlers don't mix well so that had to go.

Over the last few years I have had some Celestron Skymaster 15X70 binoculars to use which have been great for moon gazing but a bit wobbly for anything else even when resting on the garden table.

So after much internal debate, lurking on various forums and reining in mission creep (oh, that looks good but for a bit more I could have this, or for a bit more than that I could have this........), I have just ordered a SW Heritage 100P as a next step, (and a moon filter and a copy of Turn Left At Orion).

Hoping for clear skies.

 

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome to SGL.

Peter

[sloz1664]

Hi, and a very warm welcome to the Lounge

Steve

[laudropb]

Hello and a warm welcome to the SGL.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @WiltsStarGazer and welcome to SGL. 

[Mr Spock]

Hi, welcome to SGL 

[banjaxed]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

[ronl]

Hello and welcome to the community, hope you enjoy your time with us,

see you around the forums.

Clear Sky's.

[Floater]

Welcome. I hope you have lots of fun. 🙂

[Dr Strange]

Welcome aboard!

[Physopto]

Welcome to SGL. It is always difficult to buy your first scope because there are so many options out there. I hope you get to enjoy your choice.

Derek

[richard ashbee]

welcome to the group

[des anderson]

A warm welcome from a warm Essex. Des

[x6gas]

Welcome to the forum.  Very sensible choices by the way!

[Waddensky]

Welcome, and enjoy your new scope!

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi and welcome. 

[Xsubmariner]

Hi and have a great time searching the forum.

[geordie85]

Hello and welcome. As you probably already know there are some beautiful places in Wiltshire that are perfect for star gazing and are rather quite dark. 

[cletrac1922]

Welcome from Land Down Under

You travel the universe in this forum

John

[rwilkey]

Hi there and welcome from me too, also in Wiltshire.  Clear skies!

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂

[WiltsStarGazer]

On 21/05/2020 at 23:04, geordie85 said:

Hello and welcome. As you probably already know there are some beautiful places in Wiltshire that are perfect for star gazing and are rather quite dark. 

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I always thought I lived somewhere fairly dark until I tried setting up in the back garden, suddenly you realize it's like Las Vegas out there!

So if you know any good dark sites around the Warminster area I would be very grateful to know.

 

[WiltsStarGazer]

Thanks all for the warm welcome.

Long story short, I've ended up with a secondhand Celestron AstroMaster 90 eq which has been brilliant (literally over the last few nights) looking at the moon.

I have just about mastered the eq mount, thanks to YouTube but no doubt have much to learn that I don't know about!

I have really enjoyed viewing the features of the moon, especially sitting out at midnight wearing shorts and t-shirt!

[geordie85]

2 hours ago, WiltsStarGazer said:

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I always thought I lived somewhere fairly dark until I tried setting up in the back garden, suddenly you realize it's like Las Vegas out there!

So if you know any good dark sites around the Warminster area I would be very grateful to know.

 

That all depends on how far you're willing to travel. I live in Swindon and I've traveled to a lovely spot near Salisbury that's quite secluded and the best I've ever seen the milky way. 

[Demonperformer]

Hi, WSG, and welcome to SGL.

I have a pair of 15x70s and they work very well on a cheap monopod (something like this). I use them seated, with the monopod leaning slightly backwards into me, so that the bins stay fixed to my eyes. Rock steady.

Enjoy the journey.