Hi!

[Jasonb]

Yeah, I plan to get some BSTs when I have the money, first step is try out what I have and then look for upgrades! FLO have some of them in stock now, and some of them are out. Moore Winter Marathon looks interesting, found some stuff on it on the BBC Website. It looks like it's 25 items for the eye/binoculars and 25 for telescopes. Is that every night (there's an option to choose the date/time) or is it those 25 objects over the winter? It's a cool idea to give you something to aim at though.

And after all this talk, the bloody thing better arrive tomorrow!

Anyhow, how's the 130 Dob working for you Rob?

[Bongo]

12 hours ago, Jasonb said:

P.S. Sorry Rob, for hijacking your thread!

 

No worries at all!

Just for the record, managed to get out for about half an hour last night during a break in the clouds. Very pleased with the view of the moon. Mars looked like a twinkly blob - not sure whether that's because of atmospherics (there was some very thin cloud even then - or whether that's the limitations of the telescope. Have to have another try to find that out.

[Jasonb]

Nice one, delighted you got to use it on your first night! Have no idea what you should or shouldn't expect from Mars, someone more experienced than I (not too hard!) should be able to help there.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Jasonb
Bloody spelling...

[Neil H]

Hi Rob welcome (green cross code man)

I have meet him David played Darth Vader he also got Christopher Reaves weight lifting for the superman role 

An amazing hobby is waiting 

[Tiny Clanger]

14 hours ago, Jasonb said:

Yeah, I plan to get some BSTs when I have the money, first step is try out what I have and then look for upgrades! FLO have some of them in stock now, and some of them are out. Moore Winter Marathon looks interesting, found some stuff on it on the BBC Website. It looks like it's 25 items for the eye/binoculars and 25 for telescopes. Is that every night (there's an option to choose the date/time) or is it those 25 objects over the winter? It's a cool idea to give you something to aim at though.

The Moore W.M. is 50 objects in total , the first 25 are listed as best see with binoculars (or the naked eye) , but that doesn't stop you pointing a 'scope that way.

For anyone who hasn't found it, here are  links  straight to the first 25 PDF http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/skyatnight/moore-winter-marathon-guide-1-25.pdf

and the second 25 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/skyatnight/moore-winter-marathon-guide-26-50.pdf

Good printable to give us beginners some easy starter targets of various types , and to tell us what we are seeing. The only thing that is outdated as far as I know (it's a few years old) is the information on where & when to view a planet (I think it was Jupiter ? ) which is specific to the year.

The date/time option on the main Moore W.M . page is an online sky map.

Heather

PS, is it there yet ?!

[Tiny Clanger]

Two more resources which I've found very useful as a newbie : the binocular sky monthly guide (see the binocular section on here ) and the really well written and illustrated monthly online guide from a local astro soc here http://www.whitby-astronomers.com/sky-notes/sky-notes-december-2020

I'm slightly irritated that before lockdown #1, way back in March, my sole trip away from home this year was a few days near Whitby, and it was only after that I got into the astronomy thing again. It would have been great to go to one of their meetings ...

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂