What telescope….

[Tiny Clanger]

39 minutes ago, Astro_Dad said:

I spotted that and naturally tempted but tis indeed a slippery slope this hobby. 
this also looks interesting- 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/equatorial-astronomy-mounts/asterion-ecliptica-light-tracking-platform-for-dobsonian-telescopes.html

My cheapskate version is a small electronic level powered by a couple of AAAs, and with a magnetic base, it cost under  £15 , sits on the steel heritage tube , and along with stellarium set up to show me the alt/az of objects I click on, gets a speedy alt fix when my star hopping skills ( such as they are) prove inadequate to locate an object.

The little things often used to be referred to as a 'Wixy', which was a trade name I believe, have a search around here and the CN forum for diy setting circles too, which are a simple az setting method you can make for a dob base : essentially a big protractor !

Heather

[Astro_Dad]

42 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

My cheapskate version is a small electronic level powered by a couple of AAAs, and with a magnetic base, it cost under  £15 , sits on the steel heritage tube , and along with stellarium set up to show me the alt/az of objects I click on, gets a speedy alt fix when my star hopping skills ( such as they are) prove inadequate to locate an object.

The little things often used to be referred to as a 'Wixy', which was a trade name I believe, have a search around here and the CN forum for diy setting circles too, which are a simple az setting method you can make for a dob base : essentially a big protractor !

Heather

You’re right to point this tip out -  even if it’s hard to get the precise location this way, it can get you pretty close even roughly estimating azimuth. I think Sky at Night once featured a printable “protractor” you could  print and then laminate. I’ll have a look at CN. Thanks. There’s often a good cost effective DIY option… 

The tracking base I linked to is unusual - might be harder to make a home brew version of that but if you know of anything please share 😀.

[wulfrun]

1 hour ago, Tiny Clanger said:

The little things often used to be referred to as a 'Wixy', which was a trade name I believe

The trade name is "Wixey". Not being pedantic, just pointing out the correct spelling, which helps when searching! I have one too, very useful.

[Tiny Clanger]

1 hour ago, Astro_Dad said:

You’re right to point this tip out -  even if it’s hard to get the precise location this way, it can get you pretty close even roughly estimating azimuth. I think Sky at Night once featured a printable “protractor” you could  print and then laminate. I’ll have a look at CN. Thanks. There’s often a good cost effective DIY option… 
 

Wixey (thanks @wulfrun, pedantry is fine by me BTW 🙂 ) and  dob setting circle bbokmarks (some of these pages date from the palm pilot era , which was just  after the Jurassic )

http://www.homebuiltastronomy.com/ManualDobSettingCircles.htm

https://www.eastmidlandsstargazers.org.uk/topic/5570-setting-circle-mod-for-dob-bases/

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/make-an-azimuth-setting-circle/

https://www.blocklayer.com/protractor-printeng.aspx

 

 

[Murray06]

Thanks to everyone that has helped me. I have reached the decision to buy some Nikon Action EX 10X50 binoculars. This way I can explore the night sky, get used to astronomy as a whole and if I do decide I want to continue I can then get a telescope, which will most likely be an 8” dob - a decision I would never have come to without coming to this forum so thanks again.  

[Tiny Clanger]

🙂 Probably a  good way to start with a main interest in DSOs  .  If you've not already seen it , you will find a wealth of information on this site , including an excellent monthly newsletter

https://binocularsky.com/binoc_mount.php

and in the binocular section on here (where that sites owner,also called  binocularsky can often be found )

Heather

[Murray06]

22 minutes ago, Tiny Clanger said:

🙂 Probably a  good way to start with a main interest in DSOs  .  If you've not already seen it , you will find a wealth of information on this site , including an excellent monthly newsletter

https://binocularsky.com/binoc_mount.php

and in the binocular section on here (where that sites owner,also called  binocularsky can often be found )

Heather

Thanks, it was a post @BinocularSky made in another thread that lead me to the Nikon’s 😀

[wulfrun]

Can't go far wrong with binoculars, they're always handy anyway. If you decide astronomy isn't for you, they can be used for sport, birdwatching or whatever else. They're also the ultimate "grab-and-go" and most observational astronomers have a pair or three. Great for "it could well rain" nights, when there are gaps in the clouds to peek through and so on.