Do you have everything you need? I think I might be there...

[Mr Spock]

You can never have too much kit, right? But what is enough or the right balance?

I have a 250mm Dob which I believe is complemented nicely by my soon to arrive 102mm f7 ED.

I have a wide range of eyepieces for every occasion. I have a solar wedge too.

So, I can do deep sky, wide field, planets, moon, sun, doubles etc.

Apart from clear and darker skies I think I've got everything covered!

[vlaiv]

What? No Ha solar?

Congratulations on a new scope

 

[Franklin]

35 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

Apart from clear and darker skies I think I've got everything covered!

What about a nice Dome in the garden?

[Mr Spock]

3 minutes ago, Franklin said:

What about a nice Dome in the garden?

A dome would be bigger than the garden 

[Laurieast]

Camera's, at least three! 

Lot's of wires and power supplies.

[Mr Spock]

Visual only - I'm not into that dark side voodoo stuff 

[mikeDnight]

I think I've got everything I need, but perhaps not everything I want. May be I'm not alone on that last point?

I have a 10" F6 Dob for those rare occasions when the sky is dark and transparent enough.

Then my 100mm F8 apochromat, which is my prefered lunar & planetary scope.

I also have a PST, but somehow it found its way on long term loan to a dear friend who is more solar inclined than myself.

And now I've just acquired an SW 72mm  ED which I intend to mount on an old Unitron altazimuth mount I've had lying around for a while. Should make a sweet grab & go.

I don't have a dome but I do have a comfortable run off roof observatory paid for by my wife. 

Then also, after spending a literal fortune on eyepieces over the years, I've now found my personal comfort zone in simpler designs, and of course binoviewing.

 

[DaveS]

Realistically yes, though I could always do with another camera. Or two, or three, or...

I really must stop hankering after one of These for the ODK.

Edited November 17, 2021 by DaveS

[Mr Spock]

19 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Then my 100mm F8 apochromat, which is my prefered lunar & planetary scope.

I suspect I'll be using the 102mm for this and only bringing the 250 out when the seeing is excellent.

The added bonus being I can get the 102 + EQ5 to the front of the house to see east. I've not seen the late moon for years (I refuse to get up early to see it from the back garden).

[cloudsweeper]

Five 'scopes, and I still fancy a bigger frac or MakNewt.  And a bigger Dob.  And a PST.  Not practical or affordable, of course!

EPs - got a couple of dozen, and they cover all bases for all the 'scopes.  Couldn't manage with just a few - I like to go up in smallish increments  without passing the seeing limit.

But yeah,  quite happy really with my present armoury!

Doug.

[John]

Yes, I do have all the equipment (and a bit more ) that I need to enjoy the hobby as a visual observer.

In fact I could probably shed 30%-50% of my gear and have just as much enjoyment.

I'm just worried that I might miss some of it .......

[wookie1965]

No I would like a 10" dob, the Ioptron AZ Pro and a few more eyepieces. I have 3 fracs a solar wedge but I need a easier and more accurate mount for them 2 f10's and a F9. 3. 

The 10" would be big enough to get deep sky objects but not too big. 

[RobertI]

2 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

You can never have too much kit, right? But what is enough or the right balance?

I have a 250mm Dob which I believe is complemented nicely by my soon to arrive 102mm f7 ED.

I have a wide range of eyepieces for every occasion. I have a solar wedge too.

So, I can do deep sky, wide field, planets, moon, sun, doubles etc.

Apart from clear and darker skies I think I've got everything covered!

When I got my 102ED-R (the Altair Astro equivalent) I was pretty much all set ….except I felt I needed a nice 2” 38mm eyepiece for those ultra wide fields, so I bought  one……and then I thought it would be a shame not to have a 2” UHC filter to complement it, so I bought one …… you can see where this is going! Great scope though, you’ll love it. 

[Mr Spock]

Hmm, UHC... darn it 

[Pixies]

5mm Ortho?

[Mr Spock]

16 minutes ago, Pixies said:

5mm Ortho?

That's not funny 

[IB20]

I’m not sure I’ll ever stop purchasing Astro gear as I enjoy trying new and used equipment too much. 

I’ve wasted money on a lot worse than Astro gear which is a drop in the ocean compared to the money I’ve thrown down a hole on things like rent, cars and petrol etc. 

Back to window shopping on FLO and the classifieds section… 🤑

 

 

 

 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

I've everything I need but cannot afford everything I would like. Undoubtedly there's plenty of us in the same boat.

[Nicola Fletcher]

Definitely not - I’ve been infected with a severe variant of Takahashi-itis which I fear will take me a while to cure. 

[Franklin]

Very nearly.

Just got to pick up a Vixen SD103S and then my life will be complete.

[mikeDnight]

37 minutes ago, IB20 said:

I’m not sure I’ll ever stop purchasing Astro gear as I enjoy trying new and used equipment too much. 

I’ve wasted money on a lot worse than Astro gear which is a drop in the ocean compared to the money I’ve thrown down a hole on things like rent, cars and petrol etc. 

Back to window shopping on FLO and the classifieds section… 🤑

 

 

 

 

Dont stop!  The equipment is often just as much a part of the hobby as observing with it. And when its raining for months on end, having nice optics and gadgets to look at is like having a reassuring comfort blanket until the skies clear.

[IB20]

2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Dont stop!  The equipment is often just as much a part of the hobby as observing with it. And when its raining for months on end, having nice optics and gadgets to look at is like having a reassuring comfort blanket until the skies clear.

I have bought something that I’ll be drooling over when it finally arrives! 😁

[callisto]

11 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Dont stop!  The equipment is often just as much a part of the hobby as observing with it. And when its raining for months on end, having nice optics and gadgets to look at is like having a reassuring comfort blanket until the skies clear.

Ha ha, your so right  😂 ..I'll say to my wife "I'm just going to my office (spare room) to fiddle on with my astro gear", but most of the time I just sit back in my comfy chair cuppa in hand and admire my stuff  😊

[Alan White]

Congratulations on the purchase, I can see why you were tempted.
The Dob and refractor make a nice pairing.
 

[MetroiD]

First off, congrats on your incoming 102mm ED!

As to your question... I purchased my first set of binoculars, Olympus DPS I 10x50, in the summer of 2013. Can't say I did much stargazing even though that was the idea initially - until one amazing night I looked straight across from my balcony and saw M42 in colour, observable with the naked eye from the heart of the city - green, pink and everything! The magnetosphere was really putting on a show that night.

Half a year later, I'd enrolled in an MSc programme in Astronomy which I loved to bits. In 2018, I bought my first telescope (8" dob). Three years on, I can honestly say I feel pretty happy with where I'm am - but only in terms of "having", not in terms of "knowing". It seems that more I read up on stuff, the more I realize how little we understand about the essence of it all. More importantly though, what this has given me is a lovely network of friends that I love spending time with - not just under the stars.

Back to the "having" part - my current gear is based around a 12" f/5 flex-tube dob and comprises of three Morphi & an APM UFF for DSO / moon, Taka LE 5mm + Meade 5.5mm + a TV Barlow for planetary, as well as a Lumicon OIII + UHC and a Baader ND96 filter. I've also added another set of binos - of course, once again 10x50, this time a Pentax SP - for those stargazing nights in far-off lands that I'm dreaming of in the not-too-distant future, once my daughter grows up some more.

I've done a fair share of buying & selling, especially seeing as I live in a country where visual observers are few and far between, and certainly don't regret any step I've taken. I can't really say I have a 'holy grail' that I'm really after either. Maybe an OVNI intensifier tube? But then again, that's really more out of curiosity than necessity: I actually enjoy driving my astro-friendly car to dark sites (except when I hit potholes and destroy tyres, that is... don't ask).

So... yeah, I actually do have pretty much everything I need - and can't wait to share it even more in the future!

Edited November 17, 2021 by MetroiD