Totally new scope enthusiast.

[Timoka]

Hi all, 

I'm in south Devon. Hi everyone. -

I have spent years and years just looking at stars and the moon laying on my back in a field. Finally for a couple of quid, I purchased a Jessops 80-800 I think it is. OUCH,,, GOT BITTEN !!.  A week later I now have an Astromaster Celestron 114EQ. Both cheap on a social media market place. 

I'm now totally hooked and so looking forward to seeing enlightenment and guidance within this Forum. 

Should of done this decades ago!

[Mandy D]

Hey, welcome to the forum. What is it you are most interested in looking at? Have you got a copy of Stellarium yet to guide you around the sky? I find it really handy for identifying things I'm looking at and for locating interesting stuff to see.

Ask lots of questions and you will get a lot of help in here.

[Timoka]

Hi Mandy D and thank you for the welcome. 

Really I'm looking at taking a few photos of the moon and planets. I have a DLSR that is no longer used so I thought I'd mate to a scope and see where the adventure takes me. My first images on the £20 Jessop totally amazed me but it won't hold the weight of the camera. The Celestron, holds the weight but buying it second hand, it needs a little work,,,.! 

[cloudsweeper]

Welcome!  I too got hooked with a small refractor.  You can do a lot with fairly cheap gear!  Have you had a look at Jupiter and Saturn?  You'll need to be out in the early hours at the moment.

Doug.

[ED Splitter]

Hi and welcome. 
 

[Greymouser]

Welcome to this great forum.

You are diving in at the deep end, starting with astro photography! Braver than me!

[cloudsweeper]

4 minutes ago, Greymouser said:

Welcome to this great forum.

You are diving in at the deep end, starting with astro photography! Braver than me!

Yeah - after doing this a number of years, I'm perfectly happy in the shallow end!  😉

Doug.

[Mandy D]

23 minutes ago, Timoka said:

Hi Mandy D and thank you for the welcome. 

Really I'm looking at taking a few photos of the moon and planets. I have a DLSR that is no longer used so I thought I'd mate to a scope and see where the adventure takes me. My first images on the £20 Jessop totally amazed me but it won't hold the weight of the camera. The Celestron, holds the weight but buying it second hand, it needs a little work,,,.! 

You've got a nice focal length there for the Moon, especially if your DSLR has a crop sensor. I just did my first stacked image, which was of the Moon, using a full frame DSLR on my Skywatcher 200P, which is 1200 mm focal length. Shot 135 frames and stacked the best 67. I got a lot of great help from a couple of forum members and got my best image of it yet. The Moon was very low in the sky and my telescope mount was struggling to keep it level!

Edited August 15, 2022 by Mandy D

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL

 

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun. 🙂

[dave34]

Welcome to the lounge.

[Sunshine]

Welcome to SGL! enjoy the forum, lots to see and learn here 

[bosun21]

Hi 👋 a warm welcome to SGL 

[Dave Lloyd]

Hi there and welcome. 

[AstroMuni]

14 hours ago, Timoka said:

The Celestron, holds the weight but buying it second hand, it needs a little work,,,.! 

Welcome to the forum. I have the bigger brother the 130EQ and the scope itself is not too bad, but I found that the mount was not ideal for AP, vibrating at the slightest touch. In the end I plumped for a 2nd hand HEQ5 pro. My journey is in my signature link. But my policy is get the most out of your existing equipment before moving on! So have fun.

[MarsG76]

welcome to SGL and the best hobby in the world.

 

[paulastro]

On 15/08/2022 at 21:09, cloudsweeper said:

Yeah - after doing this a number of years, I'm perfectly happy in the shallow end!  😉

Doug.

Doug, I don't see visual observers as being 'in the shallow end.'  Indeed, to be a good skilled visual observers you need to home your skills over many years, as pointed out by the great William Herschel.  

Contrary to what you said, I've always thought of imagers as being failed visual observers. 😊.

[cloudsweeper]

10 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Doug, I don't see visual observers as being 'in the shallow end.'  Indeed, to be a good skilled visual observers you need to home your skills over many years, as pointed out by the great William Herschel.  

Contrary to what you said, I've always thought of imagers as being failed visual observers. 😊.

I agree Paul.  I was merely extending someone's comment that starting with AP was "going in at the deep end".  Ergo, having zero interest in AP, I am happy to stay in the shallow end.  Never suggested it was easy!  😉

Doug.

[paulastro]

4 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

I agree Paul.  I was merely extending someone's comment that starting with AP was "going in at the deep end".  Ergo, having zero interest in AP, I am happy to stay in the shallow end.  Never suggested it was easy!  😉

Doug.

I did realise that Doug, no offence intended, and I apologise, it wasn't aimed at you or anyone else for that matter.  Most imager friends I say this to find it rather funny 🙂.  For me it's just my pathetic attempt to counteract the minority of imagers (Ive met one or two) who think that visual observing is something one does and grows out of before  becoming imagers.

Perhaps I should stop digging....😊

[Rob]

Welcome!. Enjoy the hobby & the forum

Rob

[cloudsweeper]

2 hours ago, paulastro said:

Perhaps I should stop digging....😊

.......or splashing?  😉

Doug.

[Knighty2112]

Hi and welcome. Hope you enjoy the views through your scopes. If you want to view Saturn you can nab it at around 10pm, and dont have to wait till morning to see it as long as you have a SE view. The jewel of the solar system, and always a WOW! factor the very fist time you view it (and even after that too!) 😀

Orange line is the height of the houses/bungalows on my horizon, so use as a reference for when i can actually see things above the roof tops.

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂