Hello from Wirral

[Hellfire]

Hello everybody, Chas here, 65, from Wirral.

I got myself a Skywatcher Explorer 150P a number of years ago. 

Work however didn't allow time to use it, so up into the loft it went.

Now I'm retired, I've got it down, set up and recollimated and am raring to go.

If only it would stop raining 😂

[peanutcol]

Hi mate, I'm a newbie here and already had lots of advice. You'll be made most welcome. I'm in Wigan so not too far away.

[Marvin Jenkins]

Indeed welcome. Great scope for getting into astronomy. I hope you enjoy it and keep at it.

Marv

[Floater]

Welcome. Hope you have lots of fun. 🙂

[Moonlit Night]

Welcome to SGL

[fozzybear]

Welcome on board.  Me ex Manc and worked in the Sandcastle age's ago. 

[Wanderers]

I'm new here too and have learned a huge amount just by reading through lots of the many threads.

Have fun. 

[PeterCPC]

Hello and welcome.

[wookie1965]

A warm welcome to SGL and that was my first scope had a load of fun with that.

[dweller25]

Hello @Hellfire and welcome to SGL.

You have a great scope - try to get it on Jupiter ASAP as it’s past closest approach now.

What eyepieces do you have ?

[inedible_hulk]

Hello and welcome. Hope you got to enjoy last nights relatively clear sky 😊

[Hellfire]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome, even if it does feel a bit king billy right now😂

Yes inedible_hulk I did manage an hour or so on Tuesday evening, spent mainly Moon watching but had a look at Jupiter as well.

dweller25 I did manage a quick look at Jupiter. Eyepieces I have are : Super 10 Long Eye Relief and Super 25 Wide LER plus a 2x Achro Barlow. These I think must have come with the original scope package. Also have a Revelation set, whether this came with it I can't remember. The set consists 6 filters, and  6, 9, 12, 15, 20 and 32mm Plossils.

Being a spectacles wearer , I find looking through the larger lenses ok but it's difficult looking through the smaller ones. Any tips would be most welcome.

Charles

 

 

[Albir phil]

4 hours ago, Hellfire said:

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome, even if it does feel a bit king billy right now😂

Yes inedible_hulk I did manage an hour or so on Tuesday evening, spent mainly Moon watching but had a look at Jupiter as well.

dweller25 I did manage a quick look at Jupiter. Eyepieces I have are : Super 10 Long Eye Relief and Super 25 Wide LER plus a 2x Achro Barlow. These I think must have come with the original scope package. Also have a Revelation set, whether this came with it I can't remember. The set consists 6 filters, and  6, 9, 12, 15, 20 and 32mm Plossils.

Being a spectacles wearer , I find looking through the larger lenses ok but it's difficult looking through the smaller ones. Any tips would be most welcome.

Charles

 

 

 

[Albir phil]

1 minute ago, Albir phil said:

 

Hi welcome to sgl I have glasses 🤓 but I never wear them if I'm observing and have no problem,I have been into astronomy since I was about 11 heck that's along time ago,I remember the late Patrick Moore telling me you don't need glasses when you look throu a telescope so I never have.Good luck hope you get clear sky's 🌠

[dweller25]

5 hours ago, Hellfire said:

dweller25 I did manage a quick look at Jupiter. Eyepieces I have are : Super 10 Long Eye Relief and Super 25 Wide LER plus a 2x Achro Barlow. These I think must have come with the original scope package. Also have a Revelation set, whether this came with it I can't remember. The set consists 6 filters, and  6, 9, 12, 15, 20 and 32mm Plossils.

Being a spectacles wearer , I find looking through the larger lenses ok but it's difficult looking through the smaller ones. Any tips would be most welcome.

Charles

 

 

Hello Charles I am also a spectacle wearer and observe with them on as I like to draw at the eyepiece.

I look for eyepiece with a long eye relief, typically around 20mm eye relief is good for me.

Roughly, roughly Longer focal length eyepieces like your 20,35 and 32mm will have lots of eye relief, the 15mm and below is where you may struggle ?
 

One solution is to take your specs off but I prefer to leave them on and then Barlow the longer focal length eyepieces, so with a x2 Barlow your 20mm eyepiece would become a 10mm but still have long eye relief 🙂

You have a good scope, for the planets you need a magnification of around x180 which is a 4mm eyepiece or an 8mm eyepiece with a x2 Barlow.

The eyepiece magnification formula is :

magnification = focal length of telescope/focal length of eyepiece.

Your scope has a focal length of 750mm, so magnification for a 4mm eyepiece = 750/4, which is x187

Apologies if you know all this 👍

Edited February 24 by dweller25

[Gfamily]

On 22/02/2024 at 21:57, fozzybear said:

Welcome on board.  Me ex Manc and worked in the Sandcastle age's ago. 

Do you mean the Royal Insurance building? In which case: hi, we may have passed each other in the very orange canteen. 

[fozzybear]

2 hours ago, Gfamily said:

Do you mean the Royal Insurance building? In which case: hi, we may have passed each other in the very orange canteen. 

yup and a great view out the big windows.I was in the IT dept on the ground floor can't remember what floor the canteen was but they did great meals. 2 meals of the day and a chef who would cook what you wanted ie omlette steak etc that was pre 2000 as I moved to france in 2005

 

Edited February 25 by fozzybear
added text

[fozzybear]

The Royal was on the 2nd floor of the Sandcastle and at that time the largest open plan office space in europe and their programmers where in the building opposite on the upper floors of the newspaper building 17-19th floor if i remember

[Gfamily]

59 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

yup and a great view out the big windows.I was in the IT dept on the ground floor can't remember what floor the canteen was but they did great meals. 2 meals of the day and a chef who would cook what you wanted ie omlette steak etc that was pre 2000 as I moved to france in 2005

 

expect a DM in the morning 😀

[Sunshine]

Hello and welcome to SGL! you’ll have a great time with that scope, one thing is true, just when you’re ready to use your scope the weather ruins the fun.

[bosun21]

14 hours ago, Hellfire said:

Being a spectacles wearer , I find looking through the larger lenses ok but it's difficult looking through the smaller ones

If you suffer from astigmatism then wearing glasses is advised, and if not then you can remove them and use the focuser on the telescope to reach a sharp image.

[Beardy30]

On 22/02/2024 at 16:17, Hellfire said:

Hello everybody, Chas here, 65, from Wirral.

I got myself a Skywatcher Explorer 150P a number of years ago. 

Work however didn't allow time to use it, so up into the loft it went.

Now I'm retired, I've got it down, set up and recollimated and am raring to go.

If only it would stop raining 😂

hello and welcome from Preston 

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire 🙂