Scopes for £200 quid or under

[GazOC]

It's a Dob CC..... No tracking motors... The batteries are for the fan only.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

So how does that work then? Stick the camera on and get trails?

Must get a grip and realise that some people actually look down the thing. Wierd if you ask me.

Captain Chaos

[GazOC]

LOL!! Us visual guys are a dying breed but don't kill us off just yet!!

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Gaz, I have spent hours looking down the hole at nothing. Stick a camera on and oh, the ecstasy. Something to look at, and to keep, it's a different thing altogether.

With the light pollution as it is in the West Yorkshire Conurbation (well they called it that when I was at school) we have very little chance to get even close to dark skies but I can image the stuff by filtering out the LP. It amazes me that when I open my (20+ year old) astronomy books they have images like I can do. Roger, Arthur et.al. would have freaked these guys out that wrote these books and its this amazing ability that keeps me going. The number of times that I tried, as a child and spotty youth, to see these things and failed, led me to think that I had to have a 200" mirror and now I don't. The fact that I scrounged 4" condenser lenses out of enlargers that would not even be described as achro and tried to mate them to microscope EPs is now amusing to me, but I didn't understand the question and got the answer wrong as a result. Now that I think I understand the question, many years later, I am having a ball doing what I wanted to do all those years ago.

I can see the visual thing gets people where they want to be, and if I could see these things visually, then I would be there with them. The cold hard facts are that I can't go galivanting off to a dark site whenever the skies clear as I have kids to look after, beer to drink etc. With the imaging gear available relatively cheaply, I can get the photos from those books myself and I don't have to fall out with the missus doing it.

It works for me, do what works for you.

Captain Chaos

[FLO]

I shall try imaging later this year but only to satisfy my curiosity.

I have no trouble finding objects to gaze on thru the eyepiece - though I am close to a dark-sky location. I also enjoy the simplicity of regular eye-to-eyepiece observing and the 'connection' it gives me with the object.

But, like you said, all to their own

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Its a very diverse hobby this standing out in the dark. There are so many targets and so many ways of doing it, I truly wonder if any two of us on this forum have the same way of doing it or the same reason for doing it.

Whatever I / you want to do;

Clear skies.

Captain Chaos

[GazOC]

CC,

I don't go "galivanting" anywhere, I live in North Wales - it's dark as hell of a night - we only got electricity up here 6 months ago.

As you say, each to his own. My comment wasn't meant as a reproachment, just a bit of banter. This place would be a lot quieter with out the imagers showing us their skills.

Gaz

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Gaz, I took no offense nor reproach, my apologies for my hamfisted post. I come here to learn, discuss and learn more, and (best bit) enjoy the discussions. My point was not meant to be pointed. Only that I have LP issues that mean that visual observing is reserved for lunar, solar and the occasional planetary target. The rest is drowned out in a sea of sodium unless its filtered heavily. Then everything is too dark to see unless you unleash the camera.

Captain Chaos

[GazOC]

No worries mate, it's was just the last sentence "It works for me, do what works for you" made me think you'd took my post the wrong way. No harm done eh?

I totally understand why peope in and around the cities take to the imaging side of the hobby. When I go for nights out in Liverpool I can see just what people are up against visually, even on clear nights you can't see much below 60 degrees and even then it's not too hot....