Is this normal?

[kris h]

Welcome To SGL Mike

[GJBC]

one thing that is normal is you will always have cloud after buying new kit as for the rest of it normality get lost or blurred somewhere along the line.

welcome to the forum

Grahame

[Bizibilder]

Hello! And welcome to SGL!

[RichieJarvis]

Hi from me as well

I find I get all excited when I know new kit is going to turn up... Its like being a child at Christmas again!

Good luck with the kit though - welcome to the hobby and enjoy yourself! Are you planning to come to any star parties?

Cheers,

Richie

[MikeWilson]

Thank you everyone! My replacement scope arrived today thanks to the great people at FLO.

I am really looking forward to some star parties. What should I expect? Where can I sign up?

[RichieJarvis]

Cool - glad you've got it sorted. We can blame you for the clouds last night then, eh?

Star Parties - the next one is Salisbury Star Party, you can sign up right here on the forum if there is space left (not sure on that one.)

Cheers,

Richie

[Marc8667]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

Marc.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gy Stargazer]

Hi and welcome to SGL.

[MikeWilson]

Thank you

I've taken my first images through the Mak tonight and I'm really happy with them. The moon shots were from the iPhone 4 held up to the lens and the Jupiter shot was my Panasonic Lumix TZ7 held afocally.

The Moon and Jupiter

[Polar Bear]

Hi Mike from another new entrant. I have only been at this one month and have already upgraded my scope and want some good planetary eyepieces so totally normal I would say. I'm even explaining collimation to my friends !

[MikeWilson]

Hi Mike from another new entrant. I have only been at this one month and have already upgraded my scope and want some good planetary eyepieces so totally normal I would say. I'm even explaining collimation to my friends !

Hello Polar Bear

I'm also only one month in and feeling like I need a few more inches on my telescope! I purchased the Revelation Plossl Eyepiece (Photo & Visual) set from FLO and I can highly recommend them. They really do make a big difference to the visual acuity of the planets (I haven't seen anything else other than the moon yet).

As for collimation - LOL I hopefully don't need to do it (so often) with a Mak scope. What did you go for in the end?

[Polar Bear]

Hello Polar Bear

I'm also only one month in and feeling like I need a few more inches on my telescope! I purchased the Revelation Plossl Eyepiece (Photo & Visual) set from FLO and I can highly recommend them. They really do make a big difference to the visual acuity of the planets (I haven't seen anything else other than the moon yet).

As for collimation - LOL I hopefully don't need to do it (so often) with a Mak scope. What did you go for in the end?

Hi Mike, I have gone about this backwards buying my tripod and mount first. Having done lots of photography I know the importance of solid mounts so got a secondhand AZ4 Skywatcher / Synta that was an absolute steal. Then came a Celestron 130 Astromaster outfit, again a bargain and I sold on the mount / tripod. A week after I see an Orion Europa 150 on ebay with lots of eyepieces and a laser colliminator all with an EQ3 mount and motor on good old ebay. I have kept the colliminator , an Antares 3x Barlow and the best 2 wide angle eyepieces with the rest going on ebay with the 130.

When this round of ebay has finished I expect the total cost of the Orion / AZ4 / Laser / Barlow and 2 WA eyepieces to be £0.00

Who said this was an expensive hobby !

The great thing with the AZ4 and Orion is that it takes about 2 minutes to set up. Next up is a goto mount and a good 90mm refractor for some imaging. Is this normal ? I'd say.

Paul

[MikeWilson]

Paul,

That's very interesting. I know what you mean about a quality mount - the Skywatcher GOTO mount (the one that comes with the Mak 127) is a little wobbly and I wouldn't want to be attaching anything heavy to it. But it does the job for now and I'm very happy with it.

Ultimately I think everyone ends up with an EQ mount, especially for imaging.

[KingOfColly]

Welcome to the madhouse. While you may think your behaviour is a little odd now just wait. Wishing away your summers and dancing round the garden and trying hard not to shout out loud the first time you see Saturn through your scope are all though normal around here.

This is so true

[mark7331]

HI Mike, welcome to SGL. Nice moon shots!

Mark

[MikeWilson]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I'll be at SSP2010 this coming Friday and Saturday (and Sunday morning). If you're around, come and say hello. I'll put the kettle on

[Starblazer]

Looks like someone else has a touch of G.A.S

I'm awaiting arrival of Megrez 72, followed by, hopefully if I can sell my baitboat, the upgrade for my eq6 mount to synscan pro goto

So I have quite a few sleepless nites ahead I fear.

[Doug]

Welcome to the forum Mike

whats normal about this hobby it;s 03.30 and i'm sending this:D

[mark7331]

Oh, yeah - it's 4.01 and I'm reading it!