The Official Astronomy Thread

[Crusader]

I have no the exact same setup as you Crusader (I think). I have just been spent hours on the net working out how to best tweak it for imaging. I am having issues now deciding whether I must push a Alt-Az setup as far as it can go, or just bite the bullet and get a good eq mount. For some reason I am not getting any good planetary shots.

For planetary you need something which can capture lots of fps and then stack the best ones. Most of the serious planetary imagers use the Flea camera, or other CCD based high gps capable cam. DSO's need long exposures so a normal Canon EOS and the like would do a nice job.

If you are serious about imaging then you definitely need a high quality EQ mount. Trying to get an Alt-Az to work will be too much of a hassle in the long run. quality EQ mount. Trying to get an Alt-Az to work will be too much of a hassle in the long run.

 

[SYN]

OMG....what a pic....awesome

Would you mind sharing what setup you have? i am planning on getting my self sorted with some basic equipment in a month or so...

Hey Caspa.
I have a Celestron Nexstar 8SE. It is a 8 inch SCT scope on a basic Alt-Az goto mount. Then I spent +-R400 on a T-ring that fits my DSLR camera and a 2" nosepeice that when connected to the camera on one side, slided into the telescope like a normal eyepiece. I bought the scope 2nd hand for an absolute bargain from some-one that won it in a comp. and didnt want it. I paid less than half the retail price, and got to break the seal on the box.
What are you looking to spend? And do you want to use it for visual or photographic? <------ I sound like Crusader now.

 

[SYN]

Trying to get an Alt-Az to work will be too much of a hassle in the long run.

I am having alot of fun trying. At the moment any result is very satisfying.
I am very nervous of just buying an EQ mount, so I am going to look at one in George next month to see how they work, how difficult the are to move & setup etc.
At present nothing beats the nexstar scopes for portability and ease of use.

 

[Crusader]

Yup, that's why I'm still sticking to Alt-Az. Might get an EQ if I get to build my own observatory without having to setup each time.

The Nexstar mounts can do wonders with lots of effort. I think you can get up to 20s exposures. Unfortunately for anything longer you'd need something with worm gears and EQ mounted so field rotation isn't a problem.

 

[SYN]

Are you still using your 10" dob now that you have a scope with go-to Crusader? And how big is the differance between the two?

 

[Crusader]

Are you still using your 10" dob now that you have a scope with go-to Crusader? And how big is the differance between the two?

Still using it. The 10" has a much larger FoV, so great for the larger open clusters etc. The 8" has a slightly dimmer image, but it's not an amazing jump when viewing in the 10". You notice a difference but it doesn't blow you away.

 

[spf1007]

I like this thread .... Well I thought I would share with you all. I enrolled at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK to do a part time course in Astronomy.

University Certificate in Astronomy Course - VSASTR501 <-- I am going to start this in October 2011
Most students start here! The astronomy course provides an introduction to astronomy, assuming no prior knowledge of the subject. It contains some observational and practical exercises, but you do not need access to a telescope to complete your astronomy studies.

Introduction to Astronomy - AA1051
In this module you will study both observational and theoretical aspects of astronomy, including the night sky, telescopes, stars, stellar lifetimes and energy sources, galaxies and cosmology. You do not need to have your own telescope or binoculars to complete this module. Students are invited to an optional weekend course at the University's Alston Observatory. This is the module we use to introduce our first year Astrophysics students to the central ideas of astronomy.
Tutor: Anne Sansom & Barbara Hassall
Level: 1 Credits: 20

Here is a link if anyone wants to do this course etc http://www.studyastronomy.com/courses.php?id=3

You can have a look at the Syllabus to see what they cover in the whole course

To be honest I was soooo happy when I received my acceptance letter

 

[mercurial]

Nice

 

[LazyLion]

OK, so I just bought a Celestron Advanced Series C6-SGT Telescope - F/10 second hand. Includes a case with about R1500 worth of lenses.
I got the whole shebang for R5000.

Now I am a complete N00b... this is my first telescope... so any pointers you guys have I would appreciate it!

 

[Crusader]

OK, so I just bought a Celestron Advanced Series C6-SGT Telescope - F/10 second hand. Includes a case with about R1500 worth of lenses.
I got the whole shebang for R5000.

Now I am a complete N00b... this is my first telescope... so any pointers you guys have I would appreciate it!

Congrats! Read the manual. Read the manual again. Practice setting up the scope during the day (repeat!).
Get a reliable power source.
When setting up, don't extend the mount legs to the fullest. It should be at a comfortable height (lower gives better stability).
Let the scope cool off/reach ambient. SCT scopes normally take quite some time, so give things about an hour or so before expecting best views.
Get a dew shield. SCT's are very prone to dewing. A quick blast with a hairdryer set on cold should help as well.

I haven't used an EQ mount so can't give any advice there. Sorry.

 

[LazyLion]

Thanks, I just noticed that the 12v adapter cord/cable was not amongst the things I got. I'll have to give him a call and ask him where it is.

When you say reliable power source, do you mean a decent car battery, or is there some kind of AC adapter?

 

[Crusader]

There should be a AC adapter available for the scope. If you want to use a battery get a deepcycle battery (like those used for boats) which handles recharging much better.

 

[mfumbesi]

I like this thread .... Well I thought I would share with you all. I enrolled at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK to do a part time course in Astronomy.

University Certificate in Astronomy Course - VSASTR501 <-- I am going to start this in October 2011
Most students start here! The astronomy course provides an introduction to astronomy, assuming no prior knowledge of the subject. It contains some observational and practical exercises, but you do not need access to a telescope to complete your astronomy studies.

Introduction to Astronomy - AA1051
In this module you will study both observational and theoretical aspects of astronomy, including the night sky, telescopes, stars, stellar lifetimes and energy sources, galaxies and cosmology. You do not need to have your own telescope or binoculars to complete this module. Students are invited to an optional weekend course at the University's Alston Observatory. This is the module we use to introduce our first year Astrophysics students to the central ideas of astronomy.
Tutor: Anne Sansom & Barbara Hassall
Level: 1 Credits: 20

Here is a link if anyone wants to do this course etc http://www.studyastronomy.com/courses.php?id=3

You can have a look at the Syllabus to see what they cover in the whole course

To be honest I was soooo happy when I received my acceptance letter

Are you registered as a correspondent student (like UNISA) or are you part time (your location says Pretoria, I'm a bit confused).

 

[spf1007]

Are you registered as a correspondent student (like UNISA) or are you part time (your location says Pretoria, I'm a bit confused).

I am doing the distance learning part time

 

[mfumbesi]

^Ahh thanks. I've been considering this for a while, but with UNISA. I was torn between Astrophysics and just Astronomy.

 

[ooogz]

Saw Saturn through my scope yesterday for the first time and i was amazed

Sent from my GT-I9000 using MyBroadband Android App

 

[Kalvaer]

Sooo, having to re-learn all the night skies here now. Its kinda odd to look up at the sky and not recognise most things.

The next problem is that it only gets dark at 10, so you have to stay up really late to see anything.

We are also still looking for an apartment (5 weeks, 30 places down and no luck yet), and then a school for our son, AND then finding a job (baby steps right), though we are house sitting for friends in downtown Genéve right now, so the urban lighting hasn't helped much either.

Though, hopefully in the next few months when all things are sorted, I'll be able to buy a new scope and try take some photos of the opposite side if the night sky for you all.

Hope all is well with all of you back in SA

 

[LazyLion]

[video]http://redux.com/stream/item/2078376/Planets-Viewed-from-Earth-as-if-They-Were-at-The-Distance-of-Our-Moon[/video]

 

[ooogz]

Noob question, will we be able to see the perseids tonight etc in south africa?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using MyBroadband Android App

 

[bubbatentoe]

I've been thinking of building an equatorial platform for my 10" dob.

Does anyone here have experience in EQ platforms for Jo'burg latitude?