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Newbee's Excitement! (long)
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05-03-2010 9:56am#1Hello all!
I'm a 40 something (cough) Male, tall, blue eyes, dark hair (mostly)...Ooops....wrong forum
But I am 40 something, and since I could walk have been fascinated with our universe, inwards and looking out to space.
I have early memories of Patrick Moore and The Sky at Night and that program was a staple for me as a child and youth.
For YEARS I've wanted a Telescope, but when I was young I could not afford one and then life took over. Then.....finally 'the planets aligned'....ALDI had a 'scope in for Christmas and I convinced my wife that a telescope would be a good Santa Presnet for me (of course...my only thought was to make her life easier )....
Before you say it....no, I didn't get that ALDI scope but DID buy a second hand Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ on eBay.
As it was a Santa present....I set it up when I receved it...pointed at the moon to make sure it worked and packed it away again.
It was tough....there, every night to Christmas, was Jupiter in a CLEAR sky....
It was only in January that I got use the scope and my first night out was a minor disater....it was so cold the scope froze...solid... (for a number of reasons and it has not happened again)
The last couple of weeks I've been looking at Mars....nice...nothing mind blowing but impressive nonetheless, an 'orange' blob with some white bits.
Then, last night I dragged my two eldest kids out of bed, in their pyjamas....out into a -3C and falling....
Last night had amazingly clear skys here (near Athlone). I waited for Saturn to come over the horizon enough to clear our hedges and pointed.
Immediately, on 30x I could see the globe with spikes......
Up to 65....more....then at 130x and 160x WOW!
Picture the same middle age man staning out in the cold...repeating out loud:
'This is SO COOL!' (and for anyone watching me....they'd be thinking...'He is so NOT!').
WOW...WOW...WOW.....and it really puts inter perspective the relatiove size of Saturn to mars or Earth!
Of course it was all white, but the rings were very clear as a solid band reasonably distinct from the globe...and I'm pretty sure if I'd waited a few hours it would have been better (further from the horizon).
But my 10 year-old was very impressed and the 13 year-old even gave an approving murmer.
I cannot wait for Autumn and Jupiter.....
The Great Nebula in Orion was also very clear last night.
I wish I had younger eyes.
Happy days
Peter12
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Oh I know that feeling.
I got a scope over Xmas and took it out a few times to look at the moon.
Since I've moved up to rathmines it's just been way too smoggy to actually see anything but smoke before 1:00 am.
I need to start using it again, after all the cars die down at the late hours.
Anyway, welcome to stargazing. It's pretty amazing 0 -
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Jupiter and it moons were great in November, i only have binoculars but could still see them. would love a scope but funds wont allow.
The sky at night is still running.
I still get a buzz from watching the skies, especially since i can now find stars and constellations thanks to stellaruim
Stellarium is a fantastic piece of software.
Unfortunately it won't run on my Windows 7 64 machine....
Fortunately we I have other OS's on other machines
I occassionally watch the Sky at Night when I win the battle for the TV remote. Still a great program.
And....rub it in about Jupiter why don't you!! :rolleyes:
As I mentioned above, I got my scope second hand on eBay. Cost me about €110 all in And was as good as new in condition. The only things that got damaged in shipping were the Celestron Software discs...and....well...Stellarium is a fantastic piece of software..... 0 -
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Ok, some photos. I haven't got the hang of astrophotography yet. These are to illustrate how exciting it's been to look at the moon through the telescope (Meade ETX-70). Neither is as good as my actual view through the scope. I have a lot of learnig to do.
Both photos are taken with the same camera a couple of days apart. One on a tripod pointed at the full moon, one on a tripod pointing through the telescope.
I'm at the very beginning of learning how to do this so expect major improvements in the future!
I included a Stellarium screen grab of both of them to compare with.
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My first night's astrophotography - Saturn:
25th April 2010,
Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ
€5 Webcam
Registax
And a few weeks later with a better camera...
14th May 2010
Celestron Astromaster 130 EQ
Philips SPC900nc Webcam
2.5 x Barlow
Registax
Both with 'hand tracking' 0 -
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Latest attempts to capture Saturn. 18th June 2010, lovely clear night...but it takes AGES to get dark...and even then....
Celestron G8N (8" reflector)
Philips SPC900NC Webcam
2.5 x Barlow
Registax
Saturns getting lower in the sky and most of Saturn is now in the direction of Athlone's light haze.
Viewing with the eye through the eypiece still shows much more detail so I must be doing something wrong with the camera...
Looking forward to Jupiter!
Peter0 -
Life has gotten in the way of my observing too. Basically I haven't had a proper nights observing in nearly 2 years. Got a 12" dob in Dec '07 and had a fabulous year observing in '08 both at home and with the SDAS at our dark sites in the Wicklow Mountains and Public outreach events in Glendalough. I sold the 12" April '09 because I found a once in a lifetime deal on a brand new 16" Lightbridge Dob and bought one in Dec '08. There was a big Meade discount promotion on, 10% Xmas discount at Telescopehouse in the UK and the Euro had just hit parity with sterling. I got a €2400 lightbridge(European Vendor price) for €1100.
It wasn't the best time to buy a new scope as we had just moved to a house and were going to start renovations. Planning hassles delayed the house renovations and work commitments meant I couldn't get out observing much. I decided on a massive project of 'renovations' (mods
) on the scope. Talk about making my life even more difficult. The scope was in pieces for most of '09. Finished 99% of the mods in Sept '09 and bought a GOTO drive system for the big dob in October '09. Timed that one brilliantly as well :rolleyes: By now the house renovations had started. Its June 2010 and I still haven't fitted the drive, nor the wifi gizmo which will integrate with astronomy software on my iPhone.
I haven't lost my astronomy interest in the slightest and lurk and post on all the main astronomy forums a few times a week. Its just I don't have the time and its killing me. Its gone beyond a joke now with the observing buddies where they will ask when they are going to get to see the 'New' scope and I tell them probably next month. I've been saying that for over 12 months now!!
Anyway, heres a picture I took of Saturn in May '08 with an SPC900 webcam on my 12inch dob on an equatorial tracking platform. This was one of my first and last attempts at planetary imaging due to real life getting in the way. I didn't scratch the surface of learning how to use all the gear and could have done so much better with practice. However like I said real life got in the way and that scope is now sold, (which reminds me, theres a few hundred euro of tracking platform in my shed that I must get round to selling ) Basically when I get back to observing and imaging with the new scope and tracking drive it'll be like learning how to walk again. Can't wait though.
Oh Yeah, the pic. Its amazing to see how thin the rings have gotten after going edge on late '09/'10 compared to '08. It will be 2012 before they look like my pic again.
Heres is one from April '09 I just found. Just remembered I did this one a week or two before I sold the 12" scope. Notice the rings closing since the year before.
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Actually, I was just messing about with the planetarium software on my iPhone (Sky Voyager) and fast forwarded through the months. Saturns rings will have actually opened up to roughly the same angle as my first pic next Saturn apparition/opposition in '11.
For those who have only been observing in the last year or so you are in for a treat. As cool as Saturn looks now with the rings edge on like an arrow through the disc, wait till the open up again. Stunning stuff and I don't think I'll ever tire of Saturn. Most astronomers will tell you that the first object and the last object they check out every observing night is Saturn.
My one regret is that I didn't have a telescope back on '03 when Saturn was at the most northern point on the ecliptic which means it was almost overhead where you get the crispest sharpest views and the rings were at their widest. The next time the rings are that wide again will be in '15/'16 but the planet will be at the most southern point on the ecliptic then which means Saturn will only be about 15º high from our latitude. Think how low Jupiter was in '08. The views will be much mushier because we are looking through much much more atmosphere and the neighbours roof might even be in the way
BTW, have a look at what amatuer Anthony Wesley(the guy who discovered the comet impact scars on Jupiter last year and actually managed to video a comet impact a few weeks ago!!) from Austrailia can do with a good camera and scope.
http://acquerra.com.au/astro/0 -
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