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So if the scope does dew up, of course your night is cut short but getting condensed water inside your scope sounds really bad. Does it just evaporate with no hard or do you get water marks on your mirrors? Either way I probably will build one. I found another linked (linked through one of your earlier posts) here: http://www.blackwaterskies.co.uk/2013/05/making-your-own-nichrome-dew-heater.html Seems pretty straight forward. One of the benefits of living in a quasi-arid area though. Humidity is usually never near 40%+ unless it's going to rain in the near future. Erev posted:So, in short, I'm not entirely sure where to begin - my budget is probably in the $500-$700 range initially with more available over time. Ideally I'd like to get some sort of middle ground scope of good manufacture that I could use to eyeball the universe. If it allows for photography and/or tracking that'd be a great bonus (though sometimes I do like to chase things down myself so I'm not certain that I'd want it to be ONLY computerized/motorized). Size of the scope isn't a big issue as I've got a truck. I do apologize for the post being so scatterbrained but any help or suggestions would be hugely appreciated. Look used. You never know what you can find. I see decent dobs posted locally in the $200-$400 range regularly.
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Jul 11, 2015 16:34
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I am just looking forward to getting the scope. It's sitting in my folks basement in St. Albert as we speak, so I just have to wait until I go up again... which may be who knows. There is supposedly an astronomy club in Lethbridge that I should probably check into.
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Jul 13, 2015 20:57
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I just ordered a Celestron Starsense for my 8SE that I don't even have yet
slidebite fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 18, 2015 06:41
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shortspecialbus posted:Looking at getting my first decent telescope. Right now it's pretty much between the zhumell z8 or the z10. http://www.telescopes.com/products/zhumell-z10-deluxe-dobsonian-reflector-telescope As someone who had a 10" Dob and got rid of it, keep in mind the physical size of them. It is almost 5' tall and 60+ lbs. They are big and unwieldy, although to be honest I'm not sure an 8" would really be that much better. Also remember a mount like that isn't really good for telephotography unless you are doing something with really short exposures. I'm looking to get a battery pack for me 8SE Celestron. I assume something like this should work? http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00935L44E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A1F3RS3IOEG1Z2 12V, 10000 mah and lots of DC adapters. Sounds like according to cloudynights forums, the DC input of the Nexstar is pretty standard and they have good luck/life with packs half that size.
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Jul 19, 2015 23:32
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Coxswain Balls posted:That battery should work fine if it's just for the scope. Heaters might have a problem because its max current rating is on the low side. Just make sure to check the max current draw of all the equipment that will be hooked up to it to make sure you're in the clear. How crazy of an idea would it be to use one of those small lead-acid based portable jump packs and a cigarette lighter adapter? Seems to me that is more or less what the Celestron brand item is.
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Jul 20, 2015 16:14
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Also, is there a recommended imager/CCD for those wanting to get their feet wet in basic astrophotography?
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Jul 20, 2015 20:30
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Coxswain Balls posted:There's a bit more detail in this reply, but as long as your battery is tolerant of deep discharge/recharge cycles it should work fine. Just make sure to do the necessary math to confirm that you'll have enough juice for a night of observing.  I forgot about your earlier post. Sorry.
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Jul 21, 2015 14:15
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I think that's going to depend on what the bearing surfaces are like on your mount. My old Dob had a spring that hooked one end on the trunion and the other on the base, so it basically pulled the scope down and wouldn't move without deleberate effort. I would probably see if you could try and do something like that before you start adding weights. Like this scope here: http://www.khanscope.com/productdetails.cfm?productID=198 In other news, I'm going down the gizmo rabbit hole
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Jul 24, 2015 04:20
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Jekub posted:I've been to La Palma! Gorgeous  got the 8SE today. I think it's pretty cool but the instructions seem to leave a bit to be desired.. Seems to be an ecliptic mix of items and for some reason 2 eyepiece trays. A little disappointing that the next star has to be unplugged to use the cradle but whatever. Bonus: It came with batteries that are even charged! Double bonus, my 12V AC-DC adapter for my small jump pack seems like a perfect fit for the power input. Only puts out 500ma so it's probably only good enough for the scope itself. I need to take a proper inventory of the items and see exactly what I have. What's the best way to tell if the tripod legs are in the right position and the base itself is level? I had them extended full and it didn't look quite right and the eyepiece tray seemed a little off-kilter. Other than just not looking right, is there a "proper" way to adjust? e: Might be a stupid question, but the optical back on the back of the scope has an outside thread, how on earth are eyepieces supposed to go into it? 
slidebite fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Jul 29, 2015 |
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Jul 29, 2015 01:16
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Coxswain Balls posted:Awesome, hope you get a lot of use out of it. OK, so I am a little confused. My visual back is the part that has the outside threads. It threads into the 2" (or whatever) is on the back of the scope. I don't see anything that has a female threads that joins to that
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Jul 29, 2015 17:27
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I think I figured what was throwing me for a loop. The visual back will accept a standard 1-1/4 eyepiece into it, however the 25mm Plossl that it came with doesn't appear to have the same OD as the standard eyepieces like I have from before. You know how most eyepieces are silver where they slide in? This one doesn't. Any idea why? e: I do see it has an internal thread, but it does NOT thread onto the male thread of the visual back.
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Jul 29, 2015 17:36
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Yeah, I think you're right. Not really concerned as I already have some decent eyepieces from when I had my old 10" Dob so I'm not stuck. What's the best filters to use for deep sky/nebula viewing? Also, seems to me there was a particular filter that's best suited for helping with light pollution?
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Jul 29, 2015 21:03
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So, uh, I uh, only have a cheapo 6mm wide relief eyepiece left from my old dob and the ultra-cheap pack-ins with a "Year of Astronomy" 3.5" reflector  Only have my decent Antares left from the day. So, I just on a whim bought an X-CEL 9mm, 12mm, 25mm and a Meade 07731 6.5mm as well. I know they are not uber high-end, but they should be a decent mix hey? The reviews of the X-CELs and of that Meade seem OK.
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Jul 29, 2015 21:53
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^^ I think it looks great  Thanks for the input over the last few days. Seems she didn't include a proper lens with the scope but did include 2 DSL adapters and a 5x Barlow. Not a huge thing though, I'd probably buy more/better eyepieces anyhow. So yet another question: What are the cool kids doing for transport cases? I saw a nice heavy work-case at Walmart that I think would work great for moving around the 8SE, but I am not sure what to line it with. I obviously don't want it to move around in the case. Ideally I'd like to do a foam cutout but I don't even know where to start. What do you fill up the extra space with?
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Jul 30, 2015 00:43
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^Thanks for the input^ Well, got 3 of the 4 eyepieces. The X-CEL 25mm, 12mm and 9mm made it in. Only the Meade 6.5mm is outstanding but due to be delivered Tuesday. It's gorgeous today, hot and clear with low humidity. StarSense is installed, ran the Celestron firmware updater which did both the Starsense camera and the hand controller/database and the evening outlook forecast is positive. I think we're going to do first-light tonight  Oh, I'll need to check the collimation. I've seen a couple of youtube vids of doing it with SC scopes (only done a Dob until now). Any tips/tricks I should be aware of or things to look out for?
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Jul 31, 2015 20:46
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I am familiar with the bright star method but not what you mentioned with standing a few meters away. Can you explain?
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Jul 31, 2015 22:51
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I actually broke out the scope around 6PM and tried out the full aperture solar filter. Was a little concerned because the sun was just a blurry blob and no amount of focusing could bring it in, I probably fully rotated the knob 10 times and I thought sheesh, it might be broken. I took the filter off and slew to a distant terrestrial object and to my relief was able to bring it in. Encouraged I put the filter back on, found the sun and focused a bit towards infinity. Success! Sun became crystal clear. Could easily see the sunspot groups. After 10 when it started getting dark I fired it up again. Starsense took over and did the auto alignment and I was off to the races. Few things I realized: With a bit of breeze the image noticeably moves in the eyepiece. I also shouldn't use the 6' patio as a viewing place. The footsteps and moving just moves everything too much. And, sadly, I have just too much light pollution which washed out the images and also stopped my eyes from being dark adapted. Andromeda was just a fuzzy mass with the 25mm eyepiece but I could certainly tell I was indeed looking at the right area. Saturn looked great though but I had a tough time looking at it with anything other than the 12mm eyepiece as it just moved too much in the FOV due to being on the patio and the breeze. The full moon certainly didn't help either, but fortunately (I think) my patio is on the north side of my house, so the house blocked the worst of it. However, I could certainly see the light glow of the moon pretty much everywhere below zenith that wasn't due north. If we get a nice clear nice out again after tonight, I'm heading a couple miles out of town to try and repeat. Also, collimation was bang-on. I tried the optical method CB linked too, and I thought it looked good. When I was out at night I tried the out-of-focus technique and it confirmed, perfect concentric circles so I am pleased with that. Especially since I moved it hundreds of miles in the back of my truck and not sure how the previous owner cared for it. I do think I am also going to look for a lens larger than the 25mm. I want to increase that FOV for deep-sky objects. What should I look for? Also, what about filters? slidebite fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Aug 1, 2015 |
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Aug 1, 2015 16:41
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Question I've been meaning to ask: What is the big differences, practical and technical between the cheapo 1.25" eyepieces and the "higher end" stuff? The physical size difference is impressive and surprised me the first time I saw one.
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Aug 5, 2015 18:03
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What do you guys typically use for magnification/lenses for 10-20 second exposures? I don't think my Nextstar is up for much more than that. Does anyone have a recommendation for a USB camera? Also, I got this 10000mha pack which seems to be fantastic for the 8SE. Just to get some velcro so I can put it on the fork. http://www.amazon.ca/XTPower%C2%AE-...tery+pack+10000
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Aug 17, 2015 14:21
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Cool as hell. How did you identify it? I assume you meant magnitude is +18 right?
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Aug 19, 2015 05:50
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GutBomb posted:Also: you brought your gun to a star party? I use the reflex sight on my AR as a telerad
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Aug 23, 2015 07:43
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Looking at the moon last night I realize I really need a decent lunar filter. Any brands/types recommended or stay away from? Seeing the moon even with my eyes closed for a few seconds afterwards isn't particularly enjoyable. Also, what is recommended for bringing out nebula? O-III? Anything for galaxies?
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Aug 23, 2015 16:14
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If you can afford it, an 8" SCT is surprisingly compact one you break it down from the tripod.* If it's still too bulky, look for a 6. Keep your eyes open in craigs/local online listings. You can sometimes get drat lucky. Vladimir Poutine posted:If anyone's interested Neptune reaches opposition tonight, which means it's at the brightest point in its orbit and also the closest it gets to Earth. This week is probably the best time to look at it for a while. It's in Aquarius near the star Lambda Aquarii and shouldn't be that hard to find with binoculars. * Not exactly small, just not a big dob-size optical tube. slidebite fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Sep 1, 2015 |
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Sep 1, 2015 05:30
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Rotten Cookies posted:So I was on the verge of buying a telescope a while ago from Craigslist. Turned out the guy had already sold it and never took down the posting. I figured too bad, it wasn't meant to be. Well, I got a telescope the other day. That's pretty cool, good for you. I'd personally just scrounge craigs or something for a cheap scope with a mount or just a mount on its own and adapt the scope to it. Probably be a lot easier than trying to match up with proper worm to go with the worm gear and drive for it unless you really luck out.
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Oct 9, 2015 18:51
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Can I ask a stupid question about astrophotography? It looks like the CCDs just replace eyepieces, right? If that's the case, how do you play with magnification at all?
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Oct 28, 2015 17:52
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EngineerJoe posted:I got a polar scope and a motor drive for christmas so I tried taking a few pics (and stacking them). I honestly have no idea what I'm doing but I'm pretty happy with the result. Vladimir Poutine posted:If anyone's interested, Neptune will be 5 degrees below the moon on Wednesday night and on Friday night Uranus will be 5 degrees above the moon. Just scan around the area with binoculars and you'll find them pretty quickly. Both planets aren't visible to the naked eye so I don't normally bother to look for them unless they're near something more obvious.
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Jan 15, 2016 03:33
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I've got a Celestron 8SE but thinking I might want to try my hand a bit at astrophotography. I understand the Nexstar mount, while it tracks, isn't appropriate for photography. C/D? Assuming it is not, what kind of mount should I be looking at that won't cost a huge fortune? I would like some sort of a go-to mount if possible. Also, is there an FAQ for astrophotography? Software to use and recommended CCD eyepieces?
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Jan 28, 2019 15:19
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Since you have no frame of reference you have literally no idea how a camera was orientated taking the photo so any point on the surface could be anywhere "o'clock". It's very common as I'm sure you know to have a camera not exactly perpendicular to the horizon. Ask him how long haul aircraft fly between distant continents or ships navigate. If the earth wasn't a sphere(ish) it wouldn't work. Also ask him if you can just fly off into space if you go over the "edge" in an airplane or something. You'll have to dumb something down to a basic level to hope they grasp, if they think the earth is flat talking about orbits will be over their head. People that truly believe in flat earth in this day and age make me weep for humanity.
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Jan 31, 2019 15:24
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Nude Hoxha Cameo posted:How do you find that scope / mount, apart from AP? I was thinking of upgrading from an Orion XT6 to that one. Sorry, just saw your question. I rarely remember to check this thread. I quite like it. I found it when visiting my folks a couple years ago, a local person who was going through a divorce was looking to sell it and I got a nice package for a good price. The Nexstar/mount is a little funky to get used to but seems to work OK. Quality of the tube/optics seems great though. That said, a local person has a basically brand new Celestron CPC-1100 for sale and I'm thinking of going up to an 11" from my 8". I am thinking of offering them about half what it's worth. It's been for sale for some time and still listed, so I'm thinking they're not having much luck. I suspect the standard mount, while very sturdy from what I can tell, is not ideal for astrophotography so that might be an issue. Thoughts on the scope?
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Mar 10, 2019 19:30
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No opinions on a Celestron CPC-1100? Is a wedge good enough for doing some basic imaging with a fork mount or is a true equitorial really the way to go? Also, as a new question... What are thoughts on building a small "observatory" in a yard? My 8" (or maybe 11" if I go that way) isn't huge, but it would be kind of nice to leave it outside and save the constant pack ups/set ups. Any thoughts? Plans to follow? I was almost thinking of a shed but a retractable roof kind of makes a ready-to-go standard Lowes/HD type thing not going to happen.
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Mar 17, 2019 17:01
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Thanks for the thoughts. I'm not sure if it's practical for my yard... bigger issues I didn't think of, like underground irrigation that would have to be moved, so it might be a bit of a pipe dream.
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Mar 18, 2019 03:56
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Hasselblad posted:Are you envisioning pouring a concrete slab for the floor or just footings? I'd probably just do a 4" thick slab or something, but regardless where the "observatory" would go in the corner of my yard is at the intersection of 2 irrigation zones and associated sprinkler heads, which would necessitate digging/trenching lines which, to be honest, is more work than I want to do for something that probably won't get used as much as I'd like anyhow. The idea appeals to me, but it's seriously, 5-10 minutes of work to lug the scope out and set it up, possibly a bit more if thermals are an issue. Heh, didn't even catch that.
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Mar 18, 2019 16:39
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A semi-local guy has a Celesctron A-VX mount for sale, about 50% off new. Looks to be in great shape, firmware updated, all manuals. I'm thinking of buying this and putting my 8SE tube on it and getting my toes wet for astrophotography. Decent mount if I can get it for a good price?
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Apr 21, 2019 17:46
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Oh dear, the 8" pushing it? I thought it had a capacity of something like 30+lbs - the 8" is something like 10-11lbs isn't it?Golden-i posted:I've got the Advanced VX that I use with an 8" tube, it's a really good intermediate mount. I have it coupled with a tracking camera and it still has some issues with tracking near zenith, I imagine that's due to the relatively tiny motions required, but otherwise it's pretty accurate once you figure out the process to get it aligned. I am in Canada but don't like going out when it's really cold, but that's good info to know.
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Apr 21, 2019 23:26
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Hmm, this is really making me think about what I want to do here. Appreciate the input guys.
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Apr 23, 2019 19:37
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I am just outside Panama City right now, so light pollution is a thing; but my hotel room is a straight SE view over the ocean so I can easily make out Alpha and Beta Centuri and the southern cross. As a Canadian, it's pretty cool to see southern stuff.
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May 1, 2019 04:32
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A guy 2 hours away has a few year old HEQ5 on sale. Asking $400  for it. He send me a couple pictures. Price seems reasonable, seems like a normal human being on replies. I'm thinking of grabbing it.It's black in color as opposed to how they are white on the Skywatcher website (not sure if that means anything... old?) Thoughts for me 8SE? It has a bigger payload than the celestron AVX I was considering earlier and a bit cheaper too. e: Looks like this model here. Might be quite old being black? http://www.astro-baby.com/heq5-rebuild/heq5-m1.htm Here is the actual mount 
slidebite fucked around with this message at 14:24 on May 22, 2019 |
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May 22, 2019 14:09
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I thought it was a go-to. Thanks for mentioning that. I'll probably pass based on that alone.
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May 23, 2019 01:42
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Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is buying a wedge like this https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Wedge-NexStar-Evolution-93665/dp/B018T2D2BY Good enough to let me do some basic, minute or two exposures with my 8SE or do I need to go full-blown equatorial mount?
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May 25, 2019 18:18
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 12:52 |
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Hi again, I have a question about mounts and dovetails. I stumbled upon a smoking deal on a like new CGEM mount. I'm going to pick it up. Note it's about 3 years old and NOT the CGEM II. The scope I have right now is a Celestron 8SE (and that's the tube I plan putting on the CGEM) but from what I can tell that has the Vixen 1.75" dovetail. The CGEM has a 3" dovetail (from what I can tell). What's the best way to get the 1.75 to 3" ? Would something like this work for my 8" tube? https://www.celestron.com/products/8-inch-dovetail-bar-cge I'd either like a whole new dovetail rail, or do they make adapters?
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Jul 7, 2019 18:12
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