** The Official Space Flight Thread - The Space Station and Beyond **

Just seems to be constant cloud up here in Manchester - really want to see this but the weather definately not playing ball at the moment.

Edit - looking better from tomorrow!
 
Do you guys have telescopes? Any recommendations? Thinking of picking one up at some point, but want a half decent one. Not done any research into it yet.
 
TNA said:
Do you guys have telescopes? Any recommendations? Thinking of picking one up at some point, but want a half decent one. Not done any research into it yet.
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It'll turn into a bit of a rabbit hole :D I like my Alt-Az go to scopes personally, I don't do AP and I tend not to spend hours with it, so having something quick and easy to setup and use was my priority so I have a Celestron 8SE, I mainly use it for planetary and it suits me for that. But it's below average if you want to see DSO stuff due to the focal length and AP is very much out of the question with it, bar basic USB webcam style videos of theplanets being alt-az and being prety much at the limit weight wise of what the mount can handle.

If I were to buy new again, I'd be happy with the Celestron stuff again, the newer Nexstar evolution ones, but you're getting up to £2k. You can get the same light gathering for less than £400 with a dobsonian compared to the £2500 Celestron though, but you sacrifice size, dobsonians are big & bulky. They aren't computer controlled, so you need to find your targets, which might be a benefit depending on your point of view and priorities.

But there are loads of options, and some paths are better than other depending on what you want to see or do. And more money doesn't always equal better.
 
VaderDSL said:
It'll turn into a bit of a rabbit hole :D I like my Alt-Az go to scopes personally, I don't do AP and I tend not to spend hours with it, so having something quick and easy to setup and use was my priority so I have a Celestron 8SE, I mainly use it for planetary and it suits me for that. But it's below average if you want to see DSO stuff due to the focal length and AP is very much out of the question with it, bar basic USB webcam style videos of theplanets being alt-az and being prety much at the limit weight wise of what the mount can handle.

If I were to buy new again, I'd be happy with the Celestron stuff again, the newer Nexstar evolution ones, but you're getting up to £2k. You can get the same light gathering for less than £400 with a dobsonian compared to the £2500 Celestron though, but you sacrifice size, dobsonians are big & bulky. They aren't computer controlled, so you need to find your targets, which might be a benefit depending on your point of view and priorities.

But there are loads of options, and some paths are better than other depending on what you want to see or do. And more money doesn't always equal better.
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How much?? :eek:

I am thinking for my first scope £400 would be the limit. I do not even know what dobsonians is. A new form of alien life you discovered with your expensive scope? :p:D

My thoughts are get something decent for now and if I really get into and it becomes a hobby I can later upgrade to something better. It is all about justifying the price, so if I do have enough fun, then budget can increase accordingly :)

So with that budget in mind, can you guys make some recommendations.
 
Will be fun to find Uranus with it and take the opportunity crack out a few jokes. I will be like honey, I think it would be great to have my probe sent to Uranus :D
 
2004typer said:
Just seems to be constant cloud up here in Manchester - really want to see this but the weather definately not playing ball at the moment.

Edit - looking better from tomorrow!
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Same here just down the road. I've been checking on nights where the skies are just partly cloudy, but it's still just too much to allow a sighting. :( Damn British weather and it's constant skygazing ****-blocking.
 
Not holding out much hope of that clearing in the next few hours :(

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Tomorrow night might be better
 
Minusorange said:
So it did manage to clear and stayed clear until it was dark enough to see

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Managed to get a snap of Neowise last night - couldn't see it with naked eye due to light pollution at my location, but camera managed to pick it up.

Need to get the images processed to see how much detail I've recorded but not holding out much hope due to the constraints of my location (could do with driving out somewhere dark, but it's a bit late on and can't be up too late with work pending in the morning).

Looking forward to some dark clear winter nights when I can get out at a reasonable time!

On another note - fantastic ISS pass at about 1125pm - brightest I've ever seen it, and Jupiter and Saturn look great at the moment.
 
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