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Old 12-03-2007, 07:13 AM   #1
aintgotnun
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Default Astronomy

I've got a couple of scopes but no heating strips to control dew. I'm still a newb at the whole star gazing thing.
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Old 12-04-2007, 07:26 PM   #2
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I've got a couple of scopes but no heating strips to control dew. I'm still a newb at the whole star gazing thing.
I'm and amateur too but really enjoy Astronomy. My scope is a 8" Celestron C8 not the best mount for Astrophotography but I try. I built a CCD camera it was very popular camera called a cookbook 245, just a black and white camera with a TEC cooled CCD chip. Had a lot of fun using it even if my stars were not round due to tracking. I then bought a Meade ccd but found out that my Canon digital Rebel took a much better picture. I now use the Meade ccd on a smaller scope mounted on the larger scope with the Canon on it. The Meade auto guides the larger scope and I get much better pictures now. The Meade CCD comes with software that is written to be used with the Meade lx200 scope so I made a interface that takes the LX200 command and converters them into commands that my scope can use. I did this with a Pic chip and it works great. I really love to build electronic projects and program pic chips. I get my best pictures while camping in the mountains.
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Old 12-04-2007, 07:38 PM   #3
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hijacking as we are......


I have an Orion XTI10 Dob with the COL and an Orion 4.5" StarBlast. Since both are Dobs I don't do any photography but I do enjoy looking at the stuff out there. Had some GREAT views of the comet Holmes 17p after it exploded early last month? And I enjoy crusing for the Mesier objects and planet gazing.

Hmmmmm...... May have to start a section for scope nuts.
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Old 12-04-2007, 09:09 PM   #4
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Good deal on the Dob's Greg I really like Dob's for visual work. I have a friend with a 16" Dob and it is quite a light bucket, we have to get it out of the valley and into dark skies to really appreciate the views. The views are stunning, much better than what I can see form my scope. My dream scope is a Meade LX200R but that is a ways off for now.

Radio sorry about the Hijacking this thread, but sense you brought up the fact that Aintgotnun was into Astronomy I didn't think you would mind to much.

I find a lot of Hams are into Astronomy too. Camping, Ham radio and Astronomy all seem to go well together.
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Old 12-05-2007, 06:59 AM   #5
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Moved to "Ragchew" section under "Astronomy" to "un-hijack" the other thread
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Old 12-05-2007, 07:06 AM   #6
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Default My Dobs

Here are a few pics of my Dobs. I added a Telrad to the 10" after these pics were taken.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg scopes01small.jpg (147.3 KB, 77 views)
File Type: jpg scopes02small.jpg (41.9 KB, 75 views)
File Type: jpg scopes03small.jpg (152.7 KB, 72 views)
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Old 12-05-2007, 08:08 PM   #7
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There's another hobby I have to live without until I get my trailer....cool toys though
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Old 12-05-2007, 08:26 PM   #8
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Quote:
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There's another hobby I have to live without until I get my trailer....cool toys though
and Mr. Dave Ramsey fan.......................


bought and paid for

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Old 12-05-2007, 09:33 PM   #9
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Very nice scopes, I tried to find some pictures of my scope but didn't find any so here some of the pictures I made with my telescope.



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Old 12-06-2007, 07:41 AM   #10
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Me too!

http://home.earthlink.net/~snmdurbin/astro/astro.htm
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Old 01-19-2008, 06:10 PM   #11
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I gotta quit looking at these pictures you posted, I' jealous
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Old 12-06-2007, 08:14 AM   #12
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Great pics!

What objects are they? Besides the moon that is..

I may end up having to take up astrophotography one of these days.
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Old 12-06-2007, 08:36 PM   #13
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Great pics!

What objects are they? Besides the moon that is..

I may end up having to take up astrophotography one of these days.
Ops I forgot to label them The middle nebula is M-42 the Orion Nebula and the last one is M-8 the Lagoon Nebula.
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Old 12-06-2007, 09:36 PM   #14
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What Greg said is right on the money. My Orion Nebula is the color that the camera took but the Lagoon nebula had been enhanced for red because the Canon camera had a IR filter and it causes red to look purple when I decide to buy a new camera I will then modify this camera by removing the IR filter but then I can only use it for Astrophotography.

If you want to get into Astronomy I would suggest getting a good pair of Binoculars first and a good star chart. You can see so much with a pair of binoculars and I never have a viewing session without them even with my scope. My binoculars are 7X50. Don't buy department store scopes if they sell it by power then it's probably not a good scope. I use my lowest power eye piece more than any of the more powerful eye pieces. Like Greg said most nebula's look like a gray or light green smears, I enjoy star clusters the most and there are so many of them to see.

One the things that happen to a lot of people getting into Astronomy is they get aperture fever they keep buying bigger scopes until they become much trouble to setup and then they just collect dust. I think that anything above 10" starts to get hard to handle, I have a friend who has a 12" scope and He said he used his 6" scope more often and his 12" is collecting dust because it is so heavy.

For visual viewing the scopes Greg have are the best in my opinion they have the best price to size and so easy to set up you can be viewing in minutes. I could write a book here but there are much better ones already written. Like Ham radio you can spend a lot or a little and you can also build your own scopes.
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Old 12-07-2007, 08:22 AM   #15
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Quote:
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My Orion Nebula is the color that the camera took
That is an amazing pic. And no enhancement. Great!

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One the things that happen to a lot of people getting into Astronomy is they get aperture fever they keep buying bigger scopes until they become much trouble to setup and then they just collect dust. I think that anything above 10" starts to get hard to handle, I have a friend who has a 12" scope and He said he used his 6" scope more often and his 12" is collecting dust because it is so heavy.

For visual viewing the scopes Greg have are the best in my opinion they have the best price to size and so easy to set up you can be viewing in minutes. I could write a book here but there are much better ones already written. Like Ham radio you can spend a lot or a little and you can also build your own scopes.

I was dead set on getting a 12" after all it was only a few hundred more and I had the cash. Then I went to an astro shop and saw them side by side and they let me "move" them around. That's when I decided on the 10". The tube on my 10" weighs about 30lbs with the extra stuff on it. The tube on the 12" weighs over 50lbs. HUGE difference. The base on both is about 26lbs. The overall size of the 12" made it impractical for me as I want to be able to take it camping with me. It would have been a PITA to get in and out of my trailer. My 10" is no problem and it rides on the queen bed with a couple of tie-downs to keep it in place. Set up is quick and easy. If I step outside and see it's a nice clear night I can be up and looking in a matter of 15 minutes and that's with aligning my COL.

And like Steven, I use my low power eye pieces more than the high power as you can get more "stuff" in view. About the only time I break out the high power ones is for planetary viewing. And then it becomes a challange to show people what's in view as everything moves soo fast. At 200+ power, Jupiter will stay in view for less than 2 minutes before I have to "bump" the scope to line it back up. But it's all good. It's a fun hobby.

Whatever you do. DO NOT buy a scope from a department store like wally world. You will use it only once and probably never again. Goto an astro shop and look around. IMO my little 4.5" StarBlast is a great intro scope. About $200 with a couple of eye pieces and easily portable. Set it up on a table and start looking in just a couple of minutes. I don't have any binos yet but they are next on my list.
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Old 01-08-2008, 07:37 PM   #16
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That scope is a real beauty. After you take it apart and reassemble it how long does it take to collimate the mirrors?
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Old 12-06-2007, 09:16 AM   #17
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WOW! Fantastic pics! I have been considering a telescope for quite a while...but I suffer from a disorder known as "fundsrlow", I will be fine as the symptoms come and go!

Can one of you guys reccomend a good scope that won't damage my needs...like eating and such.

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Old 12-06-2007, 04:49 PM   #18
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...but I suffer from a disorder known as "fundsrlow"
I suffer from the same ailment, brought on by my other ailments, leading to disability
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Old 12-06-2007, 09:29 AM   #19
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depends on what you want it for

if you aren't interested in taking pics and just want to looksee than a Dobsonian style scope provides the best bang for the buck as you can get a larger scope for less

when you add picture taking abilities then the toys start getting expensive. that is a ways in my future
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Old 12-06-2007, 09:41 AM   #20
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Hi Greg.....

I would like to see the images like those posted on this thread, as well as other compareable ones. I tend to take on many hobbies and go from one to the next, always returning to each of them...kind of hard to explain.

I see your scopes are Orions. What models are those? Are you completely happy with them? How long have you had them?

TIA
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