Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 09:30 Fri 06 Dec 2013
I was waving!DRT wrote:+20mins the cloud lifted. Mars was low in the sky and decidedly bright and red, but I couldn't see Daniel.
ThePortForum.com
A place for those passionate about port, and for those new to it. We hold lots of Port tastings: please join us!
https://www.theportforum.com/
A reason to get up early
Page 3 of 24
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 14:51 Fri 06 Dec 2013
Not waving, but drowning.djewesbury wrote:I was waving!DRT wrote:+20mins the cloud lifted. Mars was low in the sky and decidedly bright and red, but I couldn't see Daniel.
Sorry, no more poetry.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 00:43 Sat 07 Dec 2013
This is a remarkably reasonable investment. And it is your tool of choice? I may have to get on to Santy.DRT wrote:I own a Skywatcher Heritage 130p Dobsonian (purchased from that site) that I find to be easy to use and to give good results when pointed upwards. I have not pointed towards anyone's window so can't comment on its performance for watching showers of a non-astronomical nature. I bought this scope after many, many hours of research and it seems to do what it says on the tin. More research has persuaded me to purchase higher grade eyepieces which I will be road testing on Jupiter this evening.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 00:48 Sat 07 Dec 2013
I think it was very good value, but good eyepieces cost 50% of the price of the scope, each! By the time I have a decent set it will add up to around £400, which isn't too painful when compared to some other hobbies.LGTrotter wrote:This is a remarkably reasonable investment. And it is your tool of choice?
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 00:53 Sat 07 Dec 2013
Dumb arse question time; why spend more than twice the price of the thing itself on eyepieces and why more than one?
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 00:54 Sat 07 Dec 2013
Observation:LGTrotter wrote:This is a remarkably reasonable investment. And it is your tool of choice? I may have to get on to Santy.DRT wrote:I own a Skywatcher Heritage 130p Dobsonian (purchased from that site) that I find to be easy to use and to give good results when pointed upwards. I have not pointed towards anyone's window so can't comment on its performance for watching showers of a non-astronomical nature. I bought this scope after many, many hours of research and it seems to do what it says on the tin. More research has persuaded me to purchase higher grade eyepieces which I will be road testing on Jupiter this evening.
The only people I've met who say Santy are Irish. And I've lived in Ireland for 20 years. Is Santy a common term in zummerzett?
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 00:58 Sat 07 Dec 2013
I caught it in Brighton. Draw your own conclusions.djewesbury wrote:Observation:
The only people I've met who say Santy are Irish. And I've lived in Ireland for 20 years. Is Santy a common term in zummerzett?
You haven't sent your brother home already you miserable sod?
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:03 Sat 07 Dec 2013
I don't know whether or not you know anything about golf, but you could think of the telescope as a driver (i.e. it gets you in the game) and the eyepieces let you work with fine-tuning of distance and accuracy, just like a golfer's irons.LGTrotter wrote:Dumb arse question time; why spend more than twice the price of the thing itself on eyepieces and why more than one?
The telescope is a big tube with a large mirror in it. You could look at or through it all day and night without seeing a star or a planet. The eyepieces contain the lenses that focus the image captured by the telescope's mirror and allow you to focus that image so that your eye can see it clearly. Eyepieces come in different sizes to give different levels of magnification. A large, low-powered lens will give a clear view of the whole moon but will show Jupiter as a small bright dot. A small, high-powered lens will allow you to look at the edge of a crater on the moon and will allow you to see the bands of clouds on Jupiter and some of its moons. There are many sizes between the two extremes. Three or four lenses give you good options.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:23 Sat 07 Dec 2013
But your telescope can’t see the hexagon.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:24 Sat 07 Dec 2013
Good clear explanation. Ta.
I have also wondered about a microscope. Is it better to look out or look in?
Out, obviously.
I have also wondered about a microscope. Is it better to look out or look in?
Out, obviously.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 09:06 Sat 07 Dec 2013
My telescope not powerful enough and I would be very surprised if any earth-based scope could see that. I have yet to view Saturn.jdaw1 wrote:But your telescope can’t see the hexagon.
I think both have their merits, and looking in would definitely be warmer than looking out.LGTrotter wrote:Is it better to look out or look in?
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 22:41 Sat 07 Dec 2013
So I take it that all this chat simply means no-one has seen Ison.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 22:46 Sat 07 Dec 2013
Ison is dead.AHB wrote:So I take it that all this chat simply means no-one has seen Ison.
But I did see the Orion Nebula last night and it was spectacular. Unfortunately, the gap in the cloud only lasted as long as an English middle-order batsman so it was more of a glance than a detailed observation.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 23:16 Sat 07 Dec 2013
I'd have said top order batsman. Due to Bell, the middle order's average is a little higher.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 23:48 Sat 07 Dec 2013
I think "batsman" would probably do.djewesbury wrote:I'd have said top order batsman. Due to Bell, the middle order's average is a little higher.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:05 Sun 08 Dec 2013
Cook's all right, as is Root. Bell much to my chagrin has turned out well. Carberry is playing as well as any of them.
This belongs in another thread.
This belongs in another thread.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:11 Sun 08 Dec 2013
Done.LGTrotter wrote:This belongs in another thread.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 23:31 Tue 10 Dec 2013
NASA wrote:On Dec. 10, 2013, researchers presented science results from the comet's last days at the 2013 Fall American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, Calif. They described how this unique comet lost mass in advance of reaching perihelion and most likely broke up during its closest approach, as well, as summarized what this means for determining what the comet was made of.
!
When Comet ISON was first spotted in September 2012, it was relatively bright for a comet at such a great distance from the sun. Consequently, many people had high hopes it would provide a beautiful light show visible in the night sky throughout December 2013. That potential ended when Comet ISON disrupted during perihelion. However, the legacy of the comet will go on for years as scientists analyze the tremendous data set collected during ISON's journey.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 19:14 Thu 12 Dec 2013
And of course, tomorrow and Saturday morning should be the peak of the Gemeinid meteor shower - weather forecast is for fog tomorrow and rain on Saturday morning.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:25 Sun 22 Dec 2013
Do you need other add-ons and what might these be?LGTrotter wrote:This is a remarkably reasonable investment. And it is your tool of choice? I may have to get on to Santy.DRT wrote:I own a Skywatcher Heritage 130p Dobsonian (purchased from that site) that I find to be easy to use and to give good results when pointed upwards. I have not pointed towards anyone's window so can't comment on its performance for watching showers of a non-astronomical nature. I bought this scope after many, many hours of research and it seems to do what it says on the tin. More research has persuaded me to purchase higher grade eyepieces which I will be road testing on Jupiter this evening.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 01:38 Sun 22 Dec 2013
My initial investment was around £150. I have since spent £300 on "bits" that significantly improve the experience. I am about to spend all of that again on a bigger tube.
The pattern is very similar to First Bottle of LBV >> First Bottle of VP >> First Case of VP >> Case of F70 >> Where Did My Money Go? >> I Need A Case of Nacional 1963.
If you are considering venturing into the world of pouring your money into the sky instead of a decanter please visit http://stargazerslounge.com/ and ask lots of questions before ploughing in
The pattern is very similar to First Bottle of LBV >> First Bottle of VP >> First Case of VP >> Case of F70 >> Where Did My Money Go? >> I Need A Case of Nacional 1963.
If you are considering venturing into the world of pouring your money into the sky instead of a decanter please visit http://stargazerslounge.com/ and ask lots of questions before ploughing in
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 02:10 Sun 22 Dec 2013
Don't try and fob me off on the astronomers. You're stuck with me.DRT wrote:please visit http://stargazerslounge.com/ and ask lots of questions before ploughing in
So should you buy a bigger tube in the first place?DRT wrote:I am about to spend all of that again on a bigger tube:
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 02:50 Sun 22 Dec 2013
That depends on your budget and your expectations. A small scope like mine will give stunning views of the moon, interesting but small views of the planets and fuzzy views of DSO's (Deep Space Objects). Trading up from a £130 to a £500 tube will make all of those things better, but will not make anything look like a Hubble long-exposure spectacular view of a distant galaxy.LGTrotter wrote:So should you buy a bigger tube in the first place?DRT wrote:I am about to spend all of that again on a bigger tube:
You will not regret buying the same scope as I have. You might regret spending 4x the price and deciding your expectations were too high.
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 10:47 Sun 22 Dec 2013
Derek,
How much extra is a motor drive to provide tracking? For astrophotography it would be quite useful but all of a sudden the techie side starts to encroach on the easy and enjoyable hobby part of astronomy and with that the costs go supernova.
On the other hand, I always found it annoying having to manually track and of course the higher the magnification the quicker the pace of the object in the eyepiece.
Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk 2
How much extra is a motor drive to provide tracking? For astrophotography it would be quite useful but all of a sudden the techie side starts to encroach on the easy and enjoyable hobby part of astronomy and with that the costs go supernova.
On the other hand, I always found it annoying having to manually track and of course the higher the magnification the quicker the pace of the object in the eyepiece.
Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk 2
Re: A reason to get up early
Posted: 11:58 Sun 22 Dec 2013
The scope I am thinking of buying costs £529. The same scope with auto-tracking costs £959. I think it is probably essential to have auto-tracking if you want to get into photography but manual tracking is fine for me.