Anyone into 'stargazing' on a nice clear and cool night? I find it to be one of the best 'simple' pleasures in life. Nothing like seeing the rings of saturn with your own eyes, and nothing like looking into the past (at a deep space object). I just ordered a Celestron Mak-Cas because it is light, powerful for its size, and easy to setup. Anyone here into this sort of thing?
I used to have Celestron 8 and 11 GPS Telescopes, a Televue Pronto, a lot of eyepieces and other gear and was really into the hobby. It is a wonderful hobby as a casual activity, but I would say not as great for people on a budget unless they have access to observatory. The TeleVue was a lot of fun and I think it only cost about a thousand. It could be set up in seconds and taken down very fast. The other scopes were slow to set up and not really as much fun. Here's a picture I took through one of them. If I did it again I think I would make my own Dobsonian telescope , maybe even grind my own glass. There's nothing like a big Dob for looking at things at night in your own back yard.
I used to have Celestron 8 and 11 GPS Telescopes, a Televue Pronto, a lot of eyepieces and other gear and was really into the hobby. It is a wonderful hobby as a casual activity, but I would say not as great for people on a budget unless they have access to observatory. The TeleVue was a lot of fun and I think it only cost about a thousand. It could be set up in seconds and taken down very fast. The other scopes were slow to set up and not really as much fun. Here's a picture I took through one of them. If I did it again I think I would make my own Dobsonian telescope , maybe even grind my own glass. There's nothing like a big Dob for looking at things at night in your own back yard.
Awesome! You know, you can get a 6 inch Dobsonian from Orion for like 400 - with tracking. It's manual push to, but all you need to do is make the numbers go to 0, 0 to find your target. I would have gone for the bigger aperture and cheaper Dob, but I was looking for something I can pack in my car or maybe even carry on for my annual Vegas trip. (Take a drive out of the city to the desert, and you will see what I mean!) Carrying a heavy 4.5 foot tube around probably wouldn't be too easy. The best telescope is one that you will use most often.
If you are lucky enough to live in a dark area with good stars, then Dob in the backyard would be amazing. Unfortunately, I need to drive 45 mins to get anywhere decent. Small Mak-Cas (15 inchs, 21 lbs total with tripod) and under 10 minute setup time was the best option for me...
I guess the basic setup these days would be a cheap laptop to run some nightsky software, a couple of decent eyepieces, and as large a dob as you can afford or wish to drag around. You can also get night sky pollution surveys from these people: <dmsp@ngdc.noaa.gov> . Helps cut down the drive time if you are not sure where the darkest skies are.
I get a chuckle out of the telescopes sold in the large retail stores for $99 that have pictures on the box that could only be obtained by the Hubble telescope.
LOL, i hear you about the department store specials. 400x from a 60mm scope, really? yea right.
But say what you will about the 69.99 telescope sales, a cheap Tasco is one of those fond memories I have as a kid. My dad found Jupiter in it out in the backyard (never found jack **** in it before, because it was cheap, so this was a big deal at the time lol) but when I actually saw those 4 moons next to it (which I never knew existed at the time), words can't describe how amazed I was. I guess now 17 years later this is why I am buying an expensive telescope (that cherished moment). It's the simple things, you see...
About 6 yeras ago, I got a reasonably priced 5-inch reflector and really got into amatuer star-gazing, after having the interest since childhood. Used it for many a great night but unfortunantly got caught up in too many other things (such is life), which kinda stopped my late night adventures some years ago. When I saw this thread, the first thing that popped into my mind was how nice and relaxing it would be to grab my scope and the old red-filter flashlight for the next clear evening that comes my way. Guess I kinda forgot how much pleasure I used to get from it.
On another note, one of my favorite perks of the flying biz to me has been breaking out my star-chart for those boring late-night humps with nothing to do. I think my little paperback one was the first thing I ever chucked in my flightcase after I bought it...
About 6 yeras ago, I got a reasonably priced 5-inch reflector and really got into amatuer star-gazing, after having the interest since childhood. Used it for many a great night but unfortunantly got caught up in too many other things (such is life), which kinda stopped my late night adventures some years ago. When I saw this thread, the first thing that popped into my mind was how nice and relaxing it would be to grab my scope and the old red-filter flashlight for the next clear evening that comes my way. Guess I kinda forgot how much pleasure I used to get from it.
On another note, one of my favorite perks of the flying biz to me has been breaking out my star-chart for those boring late-night humps with nothing to do. I think my little paperback one was the first thing I ever chucked in my flightcase after I bought it...
You should think about picking up a Mak-Cas scope.. you can pack one in a briefcase sized case and bring it with you to overnights in rural areas if you ever have them, all you need is the hood of a car or something to set it up on. i know it's another thing to lug around with you and all, but for a short trip when you dont have that much other luggage, it might work out to pass the time... =)
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