Guest gravityguy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi all, I thought I would just come and say hello. I've been on stargazerslounge for a few weeks and have learnt a lot so far. I have also recently joined centralmidlandstargazers and went along to their darksite last week for the first time. I am totally new to astronomy but have equipped myself with a skywatcher 250px dob. The first night I had I out in the back garden (in the snow and very strong cold winds) I saw Jupiter, pleiades, and orion nebula, all of which were very pleasant. I was especially pleased with the Orion nebula as I could see it as an emerld green colour which blew my mind. The second night was even better and managed to find the leo triple (techincally only M65 & M66) as well as the beehive cluster, castor double and andromeda. I would love to come and meet other people at the dark sites and learn more from experienced astronomers. I've really got the bug now (even with this continual cloud cover!) Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angusw2 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Welcome to EMS Mike. That's a nice scope to start astronomy with and will show loads especially from a dark sky site. I always warn those new to astronomy that a dobsonian scope is a steep learning curve but more rewarding if you stick at it as it will teach you more. If you have already found M65 & 66 the you are well on your way. Well done sir! Hope to see you at one of our dark sky sites in the future. Angus Edited March 19, 2013 by angusw2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gravityguy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Welcome to EMS Mike. That's a nice scope to start astronomy with and will show loads especially from a dark sky site. I always warn those new to astronomy that a dobsonian scope is a steep learning curve but more rewarding if you stick at it as it will teach you more. If you have already found M65 & 66 the you are well on your way. Well done sir! Hope to see you at one of our dark sky sites in the future. Angus Hi Angus, to be honest, I love the dobsonian. It's so quick and easy to setup, and I just point it in the direction that I want and its there. Turn Left at Orion is a big help which helped me to find M65 & M66. Out of interest, why is a dobsonian more of a learning curve than say an EQ mount? I haven't heard this before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Hello and welcome to EMS. Another dob lover in our ranks Like mentioned above we have 2 dark sites, one at Belper and one at Wymswold. Both are free for your first visit, then if you like the sites, like the company and love the dark skies, then annual dark site membership is the bargain price of £20 a year, this subscription goes towards insurance to cover you for accidents and gives you near unlimited access to the 2 dark sites. (The sky at Belper is so dark you can see the Milky Way on a good night, Wymswold is not far behind). Any questions you have fire away and I hope you enjoy the forum. All the best, Daz. Edited March 19, 2013 by Daz Type-R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gravityguy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hello and welcome to EMS. Another dob lover in our ranks Like mentioned above we have 2 dark sites, one at Belper and one at Wymswold. Both are free for your first visit, then if you like the sites, like the company and love the dark skies, then annual dark site membership is the bargain price of £20 a year, this subscription goes towards insurance to cover you for accidents and gives you near unlimited access to the 2 dark sites. (The sky at Belper is so dark you can see the Milky Way on a good night, Wymswold is not far behind). Any questions you have fire away and I hope you enjoy the forum. All the best, Daz. That sounds perfect. £20 is a bargain IMO! How many people do you normally get at each site on any given (clear) night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catman161 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Welcome to EMS great scope you have there. I started with a 200P Dob but now mount the 200P on an NEQ6. I miss the quick and easy setup and go of the dob base but I love the NEQ 6 now that I've learnt how to use it properly. As for meets it varies with attendees, anywhere between 5 and 15, depends who's working on the night etc. we have a large following and t the quarterly meetings get a good turnout generally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gravityguy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Welcome to EMS great scope you have there. I started with a 200P Dob but now mount the 200P on an NEQ6. I miss the quick and easy setup and go of the dob base but I love the NEQ 6 now that I've learnt how to use it properly. As for meets it varies with attendees, anywhere between 5 and 15, depends who's working on the night etc. we have a large following and t the quarterly meetings get a good turnout generally. Do people normally post when they will be going or is it just a case of turning up and seeing who's there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Keep an eye on the announcements section as due to the weather, meets get arranged and cancelled at very short notice. Due to work commitments they normally get arranged for Friday / Saturday nights but once you are a member, you are free to go when you please (you just have to let somebody know). But nearly everybody who wants to meet starts a new meet thread, where is the fun of stargazing on your own!!! And, at most meets there are cakes and refreshments (tea coffee, cakes, biscuits etc etc) all we ask is that you bring a mug and a £1 to cover costs! Edited March 19, 2013 by Daz Type-R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Mike Welcome to the Dob asylum on here. You seem to have met some of the inmates already Hope you enjoy the forum Sheila Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Mike Welcome to the Dob asylum on here. You seem to have met some of the inmates already Hope you enjoy the forum Sheila Don't listen to Sheila, Mike, she is one of those who do "astro photography"....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tweedledum Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Mike, Warm welcome to EMS, cracking setup you have too! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angusw2 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Mike If you are starting with a manual EQ mount the yes the learning curve is there too before you find anything, it's just that so many people go for a GOTO scope these days as they are so affordable compared to years ago. I learned to star hop with a Vixen 4" refractor on an EQ mount with no motors at all and I love the dobsonian I've now got because of its simplicity, ease and quickness of setup and the satisfaction of using it. You can't beat the fast slew speed either! Angus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gravityguy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Don't listen to Sheila, Mike, she is one of those who do "astro photography"....... Oh jeez, not one of 'them'...!!! lol Looking forward to Belper especially. No doubt I will be paying my subs either on my first visit or shortly thereafter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz Type-R Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hope to see you at the next meet. If it is Belper, wrap up very, very, very, very warm. The temperature difference up at the dark site is approx 6-8 degrees colder than down in Ambergate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gravityguy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Mike If you are starting with a manual EQ mount the yes the learning curve is there too before you find anything, it's just that so many people go for a GOTO scope these days as they are so affordable compared to years ago. I learned to star hop with a Vixen 4" refractor on an EQ mount with no motors at all and I love the dobsonian I've now got because of its simplicity, ease and quickness of setup and the satisfaction of using it. You can't beat the fast slew speed either! Angus Ah yes, I see what you mean. However I have seen someone use a celestron Nexstar 8SE and it took them an hour to get it set up and aligned due to problems with connections, power source etc. During that time I had already found M65, M66, Andromeda and had a good look at M42. I like the idea of them but they just seem to be a lot of hard. I like the idea of being able to star hop around the sky and know where things are by learning how to get there. I'm sure you can do this with goto's also but then what would be the point of having the goto function Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoonMan Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Welcome Mike, Im also a newbie and keen to meet at the DarkSite in Belper at some point. That view of Orion was brilliant I bet, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eddy Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Welcome to EMS Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Mike, a warm welcome to EMS. That Dob will keep you very happy for years, there are loads of things to find with it. One of the best buy's to go with your Dob is the Sky and Telescope Pocket Star Atlas. I can heartily recommend it, although you might need a slightly larger pocket, (A5) it is a great ally of the Dob. Keep an eye on the Info and Announcements section, that's where meets get posted. Enjoy the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T A WOW Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hello. Welcome from me. I've sort of got a similar set up. 250p ds on a alt Az mount. Love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazz Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hello and welcome to EMS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Mike and a warm welcome to EMS As mentioned - you would be most welcome to join us at any session soon and if you enjoy yourself and wish to join up that would be good too. We normally get a good turnout at the dark sites - a dozen or so at the last one - and the quarterly meets attract 30 sometimes. I also host the occasional ad hoc small session (2 or 3 folks) at my place in the week when the weather suddenly clears up. It only tends to be for a couple of hours or so due to work next day - so pm me if you'd like to join in with the next one. Meantime the forum is totally free so please do enjoy chatting, posting, and building your gallery - and I look forward to meeting you soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Hi Mike, welcome to EMS. You have a great scope that will show you some marvellous sights. My scope is a bit similar to yours with an alt-azimuth mount, but it isn't a dob and I thoroughly enjoy using it for visual observing. Enjoy the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Simes Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Mike If you are starting with a manual EQ mount the yes the learning curve is there too before you find anything, it's just that so many people go for a GOTO scope these days as they are so affordable compared to years ago. I learned to star hop with a Vixen 4" refractor on an EQ mount with no motors at all and I love the dobsonian I've now got because of its simplicity, ease and quickness of setup and the satisfaction of using it. You can't beat the fast slew speed either! Angus Ah yes, I see what you mean. However I have seen someone use a celestron Nexstar 8SE and it took them an hour to get it set up and aligned due to problems with connections, power source etc. During that time I had already found M65, M66, Andromeda and had a good look at M42. I like the idea of them but they just seem to be a lot of hard. I like the idea of being able to star hop around the sky and know where things are by learning how to get there. I'm sure you can do this with goto's also but then what would be the point of having the goto function That someone was me :-( It was a mare of an evening. Meant to be a shakedown of my new setup with the Bluetooth to serial adaptor and SkySafari. Discovered that the positive lead from my power tank had parted company inside the socket - but only after half an hour of getting more and more frustrated as the scope kept losing alignment (as the connection kept making and then momentarily breaking). Did finally get it working, but it was one of those nights - I'd also forgotten my dew shield.... Gave it all another try last night, and aligned in under a minute and slewing around happily! Hopefully next time we met up Mike, I can give you a less negative impression of the ease of set up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyboy1970 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Welcome to the EMS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Hi Mike welcome to the EMS Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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