Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Amateur astronomy

Amateur astronomy

Brain&Force - 9-7-2014 at 11:41

Anyone else here an amateur astronomer? I've seen a few people make note of their hobby but I'm wondering if anyone else is. I haven't seen any threads here dedicated to anything but astronomical events (and I've been starting many of those).

Post your equipment here as well! I have a Celestron C8 (black tube), date of manufacture unknown. It was acquired used for a mere $250. It doesn't have GoTo capability, and I don't have the controller for PushTo, but it does have a tracking drive that operates off a 9V battery. The mount is a fork mount - unstable but really convenient. (anyone know how to stabilize them?)

The eyepieces (Baader Hyperions) are of focal lengths 21, 13, and 8 mm. I may go for a 30-40 mm eyepiece for lower magnification (really hard for an SCT). No filters yet, but I may go for a solar filter and a general nebula filter. I also have a pair of 8x50 hunting binoculars and two eyes

I found a Celestron 4.5" reflector at a local store for a mere $120 - that's pretty crazy, considering it was new. It would be a good travel scope.

The Volatile Chemist - 9-7-2014 at 11:56

I have a little reflector I've got back into using. I live in a suburb, though, so I don't see too much. Every summer I go to an Indiana camp in the middle of nowhere, so I'll be using it there. That's also a focal point of my geology hobby (which is about two years older than my chemistry hobby), because southern Indiana has awesome geology in comparison to where I live.

neptunium - 9-7-2014 at 12:44

Astronomy is what got me interested in physics and chemistry 20 some years ago!
i had a meade LX90 12" that i was forced to sell (financial trouble) 3 years ago and i loved it ! i am looking for a LX200 12" to do astrophotography with but it may have to wait a bit for money! there is a picture of me and this monster on "pictures of members"... would love doing spectroscopy with it..
I also enjoy geology and my job (truck driver) takes me to fascinating places out west with a lot of interesting features... i also chase tornadoes when the season calls since 2004,
nice to see iam not the only weirdo !

HgDinis25 - 9-7-2014 at 12:59

I think what really got me really interested in science was astronomy, back before I was 10. As of the moment, I don't think I have the equipment or that much time invested to call myself a hobbist but I do have a 102mm Reflector and a 10x50 Binoculars.

I live in a good area with minimal light so I can see some pretty interesting things.

Texium - 9-7-2014 at 13:00

I do a bit of astronomy sometimes. I have an Orion Star Blast telescope. It's decent, nothing really fancy though. I've looked at Saturn and Jupiter with it before. It works pretty well for them. It's really cool to be able to see Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons!

I'll have to take it out again sometime in the next few evenings. It's been months since I have. Viewing conditions are ok from my house. Even though I live in a neighborhood, it's still fairly rural, not the average suburb.

Brain&Force - 9-7-2014 at 15:26

I live in a suburban area, but the light pollution is not present there at all - I can see the Milky Way at night! Around me, there are light pillars, mostly to the north, but they're not much of an issue. The best targets right now are the numerous globular clusters in the center of the galaxy.

I noticed something weird about myself - I can stare directly into car headlights from 15 feet away at night and still see faint details in the Milky Way less than 15 seconds later. Is this normal?

The Volatile Chemist - 9-7-2014 at 15:40

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

I live in a suburban area, but the light pollution is not present there at all - I can see the Milky Way at night! Around me, there are light pillars, mostly to the north, but they're not much of an issue. The best targets right now are the numerous globular clusters in the center of the galaxy.

I noticed something weird about myself - I can stare directly into car headlights from 15 feet away at night and still see faint details in the Milky Way less than 15 seconds later. Is this normal?

I'd say not

On a side note, I hadn't ever seen the milky way till last year

Stupid city's lights...
I really don't have a nice enough to be a hobbyist, more an 'enthusiast'

arkoma - 9-7-2014 at 16:17

celestrons are BADASS. My m8's:

license plate a half mile away:

my camera "adapter"

Jupiter

Brain&Force - 3-8-2014 at 11:18

So I got a whole bunch of extra gear for my birthday: a Telrad, an Orion 9x50 RACI finder (they're going together for an optimal finder solution), a TPO 42mm eyepiece, and a pluck foam case.

The Telrad is really cool. I wonder if there's a way of replacing the LED with a green or blue one - the blue one would ruin your night vision though. (The green one requires less light to be seen, and doesn't ruin your night vision as much.)

I can't get the mounting bracket for the SCT to work properly because the screw needs to be flush with the bracket, and the screws I use have round heads.

I ruined the pluck foam case though... :mad:

bobm4360 - 3-8-2014 at 21:10

I have a Celestron C90 that I occasionally poke around the skies with.
Regards,
Bob

careysub - 4-8-2014 at 17:17

I have a 13.1" reflector, plus a Celestron Netstar 8, and a Celestron 102mm, and 70mm and 80 mm giant binoculars, and an 18" mirror I am building a telescope for, and a 4.5" and 5" reflector "grab and go" table tops, and two Orion Short Tube 80mm telescopes, and I am rebuilding my club's 22" reflector.

neptunium - 5-8-2014 at 05:27

do yourself a favor Arkoma, buy yourself a proper adapter and a CCD camera ! you`ll be glad you did!

Brain&Force - 15-8-2014 at 21:06

I just spotted about 10 globs, a meteor, a tumbling satellite, the Swan Nebula, Neptune, and SagDEC. A night well spent.

Texium - 15-8-2014 at 21:49

Nice! I need to get my telescope out again and actually spend some evenings outside. How did Neptune look? I've never seen it through a telescope before.

[Edited on 8-16-2014 by zts16]

neptunium - 16-8-2014 at 05:54

its a pale greyish dot in a small telescope but a blueish circle in a bigger one ... i like observing Neptune ...

[Edited on 16-8-2014 by neptunium]

Morgan - 16-8-2014 at 06:01

A happy ending to name that rock.
Hunt for Amazing Treasure - Meteorites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKgXCkLAUVw

Brain&Force - 16-8-2014 at 13:21

Neptune looked just like a star. I didn't get to use high magnification on it, but it was definitely visible in my 9×50 finder.