353 replies to this topic

[Kraus]

Herr Mac,

I'm partial to Meade. I started on a Meade 2080 in 1984 and am now on a fourteen inch LX200. It's mounted on a concrete pier in my backyard and aligned to the north celestial pole. All that computer power and I still use manual setting circles to find objects.

EQ mount is essential for astro-photography as well staring at an object for an hour as I do.

[relishguy]

Absolutely fantastic initial post for me to see on this site...only looked at the binocular's tripod paper so far, but...lots to look forward to!

[FairObserver]

Dave, thanks for the wealth of information. There's so much out there that a newbie like me is getting lost in the details. Can you make any suggestions for a good quality system that I can grow with in this hobby? Thanks. Frank

[Vince Burkhart]

Thanks Dave !

[nicklane1]

Coming across this thread is such a wonderful surprise.

[99thin]

very useful information. thanks a lot for this.

thanks
99th

[mattyfatz]

Great messier charts for use with a Telrad...

Messier Charts!

[MarcoRocha]

Hi,

I'm looking for good books, charts, atlases, and similar resources that would help me explore the Sky from the South Hemisphere...

Also, would any of these work for me there: The Backyard Astronomers Guide, Star-Hopping for Backyard Astronomers, Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to Finding, Observing, and Learning About over 125 Celestial Objects or Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them

Thanks a lot.

[DTH]

Thank you for the wealth of information. The links are very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to put all this together. Thank you.

[Dave Mitsky]

Hi,

I'm looking for good books, charts, atlases, and similar resources that would help me explore the Sky from the South Hemisphere...

Also, would any of these work for me there: The Backyard Astronomers Guide, Star-Hopping for Backyard Astronomers, Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to Finding, Observing, and Learning About over 125 Celestial Objects or Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them

Thanks a lot.

I suggest purchasing the southern hemisphere edition (Volume 3) of the NSOG.

http://www.willbell....ook/nitesky.htm

Any atlas will cover the southern hemisphere sky. Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is very handy to use and is rather inexpensive.

http://www.shopatsky...las/sky-atlases

Here are a few links to southern sky DSO lists:

http://www.hawastsoc...ky/bennett.html

http://messier.seds....lar/cozens.html

http://messier.seds..../dunlop100.html

http://www.astroleag...ky/sskylist.htm

Dave Mitsky

[MarcoRocha]

Thanks, Dave.

[Northern Viewer]

This is a fantastic thread with SO much useful (and often free) information. Thanks!

[Starry Jan]

Just to let you know, this great post is still being accessed and utilized with joy! Thanks!

[tony275]

Totally new to Astronomy I can just about find Orion Sirius and Jupiter and Mars on a good day, So I have plenty to learn and this is an amazing place where I can read at my own rate and one day be able to find
1. Star-hop "down 2" stars northeastward from Alpheratz (Alpha Andromedae) to Mirach (Beta Andromedae), then head northwestward "up 2" stars to Nu Andromedae. M31 is situated 1.3 degrees to the west of Nu Andromedae.

and I can't wait for that day.

Many thanks for all the amazing info on this site.

Tony

[Astro_Girl]

WOW! Thank you so much for the time and effort it took you to put all this together. I have been an amateur astronomer with my own telescope for about a year now. I am also part of an astronomy association and have learned a lot form the group. You have repeated many helpful things and links that I have heard on the observing field.

Thanks again.

[Thunderloon]

Best advice I can give is awesome.
"Loose clothing tied off with shoestrings won't destroy eyepiece coatings, skip the repellants and collect an outfit."

With the sole exception of ground fleas, baggy airy clothes are the most effective bug deterrent.

[MartinHajovsky]

Holy moley Dave. Thank you so much for all of this work. I know you posted this 11 months ago, but I am just now getting back to CN with a purchase of a CPC 925, and this is going to be incredibly helpful.

[rustyprice]

Exactly what I was looking for, impresive compilation here! Thanks.

[gnasher]

Hi this is my first post I hail from Northumberland England and am new to astronomy. My query concerns photography, I have a 8" lx90 a 16 mp
olympus compact and a canon eos dslr. bearing in mind budget plays a part what kind of difference would if find if I invested in a purpose made dsi

[DocFinance]

I've found that the oldies are best-star maps for beginners by Levitt is a favorite, never goes out of date. I really like the Sky and Telescope targeted books such as City Observing too. A good pocket guide with white on black maps is a must (peterson's?)

[harmonic]

As little about casual Astronomy as I know, I think I can pitch from out-of-field here and slip safe through the first 'stile. A Meade LS6 OTA is likely to be my first OTA - a purchase commitment has been made. That's the start. But that's not the pitch, second thing is a Nikon D5300 dslr (APS-C format).

There's the curve.

The dslr low pass filter presents a quandary, the Nikon dslr model has the low pass filter removed as a sales feature. Before I looked up glass as canvas, and the stuff of glassy dreams that led to stars and an LS6 (ACF + UHTC) this camera was the distraction I had chosen.

Alas I find Nikon isn't an all powerful force in AP. Yet tis an Alpha among dslr's today, isn't it? Perhaps today the 'EOS' cradle rocks more precipitously...

Is the option to omit a low pass filter in modern dslr's gunna make any inroads into the camera arsenal of the AP world?

NB: If I have now just derailed a whole thread consider me sorta post-mortified in sympathy.

[Dave Mitsky]

Questions about astrophotography will see more traction if posted in Beginning and Intermediate Imaging.

http://www.cloudynig...Cat/0/Board/low

Dave Mitsky

[harmonic]

Thanks, and sorry..

[Kaikul]

Just to let you know, this great post is still being accessed and utilized with joy! Thanks!

Two years after original posting, definitely heard dat!

How about a nebula version, Dave?

[TCW]

Here is a great resource for terrific maps of Messier and Caldwell Objects. http://www.solarius.net/



I found to have them print properly I had to save them as .pdf files and then print.