Space watchers? - Hobbies and Interests - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

dragongrower · 01-02-2010, 05:27 PM

Anyone looking into space?

I'm planning on buying a telescope, so wanted to hear what people out there has to say about it..

Lets talk!

ShantiSadhu · 01-02-2010, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragongrower

Anyone looking into space?

Inner and Outer Space are Exactly the Same.

OR

As Above, So Below.

Good Luck & Have Fun with your Telescope!

ParadigmShift · 01-06-2010, 03:54 AM

Been wanting to buy one also in the 8-10" range. My local observatory has a nice Celestron 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope mounted on a Paramount ME mount from Software Bisque.
Let us know what one you decide on getting.
God Speed

dragongrower · 01-06-2010, 09:14 PM

Cool, thanks for the replys... thought there were more space watchers on here.. Will tell you later what I find out..

Some1here · 01-06-2010, 09:25 PM

I bought a 8 inch Dob last summer and used it 3 times! The summer sucked real bad. Cloudy nights and rain. Hope I can use it this summer. To cold right now for me to be outside looking at the sky

01-07-2010, 12:24 AM

I love watching the space station pass overhead...and I don't have a telescope!...in the evening I like to try to spot satellites as the sun reflects off them. this is, just about after sunset...suns gone...but enough light to reflect off the sats..

muA

1G12 · 01-20-2010, 07:12 AM

About 10 years ago I bought a Mead 10 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain. I then signed up for an astronomy class at the local JC. I wanted to know what I was looking at and its significance. Best thing I ever did as I learned a whole bunch of stuff. Another thing you can do is join a local astronomy club. These people are always very helpful about what equipment to add to your set-up and how to best utilize it.
Schmidt-Cassegrains are a good choice as you can get the most light gathering ability in the smallest package. A 10 inch reflector & its tube would be too large for me to haul around. However, I've taken my S-C up into the mountains a few times on camping trips in the back of a truck & it's quite manageable.
The only drawback to S-C & reflector scopes is the central obstruction (for the secondary mirror) which can affect the image, particularly if you are trying to look at planets under high magnification. The best scopes for planets are refractors but they are also very very expensive and not so great for observing nebula or galaxies or other dim/diffuse objects due to their tendancy to be of a smaller aperture due to cost constraints (a 10 inch refactor would cost you enough money to retire on).
So, it's kind of a trade off...what kind of scope you get depends on what sort of stuff you plan on observing.
The cheapest scopes are the reflectors (we call them light buckets). You can get quite a large one for a reasonable price and be able to see lots of stuff but you'll need the space for it.
There are some however, that you can disassemble for transport. Instead of having a tube, they have struts that you cover with some kind of material when you set-up to keep out stray light.
And lastly.........this time of year.........check out the Orion Nebula with its hot young stars & gas & dust in Orion's sword.....a very cool thing to look at.

desant · 01-20-2010, 06:00 PM

Used to watch sapce and moon when i was a kid and living in the country

I UK... i am planning to buy a nice telescope when i save some ££££

But here skies are cloudy 95% of time :S

Otherwise connecting with the stars is bad ass.............

facelift · 03-02-2010, 03:24 PM

Check out the MEADE site for returns. You can get one with a computer and data base for cheap. It's useless here in the city, but it travels well.

You might for this neato. Near Earth Objects with diagrams.

https://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/

ToughGirl · 03-02-2010, 04:06 PM

I think it's a great hobby, and I spend many nights in the summer looking through my telescope. If you buy a decent one you will see the craters and mountain ranges on the moon (clearly), the rings of Saturn and some of her moons, the great red eye of Jupiter and her moons, pulsars, a few nebula, constellations, satellites, the ISS, and Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Try to get one with a motor that tracks the sky, it makes life a lot easier.
Eventually you'll become familiar with your sky and you'll know where things are. We just went on vacation recently and I finally saw the southern cross

It's weird but when I was there the night sky felt very foreign to me, although when I mentioned it nobody else knew what I was talking about!

01-02-2010, 05:27 PM	#1
dragongrower Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 601	Space watchers? Anyone looking into space? I'm planning on buying a telescope, so wanted to hear what people out there has to say about it.. Lets talk!
	Quote

01-06-2010, 03:54 AM	#3
ParadigmShift Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 150	Been wanting to buy one also in the 8-10" range. My local observatory has a nice Celestron 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope mounted on a Paramount ME mount from Software Bisque. Let us know what one you decide on getting. God Speed __________________ "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, We are spiritual beings having a human experience." -Thomas S. Kuhn
	Quote

01-20-2010, 07:12 AM	#7
1G12 flatulent in 3 different languages Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Enzite Posts: 339	About 10 years ago I bought a Mead 10 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain. I then signed up for an astronomy class at the local JC. I wanted to know what I was looking at and its significance. Best thing I ever did as I learned a whole bunch of stuff. Another thing you can do is join a local astronomy club. These people are always very helpful about what equipment to add to your set-up and how to best utilize it. Schmidt-Cassegrains are a good choice as you can get the most light gathering ability in the smallest package. A 10 inch reflector & its tube would be too large for me to haul around. However, I've taken my S-C up into the mountains a few times on camping trips in the back of a truck & it's quite manageable. The only drawback to S-C & reflector scopes is the central obstruction (for the secondary mirror) which can affect the image, particularly if you are trying to look at planets under high magnification. The best scopes for planets are refractors but they are also very very expensive and not so great for observing nebula or galaxies or other dim/diffuse objects due to their tendancy to be of a smaller aperture due to cost constraints (a 10 inch refactor would cost you enough money to retire on). So, it's kind of a trade off...what kind of scope you get depends on what sort of stuff you plan on observing. The cheapest scopes are the reflectors (we call them light buckets). You can get quite a large one for a reasonable price and be able to see lots of stuff but you'll need the space for it. There are some however, that you can disassemble for transport. Instead of having a tube, they have struts that you cover with some kind of material when you set-up to keep out stray light. And lastly.........this time of year.........check out the Orion Nebula with its hot young stars & gas & dust in Orion's sword.....a very cool thing to look at. __________________ Originally Posted by Pops I think that it is great that daisy Jane swallows. I wish I had a woman like that, but it is hard to find someone who likes the taste of rust! "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." — George W. Bush - Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
	Quote

03-02-2010, 03:24 PM	#9
facelift This is the money you could be saving if you grow your own weed Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: At Home Posts: 1,560	Check out the MEADE site for returns. You can get one with a computer and data base for cheap. It's useless here in the city, but it travels well. You might for this neato. Near Earth Objects with diagrams. https://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/ __________________ That was not a signature, sorry.
	Quote

01-06-2010, 09:14 PM	#4
dragongrower Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 601	Cool, thanks for the replys... thought there were more space watchers on here.. Will tell you later what I find out..
	Quote

01-06-2010, 09:25 PM	#5
Some1here Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 40	I bought a 8 inch Dob last summer and used it 3 times! The summer sucked real bad. Cloudy nights and rain. Hope I can use it this summer. To cold right now for me to be outside looking at the sky
	Quote

01-07-2010, 12:24 AM	#6
medi-useA Guest Posts: n/a	I love watching the space station pass overhead...and I don't have a telescope!...in the evening I like to try to spot satellites as the sun reflects off them. this is, just about after sunset...suns gone...but enough light to reflect off the sats.. muA
	Quote

01-20-2010, 06:00 PM	#8
desant Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,034	Used to watch sapce and moon when i was a kid and living in the country I UK... i am planning to buy a nice telescope when i save some ££££ But here skies are cloudy 95% of time :S Otherwise connecting with the stars is bad ass.............
	Quote

03-02-2010, 04:06 PM	#10
ToughGirl Playing with fire... Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: zz9 plural z Alpha, Terra MW. Posts: 399	I think it's a great hobby, and I spend many nights in the summer looking through my telescope. If you buy a decent one you will see the craters and mountain ranges on the moon (clearly), the rings of Saturn and some of her moons, the great red eye of Jupiter and her moons, pulsars, a few nebula, constellations, satellites, the ISS, and Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Try to get one with a motor that tracks the sky, it makes life a lot easier. Eventually you'll become familiar with your sky and you'll know where things are. We just went on vacation recently and I finally saw the southern cross It's weird but when I was there the night sky felt very foreign to me, although when I mentioned it nobody else knew what I was talking about!
	Quote