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Watch NASA’s Perseverance Rover Land on Mars! This Thursday 18 Feb :-)

Discussion in 'General Chit Chat' started by aposhark, Feb 15, 2021.

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  1. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    That dobsonian looks not bad but attaching a camera will be a bit harder, the mirror is a decent size but remember again you will get quite a narrow angle of view in other words you will see an even narrower segment of the moon than I show in the picture above.
    oss, Sep 10, 2021
    #121
  2. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    This is the modern day equivalent of my Celestron that I posted above with the significant added bonus of having an optional GPS alignment device.
    Celestron NexStar 5SE Computerised Telescope | Wex Photo Video

    This is also a 5 inch but a bit cheaper and interesting it integrates with a cellphone the DX6 is a 6 inch version but quite a bit more expensive.
    Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 5 App-Enabled Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope | Wex Photo Video

    Personally if I had the money I would get an 8 inch or 10 inch Meade but that will have to wait for retirement and might be in the Philippines, oddly enough the sky is sometimes very clear in Manila :)

    This one would be the sensible money option Meade LX90 8-inch ACF telescope @ Meade Instruments UK (meadeuk.com)

    There are lots of very non sensible options starting with the LX600 series :) and to add to the misery and expense I would really love a solar scope starting with this one :D Coronado SolarMax III 70 with RichView Tuning and 10mm Blocking Filter @ Meade Instruments UK (meadeuk.com)
    oss, Sep 11, 2021
    #122
  3. Druk1
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    Druk1 Well-Known Member

    Brown outs :) sure fire cure for light pollution.
    Druk1, Sep 11, 2021
    #123
  4. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    I've had a lot of good nights on our terrace in Manila with Binoculars even without brownouts, they are fairly rare these days.
    oss, Sep 11, 2021
    #124
  5. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    My son & I went out again with the camera and tripod last night when the sky became clear. We were as much use as a chocolate fireguard;
    the clouds raced over again and I couldn't see anything once more.
    I felt like a real amateur as I had nothing that I could focus on and my son asks five questions a minute as I was trying not to kick the tripod legs. Everything is so much harder at night and I can't find my good head torch at the moment.
    My wife says "Larry and Hardy" and those avatar men had the right expressions.
    aposhark, Sep 11, 2021
    #125
  6. Druk1
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    Druk1 Well-Known Member

    Lots of brown outs I was told by a few people living in manila a few months back, they were known as rolling brown outs.
    Druk1, Sep 11, 2021
    #126
  7. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    The kids reported some but it was nothing compared to 10 to 15 years ago.
    oss, Sep 11, 2021
    #127
  8. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    :D

    It is hard with the camera and camera lenses a 90 degree finder attachment helps a lot.

    In terms of torches what you want is a red light LED torch which will let you read and see but won't ruin everyones night vision as much as a white light torch.
    oss, Sep 11, 2021
    #128
    • Like Like x 1
  9. Jim
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    Jim Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    We have planned brownouts, they give us two days notice for a 12 hour brownout, reason to cut back the bamboo and other tree branch. This happens 4 or 5 times a year, then there are non scheduled brownouts that happen in the evening while i'm having a shower or having my dinner.
    More fun living in the Provence NOT.
    Jim, Sep 12, 2021
    #129
    • Informative Informative x 1
  10. Druk1
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    Druk1 Well-Known Member

    No, not as many but still certain parts of manila had quite a few this year, 30 years ago they were a nightly occurance.
    Druk1, Sep 12, 2021
    #130
  11. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    I took my 7 son to a local observatory in Tavira, Portugal a few years ago. (Clear sky’s ). It was an enjoyable experience. I don’t think I or he got a tremendous lot out of it though. I much prefer the kind of stuff we are currently getting back from Mars, rather than a dot in the sky. Don’t get me wrong, astrophysics fascinates me. And I do get a kick out of looking at the moon, simply with the naked eye. Today’s technology is giving us much closer access to neighbouring planets and the views through more remote cameras etc seem to feed my curiosity a bit more.
    Anon220806, Sep 12, 2021
    #131
  12. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    If I ever built over there I think I would want at least a 4kw solar array on the roof with battery storage, the trouble with that idea is keeping the panels undamaged on the roof in the middle of a typhoon, an expensive loss if your roof is not up to it.

    An expensive idea and I'm never likely to do anything like that :)

    The province would be a good place to view the sky from though.
    oss, Sep 12, 2021
    #132
  13. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    I enjoyed viewing Jupiter and it's moons with my eyes and Saturn, Mars was also interesting because I could see the white polar caps, the moon can keep you busy though as there is a lot of detail and information and the Sun would be amazing because it is constantly changing.

    But the remote cameras on the rovers are wonderful, it would be good to have that on the moon too.

    My personal preference when viewing the sky though, is wide field in really clear conditions this kind of thing (not one of mine)

    41453192_2180333555555820_3518941153755331506_n.jpg (640×426) (practicalastrophotography.com)
    [​IMG]

    And this (also not mine)

    2339fc34353b55a1f106f9b4cdfe20a1.jpg (1300×867) (pinimg.com)
    [​IMG]

    I've never forgotten walking back from Whiting Bay to Lamlash (in Arran) after a dance at 3 or 4 am and seeing sights like that with the naked eye, clearest view of our Milky Way galaxy that I have ever had.
    oss, Sep 12, 2021
    #133
  14. Jim
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    Jim Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Had another brownout last night, last only 15 mins though. Got battery backup and an inverter, looking to upgrade with solar panels and more batteries and a better inverter, the one I have now is crap it uses more power than the appliances.
    Jim, Sep 13, 2021
    #134
  15. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    My only experience of a great view of the night sky was when driving up to Aberdeen at night about 20 years ago when there was an impressive meteorite shower. It was enhanced by a distinct lack of light pollution in the vicinity. At the time I thought they were fireworks but not at all and I was in the middle of nowhere at the time.
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2021
    Anon220806, Sep 13, 2021
    #135
  16. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    aposhark, Sep 13, 2021
    #136
  17. Anon220806
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    Anon220806 Well-Known Member

    I did visit Jodrell Bank about 15 / 20 years ago. And the Planetarium in London, which I gather doesn’t exist anymore…
    Anon220806, Sep 13, 2021
    #137
  18. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    3 Months On Mars: Perseverance:

    aposhark, Dec 26, 2021
    #138
  19. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    aposhark, Dec 26, 2021
    #139
  20. aposhark
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    aposhark Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    aposhark, Dec 26, 2021
    #140
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