Author Topic: Telescope Nerds in here?  (Read 851 times)

Offline Rondar

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Telescope Nerds in here?
« on: September 10, 2020, 08:46:40 AM »
I'd posted maybe 14-16 years ago in here asking about telescopes and such.  I finally got into a position to buy one.  So I bought a Celestron Evolution 8" HD Edge scope.  I just got it a few days ago.  It's not even been outside yet since I bought it, as I have to pay penance to the clouds for buying it.  Seems to be a week for people on another forum. 

Who else fesses up to  such a contraption?
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Offline CptTrips

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2020, 11:45:20 AM »
Excellent.  Congrats.

That is a perfect size if you don't have a permanent setup.  Small enough not to discourage you from setting it up and big enough to really enjoy.

Here is a post I made a while back about my setup: https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,400305.msg5305808.html#msg5305808

Have fun!
 :salute
« Last Edit: September 10, 2020, 12:27:44 PM by CptTrips »
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Offline fuzeman

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2020, 11:58:35 AM »
Back a few years they had a offer for a Galileo telescope you could get and I got one. Very basic and all plastic, sort of disappointing really.
Older Brother had one that needed parts, another smaller 'inexpensive' one and he got the parts and that was that for him.
I got it and the parts he got and have yet to assemble it. The stand has long chrome legs and that was just when my hands went south with my zinc chromate allergy in which I'm not supposed to touch chrome. My new 'used' Tama drum kit with all its chrome hardware set it off and I was Mr. Blister for two weeks.
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Offline Mano

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2020, 12:01:26 PM »
Excellent pictures CptTrips. If you ever find those galaxy pics please post 'em.
With all of the smoke and ash here in CA, I'm sure it will be awhile before I am able to do any stargazing.  :(

 :aok
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Offline guncrasher

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2020, 12:25:30 PM »
Excellent pictures CptTrips. If you ever find those galaxy pics please post 'em.
With all of the smoke and ash here in CA, I'm sure it will be awhile before I am able to do any stargazing.  :(

 :aok

used to have one when i lived in nc, my kids loved it, we learned lots of things.

i live near Los Angeles and my wife's family has a cabin up in the mountains.  views are limited due to trees, but it's still pretty cool.


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Offline Mister Fork

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2020, 12:30:15 PM »
There are three telescopes and a nice pair of Celestron 10x50 binos.  One 10" Dobsonian mounted Newtonian reflector that I hand built myself. F4.5 focal length. I'll post a picture of it later. My boys also have a pair of 8" Newtonian reflectors - one on an Equatorial and one Altazimuth. Bino's have a parallelogram mount with a neutral gravity swing arm.

Next part is getting yourself some good eyepieces. Believe it or not the quality and type of your eyepiece is almost as important as having good telescope. :aok
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Offline CptTrips

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2020, 12:50:14 PM »
There are three telescopes and a nice pair of Celestron 10x50 binos.  One 10" Dobsonian mounted Newtonian reflector that I hand built myself. F4.5 focal length. I'll post a picture of it later. My boys also have a pair of 8" Newtonian reflectors - one on an Equatorial and one Altazimuth. Bino's have a parallelogram mount with a neutral gravity swing arm.

Next part is getting yourself some good eyepieces. Believe it or not the quality and type of your eyepiece is almost as important as having good telescope. :aok

Yep.  Also very very important is how stable the mount is.  The best optics in the world are worthless if everything is vibrating and shaking with every breeze of touch of the focus knob. 

Like I said in the other post, I had take a really cheap Sear's bought x-mass scope and rebuilt a rock solid wood alt-az mount for it and threw away the eyepieces that came with it and bought a couple of decent ramsden eyepieces from Edmund Scientific and I ended up nice like scope for solar, lunar and planetary observing in the city.

:salute


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Offline Mister Fork

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2020, 03:57:07 PM »
Yep.  Also very very important is how stable the mount is.  The best optics in the world are worthless if everything is vibrating and shaking with every breeze of touch of the focus knob. 

Like I said in the other post, I had take a really cheap Sear's bought x-mass scope and rebuilt a rock solid wood alt-az mount for it and threw away the eyepieces that came with it and bought a couple of decent ramsden eyepieces from Edmund Scientific and I ended up nice like scope for solar, lunar and planetary observing in the city.

:salute

Agree on having a solid mount (eventually) as that really comes into play if you're doing astrophotography.  Saw your concrete pad there CT. Looks solid. :aok

Any Costo/Sears telescope you buy isn't worth a dime.

Also, CT, did you see the governments (US & Canada) investigating the telescope makers on the charges of collusion and price fixing?
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Offline CptTrips

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2020, 04:30:10 PM »
Also, CT, did you see the governments (US & Canada) investigating the telescope makers on the charges of collusion and price fixing?

Heh.  Sad to hear that has all moved to China. 

I will say, it is amazing how good the optics have gotten over the last 30 years.  Back in the old days, if you were a real OCD type, you could grind your own mirror.  You may not have saved huge dollars but if you were really obsessed you could produce a much better optic than they were churning out commercially.  Now days with computer controlled grinding and testing, I don't think it would come close to worth it unless you were just interested in doing it for fun.  It really is a fascinating hobby.  I made an excellent 8" mirror once for a f/9 dedicated planetary scope.  That thing took me a year and was a work of perfection. ;) 





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Offline RichardDarkwood

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2020, 05:27:47 PM »
I'd posted maybe 14-16 years ago in here asking about telescopes and such.  I finally got into a position to buy one.  So I bought a Celestron Evolution 8" HD Edge scope.  I just got it a few days ago.  It's not even been outside yet since I bought it, as I have to pay penance to the clouds for buying it.  Seems to be a week for people on another forum. 

Who else fesses up to  such a contraption?

Did you get the solar filter?
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Offline Rondar

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2020, 09:05:29 PM »
No, didn't get solar filter.  I have what came in the box, 2 eyepieces, red dot finder, etc etc, and StarSense.  I have not installed that thing yet. 
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Offline Rondar

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #11 on: September 10, 2020, 09:08:22 PM »
Excellent.  Congrats.

That is a perfect size if you don't have a permanent setup.  Small enough not to discourage you from setting it up and big enough to really enjoy.

Here is a post I made a while back about my setup: https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,400305.msg5305808.html#msg5305808

Have fun!

Wow you have a very nice setup, and beautiful pictures. I might bend your ear from time to time if you don't mind.
 :salute
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Offline Tec

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2020, 04:56:39 PM »
Anybody remember a guy named Lurch from way back when?  I'm pretty sure he ground his own mirrors and stuff but haven't seen him post in ages.
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Offline Oldman731

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #13 on: September 11, 2020, 10:02:11 PM »
Anybody remember a guy named Lurch from way back when?  I'm pretty sure he ground his own mirrors and stuff but haven't seen him post in ages.


I remember Lurch!  He was an AvA regular.  Good man.

I believe he said that he was moving to Italy, or some such place.  That was a very long time ago, more than 10 years ago, I think.

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Offline hitech

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Re: Telescope Nerds in here?
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2020, 01:29:16 PM »
I'd posted maybe 14-16 years ago in here asking about telescopes and such.  I finally got into a position to buy one.  So I bought a Celestron Evolution 8" HD Edge scope.  I just got it a few days ago.  It's not even been outside yet since I bought it, as I have to pay penance to the clouds for buying it.  Seems to be a week for people on another forum. 

Who else fesses up to  such a contraption?

Setup a terrain in AH with your position, you can then you AH to see your night sky star position.

HiTech