Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

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cumbrianwolf
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Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#1

Post by cumbrianwolf »


I am certainly not new to this hobby, but it was 2015 when I was last out with the current telescopic set up, as confirmed by my handset details. It is only just recently that I have been physically able to move the kit back and forth due to suffering a long term debilitating lower back issue which may not resolved by any means, but I have managed to work with it and suffer a lot less pain than I used to. Been through the specialists for many years to no avail, so life goes on. My aim is to come back to the hobby, or rather the DSLR “astrophotography” side of it as the last time I attempted it, I ended up throwing in the towel before I even got started due to the issues mentioned above.

On a serious note, I am really considering reducing the optical size of the telescope in the near future to something more practical as this 10-inch-254 mm parabolic mirrored Newtonian and the NEQ6 mount is not that much fun to shift back and forth into the house as I found out! ;) Look forward to picking your brains and hopefully catching up with old members from astronomy shed, as it looks like things have changed somewhat with it being closed down and of course better technological advancements. Respect and peace, John.

Current kit specifications are:
TS GSO 10" 254 mm f/4 1016 mm Newtonian
2” Monorail Crawford focuser with a 10:1 gear option.
Skywatcher NEQ6 SkyScan Pro
TS Optics 2" Newtonian Telescope Coma Corrector from f/4
TS Optics 80 mm Guide Scope
Canon EOS 7D Camera
Sky-Watcher 22Ah Power Tank (Yuasa battery upgrade)
Last edited by cumbrianwolf on Tue Dec 07, 2021 5:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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smp United States of America
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#2

Post by smp »


Hi cumbrianwolf, and welcome here to the Forum!

smp
Stephen
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Telescopes: Questar 3.5 Standard SN 18-11421; Stellina (EAA)
Solar: Thousand Oaks white light filter; Daystar Quark (chromosphere) Hα filter
Mounts: Explore Scientific Twilight I; Majestic heavy duty tripod
Local Club: New Hampshire Astronomical Society
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#3

Post by Makuser »


Hi John. We're all happy to have you join us here on TSS. Welcome to the forum John and the best of wishes on your return to the astronomy hobby and also on your current astronomy endeavors.
:text-welcomeconfetti:
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
>)))))*>
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#4

Post by helicon »


Hi John and Welcome to TSS!
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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cumbrianwolf
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#5

Post by cumbrianwolf »


Thank you for all the welcomes.
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#6

Post by Bigzmey »


Welcome on board John! Downsizing makes sense. This hobby is about enjoying the skies, not weightlifting. :)
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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cumbrianwolf
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#7

Post by cumbrianwolf »


It was one of those occasions when I should have and did know much better from previous experiences, but then you ignore your own wise words and then curse yourself thereafter on the choice you made. ;)
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#8

Post by turboscrew »


Hello and welcome!
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

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Lady Fraktor Slovakia
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#9

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Welcome to the forums John :)

Have you considered a small refractor or Maksutov for a lightweight setup?
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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Greenman Great Britain
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#10

Post by Greenman »


Hi John, Welcome to the forum… :text-welcomewave:
Cheers,

Tony.

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Smart Scope: Dwarf II - Club and outreach work.

AP Refractor: Altair 72EDF Deluxe F6;1x & 0.8 Flatteners; Antares Versascope 60mm finder. ASIAir Pro.Li battery pack for grab & go.

Celestron AVX Mount; X-cel LX eyepieces & Barlows 2x 3x, ZWO 2” Filter holder,

Cameras: main DSO ASI533MC; DSO guide ASI120MM; Planetary ASI224MC; DSLR Canon EOS100 stock.

Filters: Astronomik IR cut; Optolong L-Pro; Optolong L-Enhance.

Binoculars: Celestron 15 x 70.

Latitude: 52.219853
Longitude: -1.034471
Accuracy: 5 m
Bortle 4 site. https://maps.google.com/?q=52.21985,-1.03447

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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#11

Post by Graeme1858 »


Hello Cumbrianwolf

Welcome to the Forum.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
ASI1600MM Pro, ASI294MC Pro, ASI224MC
ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#12

Post by Gordon »


Welcome to TSS John!

:text-welcomewave:
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.

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cumbrianwolf
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#13

Post by cumbrianwolf »


Lady Fraktor wrote: Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:23 pm Welcome to the forums John :)

Have you considered a small refractor or Maksutov for a lightweight setup?
Might be on the cards in the future and such options I have considered, I need to see how good I am going to become with the current set up and if it is for me or is the visual side is still something I enjoy, so I was trying to kill two birds with one stone which as we know does not work.
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#14

Post by JayTee »


Hello John,

Welcome to TSS. Glad you joined us. I hope your efforts to get back into this hobby are successful.

Cheers
∞ Primary Scopes: #1: Celestron CPC1100 #2: 8" f/7.5 Dob #3: CR150HD f/8 6" frac
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°

Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."

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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#15

Post by Ylem »


Welcome to TSS John!
Thanks for joining us 🙂
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


Member; ASTRA-NJ



Orion 80ED
Celestron C5, 6SE, Celestar 8
Vixen Porta Mount ll
Coronado PST
A big box of Plossls
Little box of filters
:D



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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#16

Post by Butterfly Maiden »


Hello John and welcome to the Forum.
Vanessa

Nikon D82 Fieldscope with 30x/45x/56x angled eyepiece.
Olympus DPS-1 10x50 binoculars.
Leica 8x32BN binoculars.
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#17

Post by Unitron48 »


Hello...and welcome to the Forum!

Dave
Unitron (60mm, 102mm), Brandon 94
Stellarvue SVX127D
http://www.unitronhistory.com

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#18

Post by OzEclipse »


Hello John,
Welcome.
Like you, I have a lower back injury that’s very limiting. I have a Takahashi EM200 Mount and Vixen VC200L. The mount head weighs the same as the EQ 6. However the VC200L only weighs about 6.5 kg and is easy to handle. The field is very flat with the matched f6.4 reducer. I am having a ball with mine. No front corrector plate means no dew strap. Very simple AP.

Here is some recent work.
https://joe-cali.com/astronomy/astropho ... index.html
Best wishes
Joe
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Amateur astronomer since 1978...................Web site : http://joe-cali.com/
Scopes: ATM 18" Dob, Vixen VC200L, ATM 6"f7, Stellarvue 102ED, Saxon ED80, WO M70 ED, Orion 102 Maksutov, ST80.
Mounts: Takahashi EM-200, iOptron iEQ45, Push dobsonian with Nexus DSC, three homemade EQ's.
Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#19

Post by messier 111 »


:text-welcomeconfetti: to tss
I LOVE REFRACTORS , :Astronomer1: :sprefac:

REFRACTOR , TS-Optics Doublet SD-APO 125 mm f/7.8 . Lunt 80mm MT Ha Doublet Refractor .

EYEPIECES, Delos , Delite and 26mm Nagler t5 , 2 zoom Svbony 7-21 , Orion Premium Linear BinoViewer .

FILTER , Nebustar 2 tele vue . Apm solar wedge . contrast booster 2 inches .

Mounts , berno mack 3 with telepod , cg-4 motorized , eq6 pro belt drive .

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”
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Re: Hello from NW Cumbria in the UK

#20

Post by cumbrianwolf »


Sorry, I missed a couple of the comments upon this post. OzEclipse for sure I will have to reduce the optical tube at some point but for now it will have to stay as the funds are running low, as they do. The VC200L looks like a nice compromise of the larger aperture and a major jump in weight reduction department, the mirror on this 10" is probably near to the weight of the VC200L alone! ;)
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