The Journey begins...

[Razz]

Well, I ordered an ST 80 scope, a red dot finder, a 3 piece EP set and a tube ring set. Now, to be fair, the red dot finder was listed as backordered to be in stock 12/30...ok, I get that was just an estimate and I'm good with that...HOWEVER, then I get a confirmation email for my order that also stated the tube rings were discontinued...then why were they even on the site? There's 2 of my 4 items on the list...tonight I decided to check the status of my order...hmmm, now the ST80 is listed as backordered...enough is enough...Order cancelled. As stated above, I ordered the SvBONY 503 and some eyepieces...I ordered a Skywatcher Az-GTE mount from Woodland Hills and had no problem. It's on it's way...They sent me an order confirmation, I asked them when it would be shipped, they said it already shipped and sent me a tracking number...

[turboscrew]

It's weird in these (COVID) days...

[Razz]

It's weird in these (COVID) days...

Y'know, you're right. BUT, too many businesses are using covid as an excuse. How does Covid affect a website's stock? It doesn't...if you don't have it, don't list it...it's merely lazy people who can't be bothered to update their webite...I get that Covid is serious but its become an excuse for laziness...no more, no less...too many businesses are using Covid as an excuse for poor customer service...

[Bigzmey]

At the end you are getting much better scope than ST80 which comes with good quality rings and good focuser.

[Razz]

At the end you are getting much better scope than ST80 which comes with good quality rings and good focuser.

I hope so...

[The Happy Parrot]

From what others have said about SvBony telescopes, I have a feeling your patience will be well rewarded. Did you get the 102mm/4" version?

[Razz]

I got the 80mm version. I should get it this week and I'll be on vacation the following week. Hopefully the sky will clear up so I can try it...lol

[Bigzmey]

I got the 80mm version. I should get it this week and I'll be on vacation the following week. Hopefully the sky will clear up so I can try it...lol

Good choice! Since it is an APO scope it will be very good on planets, Moon and doubles. Performance on DSOs will depend on how dark is your sky.

[WilliamPaolini]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for visual use on not-so-bright targets, LP filters don't work well with that small telescopes. They tend to block too much light.

Not my experience using 80mm and 100mm scopes. Basically you just need to follow exit pupil rules. So they really work just as well in smaller scopes as long as you do not use magnifications that produce unreasonably small exit pupils. Basically my experience is that if the nebula filter has a broader spectrum (e.g., Lumicon Deep Sky or Astronomik UHC-E), then they are fine for say a 2mm exit pupil, maybe even a 1.5mm exit pupil. If it is a more narrow band nebula filter (i.e., something like the Lumicon UHC-II or TV Bandmate II Nebustar) then 3mm to 4mm best. And for an O-III with small apertures, then the 4-5mm exit pupil and anything lower just makes the view too dim for my tastes.

FWIW, I typically enjoy the borader band nebula filters as they let more dim stars through in the view when using small bore telescopes. Probably not so much of an issue with larger apertures. The thing I like though about using the narrower band filters, especially the ones I mentioned as those do not pass any of the red spectrum, is that brighter stars do not have that red fringe to them that is caused by the retention of the red spectrum while suppressing the spectrum between the the reds and where the O-III and where the O-III and H-beta lines are (blue-green spectrum).

The broader band filters I tend to like most are the Astronomik UHC-E and Astronomik UHC. Things like the Lumicon UHC-II and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar have spectrums just like the Astronomik UHC (red curve) that are more narrowly centered on the O-III and H-beta lines but they do not pass any of those orange reds to the right of 625nm that the broader band filters do like the Astronomiks.

So in my case where I prefer smaller aperture scopes, the perfect (albeit expensive) approach is to have 3 nebula filters from broad to narrow bandwidths -- so the Astronomik UHC-E, Astronomik UHC, and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar (or Lumicon UHC-II). This way if I want to use more magnification on a nebula that responds to these filters, then I can pump up the power some and just move to a broader and less aggressive filter.

Also, when I am at a darker site, say around 21 SQM or more, then I tend to always prefer no filter at all unless looking for some elusive feature in the nebula that the filter may bring out.

[turboscrew]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for visual use on not-so-bright targets, LP filters don't work well with that small telescopes. They tend to block too much light.

Not my experience using 80mm and 100mm scopes. Basically you just need to follow exit pupil rules. So they really work just as well in smaller scopes as long as you do not use magnifications that produce unreasonably small exit pupils. Basically my experience is that if the nebula filter has a broader spectrum (e.g., Lumicon Deep Sky or Astronomik UHC-E), then they are fine for say a 2mm exit pupil, maybe even a 1.5mm exit pupil. If it is a more narrow band nebula filter (i.e., something like the Lumicon UHC-II or TV Bandmate II Nebustar) then 3mm to 4mm best. And for an O-III with small apertures, then the 4-5mm exit pupil and anything lower just makes the view too dim for my tastes.

FWIW, I typically enjoy the borader band nebula filters as they let more dim stars through in the view when using small bore telescopes. Probably not so much of an issue with larger apertures. The thing I like though about using the narrower band filters, especially the ones I mentioned as those do not pass any of the red spectrum, is that brighter stars do not have that red fringe to them that is caused by the retention of the red spectrum while suppressing the spectrum between the the reds and where the O-III and where the O-III and H-beta lines are (blue-green spectrum).

The broader band filters I tend to like most are the Astronomik UHC-E and Astronomik UHC. Things like the Lumicon UHC-II and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar have spectrums just like the Astronomik UHC (red curve) that are more narrowly centered on the O-III and H-beta lines but they do not pass any of those orange reds to the right of 625nm that the broader band filters do like the Astronomiks.

So in my case where I prefer smaller aperture scopes, the perfect (albeit expensive) approach is to have 3 nebula filters from broad to narrow bandwidths -- so the Astronomik UHC-E, Astronomik UHC, and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar (or Lumicon UHC-II). This way if I want to use more magnification on a nebula that responds to these filters, then I can pump up the power some and just move to a broader and less aggressive filter.

Also, when I am at a darker site, say around 21 SQM or more, then I tend to always prefer no filter at all unless looking for some elusive feature in the nebula that the filter may bring out.

Thanks! The effect of exit pupil didn't come to mind. You always learn something new.

[Razz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for visual use on not-so-bright targets, LP filters don't work well with that small telescopes. They tend to block too much light.

Not my experience using 80mm and 100mm scopes. Basically you just need to follow exit pupil rules. So they really work just as well in smaller scopes as long as you do not use magnifications that produce unreasonably small exit pupils. Basically my experience is that if the nebula filter has a broader spectrum (e.g., Lumicon Deep Sky or Astronomik UHC-E), then they are fine for say a 2mm exit pupil, maybe even a 1.5mm exit pupil. If it is a more narrow band nebula filter (i.e., something like the Lumicon UHC-II or TV Bandmate II Nebustar) then 3mm to 4mm best. And for an O-III with small apertures, then the 4-5mm exit pupil and anything lower just makes the view too dim for my tastes.

FWIW, I typically enjoy the borader band nebula filters as they let more dim stars through in the view when using small bore telescopes. Probably not so much of an issue with larger apertures. The thing I like though about using the narrower band filters, especially the ones I mentioned as those do not pass any of the red spectrum, is that brighter stars do not have that red fringe to them that is caused by the retention of the red spectrum while suppressing the spectrum between the the reds and where the O-III and where the O-III and H-beta lines are (blue-green spectrum).

The broader band filters I tend to like most are the Astronomik UHC-E and Astronomik UHC. Things like the Lumicon UHC-II and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar have spectrums just like the Astronomik UHC (red curve) that are more narrowly centered on the O-III and H-beta lines but they do not pass any of those orange reds to the right of 625nm that the broader band filters do like the Astronomiks.

So in my case where I prefer smaller aperture scopes, the perfect (albeit expensive) approach is to have 3 nebula filters from broad to narrow bandwidths -- so the Astronomik UHC-E, Astronomik UHC, and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar (or Lumicon UHC-II). This way if I want to use more magnification on a nebula that responds to these filters, then I can pump up the power some and just move to a broader and less aggressive filter.

Also, when I am at a darker site, say around 21 SQM or more, then I tend to always prefer no filter at all unless looking for some elusive feature in the nebula that the filter may bring out.

Thanks. This was informative. One question...on Clear Outside it says the sky here is 20.66 magnitude. Is that the SQM that you mentioned?

[Razz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but for visual use on not-so-bright targets, LP filters don't work well with that small telescopes. They tend to block too much light.

Not my experience using 80mm and 100mm scopes. Basically you just need to follow exit pupil rules. So they really work just as well in smaller scopes as long as you do not use magnifications that produce unreasonably small exit pupils. Basically my experience is that if the nebula filter has a broader spectrum (e.g., Lumicon Deep Sky or Astronomik UHC-E), then they are fine for say a 2mm exit pupil, maybe even a 1.5mm exit pupil. If it is a more narrow band nebula filter (i.e., something like the Lumicon UHC-II or TV Bandmate II Nebustar) then 3mm to 4mm best. And for an O-III with small apertures, then the 4-5mm exit pupil and anything lower just makes the view too dim for my tastes.

FWIW, I typically enjoy the borader band nebula filters as they let more dim stars through in the view when using small bore telescopes. Probably not so much of an issue with larger apertures. The thing I like though about using the narrower band filters, especially the ones I mentioned as those do not pass any of the red spectrum, is that brighter stars do not have that red fringe to them that is caused by the retention of the red spectrum while suppressing the spectrum between the the reds and where the O-III and where the O-III and H-beta lines are (blue-green spectrum).

The broader band filters I tend to like most are the Astronomik UHC-E and Astronomik UHC. Things like the Lumicon UHC-II and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar have spectrums just like the Astronomik UHC (red curve) that are more narrowly centered on the O-III and H-beta lines but they do not pass any of those orange reds to the right of 625nm that the broader band filters do like the Astronomiks.

So in my case where I prefer smaller aperture scopes, the perfect (albeit expensive) approach is to have 3 nebula filters from broad to narrow bandwidths -- so the Astronomik UHC-E, Astronomik UHC, and TeleVue Bandmate II Nebustar (or Lumicon UHC-II). This way if I want to use more magnification on a nebula that responds to these filters, then I can pump up the power some and just move to a broader and less aggressive filter.

Also, when I am at a darker site, say around 21 SQM or more, then I tend to always prefer no filter at all unless looking for some elusive feature in the nebula that the filter may bring out.

Thanks. This was informative. One question...on Clear Outside it says the sky here is 20.66 magnitude. Is that the SQM that you mentioned? Every time someone posts something like this, I go and learn another little formula...lol...this time it was exit pupil...

[Ylem]

I have had my eye on the SvBONY 503, looking forward to hearing more about it

[WilliamPaolini]

Thanks. This was informative. One question...on Clear Outside it says the sky here is 20.66 magnitude. Is that the SQM that you mentioned?

I would say "yes". The SQM (Sky Quality Meter) meter basically measures the sky magnitude over a region of the sky. The meter I have is the narrow field one which measures a swatch of the sky about 20 degrees in diameter in the direction you point it. The measure it returns, like the 21.0 I mentioned where I find I no longer prefer filters, is the average visual magnitude per square arcsecond across the 20 degrees of sky it measures. So in reality, where you point it is important as the sky is naturally brighter in different directions and closer to the horizon. So when you say Clear Outside it telling you the sky is 20.66, that is the same measure. However, I suppose they mean at the zenith. Where I used to live, which was nicely dark, the sky still varied from 17 to 21 SQM (or I guess I should say 17-21 mag/arcsec2). So when I am observing targets and judging how I like various filters, I use the SQM readings for the region of the sky where the target is at the moment.

The Clear Outside website probably does not account for local light pollution. I am also confident, based on the numbers it is showing for locations I have observed at, that it is not accounting for differences in sky location. So as example, the location I lived at for the past 5 years has on its best evenings a reading of 21.3. Clear Outside says that location is 21.15, so fairly close. But I could only get a 21.3 reading at or near the zenith on the very best evenings. Depending on where I pointed the meter, or on the local conditions of the evening, the readings could vary to as low as 17! So I would say the Clear Outside is probably accurate with their number but only when the Total Cloud %, Humidity, and Fog are 0% AND at the Zenith.

Here is the meter I use -
http://www.unihedron.com/projects/sqm-l/

[Razz]

Well, the Az-GTe mount and "Turn Left at Orion" book showed up today. Everything else is supposed to arrive either Wednesday or Thursday. There's no turning back now...lol...

[helicon]

Hope everything shows up in good shape.

[Razz]

The telescope and power tank arrived today. The eyepieces should be here tomorrow. I should have everything I need to get started...

[Frankskywatcher]

Wow just finished reading this whole thread, very interesting and educational at the same time.
I was wondering if there was a section on the basics in terms of equipment,how to get started etc.
As I have already stated elsewhere seriously considering the Apertura AD 8” but before I pull the trigger I was hoping to hear from the more experienced and others who might already have one and their thoughts on it !
Glad you started this thread, thanks !

[Razz]

Hi and welcome, fellow newbie! There are separate sections in this forum for telescopes, mounts and eyepieces. Besides, you could always start a thread in the beginner section and ask about a particular piece of gear. I haven't been here long but I can say that these are very helpful people.

[Razz]

Well, I managed to get my set up put together, went outside just to check it out and get the finder adjusted. I was not aware that tree branches had such detail...anyway, I'm ready to start on my new hobby of cloud researcher!