any hobbyist astronomers here?

PAgeologist

All-Conference
Oct 19, 2021
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Id definitely look up when some comets are going to swing by. Those would be cool to look at.

Id check out the planets too. Saturn is a cool view.

You could probably look at the space station and satellites.

You could recreate some of the old discoveries from Copernicus and Galileo.
 

PAgeologist

All-Conference
Oct 19, 2021
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By the way, in case you havent used it yet. Any ground vibration will probably not allow it to focus. Including somebody rocking their feet if theyre cold. Or maybe your model is less sensitive to that than the one we had in school.
 

step.eng69

All-Conference
Nov 7, 2012
3,400
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I'm just dipping a toe here, bought a basic telescope and star chart so far, but if I get into it will upgrade.

Any advice on anything related?
Sorry Nitt, no can help.

This is the viewer I used to explore my little universe, things like......
Amoeba
Algae organisms
Animal cells
Terrestrial insects
Blood
Hair
and Yeast spores from my juvenile classmates' bicycle seats 🧐

1768927780576.png
 
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G3624

Junior
Feb 18, 2014
352
287
63
I bought an 11inch smith Cassegrain a while back. It is a beast. If you look at the middle star in the sword of the constellation Orion, then increase the magnification of the lens if you are patient one might peer into the center of the trapezium. They outline the center of the Orion Nebula where stars are born.

I would recommend start small. Learn the basics of longitude and latitude, in astronomy, right of ascension, sidereal time and your latitude based on your relation to Ursula minor. Once these parameters are understood, you will be better able to assess your needs. But along with setup by knowing a couple other alignment constellations and have a clock attached to advance the scope with the rotation of the earth. The heavens will open for you. I rather enjoy deep space objects. Although a good scope with a clock that secures the scope to Jupiter one make watch the moons orbit around their planet.
 

Nitt1300

Heisman
Nov 2, 2008
6,843
12,816
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I bought an 11inch smith Cassegrain a while back. It is a beast. If you look at the middle star in the sword of the constellation Orion, then increase the magnification of the lens if you are patient one might peer into the center of the trapezium. They outline the center of the Orion Nebula where stars are born.

I would recommend start small. Learn the basics of longitude and latitude, in astronomy, right of ascension, sidereal time and your latitude based on your relation to Ursula minor. Once these parameters are understood, you will be better able to assess your needs. But along with setup by knowing a couple other alignment constellations and have a clock attached to advance the scope with the rotation of the earth. The heavens will open for you. I rather enjoy deep space objects. Although a good scope with a clock that secures the scope to Jupiter one make watch the moons orbit around their planet.
50 years ago, I shot stars to navigate, hoping that knowledge is still somewhere in the back of my old noggin and will be of some help. Starting my reading this weekend and hoping for clear skies in upstate NY