owning a telescope

[skyglow1]

just wondering who here has a telesocpe and who deosn't. if you fo, pleas epost how big and what type or if you can give more specifications aout it.

I have a 4 inch (102cm) f/5 orion refractor with 500mm focal lenght and 2 eyepieces, a 2x barlow and a 6x30 finderscope

skyglow1

[Musashi]

No scope for me, not enough cash

[ChesleyFan]

8-inch Dobsonian

3.5-inch Mak-Cass

[Farmer Tim]

I own a late 80's version of the Celestron Powerstar 8" "cat" scope. I have done some (fairly successful) astrophotography with a "T" adaptor and by piggybacking a 35 mm camera on top of the scope. I am looking forward to the close approach of Mars.

[Glom]

A have one, sort of, it is of the Christmas Trash Scope variety. A 4½ inch Newtonian advertised as a 375X telescope.

I discuss it here.

[ToSeek]

I have one of those cute little 4-1/4" Edmund Astroscans. Very portable.

[pmcolt]

I have the C4.5 (4.5-inch Newtonian) that my parents got me as a kid, and an 8-inch Newtonian which is still new enough that it continues to conjure rainclouds on a nearly nightly basis.

[The Supreme Canuck]

The only thing that I have that even approaches a telescope is one of those plastic dealies from a box of Captain Crunch. I really need a real scope.

[kilopi]

An old Meade ETX and I own a share in several others, but there are a lot of other owners, so I don't get much time with them. Like this one. It's a big club.

[man on the moon]

there's no button for "my parents have one"!

if i remember correctly, it's about a 4 inch with a wooden tripod, nice little rack between the legs for holding extra eyepieces, lenscaps, etc. it says Orion (i think...it's been a few years ops: ) on the tube...that would be the brand. it does a decent job for looking at the Moon and the naked eye planets. beyond that it's about as good as a pair of strong binocs though.

[Kaptain K]

I had to answer "no", since I am currently "between scopes". I have owned several in the past and will own more in the future. I am making do with a pair of 10x50 binoculars.

[Pi Man]

I have a pretty nice telescope. Although, I haven't taken it from its packageing since 2000. I think it's because I'm more of an astro-physics, cosmology, particle physics... type of guy.

[gethen]

I have an 8" Newtonian (Orion) on an equatorial mount. Have had it for a few months and am still learning to use it, but am overall delighted with it.

[Dickenmeyer]

Mine is a Meade 8'" Schmidt-Newtonian. I ordered it last October (it arrived in February) after my o-l-d no-tech 4 1/2 " Newtonian finally crapped out for good. I have 8 eyepieces, various filters, 2 barlows, a variety of photographic accessories ( I have to date shot up one roll of film which was a near total failure), and just this week I got my electronic eyepiece from Orion and in about four hours I'm going to try to shoot some video of the Moon with it.

[ocasey3]

I have a Bushnell Newtonian CTS. The images are pretty decent but the mount sucks. Never stays steady. Any suggestions on where I could get a new mount at a decent price or possibly how I might be able to shore up the one I've got?

[Charlie in Dayton]

Lessee here (pun intended)...

10x50 binoculars
Tasco 50mm(or so) 20-60 zoom spotting scope (from my target shooting daze)
Tasco 3" f/9 reflector
Orion 130mm f/7 reflector (new inna box - arrived last Friday, haven't unpacked/assembled it yet)

Friday, June 18, 2003, I passed my qualification test to run the big 20" aperture Dall-Kirkham style scope at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery here in town ( www.boonshoft.org ).

Next stop, qualifying for the 12" optical and 12" CCD camera positions at the club dark-sky site


Check us out here (.pdf file).

[Kaptain K]

I have a Bushnell Newtonian CTS. The images are pretty decent but the mount sucks. Never stays steady. Any suggestions on where I could get a new mount at a decent price or possibly how I might be able to shore up the one I've got?

If your problem is a shaky or unsteady mount. Try hanging weight from the center of the tripod. Barbell weights or a bucket of sand. Some say that it helps.

[girlgeek]

Not enough $$$ for a scope, but am planning to purchase a good set of binoculars when my next paycheck comes in at the end of July. I'm not sure what brand or size, but I know there is a relevant thread on this board I can refer to. :wink:

Of course, any and all suggestions on this would be appreciated. :P

girlgeek

[pmcolt]

If your problem is a shaky or unsteady mount. Try hanging weight from the center of the tripod. Barbell weights or a bucket of sand. Some say that it helps.

I've heard of that (with a jug full of water suggested as a weight, as well). I don't know how well it works; I'd try it but I think rain's in the forecast as far as the local meteorologists can see.

[mike alexander]

Meade 10" GPS. My birthday present for the last 10 years (next 10, too).

What a lovely thing. The Autoalign and GOTO are godsends for people like me. I've been observing on and off for the last 30 years and I am constitutionally incapable of finding anything in the sky. I mean, I have trouble finding the Moon. I finally saw the Ring Nebula with this thing.

(For the cognitive neurologists out there, is there any relationship between acute acrophobia and the inability to find celestial objects in a scope?)

Seeing from my home is usually terrible, but one weekend I intend to pack the scope over the Cascades and find some good, dark sky on the high desert.

[ChesleyFan]

Not enough $$$ for a scope, but am planning to purchase a good set of binoculars when my next paycheck comes in at the end of July. I'm not sure what brand or size, but I know there is a relevant thread on this board I can refer to. :wink:

Of course, any and all suggestions on this would be appreciated. :P

girlgeek

Check out www.bigbinoculars.com or www.burgessoptical.com. Both good products at good prices.

[girlgeek]

:P :P Thanks ChesleyFan... going there now

You know you gotta love a job that let's you surf the web virtually unencumbered.... :P

girlgeek

[gethen]

If your problem is a shaky or unsteady mount. Try hanging weight from the center of the tripod. Barbell weights or a bucket of sand. Some say that it helps.

I've heard of that (with a jug full of water suggested as a weight, as well). I don't know how well it works; I'd try it but I think rain's in the forecast as far as the local meteorologists can see.

This is the sort of stuff I love about the BABB. What a great idea. I sometimes think my scope could use a beefier mount, and I just might try this one of those nights when things just seem too wobbly. Thanks!

[skyglow1]

I would like GPS and a moderate sized telescope but it'll have to wait.

skyglow1

[Chuck]

I have 35mm (1.377952755905511811 inch) binoculars.

[A.DIM]

Only a few weeks ago I acquired a Criterion Dynascope RV-6; father in law had it stored away for 20 some years. It's a beaut!

[Hamlet]

I have a Meade ETX-90. It's a great little scope, but I'd really like to move up to a nice 8 or 10 inch model.

[mutant]

I have:

10 X50 binoculars
25 X100 binoculars -- with a forklift to help me attach them to a tripod
Meade ETX 90
Meade 8 inch SCT
ALso have misc equip. to allow me to take photos with a digital camera (Nikon Coolpix 4500)

I love looking at the night sky, but live in the state of Washington so I can be seen dragging this stuff around the state quite often looking for clear skies and good seeing. My photos of the moon and planets are getting a bit better but have not yet ventured into deep sky photography.

[snowcelt]

No. Sold it and bought drugs. 8-[

[jkmccrann]

Nope, just the binoculars for me, the only issue i have with buying a telescope is, is it likely to produce images that are more interesting and more amazing to look at than those beamed homeward by tremendous spacecraft like the Voyager probes? I have to say no, so i think i'd be bound to be disappointed with getting a telescope, there's only so many times one can look at the Moon.