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Anyone into astronomy "Star Gazing"

Billbickman

Billbickman

Hey all,

I just wondered if anyone here was into astronomy. Its one of my favorite hobbies, I have a Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ and use it almost every night.
Here in Texas we get pretty clear skies for star gazing so you never know what you may spot. Anyways, post away if you have and interest in the hobby and tell what your looking through.
 
Niles

Niles

I've loved astronomy and stargazing since I was a child. I don't really have any equipment. I've thought about getting a new telescope (I had a small one years ago).
 
S

Ski-Patroller

I do some when the sky is clear, which unfortunately doesn't happen here all that often until mid summer. I had a Celestron 8 GPS which I sold last year. A great telescope, but quite a project to use because of the weight. I kept a Celestron Nextstar 5i which is a lot easier to move around. I can't stargaze from my home due to the trees and city lights so I have to drag my gear to a remote location or my ski cabin.
 
D

dk2852

Billbickman said:
Hey all,

I just wondered if anyone here was into astronomy. Its one of my favorite hobbies, I have a Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ and use it almost every night.
Here in Texas we get pretty clear skies for star gazing so you never know what you may spot. Anyways, post away if you have and interest in the hobby and tell what your looking through.
Click to expand...

Fellow Texas stargazer here. I've been into it for a few years, but my equipment sucks. I have a meade telescope which is decent, but it only came with one eyepiece and the tripod it stands on is really wobbly.

Still I've managed to get some good views and impress several people. I can see Jupiter and the moons, the rings of saturn and the moon's surface and craters. Viewing Messier objects is a bust though, they look to small to make anything out. I really have been wanting to get a decent one soon, but they are really expensive. My dad has a Celestron, maybe he'll hand it down to me as he never uses it.
 
TheVez2

TheVez2

I enjoy stargazing. I have a Celestron Powerseeker 114EQ. I've only used it a couple times though. It's much more difficult to use than I thought it would be. It's not what I expected. :(

I also have a pair of Orion 10x50 binoculars. I enjoy using the binoculars because they are quick and easy.

I also just got a subscription to Astronomy magazine.
 
Billbickman

Billbickman

TheVez2 said:
I enjoy stargazing. I have a Celestron Powerseeker 114EQ. I've only used it a couple times though. It's much more difficult to use than I thought it would be. It's not what I expected. :(

I also have a pair of Orion 10x50 binoculars. I enjoy using the binoculars because they are quick and easy.

I also just got a subscription to Astronomy magazine.
Click to expand...
I have a Powerseeker 127 EQ, takes awile to get used to finding stuff so it can get discouraging but once you get the hang it, objects will stick out at you.
 
Billbickman

Billbickman

dk2852 said:
Fellow Texas stargazer here. I've been into it for a few years, but my equipment sucks. I have a meade telescope which is decent, but it only came with one eyepiece and the tripod it stands on is really wobbly.

Still I've managed to get some good views and impress several people. I can see Jupiter and the moons, the rings of saturn and the moon's surface and craters. Viewing Messier objects is a bust though, they look to small to make anything out. I really have been wanting to get a decent one soon, but they are really expensive. My dad has a Celestron, maybe he'll hand it down to me as he never uses it.
Click to expand...

My 127EQ has a really wobbely stand too. Just the wind sometimes makes it jump all over the place. Im a little bummed though as it has been cloudy nearly all week here.
 
S

Ski-Patroller

Most astronomy club folks will recommend a 8 or 10 inch Dobsonian or perhaps an SCT. I have always had good luck with SCTs. If you put a Neutonian on an equatorial mount, it needs to be a good (read expensive) mount on a heavy tripod, otherwise it vibrate too much. A good Dobs mount gets rid of that problem, although it won't track and will require more knowledge to use. Go To SCTs tend to be more stable, if only because the tubes are much shorter. The AltAzimiuth mounts typically used with Go To SCTs generally provide more convenient viewing positions.
 
Billbickman

Billbickman

I find if a put a little weight on the tripod for my EQ, i.e. hang brick from the eye piece tray, it steadies up pretty good.
 
ezlovan

ezlovan

I love it. I got my undergrad in Physics and took every astronomy class available, and was the TA for the the astronomy labs my junior year (about 15 years ago, wow). I don't have any equipment right now, but I'm getting a good telescope soon because I want my son to grow up with a love for astronomy.
 
Billbickman

Billbickman

My kids love it as we'll, nothing says a reality check like seeing a planet in real time as opposed to a television. Lets us know how small we really are :thumbup:
 
oc_in_fw

oc_in_fw

Fridays are Fishtastic!
Billbickman said:
Hey all,

I just wondered if anyone here was into astronomy. Its one of my favorite hobbies, I have a Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ and use it almost every night.
Here in Texas we get pretty clear skies for star gazing so you never know what you may spot. Anyways, post away if you have and interest in the hobby and tell what your looking through.
Click to expand...
My dream is to retire to the Hill Country and get a huge honking scope.
 
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