To those who enjoy Space, I have a question.

reply to post by sarra1833


There is a bit of a learning curve involved, but worth every minute. I found myself fascinated when looking up at the sky while I was learning, and identifying different stars. Now, a quick visual scan yields Orion, Sirius, Polaris, and Vegas. Those a few of the really easy to spot ones.

Of course, if you ask questions, you always get answers. I'd recommend spending some time reading on Sky and Telescope. The hardest part is orienting your self in the sky, and understanding Ascension and Declination. Also, it'd be helpful to print out one of those sky wheels they have there for free download, and use it as your major tool to learn the heavens. The disk rotates per time of day, and shows you what should be in your field of view. I keep two in my observatory logbook in the back flap at all times. They are invaluable in your viewings of the sky.

There's no reason not to ask questions. Once you learn it, you'll never forget it, and before long you'll consider yourself an amateur astronomer. Feel free to ask about anything.

BTW, good choice in priorities. Learn the sky and scope first, then move on to digitizing it.

Originally posted by Druid42
reply to post by sarra1833

 

They sell adapters for ANY camera, believe it or not, but there are specific kinds you'd want for astro photography. ngc would be the expert in that area, a good starter model that won't break your budget, and hopefully he'll pipe back in.

Well with a dobsonian like this, the only thing you'll really be able to photograph are the planets and the moon (without needing to install an active tracking system). A good starter camera for that purpose would be one of these, though the chip is fairly small so it'll probably take some practice to get the planet on the chip (however the digital setting circles, the computer system of the scope, should help with that):
www.optcorp.com...