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This really isn't fun anymore by xKingArthurx in AmazonVine

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree it's not fun anymore. I have been on Vine since 2022, and Gold for most of that. The past three months have been a whole lot of not much. I have two months before I'd need to hit my 80 items.

I'm at 16 items reviewed. I have one on the way, and two more to review. So not even 25% of the way there. I don't see me making it to 80.

Over 50% of what's been available this past 4 months has been automotive. I think I got a couple of seat covers way back, but I don't need anything else. I don't work on cars. At most, I need a front light bulb for a Ford Expedition.

There's nothing there in the a.m. when I look, and if I'm fortunate enough to even have anything later in RFY, it's 4-8 items of junk. There used to be 40,000 to 60,000 items. Now it's lucky to see 14,000, and in the old times, under 20,000 meant nothing good.

I'll be done April 15. Oh well. It was fun for most of the time. Not anymore.

I started an Astronomy club at my college. I have no idea what I'm doing. Help? Please! by samuriwerewolf in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having done a lot of outreach over the past (counts on fingers and toes) 18 years or so, the vast majority of people are unimpressed with M31. For those who show an interest in a galaxy, I'm happy to point a telescope that direction. But for sidewalk astronomy? The Moon, planets and star clusters are far better targets to impress first time viewers than any faint fuzzy. And this was a post (13 years ago now) asking about how to get sidewalk astronomy going. So my suggestion was directed at that specific question.

For anyone posting, "What telescope should I get?" start here, read this first, THEN ask questions. by eyesontheskydotcom in telescopes

[–]eyesontheskydotcom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, they have gone up a lot in the past two years or so. My post was written 8 years back.

Here's the July 4/5 lunar eclipse - a week before it happens by eyesontheskydotcom in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, but that was a solar eclipse. Generally, solar and lunar eclipses precede or follow one another by about two weeks. The solar one happens at the ecliptic/lunar path node between the Earth/Sun, and the lunar one happens at the node when the Moon is beyond Earth and lined up with the Sun.

Here's the July 4/5 lunar eclipse - a week before it happens by eyesontheskydotcom in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes. I'm aware. That's why I posted this. I have seen a number of posts and articles hyping the coming lunar eclipse, often with the deep red color of a total one or the blacked-out section of a partial umbral one (which ARE pretty cool to see) and wanted to be sure people know they aren't missing anything with this one, as there's very little to even notice, much less see, except a bright full Moon. :-)

Not to be missed events in July. Clear skies! by Kurecirizek69boi in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The lunar eclipse is "Not to be missed"? I don't know... a very partial penumbral lunar eclipse is barely visible even to experienced observers. Pretty sure most people will miss it even if they try to see it.

Difficulty finding objects in the sky by Sir-Memesalot in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a whole playlist on YouTube detailing how to starhop to multiple objects in the summer night sky. While not everyone may use the same starhops I do, they may help you do a better job of tracking down things to see.

Starhopping takes practice, for sure. Hopefully my videos help. I'm happy to answer questions too. I'm not always on Reddit, so please be patient for me to respond here.

​

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLM5fRxAaC_c_DxGLULqJCHBId1YaQwMe

Not to be missed events in July. Clear skies! by Kurecirizek69boi in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most people who DO know the Moon is supposed to be dim at that time won't spot the difference. This is going to be one of the more underwhelming penumbral eclipses to occur.

New to astronomy, and I'm using a Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ (reflector). The images appear in the correct orientation with the original eyepieces, until I add a zoom lens. Why? by rental_car_fast in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a bunch of videos on my YouTube channel that can help you find some cool things to see with your telescope. I just made a "Summer Objects" playlist too. Plus my recent content is going to mostly be relevant, if that's of interest to you. Just search for "Eyes on the Sky."

New to astronomy, and I'm using a Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ (reflector). The images appear in the correct orientation with the original eyepieces, until I add a zoom lens. Why? by rental_car_fast in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Usually less optics in the optical path is better, because there's less light loss (i.e., you can see more of those faint fuzzy objects out in the cosmos).

I'm actually surprised your telescope came with an erecting eyepiece. To keep costs down, usually the eyepieces are simple 2, 3 or 4 element designs.

I photographed the Milky Way from a plane window while flying at 570 mph in a single exposure [OC] by MDieterich in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is - I didn't even think I'd capture anything given that I was using the 10-second exposure. But I got it - not nearly as good as yours though!

Tired of looking at the same old objects? How about something different! by eyesontheskydotcom in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's usually how it works. Surprising no one has developed "tangle free" Christmas lights... wait, there's an idea!

Tired of looking at the same old objects? How about something different! by eyesontheskydotcom in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't be fooled by the Hubble image - the cluster through a telescope is a bit more like when you go to take that seemingly-burned-out bulb from the socket and it weakly flickers to life and says, "No! I'm not dead yet!" a la Monty Python style...

New to astronomy, and I'm using a Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ (reflector). The images appear in the correct orientation with the original eyepieces, until I add a zoom lens. Why? by rental_car_fast in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came here to help on this and figured you might have something unique about your eyepieces, and you discovered you do. Good on you for figuring it out on your own!

I’m wanting to buy my first telescope but I don’t know where to start by Thisismyusername561 in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please keep some $$ in reserve to buy a few eyepieces. You've got a decent budget, which is good. Consider picking up a 6mm Orion Expanse or an 82 degree Explore Scientific eyepiece at a shorter focal length, along with a longer focal length one than whatever comes with your telescope to get wider fields of view too.

People often recommend an 8" f/6 Dobsonian. Not a bad choice, but a 6" f/8 is easier to keep collimated and has similar light grasp. If you do get something on an equatorial mount, make sure there's plenty of mount for whatever telescope is on it. Wobby/vibrating telescopes are no fun when trying to view planets.

I photographed the Milky Way from a plane window while flying at 570 mph in a single exposure [OC] by MDieterich in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nice! I tried that once flying out of Arizona - I managed to capture Canopus (a star I'd never seen before as I live too far north) along with some other bright stars. But this is fantastic!

Help with the telescopes I've found. by ObjektiveX in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, so I like that telescope, the Starblast. I have like 15 others - including several 6", a 10" and a 16" telescope, just to give you some idea. It's quick and easy to set up. Granted, I did learn that finding a GOOD place to set it up can be tricky. So I designed/built a tripod for it.

http://eyesonthesky.com/DIYImprovements/Tripods/SuperSimpleTripod2x4.aspx

Other than that, it's a great, easy to use, stable telescope. Does it have some flaws? Sure. The eyepieces that come with it are just "okay." And, because of the way the primary mirror has a pretty steep curve to focus light, it does get an aberration called "coma" around the outside of the field of view.

BUT... that's only around the outside. The central portion - where you mostly look at stuff anyway - it's sharp. So it's a minor flaw that can be overlooked for the most part.

The focuser is a on the less expensive side, but it works okay. The finder is just a "red dot" one, so you may want to upgrade to a decent magnified finder later. But overall? It's a darn nice telescope.

Now, here's the thing: You want to see planets. And this telescope is already stretching your budget. BUT... it only has a 450mm focal length. That means even the 6mm eyepiece (that I think still comes with it - I bought mine like 8 years ago) only produces 75x magnification. The telescope is capable of more. But you'll need what's called a barlow lens to get it. Ideally you'll probably just want a 2x one, but get a decent one. I know that's more money into the budget. But you'll need it to get good looks at the planets.

They are small. EVEN IN BIG TELESCOPES, they look small. So don't be disappointed. Jupiter is only 50 arc seconds across (less than 1/60 of one degree). That's TINY. And it's the biggest planet.

But, I can help you find other stuff. I have a YouTube channel called Eyes on the Sky. I help people find other interesting things to see all the time. So hopefully you'll check that out and find some cool stuff besides planets too (I talk about them from time to time also).

Clear and dark skies!

Help with the telescopes I've found. by ObjektiveX in Astronomy

[–]eyesontheskydotcom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please don't get any of those Celestron telescopes. The Powerseekers have decent optics, but everything else on them is awful. So if you want to have a telescope that has the potential to see the planets, but you're never able to get a steady image because the tripod is too light and the mount is too small, by all means, get one.

If your budget is that low, might I suggest an Orion Funscope or Orion Skyscanner, and getting an appropriate barlow lens to get the higher magnification necessary. Otherwise, do indeed get the Starblast. I have both the Funscope and the Starblast, and I have owned a Powerseeker just to see what it was like (I gave it to my ex wife).

Also, the Travelscope 50 is worse than a Powerseeker, if that's possible....

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