Posted by Paul A Brierley at 20:49 on 2010 Apr 15
Thank you both for taking you time to send me a reply.I agree with everything that has been said. And I will arm myself with a copy of Turn Left at Orion. Thanks for that David. I do have a very old copy of The Universe from your backyard, which I bought, when I bought my very first proper telescope; which, during that period was a 150mm (6") from Orion in 1991. I think that this book is also very good for visual star hopping. But I will look out, possibly for a second hand copy of TLAO.I think that I might have misled Gary, on the size of the finder. I think that it is in fact a 10×50 finder and not a 9×50. I will use printed charts from SMP10 and do as Gary has suggested, use these instead of the laptop. I think that for the first outing with the OD250S, I’ll practice star hopping, to the brighter messier objects visible during late Spring and early Summer. These are ones that I know, and know how to find. This way I’m sure, I’ll be able to learn my way around the sky, and begin finding the more fainter, and more challenging objects later.I like you Gary and you David, will still use my GOTO, with my SPX 200-800 f4. But I might do as Dale does.I have an Atik 16IC, and I’m thinking that it will be less stressful and perhaps more fun. If I take 60 second looped subs, and draw what I’m looking at. Instead of trying to image. Knowing full well how hard and difficult, that side of our hobby is!This is the beginning. If I am successful with star hopping, and I enjoy it. I have every intention of upgrading in four years time. To a bigger, Orion dobson. I’d like the OD350S De Lux; so whilst I’m outside using the OD250S. I can start saving for it. And If I’m lucky I hope that I’ll have this one when I am 50!!!