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ASTRONOMY
                                                                                        This is a collection of bits and pieces to help me when I forget stuff.

Link to my Moon page        Link to my summary of The Life of Stars   My Meade 2080 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope
 


My Refractor telescope
. Sky-Watcher EVOSTAR DS-PRO Series ED Apochromatic refractor. 80mm objective; 600mm focal length. It feature a doublet objective lens. One element is made from Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass, which virtually eliminates chromatic aberration. Top quality Schott glass is utilized for the Crown element. It has 9x50 viewfinder.

The mount is a Sky-Watcher EQ5 Deluxe Heavy-Duty Equatorial Mount.
For convenience there is a Sky-Watcher 90 Degree Polar Scope Eyepiece which is used for accurate alignmnent with the pole star and can also be used with the viewfinder for more comfortable looking at overhead objects. NB Only one counterweight is needed.

Motor drives. Sky-Watcher Dual-Axis Motor Drive for EQ5. Provides multi-speed (1x/2x/8x) motor tracking of the R.A. & DEC. axes. Battery-powered. 

Eyepieces and magnification.
Magnification is the telescope focal length (600mm) divided by the focal length of the eyepiece. The maximum useful magnification is  2 x objective diameter (80 mm)that is 160x. [So no point in using Barlow 2x magnification[

40mm. 15x. Not top quality but excellent for finding objects. Same magnification as my  Canon binoculars.
24.5 mm Meade super wide angle multicoated. 25x
12 mm Celestron X-CEL LX series.  50x.
5 mm   Celestron X-CEL LX. series 120x.
                Note:  these eyepieces give 60º apparent field of view.  The premium six-element optical set is finished with multiple layers of high-transmission coatings for clear, sharp images.   The edges of the optics are blackened for increased contrast.  16 mm of comfortable eye relief – advised as very beneficial for spectacle wearers.

  Skywatcher update
I found it difficult to use for anything but 'low-flying' stars as the eyepiece was too low down for comfort. Followed advice and fitted an Extension column which raises the height of the telescope by 16 inches. Problem solved. I also fitted a telrad viewfinder which makes finding objects easier by providing a red illuminated 'target' . Centre the star in the target and there it is.
 
   
  My 'astronomy' binoculars. Canon 15x50 with optical stabilisation. These are magnificent, holding everything completely steady at this high magnification. See Review
   
   


                         Some useful links
Widescreen Astronomy supplies     Excellent; I bought my telescope from them. Very helpful when setting it up.  
   
Southampton Astronomical Society     Very friendly group with many helpful experts  
Southampton Amateur Astronomers Run an observatory at Toothill North of Southampton  
Southampton Astronomy in University of Southampton  
Stargazers Lounge Discussion forum  
Constellation maps on Wikipedia (can be saved and printed)  
Sky maps    Monthly printable sky maps  
Sky-Map Extensive information on everything in the sky  
Sky & Telescope Comprehensive guide to astronomy Includes weekly things to look out for  
UK Space centre site  
BBC Sky at night magazine  
NASA  
Hubble telescope
Where is the Webb telescope now (a NASA site)  
The Planets Excellent simple factual guide  
Clear sky prediction  
   
   
 
         Astronomy books that I have found useful
Collins (Gem) Stars. Very small guide; 88 constellation charts with notes on objects of interest. Ridpath and Tirion  
Collins Stars and Planets Complete guide. Ridpath and Tirion  
Collins 2021 Guide to the night sky. Month by month guide. Dunlop and Tirion.  
The Messier Album; an observer's handbook. Summary of each object with b/w photo. By Mallas and Kreimer 1978  
The backyeard astronomer's guide. 3rd Edition by Dickinson and dyer. Firefly books 2018. A magnificent summary of everything. From star types to setting up telescopes. Full of sane advice.  
SkyAtlas 2000 by W. Tirion. Details atlas of all constellations in 28 maps. Down to 10 magnitude (Too detailed for me to use)