Barlows, SLR and a Secret Package!

Whether you are getting into astrophotography (like I am) or just wanting to do some casual stargazing, a Barlow Lens is a must-have item. What a Barlow does is double (or triple) your magnification, so in essence it gives you double the amount of eyepieces you have to work with and best of all Barlows are fairly cheap across the board. Just plop in the Barlow first into your telescope, then plop in your eyepiece and boom, double magnification.

Since my primary purpose for buying a scope is to do astrophotography, and I already have a Canon XTi camera, this next item is another must-have. The Meade Variable-Projection Camera Adapter was made so that people with SLR cameras can attach it to a telescope to take wide-field, high-resolution images. I have a DSI II Color on order, but it is limited to taking photos up to 752x852...not very high resolution at all - this is where a SLR camera fills the gap as my XTi can take images up to 3888x2592. Don't forget to order the T-Mount for your particular SLR camera as well if you get the adapter.

Lastly, a secret package from Orion has shown up...find out what it is next!

Reading Material & Why Space?

So why the interest in space/stargazing? Well for me personally I've been interested in space all my life but only recently have I started into the act of stargazing. I never had a telescope before and that was mostly because when I was young I was more interested in video games and girls than anything else.

Now at this stage in my life I can finally explore for myself the wonders of our own Milky Way galaxy as well as objects beyond our galaxy into the great unknown vastness of the universe.

Sounds cool right? And anyone can do it, even on the cheap.

For less than a cost of a Wii, you could get a telescope that can see the rings of Saturn, or the moons of Jupiter...even the polar ice caps of Mars and beyond. But with anything you buy, you will need a manual - more precisely, a guide...and the following books/magazines are what I recommend you look into...

Turn Left At Orion
Very highly rated book made for observers with small scopes or binoculars. Each object is shown as it looks in the eyepiece (so no unrealistic Hubble photos here).

Stargazing Secrets
Another good book that is packed with the best objects to look at during the current month. Has full color images and often shows what objects will look like with a larger scope or with a CCD camera.

Celestial Sampler
A magazine-style guide which is great for taking on trips or for quick stargazing sessions in the backyard. Has about 60 objects featured so not as much as the other books.

And of course the best monthly magazine to read up on space stuff is Sky & Telescope magazine, especially if you are just getting into stargazing.

Isolating Telescope Vibration

The primary purpose of my upcoming telescope purchase is to get into astrophotography, and when taking long-exposure photographs a steady tripod & mount is a must. If you already have a good tripod, here is something else that will add even more steadiness to your setup: Meade #895 Vibration Isolation Pads. Just put your tripod on these three pads on any kind of surface (concrete, soil, grass, etc.) and user or ground based vibrations will be greatly suppressed.

Variable Polarizing Filter & New Orion Catalogue

Today I was pleasantly surprised by the delivery man as most deliveries don't happen anymore on a Saturday. Upon opening up the package it was the variable polarizing filter that I ordered as well as a new Orion fall catalogue.

So what does a polarizing filter do? Well it cuts out some of the light that comes into the eyepiece - mostly needed for viewing the moon because it is so freaking bright (-12.6 magnitude to be exact...the sun for comparison is -26.73 magnitude and each order of magnitude is 100x). There are filters that cut out a set amount but I went with the variable version to give me the most flexibility when viewing.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog - Neighbors Beyond! I'm just starting into astrophotography and wish to share my experiences and exploration of the universe with you.

So what can you expect from Neighbors Beyond? Well first off, info about all things up in the sky and most importantly photos (and video) of cool stuff. So with out further delay, let's get started....

My first piece of equipment came today: The AstroZap Flexible Dew Shield ($26.36 @ telescopes.com)
So what the heck is a dew shield? Well first off, dew is "water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that of which it can evaporate, resulting in the formation of water droplets." (thanks Wiki!). So what a dew shield does is delay the onset of dew for those few hours you'll have enjoying your telescope. If you are just buying a scope, remember to get one of these!