Stargazing

Best time to look is from Moon rise, so any time from now. Unfortunately UK is not able to see the eclipse part of tonight's show, it's only visible from the Pacific side of Earth this time. As 'G' says it a big bright full moon for us.

 

^ Yes, we'll miss the good shit.

Nice moon, though, what?

 

Venus very prominent this morning and for the next few days

S

 

It certainly was!

Oh, sorry, misread Venus.

 

Does anyone know about telescopes - I've been reading everything I can about them as I am considering buying one for my daughter - she is a keen stargazer and likes to take photos of the moon - she would love a telescope and would use it often.
From what I have read there are really expensive ones + really cheap crap ones and some the middle price range - but I'm not sure which would be the easiest for her without all the work. A reflector or a refractor - which would be the easiest but give the best performance?

 

@Laurie61 was our resident telescope expert, but he hasn't posted for just over a year now.

It's not a subject that is likely to produce good results quickly for a minimum time and money outlay.

Easiest and best performance are towards opposite ends of the spectrum, unfortunately, I suspect.

Having said that, things will be easier, cheaper and better now, in general, than they ever have been before.

 

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/a-buyers-guide-to-telescopes-choosing-your-first-scope/

 

The one overriding piece of advice i would give is to make sure the telescope you buy either has a motor drive built in to it already, or can have one 'bolted on'.

The closer you look above, the more you notice how fast it's going.

You can't keep up with it manually, that's for sure.

 

Yes, just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at 900 miles an hour.
It's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned,
The sun that is the source of all our power.
Now the sun, and you and me, and all the stars that we can see,
Are moving at a million miles a day,
In the outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour,
Of a galaxy we call the Milky Way.

 

Parklife?