Celestron t-adapter / 2x barlow fitted to a Canon EOS 1100D

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Reviewer

DSCF1308

The image to the right shows how to connect a Celestron t-adapter/2x barlow to a Canon EOS DSLR body. A t-ring is needed to connect the adapter and camera body together.

Once fitted together, the adapter allows for prime focus (no eyepiece used) photography on an astronomical telescope. This adapter has a couple of advantages that overcome focusing issues with two types of telescope.  With having an in built barlow, you will find infinity focus possible with Newtonian telescopes that do not have enough inward travel.

By unscrewing the barlow lens, the adapter also becomes a useful extension tube for refractors. Also by unscrewing the lens from the adapter you will find a thread to accept 1.25″ filters

To use. Simply insert the adapter into the eyepiece holder and focus manually.

Click here to buy

 

Posted in Product images | Comments Off on Celestron t-adapter / 2x barlow fitted to a Canon EOS 1100D

Ostara 1.25″ Moon and Skyglow filter review.

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Reviewer

The following review of the Ostara 1.25″ Moon / Skyglow filter was posted on an internet forum during 2013.

“Ok had my first light this Wednesday… I live in a flat and have 30-40 very bright lights facing my balcony.

this lovely filter cleared out Andromeda and made it look like a bright star with some fuzzy arms,… With my camera I can always darken my tv screen for contrasts but I must exert, the yellowish glow is GONE!!!

Also was able to see the blue snow ball nebula but it was very small not sure if I saw a near by star but it was light blue and was very impressed!

point is out of all people on SGL my LP is the worst trust me!!! It’s the worst amount of stray light one can have.. My heq5 and dale have given up on me I always stargaze from somewhere else.. This filter,might just save the hobby for me!! ”

Click here to buy

Posted in Eyepieces | Tagged , | Comments Off on Ostara 1.25″ Moon and Skyglow filter review.

Optical Hardware / Ostara PL 20mm eyepiece review

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Reviewer

The following Ostara PL 20mm eyepiece review was posted on an internet forum.

I have an ostara 20mm plossl in my collection that I picked up recently. I can’t compare it to anything really posh cos I haven’t got anything like that.
But it is massively better than the standard 20mm celestron ep my scope came with and is just as clear as the second hand Japanese circleT 20mm Ortho I got for Christmas – but with a much wider fov. I bought the ostara as a cheap ep to combine with a cheap 0.5 focal reducer for my 70 mm frac as a guide scope, but I do find myself using it as a normal ep in my main scope for the Pleiades etc and its v.nice

Click here to buy

Posted in Eyepieces | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Optical Hardware / Ostara PL 20mm eyepiece review

North Lincs Astro meeting. 4th March 2013

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Reviewer

4732735

A crisp evening with clear skies was waiting for us at the North Lincs Astro club on Monday 4th March 2013.

Was nice to see a couple of first timers. Lets hope they come back for more. Damian gave us a nice talk on the Constellation of Taurus. This included the story behind the naming of the constellation, and how to find some interesting targets.

As always, Northern Optics was in attendance with a selection of telescope accessories. Northern Optics also donated the raffle prize (Baader cleaning kit)

After tea, coffee and a discussion about taking the club further, we headed outside. Members telescopes used were a Celestron Astromaster 114EQ,  Skywatcher 200p/HEQ5 Syntrek, and a Celestron SCT 9.25″ on a NEQ6 goto Mount with CCD imager.

By this time seeing conditions had worsened. Luckily, we all got some great views of Jupiter earlier in the evening before the mist came in.

Many thanks to the Lincolnshire Wildlife trust for the use of the building and facilities

Posted in News and Blog | Tagged , | Comments Off on North Lincs Astro meeting. 4th March 2013

Skywatcher UWA 5mm Planetary eyepiece. IO shadow transit

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Reviewer

Copy of DSCF1167

A Sky-watcher UWA 5mm eyepiece was used on my trusty old 10″ dob , to observe the IO shadow transit of Jupiter on the 18th Feb 2013.

Pointing the telescope towards Jupiter, I had no idea there was such a spectacle awaiting me. The pin sharp shadow of IO literally jumped out at me. The high contrast optical quality of the UWA 5mm made for a memorable experience. To add to the show, the shadow of the Galilean disc was hovering over the Great Red Spot.

Detail in the cloud belts was the best I have ever known. The outline of the Great Red Spot was crystal clear.

A wide 23mm clear glass element , 16mm eye relief gave a comfortable viewing experience. The UWA 5-element lens assembly gave almost a picture window wide field of view. This from a 5mm eyepiece !

Highly recommended and fantastic value for money

 

Posted in Eyepieces | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Skywatcher UWA 5mm Planetary eyepiece. IO shadow transit

What eyepieces do you get with a Visionary Saxon-4 telescope

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Reviewer

Exif_JPEG_PICTURE

When you purchase a Visionary Saxon-4 telescope, you get the following 1.25″ eyepieces and accessories as standard. The 25mm and 10mm modified achromatic are a step up in quality compared to the slightly cheaper Visionary Telesto telescope

  • 25mm modified achromatic
  • 10mm modified achromatic
  • 4mm SR
  • 1.5x erect image barlow
  • 5×24 finderscope
  • Accessory tray
  • Cleaning cloth

Buy the Visionary Saxon-4 telescope here

 

Posted in Telescope Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on What eyepieces do you get with a Visionary Saxon-4 telescope

North Lincs Astro meeting. 4th February 2013

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Reviewer

4732735

The poor weather did not deter the regular members of the North Lincolnshire astronomy group from visiting the venue at far ings on 4th Feb 2013.

It was great to see 6 new faces coming along. Lets hope they enjoyed their stay, and return again on a regular basis.

Damian kicked things off with a great talk on the Constellation of Orion. This included the Mythological history of the constellation, followed by a tour of interesting objects to see.  Damian’s talk was followed by Chris giving us all a very informative talk on “imagining the unimaginable”. We became aware of how small we are in the cosmos, and the great distances involved in stellar travel.

Thank you as always to the Lincolnshire Wildlife trust for the use of the Venue
As with every meeting Northern Optics was in attendance with a selection of eyepieces, binoculars and accessories for sale at reduced prices

Naturally as we all came out of the venue, the skies cleared. But that’s all part and parcel of being an astronomer.

For more details on the North Lincs Astro club, Click Here

 

Posted in News and Blog | Tagged , | Comments Off on North Lincs Astro meeting. 4th February 2013

How to get dust off a telescope objective lens.

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Reviewer

northernoptics-bulb-blower

If you find a few specs of dust on your telescope lens , they are best cleaned off with a blower brush or bulb blower. Do not try to wipe them off.

As a rule of thumb, any small particles on your telescope objective will not affect the performance., and can be left.

If you use a lens cleaning fluid, always use a high quality product as recommended by the manufacturer or dealer.  Remember to use a dust blower before applying a cloth or fluid.

A very important point when using lens cleaning fluid (bottle or spray) is to apply to your cleaning cloth first. Never apply the fluid direct on to the lens.

Another option to lens cleaning cloths or fluids is a dry cleaning tool such as the Celestron lenspen.

 

 

 

Posted in User Guides and Tutorials | Tagged , | Comments Off on How to get dust off a telescope objective lens.

Ostara / Optical Hardware 1.25″ 30mm Plossl eyepiece review

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Reviewer

DSCF1105

To test the Optical Hardware / Ostara 30mm plossl, I viewed the Moon using a Visionary Telesto 114mm telescope . This gave a 33.3x magnification.  After allowing for cooling off times, I was greeted with a delightful full view of a crescent Moon.

First thing was to get used to the very long eye relief. I would estimate 20mm or just above. This meant that I could get comfortable views without having to close one eye.

Despite the low magnification, a tremendous amount of detail within craters could be easily detected.  On this occasion, I could easily make out detail in the shadowed side of the moon (Earth Shine).  The wide field of view meant you had very little adjustment of the telescope to make, to keep in view. This is ideal if more than one person wants to view the same target.

No false colour (chromatic aberration) was evident.  To test this further, I placed the Moon on the edge of view.  Edge of field detail on the Moon was still very clear, with no fine tuning of the focus wheel needed. When switching to the 15mm plossl, I also found almost no re-focusing was needed (par focal).

Build quality is excellent. No eye cups are included. That said, you do get a handy bolt case. The eyepiece is threaded to accept 1.25″ eyepieces.

 

Click here to buy

 

Posted in Eyepieces | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ostara / Optical Hardware 1.25″ 30mm Plossl eyepiece review

Waters Edge visitors centre, Barton. Bird sightings 12th January 2013

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Reviewer

Bird sightings

Location – Waters edge country park (main lake) Barton Upon Humber

Date – 12th January 2013

  • Mallard
  • Coot
  • Moorhen
  • Canada Geese
  • Greylag Geese
  • Pochard
  • Common Gull
Posted in News and Blog | Tagged | Comments Off on Waters Edge visitors centre, Barton. Bird sightings 12th January 2013