Best $100 you've spent on the hobby?

One of the best things about the little red ball wonder is the wide
field of view. I'm now into DSO hopping. The triangle, e.g., from the
Coat-Hanger cluster (CR399) to M73 (globular) to M27 Dumbbell Nebula is
so easy to navigate and seeing the DSOs in miniature is just enchanting!


As the person who sold me this, reminded me, it's M71 in Sagitta, not
M73! Duh! That'll teach me to just sling the numbers around.

In any event, that's a great romp among three diverse DSOs.

Larry Stedman
Vestal

I didn't spend it, but it was probably the $100 my parents spent when $100
would still buy a respectable Tasco scope (4.5" reflector on a GEM).

Yes, same thing here...the $107 my parents spent on my first telescope...my
Jason 60mm refractor. It was frustrating to get it positioned right because
the alt-az yoke mount bolted directly into the OTA and the mount itself was
extremely unstable, but I got to see planets, the moon, some bright DSO's and
even the sun...with the extremely dangerous thick glass filter that threaded
into the bottom of the eyepiece. I used to obsessively clean the optics by
taking the eyepieces apart and cleaning each lens. Hey, it's not that they
were even coated! It got me more excited about an interest in astronomy
that went back to when I was about five years old. That scope lasted me from
8th grade all the way through high school. I then spent about $250 on a
terrible 70mm Meade refractor that lasted a few years. I then got a B&L
Criterion 8000 SCT and had a lot of fun with that. Now I use a C5, XT8 and a
TV76 (most often) for night-time viewing and a Coronado PST for my daily solar
observing. I like the fact that I can stack it with my SM40 filter.

The best $100 that I have spent on the hobby is probably the $90 I spent at
NEAF to get the Televue Upswing mount, which I later converted to a Telepod
with a $50 azimuth bearing adapter. It's what keeps my TV76 happy.

Mark
The Catman
^..^

www.geocities.com/mark_rosengarten
Owner/Coordinator of the Neko Ultraportable Solar Observatory
Fun WITH The Sun for Everyone!

"Chris1011" wrote in message

What, no Baader film?

Rolando

Baader film is a strong candidate for best purchase under $100. And the PST
is a strong candidate for best buy under $500.

Ed T.

Larry Stedman wrote:

[ ... ]

That got me thinking. What's the best $100 I ever spent on this hobby?

[ ... ]

A small steppladder with a soft seat from WalMart. For about $10
(I think) I got excellent observing chair/stepladder - works when
the eyepiece is too low or too high, or when at public starparty
with children trying to reach the eyepiece. I use it also as a
regular chair when sitting at the table, looking at charts.

I never knew what I'm missing, until I got it. Now I wonder how
I managed to observe before at all...

Regards,

- Alex

For me, this is an easy one: "The Night Sky Observer's Guide".

While at the Black Forest Star Party a few years ago I bought both
volumes direct from one of the authors for well under $100 (signed!).
As a relative newcomer it was at a time when I had just finished the
Messier list and was wondering "what next?"

This guide was just what I needed. When at home under heavily light
polluted skies I use the double star lists and am now a converted
double star fan - a real Struve head. When at dark sky sites I make
observing lists using the DSO descriptions and ratings to get a lot
more out of those rare opportunities.

Just what I needed.

On Wed, Larry Stedman asked:

snip

what's the best $100 that YOU ever
spent on this hobby?
Deep Map 600, HB Astro Atlas, a red flashlight.

And why?
Ever headout on vacation without a map?

Steve
Oregon

Larry Stedman wrote in message ...
In any event, what's the best $100 that YOU ever spent on this hobby?

That's easy - 1987 editions of _Uranometria 2000.0_ Volume 1 and
Volume 2, $49.95 each. I can find nearly anything within reach of my
telescope with these atlases. I've never felt any need to upgrade to
something newer.

SkyTools 2 for $99.95! It's realistic charts has helped me
tremendously with finding objects and the observing lists has helped
me to pick interesting objects.

Roger Persson

Larry Stedman wrote in message ...

In any event, what's the best $100 that YOU ever spent on this hobby?

Hm, I dunno.

The best $25 I ever spent was on a red flashlight; astronomy's nearly
impossible without one.

The best $4 I ever spent was on an eye patch. I use mine all the time,
on my observing eye when I want to protect it from light and on the other
eye when I'm looking through the eyepiece. Avoids untold fatigue, and
allows me (within reason) to go into a lit room without losing my dark
adaptation -- in one eye, anyway.

I've bought four red flashlights and four eyepatches, strategically
scattered in home, car, and observing kit so that I'm sure never
to be without one.

That digital voice recorder that I finally broke down and bought was
a pretty good $100 investment. Much smaller, lighter, and easier to
use than the tape recorder I had been using before to take notes.
Sure beats the hell out of pencil and paper. Now, if I could only
learn to sketch without looking at what I'm doing ...

Most of my books and atlases cost well under $100, and they're all
great investments. Best value for money are probably a planisphere
and Deep Map 600.

My planetarium programs both cost under $100 back when I started
buying them; upgrades have raised the total over that by now.
But I can't imagine life without them now. Talk about good
value for your money!

On the eyepiece front, there are plenty of candidates, but I would
have to say the Barlow's the winner.

A nebula filter costs just about $100. It's a pretty specialized
tool, but when it works, it works really well.

My three-legged folding camping stool and my various lounge chairs
all cost petty cash, and they all make a vast difference to the
observing experience.

Baader solar film I got free because somebody had a spare scrap,
else that would be right up there among cost-effective purchases.

Actually, most of my really treasured purchases have been under
$100. The major exceptions are my telescopes and a few of my
eyepieces.

- Tony Flanders

The best $4 I ever spent was on an eye patch. I use mine all the time,
on my observing eye when I want to protect it from light and on the other
eye when I'm looking through the eyepiece. Avoids untold fatigue, and
allows me (within reason) to go into a lit room without losing my dark
adaptation -- in one eye, anyway.



Agreed. I too often enter the house with my observing eye covered with the
patch in an effort to protect my dark adapted "eye."

By the way, I seem to be "left eyed" when it comes to greater light
sensitivity, but observe using my right eye from years of habit.



--
Martin