Club Noticeboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Club Noticeboard!

As the club is newly formed we would like to take this opportunity of welcoming new club members and to say that it is hoped that this area will be an opportunity for members to use freely. It can be used to:

- Exchange information about what's happening in astronomy in and around Swindon
- Be able to offer for sale second-hand products that they no longer use
- Perhaps to exchange books or magazines that they have finished with
- Offer tips and advice on star-gazing and viewing sites around Swindon
- Seek solutions from other members on problems to do with astronomy
- Advice sought on setting up and caliberating or collimating telescopes
- Seek advice on astro-photography from more experienced members

Using this notice board is easy, all you have to do is contact the website administrator on the email link below and send your information within the email. The website administrator will then decide on the best way to display or sell your item, but if you have any special instructions as well, please include them in your email. Photographs and illustrations can also be included, preferably around 100k in size.

Email the administrator: Robin Wilkey

FOR SALE

CLASSIC TELESCOPE - Zeiss Telementor from 1986 - 63/840 (F/13.33)

Zeiss Telementor from 1986 - good condition with original mount, packaging, instructions and most accessories

Aperture; 63mm Focal Length: 840mm (f/13.33)

The eyepieces (0.965") included are:

Huygens eyepiece 25mm, Orthoscopic 16mm eyepiece. There is also an unknown 9mm orthoscopic eyepiece and a 6mm eyepiece which were purchased separately.

There is a star diagonal - this is not in great condition. The rest appears to be in very good condition - however, please check it out before purchasing to ensure total satisfaction!

Looking for £525 but would consider a reasonable offer.
Collection only please.

Contact Details: Email: J Raggett Item located in Swindon

Posted 26 April, 2016


Skywatcher Explorer 200P EQ5 GOTO

200mm (8") f5 Parabolic Newtonian reflector with EQ5 SynScan Computerised GOTO Equatorial Mount.

Parabolic Primary Mirror

All Skywatcher f/5 (‘fast’) Newtonian Reflectors feature high-quality parabolic primary mirrors to eliminate spherical aberrations inherent in ‘fast’ focal length reflector. The mirrors are parabolized to bring all the light rays to the same focal point to give sharp, contrasty images.

Magnification (with eyepieces supplied): x40, x80, x100, x200
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x400
Diameter of Primary Mirror: 200mm
Telescope Focal Length: 1000mm (f/5)
Eyepiece Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
Dual-Fit 1.25"/2" Focuser
9x50 Finderscope
Direct SLR Camera Connection
EQ5 SynScan Computerised GOTO Equatorial Mount (Requires 12 volt DC Power Supply)

Telescope in good condition and located in Swindon. House move is forcing the sale unfortunately.

Looking for £495

Contact details: - Email: Penny Martin Mobile: 07428 539753

Posted 5 October 2015

The following items are for LOCAL sale only:

 

Celestron Axiom LX 23mm - 2" Fitting - 82 degree AFoV

Due to upgrading recently, I now have the above eyepiece for sale, bought from First Light Optics a few years ago, this ep is in perfect optical condition, and is a heavy beast!

Delivers an ultra-wide 82 degree field of view and high-end features including twist-up eyecup. Premium quality fit and finish and a hard anodized surface for durability. Comes with original box and end-caps.

This ep is now known as the 'Celestron Luminos'.

For LOCAL sale only - £120. Contact: Robin Wilkey
Try before you buy offered!

Posted 16 January, 2016


Sky Watcher 2" Eyepiece , LET28

The Skywatcher 28mm LET 2" eyepiece is a modified Kellner with large eye lens, 20mm eye-relief and twist-up eyecup for comfortable viewing.
Prerequisite is a 2" focuser.

LET 28 advantages:
-- comfortable viewing position and adjustable eye relief
-- bright image by blackened interior and multi coatings
-- suitable for telescopes from f/5 and slower

Focal length : 28mm
Apparent field of view : 56°
Nosepiece : 2" with milled undercut and filter thread
Field stop diameter : 31mm
Number of elements : 3

For LOCAL sale only - £27. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Posted 1 December 2012

Set of 4 Abbe Orthoscopic Eyepieces 1.25" fitting

I have a set of 4 ortho eyepieces for sale in the following focal lengths: 4.8mm, 7.7mm, 10.5mm, 16.8mm. These ep's are manufactured by Kson based in Guangdong, China, and were offered for sale for a very limited period in the UK.

Orthoscopic eyepieces are especially good for planetary and Moon observation, however, are noted for their narrower FOV, usually about 40° to 48°, but give good clear sharp contrasty images on-axis.

This set is for sale complete only - the ep's come in plastic bolt cases and boxes.

For LOCAL sale only - £60. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Posted 2 December 2012

Celestron Eyeopener Eyepiece and Filter Kit

(Stock Image)
Contains:

Five superior grade Plössl eyepieces (4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 32mm) with 52° AFOV (32mm has 44°) with high resolution, edge sharpness and clarity.
All eyepieces are fully multi-coated for maximum contrast and resolution and neutral colour.
The 2x 1.25" Barlow Lens compliments the Plössl eyepieces in this kit and gives you a total of ten power combinations.
Six 1.25" coloured Lunar & Planetary filters (Kodak Wratten #12, #21, #25, #56, #58A, and #80A).
1.25" neutral density Moon filter.
Aluminium carrying case with die-cut foam interior with room for additional accessories.

For LOCAL sale only - £60 (reduced). Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

(Note that thia set is the older version of the set with the shorter f/lengths)

Great starter kit!

Posted 7 September 2013
Orion Skyglow and Light Pollution Filter

A good quality light pollution filter Catalogue No 05660, blocks typical mercury vapour light pollution whilst allowing all other wavelegnths to pass through. Packaged with transmission charts etc. 1.25" fitting.

For LOCAL sale only - £17. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Posted 17 November, 2013
Orion Hydrogen-Beta (H-Beta) Filter - 2"
A Hydrogen-Beta telescope filter may be the only way to see the faint and elusive Horsehead, California, and Cocoon Nebulas. It blocks everything but the hydrogen-beta light these faint nebulas emit, providing the contrast needed for viewing

By isolating the hydrogen-beta spectral line centered at 486.1 nm in a 12nm band-pass and blocking other wavelengths, Orion's Hydrogen-Beta Telescope Filter effectively blackens the background sky, allowing the faint nebula to become clearly defined. It increases contrast even under dark skies so you can visually capture these prized targets. Use with a moderate to large aperture telescope under clear, dark viewing conditions. Threaded to fit 2" telescope eyepieces and telescope diagonals.

For LOCAL sale only - £80. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Posted 11 March 2014

Other 2" Filters For Sale:

Note that if you have a 2" focuser, 2" filters can be used with either 2" or 1.25" eyepieces as they can be placed anywhere in the optical path, such as on the 2-1.25" adapter or in front of the diagonal and so on!

Baader Neutral Density Moon Filter - ND96-0.9 for 13% light transmission

Baader Neutral Density Moon filters are multicoated, planoptically polished and genuinely neutral - they reduce brightness without affecting colour.

For LOCAL sale only - £25. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Sky Watcher Variable Polarising Moon Filter

This variable polarizing filter made from anodized aluminium and optical glass allows you to progressively reduce the amount of light entering your eyepiece.

Reduces glare whilst increasing contrast so perfect for observing bright objects such as the Moon or certain planets.

Light transmission can be varied from 40% down to as little as 1%.

Will not change the colour of the object being viewed.

For LOCAL sale only - £25. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Sky Watcher UHC (ultra high contrast) Filter

The UHC filter permits superb views of objects like the Orion, Lagoon, Swan and other extended nebulae. It performs well in smaller aperture instruments owing to its greater light transmission than the O-III, yet still suppresses light pollution well.

The UHC filter is the best all-round dark-sky nebula filter.

For LOCAL sale only - £30. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Sky Watcher OIII Filter

The O-III narrowband filter is specially designed for the observation of diffuse and planetary nebulae.

The O-III narrow band-pass filter isolates just the two doubly ionized oxygen lines (496 and 501nm) emitted by diffuse, planetary and extremely faint nebulae.

O-III filters are best suited to telescopes of larger apertures and can produce near-photographic views of the Veil, Ring, Dumbbell, Orion and many other nebulae.

Effective under even heavily light-polluted skies!

For LOCAL sale only - £30. Contact: Robin Wilkey - Try before you buy offered!

Posted 11 March 2014

Plain Astronomy – the new SPOG Magazine

We've just published the first issue of "Plain Astronomy", the new SPOG quarterly magazine. This issue features observing reports, Do It Yourself astronomy, book reviews, lunar notes and some deep sky notes. Thanks are due to the contributors and those imagers who allowed us to use images. The striking cover image of Stonehenge and Hale Bopp is used by very kind permission of Mr Philip Perkins of Astrocruise. The magazine is available as a PDF download here or through Issuu where it can be read online. Issuu is currently developing an Iphone/IPad reader so by the next issue we should be available on these too. The next issue will be out around the end of June so do please send any observations, images, amateur telescope making ideas or just plain interesting things to do with astronomy.

The magazine is available at: SPOG

With thanks to Garry Keenor 22 March 2012
Help with OUTREACH SESSIONS

Due to the Brian Cox effect, the club is looking for club members to help with Outreach sessions for young people's groups around the town, if you have an hour or two to spare in an evening we would like to hear from you. Requirements:

1) You will need to own a telescope, as sessions will involve practical stargazing.

2) A reasonable knowledge of the night sky in order to explain what's up there! A session will usually be carried out with another member of Swindon Stargazers.

3) One or two free evenings and a flexible approach to practical astronomy.

If you think you can help please contact any member of the committee - see Contact Page

Posted 29 January, 2012 by Robin Wilkey