Introducing Myself

Hi, my name is Bill. I've always been fascinated by space. Watching Neil Armstrong step onto the moon was incredible. I've followed all the Apollo, shuttle missions, and the Voyager programs. The Hubble Telescope launch was particularly exciting for me, and now with the James Webb Space Telescope, the images are mind-blowing. You might wonder why I use my small telescope despite all this advanced equipment. Perseverance drives me, and I get excited when the forecast predicts clear skies.

My setup includes a William Optics Grand Turismo 81 IV refractor telescope with a goto equatorial mount. I live in a *Bortle 3 to 4 location, which is good for viewing and astrophotography. No eye pieces at all, all viewing through a mono camera with filters attached to a filter wheel. I also use a guiding scope with a small mono camera to keep the mount from wandering off target. I generally take 20 minute subs so it’s extremely important the guiding is spot on, not always an easy to manage! So, if no clouds drift by or photo bombing aeroplanes enter my field of view then the detail that is captured truly amazes me every time. I forgot to mention that have built my very own observatory, well it’s a converted garden storage shed….works absolutely perfect for me, easy and quick to open up and quick to close down. Minimal set up time. I even have my very own guard cat, Jasper.

I will be posting regularly here, I’ll be letting you know what targets I’m going for and for those who are interested in the processing I’ll be sharing some tips.

* Bortle scale 1 being free from light pollution and the best for viewing/ astrophotography and 9 having heavy light pollution due to inner city locations