Hi everyone

[SteveP]

Hi all
I recently joined the society.  I live in Eltham, Greenwich.  Looking forward shortly to purchasing a telescope shortly. 
Some questions ?:
Am I deluding myself to think that I can (eventually) take quality images from a London site (my garden in Eltham) - or would I have to concentrate on observing on sky-camps etc?  Would taking images from a bright site require investment in more expensive/powerful equipment etc?
Any responses would be appreciated.
Steve Pepperrell

[mickw]

Hi Steve and welcome.

You should be able to take quality images from a London site with minimal extra cost as filters are available to reduce the dreaded "sky glow".
Deep Sky camps have the advantage of little or no light pollution, which leads to better quality images and also a much better opportunity for visual astronomy.

Before buying your first scope, ask questions - you will get loads of answers and advice.
Apart from saying "get the best mount you can afford" I'll leave the rest to the clever members 

Mick

[Tony G]

Welcome Steve,

This may answer some of your questions about imaging from South East London and adjoining areas (Sidcup)

http://forum.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/index.php?topic=6468.0

If you have any queries about anything, there will be someone on here to give you advice, on all aspects of astronomy ........and life in general.
Welcome again Steve.

Tony G

[MarkS]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to OAS.  

Imaging from this area is certainly possible but not ideal.  The moon and planets are the easiest targets - they are very bright and need no filters.  Star clusters also work well without filters.  For "deep sky" nebulae I would recommend an Astronomik CLS filter for starters.  This cuts out most of the orange sky glow but will not help much if you are plagued by bright (white) floodlighting from nearby sports grounds etc.  They are not so successful on glaxies though - in my experience.  More advanced users tend to migrate on to a set of narrowband filters but hese are quite expensive.  Since mostly everyone uses digital cameras of one sort or another, the light pollution that remains after filtering can be literally subtracted from the image.

Come along to one of our deep sky camps - there the light pollution is far reduced and the Milky Way appears quite bright.  There you can do unfiltered imaging on nebulae, galaxies etc.  Plus you'll get lots of tips from more experienced imagers.

Mark

[Fay]

Hello Steve,

just come along a few times before you make any decisions on what equipment to buy, & what you want to achieve. Depends on how deep you want to go into imaging & how much time you have.
Once you have the basic setup to suit yourself, get used to using it, before going further, & buying any camera etc etc etc.

Have a look at what we have done & with what, that will help you.

Fay

[Mac]

Greeting Steve.

I used to live in Abbey wood, and yes you can take detailed images from where you are, although as said you will need filters to get anything decent.

you can buy filters to reduce the sky glow from london, and you cant beat the deep sky camps for the lack of light pollution.
(well you can its called deepest Wales, Scotland), you get the drift, some of the society do go to very dark places, like Kelling heath and Les Granges, as well as the deep sky camps.
These are normally posted on the forum in due course and are open to everyone.

Have a look at this turorial it will give you some idea as to what you are up against, Not that we're trying too put you off,
but you need to have a lot patience, as a lot will go wrong before it starts to go right.

http://forum.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/index.php?topic=6334.0

Above all enjoy.

Mac.

[PhilB]

Hi Steve, welcome aboard.

Why not come along to the next observing session (see web site for details). It may well be cloudy, but we can still answer any questions you may have.

[Ian]

that question often is "so, what are you having?"

Welcome Steve

[PhilB]

that question often is "so, what are you having?"

That's a question that's as deep and complicated as which 'scope to buy 

[SteveP]

Hi
At least hat question is an area I do have great experience in!
Thanks for your help.
Steve