Sky-Watcher Stargate 18
18" (450 mm) aperature, 1900 mm F4.1
Purchased September 2024 from Randy Blair of Mississauga, Ontario.
I saw this scope at Starfest 2024. Randy contacted me about a month later indicating he was putting it up for sale. I wasn't really thinking about another telescope. I had a 16" Starfield dob that I really loved, but the chance to up-size was too good to pass up.
We picked her up in Mississauga the morning of September 30 and First Light was that same evening at the Fox Observatory near Wiarton, a facility maintained by our local astronomy club.
Deep-sky views are breathtaking. A particular highlight so far is M31 Andromeda Galaxy in September 2025 from the North Frontenac Astronomy Park in Plevna, Ontario, under exceptionally dark and transparent skies. Perhaps most stunning was this summer's view of M8, the Lagoon Nebula. With a UHC filter at 172x I could see about half a dozen newly-hatched stars, still veiled by the cloud in which they had condensed, just beginning to burn their way clear. It was a glorious sight.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd own a telescope like this. I marvel at how fortunate I am to live in a time and place where the confluence of economics and technology makes it possible to have access to this kind of instrument. We really do live in the golden age of amateur astronomy.
Set-up takes about 20 - 25 minutes, including shroud and collimation, and does not require assistance. I enjoy the ritual of assembling the scope and aligning the finders; it lends a sense of anticipation. I don't like to rush, and like to arrive early for a leisurely set-up.
I use two finders: a Rigel reflex sight to get close and a right-angle finder scope to fix.
Many people name their telescopes, and this one is named Jocelyn, after Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who discovered pulsars in 1967. I chose the name so when people, especially kids, ask me about it I can tell them about her namesake, and help emphasize the significant contributions women have made to astronomy.
Explore Scientific FirstLight 8
8" (200mm) aperture, 1200mm F6
Purchased from Khan Scope Centre, Toronto, Easter weekend of 2023.
First Light was Tuesday May 23 at a sidewalk astronomy night at Hillcrest School in Owen Sound.
AnnMarie here. The telescope is named Zippy (full name Zippity-Doo-Dob, pronouns they/them)) because it was just over 24 hours from the time we placed the order to when it showed up at the door. That, and because it goes from the back of the van to looking at the sky in just about ten minutes, including collimation. Speed of set-up was the inciting factor for getting a second scope.
The winter of 2022/23 was, in a word, abysmal here in the Georgian Bay area, with 119 cloudy nights in a row. You read it right. One hundred and nineteen nights with no astronomy. And so, on that Wednesday night when Steve came home from playing hockey exclaiming, “I can see the sky!” we sped to one of our favourite dark sky spots and set up the Skywatcher 12. And, as luck would have it, by the time the scope was ready, the clouds had closed in again and we were skunked.
Grumbling, we tore down and headed for home. That's when I heard my mouth say, “Maybe we should get another scope; something that sets up faster. Not instead, mind you, but also.” By midnight, we'd decided on this one, (I liked the big altitude bearings.) it was in the “cart”, and the credit card was out. It arrived on Thursday afternoon from Ray Kahn's Scope Shop in Toronto.
Here's the thing. I didn't know I wanted a scope of my own until we got Zippy. Until then, a night of astronomy was, for me, mostly standing around, waiting for it to be my turn to look through the eyepiece. Sure, I loved staring up at the stars, seeing the auroras dance on the horizon, counting meteors, and listening to the sounds of the night. And it's not to say that I didn't get a fair share of time viewing the sky, but I was, frankly, a little bit afraid of that big dob. I couldn't steer it, I thought I'd break something. Having a second scope opened the universe to me. I didn't have to wait my turn. I could, can, and do, look at whatever I want, when I want. I'm learning the sky.
This is a great telescope. It's easy to set up. It's just two main pieces, each weighing about 10kg, which is easy for one person to manage. It's easy to use (even for rank beginners, like me) and the optics are exquisite.
I use a TelRad finder, and in July 2025 we replaced the focuser with a Baader Planetarium 2-speed. We picked up a solar filter, too.
The table it sits on was designed and built by our friend Kelly Babcock, and is a real back saver. Getting this thing up a little higher makes it a real pleasure to use. It's my first telescope, and I can say with confidence that it is my forever scope.
ZWO Seestar S30 Smart Telescope
AnnMarie won this as a door prize at Starfest 2025 - thank you Astronomy Plus!
Being primarily interested in visual astronomy, we're still acquainting ourselves with what it can do and how we can make best use of it. In the meantime, it's enabled us to gather some images like those shown here.
This telescope is named Little Sister.
SVBONY SV520
Our most recent addition to the arsenal, named Luna, is a a basic, inexpensive but surprisingly effective reflector telescope.
The problem with many ‘beginnerr’ telescopes is that regardless of how sericeable the optics may be, the mounts are terrible. This scope has a solid alt-az mount that is quite sufficient for the weight of this telescope, and the views of the moon are quite good.