Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this forum and also new to stargazing.
I have a few questions that I'm hoping the assembled minds can help me with, but I understand that they are clearly extremely basic, so go easy....
My father died a little while back, and he was a keen astronomer.
Unfortunately this wasn't a hobby that I could really join him in given distance and various other factors, but I have now inherited his equipment, hence the title.
I have my own young family and thought it would be great to try to share the hobby with them, so I have been trying to set it up to use recently.
Apart from its huge size which means it's effectively not really portable I have been completely unable to get it working, even in the simplest of ways!
I set up the tripod, put the telescope fork mount on that (he had a wedge is it? but I haven't been able to fit that), assembled the most basic optics I could work out (eyepiece, prism / mirror and a couple of short tubes) onto the back of the telescope, but no image?!
I have read and re-read the manual, focused between both end stops, but nothing other than a white haze when I look at the moon.
It's almost like all I can see is "inside" the eyepiece if that makes sense?
When I remove the eyepiece I can see a perfectly formed and focused moon on the mirror in the prism though?
I'm sure I must have missed out some vital part or other that is stopping this from working?
I feel very fortunate to have this telescope, but I am frustrated that I seem to have failed at the very first hurdle trying to view the simplest of objects!!
All help gratefully received