Do I need one for the moment? and does this effect the very good and nice instructions you've given? (partner also thanks you btw, copied the body of your reply into a email to her )
Do I need one for the moment? and does this effect the very good and nice instructions you've given? (partner also thanks you btw, copied the body of your reply into a email to her )
Do you "need" a Barlow? No.
Could you make use of one? Yes! (But don't feel compelled to rush out and buy one straight away - there are plenty of things to look at with just a 20 mm and a 10 mm, or thereabouts).
Be aware, though, that a 2x Barlow with a 20 mm eyepiece is pretty much equivalent to your 10 mm eyepiece - but which gives a better, more "comfortable" view will depend a lot on the relative quality of the two eyepieces, and the Barlow. And a 2x Barlow with your 10 mm eyepiece may give pretty poor image quality unless you have very good sky conditions.
Be aware, however, that there are those who feel that a Barlow is a great complement to a beginner set of eyepieces, while others will argue just as vehemently that you should spend your money on better eyepieces - see this thread, for example:
(I for one don't think it has to be an "either / or" argument - I don't see why you can't have a couple of decent eyepieces, and also use a Barlow to increase the effective range of the few eyepieces that you own.)
Hi Chris,
Welcome to IceInSpace
Did some research and it sounds like you have a nice scope there. A Schmidt Newtonian.
Quote:
The Tasco 8V was the company's only outstanding telescope. The 5" f/8 optical assembly was actually an f/4 system with a built-in 2x barlow at the base of the focuser and was made by Vixen, Japan . It was mounted on the high quality Polaris mount of Celestron/Vixen fame and included the polaris finder. It was accompanied by a 6x30 finder and good quality .965 focuser/eyepieces. This could be a nice buy if you can find one.
Got some decent views of Saturn last night, and getting used to switching between 10mm & 20mm, plus learning the sky.(per the kind instructions in this thread)
Question, what should I be expecting to see with the dob in terms of definition? can make out the rings, but should I be expecting more (blown away, just clarifying if I should see more color etc)
Wondering at what point a beginner out grows the dob too?
Hi Ryan, Totally agree with omega crux (David) about never growing out of a Dob. I have just gone back to a Dob after a few years with other types of mount. The big plus for a Dob is the quick set up and ease of use. Add an Argo Navis if and when you feel like it and the sky is your oyster.
Still in the embryonic stages of amateur astronomy knowledge so a lot of devices and terms are new to me. Looking into this, does this device work with Dobs like a skywatcher that don't have motorized mounts?
Trying to skim through the userguide from Wildcard Innovations (hoping these are the right people?) and lot of it going over my head.
Assume you mount this to the scope, sync it with your computer, and you can manually track DSOs with the co-ordinates?
With use of the Google Sky app, with the 8" Dob had it pointed at what im sure was Jupiter. Is this clearly visible to the naked eye this time of year?
With a 10mm eyepiece, appeared to be a white disc with two very vague white vertical bands around it....was this Jupiter?....
With use of the Google Sky app, with the 8" Dob had it pointed at what im sure was Jupiter. Is this clearly visible to the naked eye this time of year?
With a 10mm eyepiece, appeared to be a white disc with two very vague white vertical bands around it....was this Jupiter?....
Yes, you've found Jupiter! Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, currently sitting in the north-west in early evening.
With an 8" Dob you should be able to see a lot more detail than just a white disk with vague bands around it - check focus carefully, and you should see some texture and detail in the bands, the Great Red Spot (when it's facing Earthwards), the 4 Galilean moons nearby, etc. (But you might need to wait for clearer skies - poor viewing conditions will also limit the amount of detail you can pick out.)
Your next planetary target should be Saturn (in the eastern sky in the early evening) - not as bright as Jupiter, but still one of the brightest objects in that part of the sky. It will be sitting a bit higher than the Moon tonight, after last night's occultation.
Still in the embryonic stages of amateur astronomy knowledge so a lot of devices and terms are new to me. Looking into this, does this device work with Dobs like a skywatcher that don't have motorized mounts?
Trying to skim through the userguide from Wildcard Innovations (hoping these are the right people?) and lot of it going over my head.
Assume you mount this to the scope, sync it with your computer, and you can manually track DSOs with the co-ordinates?
Ryz
I assume you are talking about an Argo Navis system? This is what is called a "push to" system. The handset gives you directions and numbers and you move the scope manually until both axis readout are zero and all being well the selected target is in the eyepiece.
No computer is needed unless you are updating the firmware or adding new objects to the built in catalogues.
Yes, you've found Jupiter! Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, currently sitting in the north-west in early evening.
With an 8" Dob you should be able to see a lot more detail than just a white disk with vague bands around it - check focus carefully, and you should see some texture and detail in the bands, the Great Red Spot (when it's facing Earthwards), the 4 Galilean moons nearby, etc. (But you might need to wait for clearer skies - poor viewing conditions will also limit the amount of detail you can pick out.)
Your next planetary target should be Saturn (in the eastern sky in the early evening) - not as bright as Jupiter, but still one of the brightest objects in that part of the sky. It will be sitting a bit higher than the Moon tonight, after last night's occultation.
Thanks Julian
Viewing conditions were ok (least from a beginners persperctive), but should I at least see a bit more color at the very least?
Quote:
Originally Posted by barx1963
Ryz
I assume you are talking about an Argo Navis system? This is what is called a "push to" system. The handset gives you directions and numbers and you move the scope manually until both axis readout are zero and all being well the selected target is in the eyepiece.
No computer is needed unless you are updating the firmware or adding new objects to the built in catalogues.
Malcolm
Cheers Malcolm, I think that's the laymen's description I was after
Viewing conditions were ok (least from a beginners persperctive), but should I at least see a bit more color at the very least?
Jupiter is so bright that even with my 5" scope, I find it helpful to use an eyepiece filter to dim it down a bit, so that it's less dazzling, and I can observe it more comfortably. When your eyes are getting used to night viewing, they will tend to see anything that is very bright as "white", so it can be hard to distinguish "bright orange" from "bright red", "bright cream", etc.
Different coloured filters will suppress different colours on your target - for example, a blue filter will darken the red / orange belts more than the other colours, making them more contrasty from the lighter coloured belts, which can improve the overall view of Jupiter. A Neutral Density "Moon Filter" will just reduce the overall brightness of the whole image.
If you don't have any filters, don't panic, there are a few easy tricks to see if being too bright is causing you difficulty in getting a good, sharp image:
Try wearing sunglasses to observe the brightest targets, like the Moon and Jupiter. (Yes, seriously!)
Try looking through some coloured cellophane wrapping paper, to make a crude coloured filter.
Does your telescope's dust cover have a small round opening offset to one side, with its own small dust cap? If so, this is intended for viewing the Moon (which has the same issue of being too bright for comfortable night viewing) - you leave the dust cap on the telescope, and only take off the small cap. Try it when observing Jupiter to see if it helps.
Or just get a piece of cardboard and cover 3/4 of the end of the telescope, leaving only about 1/4 of the light-gathering power.
Once you get rid of the dazzling brilliance, you should be able to focus more sharply, and start to distinguish some finer detail.
If any of these tricks give you a better view, then you may want to invest in a set of basic eyepiece filters.
I am George, Darwin NT, joined a few weeks ago but this is my first post, i am about to receive my 1st scope , saxon ed 120 with an azeq6 mount,with the hope of getting into astrophotography.
Phew !! What a steep learning curve i am about to embark on but reading the forums on this site i see that help is readily available from such a friendly and informative group.
Looking forward to picking your brains and in advance please excuse any stupid questions i may post
Hi Folks, its Shazz from Liverpool, Sydney.
Finally I got my Nexstar 8se (thanks to my wife for funding it ), for now, just basic setup with 25mm ep, 2xbarlow and moon filter. here to share and learn more about star gazing.
Last edited by Shazz; 27-06-2014 at 07:09 PM.
Reason: add name
G'day everyone,
My long standing love of the stars and planets has been re-awakened.
I'm intending to shoot the stars as it were, with my conventional professional photographic equipment. I have the ability to take basic images with good camera, lens and stable tripod, (30s @ 1200mm)... but of course the global rotation is a big problem.
I'm looking for equipment to purchase at the moment to counter that movement as well as pinpoint specific objects to capture, (equatorial mount with GoTo capability - telescope optional at this stage).
Right now, I'm looking for the Delta Aquarids... *sighs* (any assistance is most welcome).
Looking forward to catching up.
Regards,
Pete.