Well finally i got my telescope,
the Guan Sheng 8" Dobsonian, went out tonight and got crisp images of saturn and the moon. I managed to get one star cluster but wasn't a major one. Showed my family member's and they were like 'WOW'. I managed to get this telescope for $450. It came with 4 eyepieces and they are:
-1x GSO Superview 30mm (wide field fully multi-coated)
-1x Super PLoSSL 15mm (fully multi-coated)
-1X Super PLoSSL 9mm (fully multi-coated)
-1x Super PLoSSL 6mm (fully multi coated)
-Plus a bonus Moon Filter
I so far love this telescope but i still have a lot to learn about it as it is my first serious telescope. I have so many questions to ask about this telescope so im going to ask them all here.
I was trying to look for some deep sky objects with my 30mm Eyepiece but it doesn't seem that i can find any. I know someone told me something about Magnitude within 8.0 for this telescope. So i would look on the application i purchased on my iphone called 'Star Chart' and looked at the magnitude. I was trying to look at the trifid nebula (6.30 Magnitude) but i could see it any where. This made me think can i actually see deep sky object with this telescope. I dont know if it is me or is it the telescope. Is there something i am doing wrong. Can someone tell me what magnitude means.
Also the telescope itself is heavy. It is really hurting my back carrying it up and down the stairs and also dragging it around the house. Is it possible to get lockable wheels for it.
Another thing is how can i make observing easier. Being out there for 2 hours also does my back in and it doesn't help being tall as well.
I'll let others answer your concerns regarding DSOs but I'll jump to your question about wheels.... just go to Bunnings and buy three small rubber caster wheels and screw them to the base (see my picture). It won't help with stairs but one a flat surface it will make it easier to move. Mine were not 'lockable' but you can get lockable wheels - a feature not needed on grass however.
Thanks you one thing down. Ill see if i can get some next week. I need lockable ones as ill be on concrete as i dont have much grass. And also i dont want to put it on the grass as it may get all muddy from it then my mum will kill me for making the floors dirty
Those lockable wheels will definitely help moving your scope around.
Magnitude is basically another way of saying brightness, with the higher the number, the fainter the object, and obviously negative numbers being brighter still. So, in theory, if the lowest workable magnitude of your scope is +8, anything less than that should be able to be viewed.
BUT, usually that workable magnitudes depends on perfect conditions. That number is usually lowered by poor atmospheric, or 'seeing' conditions, light pollution, and all manner of other variables. According to the figures, my 12-inch dob should be able to get mag +15 objects, but I've never seen anything anywhere near that.
Having said that, the Lagoon and Triffid should be fairly easily visible through your scope. Have you double checked the location with a star alas? If not, it might be a good investment, along with a red torch, as using your phone may also be killing your night vision, and be making the faint fuzzies harder to see.
Also, it's important to have realistic expectations of what you'll see. You won't be able to see the bright colours and patterns seen in most photo's, we use the term 'faint fuzzies' for a reason. The best way is to check out some of the sketches done by some of the members here, they give a much more realistic depiction of what to expect at the eyepiece.
As for back problems, consider making or buying an observing chair. Comfortable viewing is key to enjoyment of your hobby, and being uncomfortable will only discourage you from getting it out. Might be a good time to look into some thermal clothes too, warmth is just as important as comfort.
Frosty
Well done on the scope!
I'll second comments about using a phone while observing. The app you are using may have a night mode that makes the screen red, but from experience it is still usually way too bright and will kill your night vision.
Also how dark is your observing site and how is the light pollution? Light pollution can make those faints DSOs hard to see.
With the back issue, this can be a problem with a smaller dob. A simple solution is simply to lift the base up bu placing it on a milk crate. Staying as warm as possible will help also, if your back gets cold it will not enjoy bending over the eyepiece.
The limiting "theoretical" stellar magnitude limit for a typical 8" scope is actually around 14. This means that in a theoretical perfect viewing environment eg perfectly clear skies, no sky glow, no light pollution, perfect seeing (eg still atmosphere) and with optics in perfect condition, diffraction limited optics, optimal collimation etc you could THEORITICALLY be able to see a magnitude 14 star. Someone may correct me on this but the faintest star most people can see at a dark site is about mag 6 or 6.5, and a mag 14 is about 1500 times fainter. Practically even at a dark site you will be doing OK to see mag 12 stars. Of course a star is a point while most DSOs are extended, so a mag 12 DSO will have its light spread over a large area, making it's "surface brightness" much lower and therefore dimmer.
Hope this explanation helps. If I might suggest, maybe start off by locating some easier objects. At the moment obviously the moon is easy but Saturn and Mars are still easy in the west early in the evening. This will get you used to navigating the scope and finding things. Another good target for early evening is the Jewell Box cluster (NGC4755) in Crux, should be an easy get even in fairly light polluted skies.
Just as a matter of interest, are you carrying your scope upstairs
complete, or tube and base separately. I ask this because I am in my
late 70's, and can easily carry my 10" Dob tube assembly upstairs, and it
is much heavier than your 8".[14.8kg].
raymo
Firstly, I acknowledge, and agree with what the previous posters have said. So, in summary...
Re what DSO you can see depends a lot on how dark your observing site is and how dark the sky is.
Sydney is generally not a dark site and will provide challenges to seeing those faint fuzzies.
Also, the moon is quite bright at the moment, and will get brighter over the next week. For observing faint DSO, you should wait until the moon is much less dominant, eg around "New Moon" each month.
For moving scope around (in total) you could also explore using a trolley. Iceman wrote an article on how he adapted a trolley for moving his scope around.
Also as suggested earlier, when moving up stairs, it may be best to move the tube separately from the mount. Two trips (or more) but easier on your back.
Re comfort at the scope, I definitely agree, especially with faint fuzzies, the longer you look, the more detail you can extract. I use the Bintel observing chair when travelling to dark remote sites (expensive but effective)
But when at home, I use a gas filled height adjustable stool from Aldi. for under $50.
(I also built a little platform to sit my dob on, that had the advantage of height adjustable legs which can be used to level the scope, which although not essential, can help with smooth movement and locating objects if using setting circles).
Good questions for starters.
But there will be more to come as you develop your skills.
Just as a matter of interest, are you carrying your scope upstairs
complete, or tube and base separately. I ask this because I am in my
late 70's, and can easily carry my 10" Dob tube assembly upstairs, and it
is much heavier than your 8".[14.8kg].
raymo
Im dragging it around my house and cause i am tall, i have to bend down so far and it really kills my back. The tube slides into the base.
Firstly, I acknowledge, and agree with what the previous posters have said. So, in summary...
Re what DSO you can see depends a lot on how dark your observing site is and how dark the sky is.
Sydney is generally not a dark site and will provide challenges to seeing those faint fuzzies.
Also, the moon is quite bright at the moment, and will get brighter over the next week. For observing faint DSO, you should wait until the moon is much less dominant, eg around "New Moon" each month.
For moving scope around (in total) you could also explore using a trolley. Iceman wrote an article on how he adapted a trolley for moving his scope around.
Also as suggested earlier, when moving up stairs, it may be best to move the tube separately from the mount. Two trips (or more) but easier on your back.
Re comfort at the scope, I definitely agree, especially with faint fuzzies, the longer you look, the more detail you can extract. I use the Bintel observing chair when travelling to dark remote sites (expensive but effective)
But when at home, I use a gas filled height adjustable stool from Aldi. for under $50.
(I also built a little platform to sit my dob on, that had the advantage of height adjustable legs which can be used to level the scope, which although not essential, can help with smooth movement and locating objects if using setting circles).
Good questions for starters.
But there will be more to come as you develop your skills.
Well i used on my iphone the night mode which turns everything to red and black. I new that maybe it wasn't a good night to view things as it was so bright from the moon. As well, the trifid nebula was basically right next to the moon. I'll try in a few days when there is a new moon. Might take the scope out more to the west with my dad one night in summer and see what i will be able to get.
Congrats on the scope, you will have a lot of fun with that.
For me a right-angle finder scope alleviates the need to do yoga like poses when finding things in the sky. A red dot finder is also useful for quickly putting your scope in the close vicinity of your target.
The trick with DSOs is to practice on the brighter ones near easily identifiable stars. Also it is a combination of brightness and size that matters in terms of being able to see them easily. For example the Ring nebula is 8.8 magnitude and 4 arcmin wide, while the Helix nebula is 7.6 magnitude and 25 arcmin wide, so it is bigger and "brighter". However the Helix nebula is harder to see, because it's brightness is spread out over a larger area, and in the eyepiece it just does not stand out as much as the smaller Ring nebula, which has it's brightness concentrated into a smaller area. Have a go at the brightest globular clusters; omega centauri, and 47 Tuc, they should look good from your backyard. Nebula take a bit more practice to see, so its great to start with star clusters till you get the hang of pointing your scope.
I started with lockable castor wheels on my dob but changed them for bigger wheels (from an old pram) because the castor wheels jar when rolling over joins in concrete paths, and are no good on gravel or grass.
Well finally i got my telescope,
the Guan Sheng 8" Dobsonian, went out tonight and got crisp images of saturn and the moon. I managed to get one star cluster but wasn't a major one. Showed my family member's and they were like 'WOW'. I managed to get this telescope for $450. It came with 4 eyepieces and they are:
-1x GSO Superview 30mm (wide field fully multi-coated)
-1x Super PLoSSL 15mm (fully multi-coated)
-1X Super PLoSSL 9mm (fully multi-coated)
-1x Super PLoSSL 6mm (fully multi coated)
-Plus a bonus Moon Filter
I so far love this telescope but i still have a lot to learn about it as it is my first serious telescope. I have so many questions to ask about this telescope so im going to ask them all here.
I was trying to look for some deep sky objects with my 30mm Eyepiece but it doesn't seem that i can find any. I know someone told me something about Magnitude within 8.0 for this telescope. So i would look on the application i purchased on my iphone called 'Star Chart' and looked at the magnitude. I was trying to look at the trifid nebula (6.30 Magnitude) but i could see it any where. This made me think can i actually see deep sky object with this telescope. I dont know if it is me or is it the telescope. Is there something i am doing wrong. Can someone tell me what magnitude means.
Also the telescope itself is heavy. It is really hurting my back carrying it up and down the stairs and also dragging it around the house. Is it possible to get lockable wheels for it.
Another thing is how can i make observing easier. Being out there for 2 hours also does my back in and it doesn't help being tall as well.
Great first scope. I use a small flat bed market trolly. Shame you can't keep it downstairs.
. I managed to get this telescope for $450. It came with 4 eyepieces and they are:
