First telescope

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hooray, onya Charlie-Crash!!! Another GS Dob is joining the family. Don't forget to nag them for a Crayford Focuser.

[Crash Nebula]

Originally posted by rmcpb
Crash,

Still stay with the suggested 8" dob, it has a better focal length at f6 and will really help you get to know the sky. With this scope you will have enough money left over to get the standard accessories, red LED light, planisphere, observing chair, telrad, cheshire eyepiece.

Errr...


Please explain some of these gizmos -
Led light - I know what that is, im not all strange
Chair - Yep. I can grasp that aswell.. wait... yep... yep.
Explain all the other stuff aswell though, that im confused about
All Andrews scopes also come with binoculars and moon filter, so thats pretty cool
I need a light pollution filter aswell - anyone know where I can pick one up new or second hand without wasting too much on it? York Optical were selling it for $149
Cheers,
Crash
P.S - Explain the concept of a "chair" again?

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Charlie,

Congratulations on making a decision on your 1st telescope.

I also believe you have made the correct decision. In 3, 4 or 5 years time I can see you upgrading to a 10" or 12" scope but at the moment I think the 8" dob will be perfect for you and leaves some cash in the bank for some accessories.

Importantly you will find the 8" dob a lot easier to handle than either the 10" dob or the 8" equatorially mounted scope and it also has a more forgiving focal ratio of F6 whereas the other 2 scopes are F5 and F4 respectively, which means they are a lot more critical of collimation accuracy than the F6 scope and they are a lot more selective of the eyepieces that will function in them.

Enjoy your new scope and keep us posted of its progress.

CS-John Bambury

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Charlie,
Planisphere, Telrad, Cheshire Eyepiece, Chair.

Planisphere: is a very practical sky map that is fully adjustable to any location. It is small and handy. Here's one example: http://www.davidchandler.com/nightsky.htm

Telrad: A Zero Magnification Finder-scope with an illuminated bullseye target and maps showing sky objects in the bullseye. http://www.monmouth.com/~govega/telrad.htm

Cheshire EP: A collimating tool that I have to get still. Makes collimating easier and more accurate. It is an eyepiece that fits into the focuser to align the optics in a telescope.

Chair: To sit on! when viewing. (adjustable height)

Anyone else want to clarify any further?

[RAJAH235]

Crash, Your light pollution filter is called a "Broadband or Skyglow" filter. It filters the sodium & mercury lamps. CITY lights in other words. Do not skimp on this filter or the UHC & OIII, WHEN you decide to buy. Buy a "LUMICON". They are a bit pricey but... A neutral density(.96 density), or moon filter is also nec. for obvious reasons.(should come with t'scope).
Later, you may also need a set(4 off), of coloured filters for viewing the planets.
One thing you will require is a "Cheshire" collimator. (about $60.00)
A necessary tool for your DOB.
HTH. L.
ps. It may sound strange, but an adjustable height chair is a lifesaver for your back. Puts you in a stable position when viewing for long periods.
pps. Try our friends, Mike or Don, at Bintel (Binocular & Telescope Shop) York St.
ppps. I make the red LED globes if you want one,$6.00ea. PM me.

[iceman (Mike)]

Crash,

Congrats on making the decision! You'll love it.

On another note, can you please change your signature.. read the signature rules in the Announcement at the top of every forum, or in this thread here.

[Howzat (Phil)]

Hi Charlie

Good choice,you won't regret it.
I'd recommend getting the Cheshire eyepiece from andrews when you order your scope, it's only $39 and you won't have to pay extra freight.
I'm not sure how many eyepieces you get with the 8" but it would pay to have a range selected before you ring.
Clear Skys

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Nice choice Crash. Good luck, clear skies and "to infinity and beyond" I got kids too

[rmcpb (Rob)]

Charlie,

Great descision, you will have a ball with this scope

[Crash Nebula]

Is my signature ok now?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Hey Crash, its only 11 am, You waggin' school or sumfin' If you're waiting for your new scope to turn up I'm sorry to disapoint but its gonna take a couple of days bet you're excited.

[Striker (Tony)]

My opinion Crash...its still a bit big...buts thats up to Mike and the moderators.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Originally posted by RAJAH235
Crash, Your light pollution filter is called a "Broadband or Skyglow" filter. It filters the sodium & mercury lamps. CITY lights in other words. Do not skimp on this filter or the UHC & OIII, WHEN you decide to buy. Buy a "LUMICON". They are a bit pricey but... A neutral density(.96 density), or moon filter is also nec. for obvious reasons.(should come with t'scope).

Crash,

I would consider saving your money on a light pollution reduction filter (LPR or Broadband). These offer some benefit for astrophotography but a marginal benefit for visual astronomy on most targets, regardless of your prevailing sky conditions (WOFTAM IMO). I will conceded that the Broadband (LPR filters) have come a long way in the last couple of years and they are working better all the time for visual astronomy. I actually own 1 and other than helping on comet tails I don't use it.

I think a Narrowband (UHC) is the most important filter for you to aquire and as Rajah mentions the Lumicon UHC is a very good one. The Astronomiks UHC (available from Bintel) is at least as good if not better but also a bit more expensive. One of my colleagues in the USA has recently done a review of 25 different filters and he rated the DGM Optics NPB filter as currently the best on the market and the good thing is its quite cheap.

http://users.erols.com/dgmoptics/

The DGM Optics NPB filter is on special for $US54.95 plus shipping. Even allowing for shipping it will be a lot cheaper than either the Astronomiks or Lumicon. This review will appear in Astronomy Magazine in the next 2 or 3 months.

Rajah indicates the Neutral Density (Moon) filter is a necessity ? Not IMO. This is a subjective thing and based a lot on personal preference, it also depends a lot on the scope you have.

Some things to consider about observing the moon. People use a moon filter to darken the bright lunar image, not because it allows them to see more detail. A moon filter will block some of the light, hence it will also stop some of the fine detail reaching your eye. I have tested this on many occasions and I can definately see more fine detail without a moon filter. I have observed the full moon unfiltered in scopes up to 12.5" without issue, hence an 8" scope is no problem to me, it may be to you. Its very bright but it will not damage your eyes, it is light reflected off a rough surface the colour of pumice after all. It takes a few seconds for your eyes to readjust after an extended time looking at the bright moon that is all.

A good tip when observing the moon unfiltered is to turn on some external lighting or observe nearby to some street or park lighting etc. By doing this your eyes pupil does not dilate as far and the moon does not appear quite as bright.

Despite what I have said above some people simply find the full moon too bright to observe even in small scopes unfiltered, so its certainly a thing that relates a lot on personal preference.

My point is don't race out and buy a moon filter if your scope is not supplied with one (which it should be), you may not need it. Try observing the moon without a filter 1st.

Another good option for observing the moon is a variable polarising filter, where you can vary the moons apparent brightness depending on the scope and the moon phase. These cost about $50 but are way better than a neutral density filter IMO.

One thing you need to understand with astronomy and observing equipment is that most things are very subjective and have an enormous personal preference factor. Because Rajah likes Lumicon filters and I prefer Astronomiks doesn't mean 1 of us is right and the other wrong, it indicates which 1 suits our own personal observing preferences best. Likewise, if Rajah prefers observing the moon with a neutral density filter and I prefer to observe it unfiltered, doesn't mean one is right and 1 is wrong, again it indicates what suits our own personal observing preferences and styles. Likewise, if I prefer Pentax XW eyepieces to TV Radians or Nagler T6's, again doesn't mean 1 is better than the other, they each do some things better than each other. It indicates that the things that are important to me in an eyepiece the Pentax XW's do well.

What this all boils down to is that you should really get out under the stars and try as much equipment out as possible before you buy it, with astro clubs, friends or public star parties. We can advise you about our own preferences and experiences but that may not necessarily suit you, so the most important thing is "try before you buy" if possible.

Clear Skies
John Bambury

[rmcpb (Rob)]

Charlie,

If you get one of the planispheres Ken mentioned make sure you get the large one. In dull red light you can still use it, the small one is not so good at night.

Cheers

[Crash Nebula]

Ok, there we go.. ive changed it...
and, no i wasn't wagging, i was on the comps at school
Wish me luck at laserforce tonight!
Cheers
Charlie

[ving (David)]

Originally posted by [1ponders]
Nice choice Crash. Good luck, clear skies and "to infinity and beyond" I got kids too

you are going to really enjoy your new scope crash!!

"stars are so boring, stop talking bout them... your boring me" I have a kid too

[Astroman (Andrew Wall)]

You should really enjoy the scope, I have an 8" f/7 dob and works beaut, even better with a Televue Nagler in the focuser, wow what a difference it makes.

Congrats.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I'll agree with John re moon filters. I have tried the green moon filter as supplied with the scope and an Antares variable polariser filter. Both dim the moon and both cause loss of detail, the el-cheapo green moon filter more so. I used it once and never bothered with it again.

[Crash Nebula]

Ok... now it looks like im getting some binoculars for my birthday so i can understand conselations more and stuff - my parents think i shouldnt rush into it (even though i got advice first )
and they also thought that with a 8inch dob it wouldbe all fuzzy and would move oput of view every time i looked at something
i told them it wasnt so, btu they wouldnt beleve me
I really wanted to get it today but they wouldnt let me...
i spent the day using starry night 4.5 its so much fun! u zoom in on jupiter and its there! u zoom in on a DSO and its there! its so a3wesome! full version comes free with PC world april
Charlie
P.S - any more hints or tips? anyone got any advice on binoculars? is it a good idea getting them first?

[RAJAH235]

Hi Charlie. If you have decided to wait for awhile on the t'scope & want to start in Astronomy, then binoculars & the larger size "Chandler" planisphere are the way to go.You will also need a red LED torch. This will allow you to see the chart but not ruin your night vision. The planisphere & torch can be bought from Mike/Don at Bintel, (Binocular & Telescope shop), York St. or you can buy a cheap torch & I'll sell you a red LED globe.
A good starting size for bino's is 7 x 50's. This means 7 times magnification, with a 50 mm front lens. You will not need a tripod with these. Cost will be around $100.00. Again do not skimp on quality. If poss. test them at night. A lot of bino's are not made for night viewing, just daytime terrestrial.
If, in the future your tastes change, then you/parents, can still use the bino's.
If you still have any more queries, please just ask, O.K.?
HTH. L.