keep on keeping on

risingmoon (Sandra) · #1 14-03-2012, 10:17 AM

I have tried every trick in the book. I got to see heaps of stars last night, even some almost stuck together. The sky was beautiful and now see what you all mean when the focus was out.

When I focus down and just get the shiny star as it is I can't see anything but a glimmering light, lot of them. When I try to bring them closer, thats when I get the blob I was talking of earlier but with all the stars, some big enough to be planets, I could not see as much as I thought I would.

When I see pics of saturn there are rings around it so do I need some kind of filter or a larger eye piece to actually see anything else

I was happy enough seeing what I did but expected more. The dew was a problem in the end but I am sorting that out.

I am still having problems with the goto thing but eventually things will work out. I wish there was an invisible person standing next to me showing me step by step then I know I am not going crazy.

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #2 14-03-2012, 10:24 AM

You'll get there Sandra.
Saturn is stunning! Find it first using your largest eyepiece, the one with the highest number, then zoom in a little by using your middling eyepiece, then zoom in more using your smallest one.
You should also get to your local Astro Societies open night and then you WILL have plenty of people to ask first hand.
Take your time, practice, experiment, and keep asking questions.

mikerr (Michael) · #3 14-03-2012, 01:05 PM

Sandra, once you get an object (star, planet, nebula etc) in focus, that is the exact correct position of the focus knob for your eye with that particular eyepiece. You can't alter the magnificaton with the focus knob.
To increase or decrease the magnification you must change eyepieces as pointed out by jjj.
You have a 25mm eyepiece that gives you a certain magnification. If you want to increase the magnification you need to remove the 25mm eyepiece from the holder and insert a smaller eyepiece. Maybe 10mm or what ever you have. When you change eyepieces you will have to re-focus for that eyepiece. Probably only a small adjustment.
You will notice that as you go smaller in eyepiece size (higher magnification) that it becomes a bit more fiddly to focus as your hand shakes the scope a bit and this is magnified by the higher power eyepiece. Get used to it.

A star will look just like a bright point of light when correctly focused. That is normal. Some stars that appear uninteresting to the naked eye will become multiple stars or perhaps a Gaseous Nebula when you look through the telescope. That is when the OH WOW factor comes in.

What eyepieces/accessories did you get with the telescope?

Keep the questions coming, you have a nice rig there.

Michael.

Poita (Peter) · #4 14-03-2012, 01:53 PM

Hey there Sandra.
It is such a big learning curve in the beginning eh?

A couple of basic things re your telescope.

Your scope has no 'Zoom' capability, the focus knob only makes things less or more blurry, you can't zoom in as such.

So if you get a nice sharp image of the moon by adjusting the focus, you can't make it any bigger or smaller, just sharper or blurrier.

To bring things closer (i.e. change the amount of magnification) you need to change the eyepieces.

You have quite a powerful telescope, its focal length is 2032mm, which means (roughly) if it was a camera lens, it would be about the same power as one that is nearly 2 metres long!

To work out how much you can magnify something (like say, Saturn) you divide the focal length (2032mm) by the eyepiece size (I think it comes with a 25mm one)
2032 ÷ 25 = 81.28

So with that eyepiece things get about 80 times bigger (80x magnification)

To bring things closer, you could purchase a 10mm eyepiece
2032÷10 =203.2 times bigger!

A 6mm eyepiece (about as powerful as you can go with that scope, and even then only on a really clear night) is 2032÷6 = 338.66 times bigger!

So to be able to 'Zoom in' you need to pop different eyepieces in the scope, and refocus them.

Now there is another way, you can buy a 'Zoom Eyepiece' that has a zoom capability built in. A typical one can zoom from 24mm to 8mm, so on your scope you could zoom from a magnification of 84x to 254x (and everything in between).
These are great when starting out as you can leave the one eyepiece in, start off zoomed out @ 24mm until you find something to look at, and then zoom in for a closer view.

If you PM me your postal address, I can loan you one for a few weeks to play with, I have a spare at the moment.

As jjj mentioned, the stars don't get any bigger no matter how much you zoom in, but some do reveal secrets, they turn into double stars, and some have little nebulas around them... and the planets of course turn from dots of light into actual planet looking things with details, which are very rewarding to look at, especially Jupiter and Saturn. The moon really benefits from some extra magnification as well.

barx1963 (Malcolm) · #5 14-03-2012, 03:15 PM

Sandra

Saturn is one of the best objects in the sky, but people reactions vary widely. Some will go "Oh wow, thats fantastic" other say "Is that it?"
The reason for the latter reaction is that Saturn is really small, and even in a fairly long focal length scope like yours, it stays fairly small.
Increasing the power also magnifies the problems associated with "seeing" which is the blurry and shaking caused by the earths atmosphere.
The secret to observing is patience as it allows you to train your eye and also get those fleeting moments of still air or "good seeing" that make it all worthwhile.

Malcolm

risingmoon (Sandra) · #6 14-03-2012, 11:19 PM

Yes Malcolm I noticed the stars had a bit of a shake to them. Thought it was me but now I know. For me the "Oh wow, thats fantastic" factor would go down well with me anytime as the whole experience of sky viewing is just that and when you think about it I feel so small compared to what is out there. And patience is something I am developing a lot of latey.

risingmoon (Sandra) · #7 14-03-2012, 11:31 PM

Peter, learning curve, yes. There is just so much to learn and every day something new pops up with this kind of thing. When I first bought my scope I looked at all the reviews, do's and don'ts, prices, comparisons etc and you think you have it all planned but it is not until you actually buy a scope that you realise there is a lot more to it and end up having to add a lot more to it than what you first think. haven't at any time had second thoughts.
Now I have ordered an eye piece and a couple of other things to make my viewing a little more exciting.
It was a very kind gesture to loan me an eye piece and thank you so much but if I need one I may as well buy one and get it over with. I know there is a lot of extras I am going to need so have to start somewhere. I have more of an understanding about eye pieces now.
I also noticed there are some stars I saw but can't see with my eyes that they were two next to each other.

risingmoon (Sandra) · #8 14-03-2012, 11:53 PM

Thanks for the magnification tip Michael. I seem to spend all night turning my focus knob around back and forth but not realising it wasn't doing anything. I laugh about it now but it was no laughing matter last night.
When I bought my scope I only received a 25mm eye piece and the diagonal thing with it and thats all apart from the software.
I am buying a Bintel ND-96 Moon 1.25" moon filter and a 6mm eye piece to add to my collection of goodies.

risingmoon (Sandra) · #9 15-03-2012, 12:00 AM

Thanks for the tip jjjpeg. I have ordered a 6mm eye piece and a moon filter. I will probably need to get a 10mm eye piece as well as it looks but next time. These thing are not cheap but they are worth it.
I am keeping my eyes open to see when the next public viewing is. I would love to go to one and just watch what everyone else does.
It is only by asking questions that I have managed to receive lots of help. You can bet your bottom dollar I will continue to ask and drive everyone crazy in the process.

erick (Eric) · #10 15-03-2012, 12:06 AM

Have you found the private messages yet Sandra? Up there to the right? I sent you one. Eric

Poita (Peter) · #11 15-03-2012, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by risingmoon

Thanks for the magnification tip Michael. I seem to spend all night turning my focus knob around back and forth but not realising it wasn't doing anything. I laugh about it now but it was no laughing matter last night.
When I bought my scope I only received a 25mm eye piece and the diagonal thing with it and thats all apart from the software.
I am buying a Bintel ND-96 Moon 1.25" moon filter and a 6mm eye piece to add to my collection of goodies.

If it isn't already too late, I'd change that order to a 9mm or 10mm eyepiece. The 6mm will only be of use on the very best and clearest nights, it will probably be too much magnification for most nights of the year in Liverpool.

And keeping asking questions, we all do it!

deejayvee (David) · #12 15-03-2012, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by risingmoon

I wish there was an invisible person standing next to me showing me step by step then I know I am not going crazy.

The only thing better than an invisible person helping you is an actual person

Near Liverpool, there are some clubs nearby that would surely be happy to help. Perhaps closest would be the Macarthur Astronomical Society. I met a few of the guys up in Parkes last October and they seemed nice.

A little bit further, perhaps, is the Sutherland Astronomical Society that I joined late last year. Keep an eye out for their SASPAC course which runs each year for August to November. I did the course last year and it was very educational, and for me it was a great intro to the club.

There are other clubs in Sydney too. It shouldn't be hard to find one you like. The advantage is that the clubs contain so much knowledge and my experience has been that, like those on IIS, they love to share it with others

risingmoon (Sandra) · #13 15-03-2012, 05:41 PM

Yes I know that is the most practical thing to do and I have downloaded the application for already for the Macarthur Astronomical Society.
Sometimes it gets very frustrating when you are on your own in the back yard trying to do something and all of a sudden you really need the assistance right there and then.
I am sure everyone when first learning feels like this at one time or another. It is so good to have online help as I am able to gather all the answers and come to a conclusion of what to do so there is always something.

risingmoon (Sandra) · #14 16-03-2012, 12:22 AM

Oh OK, I didn't see your last post on the eye pieces. I do have one ready to buy but now I will change to either 9 or 10. Thanks Peter.

EricB (Eric) · #15 18-03-2012, 08:39 PM

Hi Sandra. I bought a 6mm just after I got my scope. i have used it 3-4 times and have always been disappointed with the viewing. However, I use my 15mm and 10mm all the time. I am thinking about investing in a good quality one in the 9 to 13 mm range soon.

Eric