HELP NEEDED! Finding planets on Celestron astromaster 130eq

[meaganreid_]

Hi guys :)

I have recently bought a 130EQ and am really struggling with finding ways to capture the planets. I have no problem with finding the moon (obviously because it is so close) but I have read the manual a thousand times and researched online and cannot find answers as to how to punch in coordinates into my telescope. I have a manual which tells me the exact place where planets are at what time, and at what location for each day but I have no idea how to apply these numbers to my scope.

They're such things as Venus: "20,00,19; 19, 12, 24" and so I am guessing that these numbers are for the telescopes with electronic remotes attached to them?

Basically I am asking how I can use these coordinates to find planets or any other way that I can find them.

Please, please help me, I would appreciate it more than anyone could imagine.
Thank you so much! :):)

[Shiraz]

The numbers are coordinates that can be set on the setting circles on your mount. However, the mount needs to be polar aligned for the settings to work. The section on basic astronomy in the manual tells you all about this and is well written.

However, if you just want to look at planets you can find them by eye and point the scope at them with the finder - the only ones that are easily and safely visible right now are Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is the first "star" that you will see at dusk if you look a bit east of north and about 1/3 of the way up from the horizon. It will be the star that doesn't twinkle at all. Your scope should easily show the disk, some bands (if seeing is OK) and the four big moons). Saturn is visible in the morning before dawn, rising pretty much due east and about 1/3 of the way up at dawn. It also will not be twinkling, except when very low down. You should see the rings quite easily if the seeing is OK.

The other close planets are currently hanging around the sun so they are difficult/dangerous to look at for now and Uranus and Neptune are too small to be of much interest in your scope, although it will be fun to find them when you have got the hang of finding your way around the sky.

It is also worth collimating your scope if you want the best images of the planets. The manual has a very well explained section on how to do that.

[smader]

Hi,

All celstial objects (including planets) have coordinates called Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (DEC). It is similar to the geographical coordinates you find on a map, but instead you are looking at coordinates on the celestial sphere - imaging a sphere in space with the earth in the center.

Do you have a GOTO telescope? Of not, there would be RA and DEC circles on your telescope mount. You will have to align your telescope and then use the RA/DEC of the planets to move the circles to the coordinates of the planet you want to look at. There should be something in your manual that covers this.


A good primer on RA/DEC is here:

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=112

See also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equatorial_coordinate_system

HTH...

Cheers,
Stacy.