Where do I start?

[sashark]

I have recently acquired a telescope but don't know where to start!
Eventually I'd like to have knowledge to view astronomical events, but of course am such an amateur right now that's a while away...

Any advice would be great haha, teach me like you would a ten year old :)

I aslo have basic astronomy education, but not really star-gazing...hmm

[wavelandscott]

First port of call is to go to a viewing night in your area and maybe join one of the Astro Clubs in the area. There are many helpful folks in this hobby who would be happy to help you.

Second is to use your gear as often as possible...practice makes perfect and the "best" scope is one that gets used regularly. Before long you will be an old pro in the hobby. Enjoy!

[Poita]

You are in Sydney, so there are plenty of groups to go to. There is the www.asnsw.com, there are also people here who meet in the Blue Mountains once a month or so and plenty of informal groups too.
Check out the club listings on this very site:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/clublistings.html
And this forum to see who is meeting when.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=16

[Larryp]

I don't know where in Sydney you are, but Sutherland Astro Society run a comprehensive introductory course for novices.:)

[barx1963]

What sort of scope do you have? That will help to give you advice on best ways to use and get the most out of your gear.
But as Scott said, practice and getting and using it is the best way to learn.

Malcolm

[scagman]

Hi Sasha,
Welcome to IIS.

Download Stellarium from http://www.stellarium.org/ if you havnt already. Its a free planetarium program that you set to your location and it will reflect the view you have of the night sky and help you work out what your looking at.
There are also apps for your android/Idevices that will do the same.

Cheers

[sashark]

It's a Saxon 909AZ3 refractor, Focal length 900mm, Diameter 90mm

[sashark]

Dunno if I would join a club just yet to be honest maybe later on, might see if there's a book to get me started if anyone has any recommendations?

Also Starry Nights came with the scope which I think is similar to Stellarium

[Larryp]

Joining a club would be the quickest way to learn-members are friendly and only too willing to assist newcomers. Also you get to see many types of scope, which helps later on when you wish to upgrade.:)

[moonunit]

Start by looking at the moon, then Saturn and Jupiter, if you can find eta carina , Orion nebula and omega centauri, build from that. Large magellanic cloud and small magellanic cloud

[barx1963]

OK, well done. Firstly I am glad it is an alt az mount, means that it is much easier to use.
I believe these come with a red dot finder rather than a finderscope? The first thig to do is align the finder with the main scope. The moon is a good starting point. Put in your lowest power eyepiece (probably a 25mm) and try to find the moon looking through the scope. Once you have it centre it in the field of view and then turn on the finder and tweak it until the red dot is on the moon. Then pick a bright star use the red dot to locate it and see if its in the centre of the field now through the scope. It its is off centre, move the scope until it is centred then tweak the red dot again and voila!. Make it a habit to tweak the alignment at the start of every session.
You will now be able to use the finder to find objects. A suggestion for a starting point is splitting Alpha Centauri. If you can find the pointers near the Southern cros, have a look at the brightest one. It should be easily split into 2 stars even with the low power eyepiece. Then find Beta Crucis (it is the star in the Southern cross closest to the Pointers) Just near there is an open cluster known as the Jewell Box which will make a fine sight in your scope.
By all means get Stellarium, just remember that bright screens and night vision do not usually mix. I personally would acquire a basic set of charts (http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Books--Charts-and-Software/Cambridge-Star-Atlas/460/productview.aspx or http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Books--Charts-and-Software/Star-Chart-Laminated---CD-ROM/655/productview.aspx are good) and a red torch, or consider http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Books--Charts-and-Software/Bintel-Essential-br-Accessory-Pack/1167/productview.aspx to get started.

Hope all this helps!

Malcolm

[sashark]

Yeah my one comes with a finderscope but I think other models have the red dot finder... anyway, I managed to align them today from my bedroom window haha and now I can't wait for these clouds to move on...
Thanks heaps for the advice, much appreciated :)

[barx1963]

I find a proper finder better than a red dot, but that's just me, other are the other way. Nonetheless most of my advice regarding setting it is still valid as you should still check it at the start of each session and tweak if necessary.

Malcolm

[sashark]

Yeah I'm quite happy with this finder, easy enough to use.
Managed to peek at a star tonight (yet to find out how I identify what I'm looking at) but now I'm really keen for a clear night after that, think I'm gonna grow very fond of this!

[AstralTraveller]

Back in 'the day' ie before computers I used to recommend starting with a planisphere, a Norton's Star Atlas (or something similar - a few broad-scale charts that each cover a fair area of sky) and the naked eye. These days you might substitute suitable software on a lappy or tablet, provided it has a night-vision mode. Then start by learning some basic constellations, the first step in finding DSOs. You can do this when you are short of time, it's a bit cloudy or there is too much moon - any time putting up the scope is too much effort. So, at the moment you will find the southern cross (Crux) high in the south early in the evening. From here you can find Centaurus, Carina, Musca and even Corvus. Low in the east you should be able to identify Scorpio and from this you will find Sagittarius and Ophiuchius. If you master that you won't have to waste an hour with the scope set up just to work out what basic part of the sky you're looking at. :thumbsup:

[Jon]

What he said :-)

My balcony has a view that spans from about NW all the way to SSE. But I can only see up to about 60 degrees altitude fr most of it. This is actually pretty perfect, in the course of a year, I get to see everything, but am forced at any one time to concentrate on one set of constellations. Right now I am exploring the wonders of Scorpio and Sagittarius (old friends), Lupus which is less famous but full of lesser-known wonders, and some more traditionally "northern" constellations like Bootes, Hercules and Coma Berenices and seeing some Messier objects that we don't see for very long down here.

My point is this: once you have got to know the broad sweep of sky, spend some time just in one small part.

Spending the whole night exploring star clusters and double stars in Crux (the Southern Cross) is a great way to start. It's a small but wonderful constellation and when you realise how much there is packed into a small space of sky you can get a real sense of satisfaction out of how you spent your time.

[AstralTraveller]

That's true, there are quite a few nice objects right in Crux and working through them is a good exercise. But it would be remiss of us not to mention the best of what is nearby - the sorts of objects you might as well find now because you're going to spend a lot of time looking at them. :D To the west (right at the moment) of Crux is Carina, home to the eta Carina nebula and NGC3532, both visible to the naked eye under dark skies. NGC3532 is a large bright open cluster and eta Carina is simply the biggest and best nebula in the sky. The great thing about viewing eta C is that it 'works' at any magnification. You need at least 2 degrees field of view to see the whole object but it looks great at 1 degree, a half a degree, right down to resolving the homunculus nebula. To the ne of Crux is the best globular cluster in he sky omega Centauri. It's easiest found by starting at beta Centauri, the fainter of the two pointers.

[sashark]

Managed to check out the moon and saturn in the small gap between the break in clouds and heavy fog rolling in but wow...don't think I've been in so much awe before, the universe is truly incredible

[GraemeT]

It looks like you're in the NW suburbs. SNAG meets for viewing every Friday, weather permitting, at the Dural Pony Club grounds in Bannerman Rd. Turn up just before dark and introduce yourself!

[sashark]

Interesting, I work friday nights however...maybe if I get a day off sometime I'll drop by