Hello and a few questions

[gazob]

Im new to this, saw a small dob on ozbargain a couple of weeks back and thought that would make a cool Christmas present, then started reading and about to buy something like a 10"dob.

Discussed with my wife and she is pretty interested as well, isn't freaked out by comments like "could always build an observatory where the kids old cubb house sits" so I think shes well and truly on board for the journey.

We live right on the edge of Sunbury so we get relatively dark skies, there isn't too much in the way of lights over our back fence.

Now to the couple of questions.

Apart from the telescope, lets assume 10" dob at this point, what other equipment is essential, very useful, and nice to have as a beginner. What books / charts fall in to the same categories. Worth noting we are both technically literate and have laptops, ipads and android tablets if digital is a better option for some of these.

Unless I am missing something there aren't any societies "close" by. The Melbourne group is based in Bentleigh which is the better part of an hour away, and the Bendigo group is an easier drive but 1.5 hours away. Would be both interested in getting along for a look before Christmas and first setup, and possibly joining for the learning and social aspects but the distance and time is an issue.

anyway, im sure ill be back posting noobie questions in the future.

GaZ

[barx1963]

Gaz
Welcome and well done on getting the better half on board. A 10" dob is a great starting point. While these days 8/10" dobs are medium sized scopes they are still a fair sized unit so I would advise going to a shop (Bintel in Camberwell is well worth the trip) so you can get an idea of the size.
As for other equipment, the scope if bought new will come basically ready to go. But having said that a few things are worth looking at.
1 Collimation. A basic Cheshire/Sight tube combo is all that is needed to successfully collimate. Laser can help but as I have found, the cheaper ones are not necessarily the best!
2 Charts. I started with these http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Books--Charts-and-Software/Star-Chart-Laminated---CD-ROM/655/productview.aspx and they helped a lot before upgrading to Uranometria 2000. Even if you go for a go to, you still need to be able to pinpoint some stars for alignment.
3 Dew protection. Nothing spoils a night observing like dew! Even a hair dryer to occasionally blow some warm air on eyepieces helps, but in the long run a dew controller and some straps will make life easier.

Sunbury is not too far from Snake Valley, which is the other side of Ballarat. The next club night is Dec 6th I believe.

Cheers

Malcolm

[gazob]

Thanks for the advice, will try and get a look and feel before purchasing. Will rethink going cheap on the laser colimnator. Will look at those charts, and read up on anti dew measures.

I think the 2 hours each way to snake gully is too far especially given I would expect a night of astronomical viewing could go late.

Gaz

[Allan_L]

Hi Garry!
:welcome:

A height adjustable viewing chair will be a worthwhile investment.
Comfort at the telescope is important to get the most out of any viewing session.

To help you find stuff of interest, I recommend you download stellarium (free download) and a great program.

Also, when you are buying your DOB, try to ensure it has a Right Angled finder scope.
Add a red dot finder to help you quickly get it pointing in the right area of sky.

These are my 4 essentials. :)

Enjoy!

[Wavytone]

Starting out...

1. Must-haves at the telescope: A dim red LED torch, binoculars and something to sit on especially if there are two of you. With binoculars a deck-chair is useful as this lets you lie back and look up quite comfortably.

2. Maps - for a beginner:
- Phillips Planisphere,
- Nortons Star Atlas,
- Sky Atlas 2000

There are many more which you will find later.

3. Reference books:

Hartung's "astronomical objects for southern telescopes : a handbook for amateur observers", 2nd edition. Now out of print but you can find one secondhand on Amazon.

4. Electronic aids - charts and apps

- Taki's star atlas (use this on an iPad) http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/ its basically the equivalent of Sky Atlas 2000.
- Sky Safari Pro, and/or
- StarMap Pro,
- Emerald Chronometer's "Observatory" and "Chronometer". With respect to their Chronometer app, the main display of interest is the "Mauna Kea" face.


5. Alternative finderscopes.

Finderscopes have always been problematic. Many still prefer a 7x50 optical finderscope. Others prefer the zero-power devices such as the TelRad, or red-dot sights. Then there's the question of whether to use a green laser.

Having tried them all:

- Definitely have a finderscope, the bigger the better. 50mm is a bit small, 80mm is better, and I use a 100mm refractor (!) as a finder.
- The zero-power devices (red-dot finder, Telrad...) work pretty well too.
- In an urban area do NOT use a laser, it will draw unwanted attention. A laser is good for pointing out objects for other people, but as a finder for a telescope they're pretty useless IMHO.

6. Decent Eyepieces

If the scope came with a budget set of eyepieces, sooner or later you'll see what others are using and you'll be itching for better ones. Buying cheap ones is, in my view, a false economy as you will discard them and few want these secondhand. Wait until you are ready to buy a good set as you'll keep these forever. A set of Explore Scientific 82-degree eyepieces... http://store.explorescientific.com/eseyepieces.aspx,
If you're really into it, Pentax XW or Televue Panoptic/Radian/Naglers/Delos/Ethos perhaps.

For a dob, a set with focal lengths spanning 4mm to 30mm - and note that 4 well-chosen ones are sufficient, say 4, 8, 16 and 30mm. While some observers have more eyepieces than you can count this is completely unnecessary. Much better to have a few really good ones than a box full of junk ones.

7. Eyepiece rack and case

One really useful accessory to have on the side of the telescope is a rack that holds the red torch, map/iPad/iPhone and several eyepieces securely, so you're not constantly searching for them or going back to a case on the ground. This is something most will construct for themselves out of ply.

You can buy a cheap padded case from Bintel. Bunnings have robust plastic cases which are clones of the Pelican ones replete with "pluck & pick" foam. Or, if you are in the mood, make a wooden case yourself, but note that with eyepieces, dust and moisture are their worst enemies. Moisture in particular promotes the growth of a fungus which eventually ruins glass lenses.

8. "Whole kit & caboodle".

Add position encoders and SkyFi to your dob, then it can be interfaced to Sky Safari Pro so that the iPad app will show where the scope is pointing as you push it around the sky. You can also add drives (Servo Cat) to make it GOTO... touch an object on th iPad and it slews to it.

[gazob]

Thx alan and wavy,

One thing that's a little confusing is cool down, if I store my telescope in the garage and wheel it out into the yard, does it need to aclimatise?

The DIY side is a little appealing for things like eyepiece holders as I have a 3d printer.

Will take all into account

Gaz

[ZeroID]

Hi Garry and :welcome:along. Get Stellarium ( FREE! ) on your PC. Best way to learn and locate objects both before and after a session. And brilliant if the clouds are preventing real session outside :D

You should be pretty good with your scope being acclimatised in the garage although it will still need a little time to cool down to local ambient and stabilise. It is not critical with a 10" f5 but you will find the views may improve later on as it reaches that point.

Don't panic about buying everything straight away. a few decent EPs, a decent finder and/or RDF and some targets and charts will keep you busy for the first few sessions anyway. Dobs are easy to use and quite amazing what they will show you when big enough. 10" is an excellent start point, go and there and explore.

[gazob]

Well I bought the 10" dob, laser colimater, 2x barlow, and a couple of books at bintel yesterday, as they are a Christmas present for my wife and I, they apparently hav to stay under the tree unopened until Christmas morning, this fact alone probably led to last nights skies going against forecast and being clear and dark, im now expecting cloudy Christmas.

Thanks to all who provided info, hopefully this is a good start.

GaZ

[barx1963]

Congrats Gary! A 10" dob is a great place to start.
Don't forget the red torch or headlamp if using a book or chart at the scope a white torch will make night vision impossible to preserve.
I assume Bintel have done a collimation on the scope, so should still be OK to just use the laser to adjust before observing, at least the first time. A good idea though is to learn the whole procedure of collimation from scratch. Having said that there are lots of ways to successfully collimate a scope. Here is my procedure that I used on my old 12"
http://www.astrobaby.com/collimation/astro%20babys%20collimation%20guide .htm
Although this guide recommends against lasers, a good laser is still very useful as a final check or tweak at the start of each session.

Cheers

Malcolm