First Light! Tantalized by the Deep

[milkyway_dingo]

Good Day,

Sooooo....

IT ARRIVED!!!! :rofl::thumbsup::D:lol::eyepop::tha nx:

I am now the proud daddy of a baby Celestron Nexstar 8SE; my first telescope, & a substantial improvement over my Dads old Tasco 5" Reflector.

I picked it up from the Post Office on Tuesday, but I didn't get it setup until yesterday.

& last night... ohhh boy.. I got lucky!
It was a VERY clear night here...

I got setup on the front deck.. Not the best aspect of the sky, but enough to test & make sure the basic optics were working okay.

I picked a moderately bright 'star' which was pretty much right above at the time.

I saw the point of light out of focus in the eyepiece, & I started to adjust the focus..

The object came into focus. Immediately recognizable. Probably one of the most recognizable objects in the sky;

Saturn! :lol::lol::lol:



This was through the 25mm eyepiece that came with the scope. Suffice to say, it was a tantalizing view. The image was crisp, clear, & I had no trouble seeing the gap between the planet & the rings.
I can only imagine what Galileo must have thought when he first saw that.

Truly stunning, & but a taste of things to come... :D:D:D

Can't really say much more right now! I'm stoked, I'm pumped.

Easily the best $3000 I've ever spent :rofl:

[rustigsmed]

:thumbsup:
congrats on the new scope Simon, and straight to Saturn! talk about going straight to the top!

cheers

Rusty

[Atmos]

The first views through a newer bigger scope than what you've had in the past is ALWAYS exciting :) You'll have an absolute ball with an 8" SCT.