Should I keep going??

[Charla]

Hi everyone -
About a year ago my partner bought me a Guang-Sheng 8" Dobsonian with a bunch of eyepieces (including a 3.8mm ED).

We've had a great time checking out planets and the moon, but don't really know how to look for anything else. So I guess my question is whether my telescope is good enough to pursue more deep-space viewing or other objects (galaxies? nebulas), and secondly if it is good enough, how can we learn how to do it? Or should we just stick to planets?

We've also found the Dob mount a bit clunky and hard to keep up with moving planets. So I'm thinking of upgrading to an equatorial mount but I don't know if this is a good enough telescope to warrant the expense.

Thanks so much for your help. I've read through the forum a bit - it's great.

[matt]

Your 8" telescope is a most adequate instrument. Do not fear:)

Given your access to really nice, dark skies, you'll enjoy great views of many deep sky objects - not only planets.

There are many ways to go about discovering the night sky's treasures.

Read books.. magazines ('AS&T' and 'Sky and Space'), or get your hands on some affordable planetarium software.

Familiarise yourself with groups of objects, such as the Messier and Caldwell lists.

That should be a good starting point.

Good luck, and enjoy your great scope.

PS - I used to mount my 8" newtonian on a motorised EQ5. It was great.

[erick]

Hi Charla!

I believe that your 8" Dobsonian can take you to many many more wonderful sights in the sky:- open star clusters, globular star clusters, galaxies, emission nebulae - the list goes one and on. I've had an 8" dob for some months and I'm still only just getting started on all these.

Yes, tracking objects at high magnification takes some experience with a dobsonian mount, but many objects do not need high magnification to enjoy them. Even then, there are ways to make a dob mount less "clunky".

Perhaps you could tell us the full range of eyepieces that you have?

Also, have you been collimating your telescope?

Eric

[rmcpb]

Don't worry about the 8", its a great instrument. On Friday night I was "galaxy hunting" in the Virgo cluster and turned up lots of galaxies. I enjoy nebulae, especially M42 and the Homolocus neblua in Carina. Splitting doubles and cruising globulars and open star clusters is a great passtime.

If only I had your skies.........

As for the mount, there are many ways to improve them. I can track the moon at well over 400x with my mount but there are simplier things to do like milkjug washers and real teflon on your Az. Real teflon on your Alt motion and lumpy laminate glued over your bearing is a bonus and a pair of speaker magnets with felt covers to stop scratching. With these you can balance your scope and not use the springs so the motion is really light.

The list is endless and keeps us busy on those cloudy nights :)

Point is, its a great scope and I have not even dented the list of things within my grasp in several years.

Keep looking up.

[Kal]

I saw alot of nebula/globular clusters/open clusters in my 3.5" ETX before upsizing to a bigger scope so 8" is definately able to see a whole world of deep sky objects. Some objects are dim though - dark skies help and even then sometimes you might need to use averted vision to spot fainter galaxies etc, but sometimes there is a reward in itself just to know that you have tracked down and spotted an object :)

[astro_nutt]

Hi Charla and welcome to IIS..I agree with the others 100%....you have yet to scratch the surface with your scope..to help you find intertesting things in the sky...a Planisphere and a good Star Atlas/Charts to help you find your way around the sky mainly finding the brighter key stars of the Constellations they apply to..from there you can locate the fainter stuff with your finderscope then through the eyepiece!!
As for collimation there are plenty of contacts around this forum..so please browse and enjoy!!
Cheers!

[ballaratdragons]

Most definately keep going with the 8".

Our Club's lending scope is an 8" GS Dob and gives great views of DSO's. I like the views through it and I have a 12" GS Dob to compare it to, and it isn't all that far behind.

[janoskiss]

yes, keep going. heaps to see with an 8" Dob. Just get a planisphere, some basic charts and/or guidebook and go to a dark location. Ellyard & Tirion Southern Sky Guide is one I've been using (and am still using). All the objects in there are visible in an 8" scope - many show detail. Star hopping to objects is slow at first but you'll get better at it pretty quickly. and it's fun to learn.

[sheeny]

G'Day Charla,

Your scope is a great tool to start on DSOs!

Get yourself some star charts. There are good ones you can buy, but Taki's atlas is a great free set of charts downloadable from the web - there's a link somewhere in IIS.

Cartes du Ceil is a free skychart/planetarium software that you can also download.

One other suggestion: if you don't already have a planisphere - get one for your latitude (usually available in steps of about 5 degrees). Then you can simply dial up the time and date, and you can see what's visible in the sky now. It's a great tool to get you started on knowing your way around the sky.

By all means keep going! You've got the most expensive bit of the technology you need!:thumbsup:

Al.

[nightsky]

G'Day Charla,
And :welcome: a 8" is just fine,especially with your dark skies,as everyone above has said "stick with it" there's not much more I can add,but to encourage you,it takes time and just a wee bit of patience ;) is there any Astro groups in the Alice?.ask around you never know your luck :P
Cheers
Arthur

[sheeny]

Have a look here:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=6323&highlight=taki

Al.

[casstony]

Hi Charla,
grab a copy of 'Sky & Space' magazine from the newsagent. It has a great stargazing section that focuses on various objects in the sky. If you read about something that interests you, then you can look at the whole sky chart in the magazine to find where the object is in the sky. 'Australian Sky & Telescope' magazine is also good, but I particularly like the stargazing section in Sky & Space.

With a low power eyepiece (say 30mm) you can simply scan along the areas of the sky that have the most stars, the milky way, and you'll run into a few nebulae and interesting groups of stars.

The easiest way of all would be to catch up with another observer in the area and they could put a few objects in the eyepiece for you.

[74tuc]

Hi Charla,

There is an Astronomy group in Alice and they have a viewing area East of Alice on Undoolya Station just out of town take Undoolya road. I think that there are a couple of piers built there also.

Jerry.

[mill]

Hi Charla and :welcome: .
An 8" scope in the alice?
Want to swap houses? :whistle:
You should be able to see many deepsky objects.
:D :D :D :D :D

[Blue Skies]

Do they actually talk to anyone though? I say this because I friend of mine tried to get in contact with them two years ago and got nowhere, they came across as a most unfriendly and insular bunch, which is quite the opposite to most clubs I've had dealings with around Australia, I'm glad to say.

[74tuc]

I'm off to Alice (again!!) next week and know a few in the group and will ask a few questions and see what's happening.

Jerry.

[John Saunders]

Charla,

You might like to download "Stellarium" - a real time planetarium program (Ilove it!), and, best of all it's totally free! Just put "stellarium" into Google and off you go.

I use an 8" Newt and get to see lots...I just need more time at night and a dark sky...can't wait to get posted back to the Territory.

John

[yagon]

To the original poster:

If you don't already have a pair, I'd recommend buying some 10x50 binoculars.

Armed with your binos and dob, drive out of Alice to a nice dark sky spot (probably 10 minutes away!), pick out interesting objects in the sky with your binos, then point that dob at it. I'll bet it will be an amazing experience.

[yagon]

PS I'm envious of the skies you have easy access to! Make the most of them.

[Ric]

I used a 8" for thirty years before upgrading to a 12". They are a great sized scope and there is not much you can't see.

Cheers

[seeker372011]

and remember an equitorial mount involves a lot more set up..your dob is really a lot easier to use.Its all the scope you need for a long time!

[CoombellKid]

No to mention the weird and horrible angles you will find your EP in when
shifting from one area of the sky to another. Save your neck some stress
and keep going with it as a dob setup.

regards,CS

[Bobj]

Managed to use my 10" dob for the first time, last evening, 1900-2030hrs and saw Omega Centauri and NGC 5128, without chasing all over the sky. Surprised at how easy the dob swings and holds so well. Also, I saw the Orion Neb, the LMC and a couple of nebs around it.NGC 2070? and NGC 2100? I think. And most of the Carinae clusters.....and, and.....
Had a squiz at Sirius and was almost blinded!!! Which poses the question; which filter for bright stars and planets, please??
Yep, rather pleased that I saw so much on the first try. :eyepop:

[crystal_stars]

I would also recommend downloading Stellarium. It's a good basic astronomy software without too much detail to confuse the beginner (I have found it very helpful). I would also suggest you purchase a planisphere and a copy of Astronomy 2007. Written by aussies its excellent for aussie observing and also has the full messier list in the back, which is a good list to start with for deep sky observing.

Enjoy your dark skies.

C.

[KG8]

Perhaps you should get along to one of the astro nights that the local clubs hold? That way you can check out what other people are using and see what you think. I have tried the dobsonian mounts and they are not for me. I like a scope that will track what I am looking at so I can make observations, take notes and sometimes sketch what I see. A lot easier it the scope stays on target with the object of interest dead center. I guess only you will know what's the goer for you, but if you like astronomy but are losing interest because of your scope, then definitely look around. A motor driven equatorial mounted scope is not that expensive, especially if you go second-hand and are prepared to wait for the right one to turn up.

Have fun'

[rmcpb]

If tracking is required and long exposure astrophotography is not on the horizon then consider an equatorial platform. They will track an object for an hour before resetting. They keep your eyepiece in a comfy position. They still allow you to plonk your dob down for a simple quick look without tracking.

Brilliant bit of kit!!

[ving]

I have had the scope you current own for about 3 years. throw in a nice widfield eyepiece and go DSO hunting! your scope is up to it :)

you dont need to go teh EQ route but if kyou do be warned, it takes longer to set up and is alot heavier than the dob... I have put my scope on a HEQ5. if you click on teh link for my website in my signature yuo can see it.

[Geoff]

Hi, Your 8 inch DOB should be fine, but you need to make sure it is collimated (mirrors aligned) properly to get the best from the scope. A lazer collimator is great but not cheap. There is plenty of info on the net on collimating. I bought a PC program "Starry Night Pro 5" a couple of years ago, it is not cheap and there is a later version out now. I use this all the time. You set it up for your location and then you can pick out a list of objects to view. The magnitude of the object is displayed as well as lots of other info. You can download updates all the time. I havn't used star charts for a long time, I set up a laptop outside with a red screen.
Good luck
Geoff :)