My first telescope!!!

[icytailmark]

hi i just bought my first ever telescope!! I have wanted one my whole life and i did so much research using this website and many others to finally make a decision. I bought a Skywatcher 12" Dobsonian collapsable for $1200.

The night i got it i took it outside and had a look at jupiter!!! It was awesome but i have a question. Why does it look so small in every eyepiece i put into my telescope. I have 6mm,10mm,and 25mm eyepieces. Will i need a 2x Barlow lens to make jupiter look bigger? The picture was great i could see a colour and i could see jupiters moons.

BTW great website!!!

[PCH]

Hi Mark

:welcome: to IIS. Hey that's a terrific scope for anyone - let alone a beginners first scope.

Well, assuming you've focused correctly so that on Jupiter you can see the cloud bands as clearly as possible, well, - that's just the size it is :) It is after all, a very long way away ;) Don't be confused by the supersized pics of Jupe and other things that you'll see in magazines or in the images presented here in the image section. These are not what you'll see at the ep. But there are tricks to seeing more within the limitations of the scope. Like waiting while Jupe (for eg) is at zenith, thereby cutting down all the atmosphere you're looking thru at the same time. This can give a clearer view of the detail, and so I suppose makes it seem 'better' all round.

You could try a barlow, but you'll find that the view moves too quickly across the fov when combined with, say, a 6mm ep.

I also have a 12 incher (:P lucky me) and I often view the moon and Jupiter etc through a pair of binoviews from SDM Telescopes. I can't recommend them highly enough, and on a good night, they provide the best possible way for me to view Jupe - absolutley stunning. And the moon :eyepop: You'd swear you were about to fall into one of those craters. And, looking thru two eyes over a longer period is much more relaxing than sqinting thru one. Save up and get a pair - you won't regret it :thumbsup:

Oh, by the way, has anyone mentioned - your spending money, and the wife's, and the kid's pocket money for the next 15 years is already accounted for ;)

Cheers,

[astronut]

Hi Mark,
To see Jupiter as a big object in the E/P will mean more mag, over 300x will give what I think you're after.
The unfortunate tradeoff is that Jupiter (due to the high mag & small field of view) will move very quickly through the e/p field.:thumbsup:

[icytailmark]

ok so i need a wideview eyepiece with a higher mag to see jupiter alot bigger and for longer?

[Robh]

Your range of EPs is fine, giving magnifications of 60x, 150x and 250x. Seeing conditions will often limit any decent viewing over 250x. Your 6mm should give you close enough view of Jupiter's features ... bands, red spot etc provided seeing is good. I spend a lot of time viewing around 150x as it gives nice crisp views.

Regards, Rob

[erick]

How are you going to break the news to your wife that you just have to have a 6mm Televue Ethos eyepiece (and a quality 2x Televue barlow) :D

[icytailmark]

very carefully? LOL

[stephenb]

Correct answer!:lol:

Welcome to the hobby, Mark

[wasyoungonce]

Mark.

When you are looking at a target like Jupiter, try "averted imaging (http://jeff.medkeff.com/astro/observing/averted.html)".

That is just look to the side of the object not directly at it. You will see more details!

The problem with getting smaller Focal Length (FL) eyepieces (re:higher power) is that the cheaper ones generally have poor eye relief. You need to hold your eye too close to the eyepiece to effectively see. Better eyepieces have longer eye relief but they do cost a lot more.

Another way is to use a Barlow lens and a longer FL eyepiece as these (the longer FL eyepieces) usually have longer eye relief. Thus you get the benefits of a higher power & ok eye relief. This may be cheaper than expensive eyepieces and you can use the Barlow on all your eyepieces.

Of course, as had been mentioned, shorter FL eyepieces mean narrow Field Of View (FOV) which means the objects move across your scope's vision area very fast.

The other thing is that expensive eyepieces with good FOV & eye relief like the Naglers etc will last you a life time.

It's all a trade off really.