New on the Gold Coast

[EdgesofTwilight]

Hi, This is my first post. I just wanted to start out with something I thought was a bit funny, Tonight I decided to try and catch the ISS flyover.

I waited outside and watched a satellite until it disappeared then went inside and as I turned around to close the door i noticed and even brighter object heading in between the moon and mars. but only caught a second of it before it faded. It turns out I was watching the TRMM satellite and just missed the ISS.

Anyway I live on the gold coast and Ive been given a small reflector scope, Its specs are: D=114mm and F=500mm. I am new and haven't got a clue what I should try observing with a scope this size. There is also a lot of light pollution N/NE of me due to city glow from surfers paradise. So far I've been able to just make out Saturn and its rings.

[Liz]

Hi Brendan :welcome: yes, its fun watching those satellites, and the ISS with the Shuttle Endeavor attached, though I think they separate today??
Good luck with the scope, and you have already found Saturn so thats great!!
Its a bit hard in polluted skies to see galaxies, but some double stars and star clusters would be easy, and the Orion nebula would be supherb. Mars is also positioned up there near Gemini.
Are you using star charts, Starry Sky or Stellarium?
Have a browse through The Beginner Section , for sights to try and find, and some telescope answers. :)

[torana68]

.. if you can see the rings of Saturn youll see Jupiter and Mars at least, spend some time on our moon, Ive been looking at it for a loooong time and still enjoy it :D

[Chief Wiggum]

Hi Brendan, I live on the Gold Coast too and I am pretty new to the forum myself. Some great info on here.:welcome:

[that_guy]

yeppy another gold coaster!!
29 mins away from where i live...

Cheers,
Tony

[that_guy]

also pop over to sas this saturday...!
http://www.sas.org.au/

[EdgesofTwilight]

So there is a few of us on the gold coast. Mars was actually the first thing I tried but all I could get was an orange pin point and tried to find the "jewel box" but never found it. Saturn, I could at least make out that its rings are pretty much edge on to me and almost vertical. Im waiting to check out Jupiter but I think there's a couple of months before its in the night sky.