I'm Now a Dob Owner !!!

[Stu Ward]

Took the plunge and bought an 8" Dob (Skywatcher) from Bintel in Sydney today.

Excitedly drove all the home and put her together.......Then the clouds came rolling in :mad2::mad2:

And not really knowing what i'm doing, fumbling around and getting quick glimpses of sky in between the clouds i saw a star that i thought i could lock onto and get enough time to at least focus.

Using the 32mm eyepiece i looked at the star and thought, theres something wrong with the picture here, so i took a look with a 15mm Eyepiece, I could not believe it, I found Saturn !!!!!!
She looks a lot smaller than i thought she would, but i popped in the 10mm lense, finding her was a little tricky but eventually got her back. I was again a little shocked at how small the planet looked, but the ring was in full view and a beam on my face from ear to ear !!!!

I think i found Mars, but this image was pretty disappointing as there was lots of glare and i found it very difficult to obtain a good focus, but as i said before i was constantly dodging the clouds.

So i guess i am a lucky spotter, catching Saturn in very poor conditions, and i'm really looking forward to a clear dark night

Stu the Dobber !!!!

[Kevnool]

Good onya Stu.
Hope it gives you many years of good viewing.
Cheers Kev.

[duncan]

Congratulations Stu.
Yep planets do look small through the eyepiece, but with practice it's amazing how much detail you can see.
All the very best with your new baby.
Cheers,
Duncan:thumbsup:

[Stu Ward]

So what would be the best way to improve my planetary satisfaction ?
Is it just practice and experience, or will a barlow help ?

Thanks

Stu

[dugnsuz]

Point it towards the Orion Nebula after you've been out in the dark for 10-20mins (= dark adapted eyes)and enjoy!
Well done re your purchase
Hope you have loads of "wow" moments
Doug

[duncan]

Hi Stu,
Yes a Barlow will help. However ,the more magnification you use , the faster an object will cross the eyepiece. See if you can get to a club meet or outing to have a look what others use. If possible take your own scope with you,i'm sure someone will drop a 2X Barlow in your scope so you can see the difference.
Cheers,
Duncan:thumbsup:

[dugnsuz]

The higher the magnification you go with a Dob - there's lots more pushing around to keep the high powered magn' planet in the eyepiece...it can be difficult depending on how smooth the motion of your Dob is.
To keep a planet centered in the eyepiece at very high powers requires a motor driven mount IMHO. A dob is a great all rounder, but if you have specific interests in mind - more specific tools may be required.
Doug

[Esseth]

I found a 2x barlow does make a difference in two ways. The first was Mars was appeared bigger and slightly duller (in this case a good thing) but it also made it more susceptible to the atmospheric conditions and moved faster across the eyepiece.

Thats why i am looking at getting an eyepiece with a larger FoV.

[Stu Ward]

All great stuff guys, i cant wait for it to get dark, and i've only just got out of bed !!!

Stu

[mental4astro]

Great news Stu!

Mate, if you like, there are at least 3 places IIS members will be at tonight: Mangrove Mountain (aka the pony club), Katoomba Airfield and at Bargo. Look at the star parties forum on the first two, and PM ngcles for the Bargo site.

[Liz]

Congrats Stu!!! Well done also for finding Saturn so quickly :thumbsup: .... its hard to try and find objects when you start out.
As Doug said - have a look at the Orion Nebula - easy to find as you can see it with your naked eye as a fuzzy spot. Orion is overhead at the moment.
Have fun tonight :astron:

[wavelandscott]

Congratulations and enjoy your new toy!

Now, get your umbrella out for the coming rain...

[Stu Ward]

I saw the orion nebula tonight !!!!
Then the clouds came over again , booo !!!!

It looked very nice actually, and probably still on a poor vision night.
I'm really looking forward to getting the opportunity to view on a good night

I'm spending a fortune on Aeroguard though, bloody Mozzies

[Liz]

Yeah ... well done on the Orion Nebula Stu!!! Its a beautiful sight :thumbsup:
I have bought one of those Mortein outdoor mosquito lantern things - supp to give a 5m radius mozzie free, so worth a try.
I havent been able to test it properly cos of cloud still.
A mozzie free environment would be a dream .... and cloud free too :sadeyes:

[Stu Ward]

I set up some Citronella burners behind me last night, but i was concerned on the amount of light that they give off incase they spoil the view

Stu

[spacezebra]

Congrats Stu

Wishing you many clear skies!

Cheers Petra d.

[M54]

I feel excited just reading your posts. Looking forward to getting my own dob at some stage in the future.
Congratulations!

[Benno18]

Sounds like someone almost broke the new scope curse!!!!!

[DavidU]

Be careful ! Some mossie sprays can ruin the coating on some eye pieces.
Enjoy the toy:thumbsup:

[Stu Ward]

Pray Tell.......

Whats the curse ?

[mental4astro]

The CURSE? You haven't heard of the CURSE!

My god, man, you really are a noob!

It is the only curse I know of that can make doctors and street sweepers weep alike!

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=58169

Read.

Learn.

Fear!

[Stu Ward]

Hahaha

Excellent !!!

[garyp]

Glad you are enjoying your new scope. I have one and really enjoy it. The planets may look small but on a good night you can see some good detail on saturn and Juipiter especially. On my first night with it I found a "star" and when I focused on it found it was Juipiter. Was a real buzz so I know what it must have been like to see Saturn on your first night.

Enjoy

Cheers

Gary:)

[Winter Wolf]

The main thing with planets is to give your scope time to cool down to the surrounding temperature. My Dob performs terrible in the first 30-45 minutes then presto- sharp as a bell after that.

Once both the human eye and scope has adapted you will be surprised what detail you can see on planets.