Beginners Start Here!

[stardust steve]

Hi Bailey. I too have a 76mm telescope. The best info i can tell you is what i do with mine. I get a star map, identify a constellation or bright star, then star hop from there. That gives you some idea where to head. We are limited to what we can see and when the eyepieces are changed to a higher mag, the object dims. The 3x Barlow lens that came with the scope works well. With mine, i can make out the gas cloud of the Orion Nebula( map for that just a few posts below). I can see Jupiter and 3 of its moons and can just make out two orange type stripes. Star clusters are fun too. I can see Saturns rings aswell. All be it still very small but still easy to see. Star maps really help me out. Really dark skies help too. I hope this helps:)

[scagman]

Hi Bailey :welcome: to IIS, you've come to the right place to ask questions.
I'm just learning all this stuff to and found a program like stellarium which is free from http://www.stellarium.org/ and will help you see and learn what you a looking at. Also somethng like this http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories/Planispheres/Chandler-Large-Planisphere/503/productview.aspx is good as you can take it out with the telescope if you dont have a laptop you can take outside with you.
Hope this helps a bit. the best way to learn is to try and get to some observing nights at a local club near you, they will be able to help you much more in person than reading about it on the net or books.

[barx1963]

Hi Wood 88
What probs specifically are you having?

Malcolm

[eamsie]

Hi, just thought I would be polite and introduce myself to this forum. I've been quite keen on astronomy ever since I was a youngin. Thought it would be great to communicate with other like minded people. Unfortunately I don't have too much knowledge which is also why I am here.

I am always (http://www.zanui.com.au/) one who happens to have bad luck with unique space sightings/eclipses and so forth, so if you know of anything spectacular coming up, I'd love to hear about it!

Peace.

[Jezza22]

Hi all,

Am getting started with hobby astronomy, and would like to see on what journey it takes me. I'm from country NSW (mum and dads), so normally (apart from tonight) the skies are clear and can see near on everything.

So why not............

Am looking at a 12'' dob GOTO, they seem to be everyone's beginner recommendation scope (the dob), but just want to see wether or not in the future it would be possible to attempt :) to take pics through this. Or at least a download onto a laptop. Is the only means to do this through CCD??

I figure I also need 3-4 quality eyepieces with a 2x barlow to give a few mag options, good star charts and a few books.

Kind of really only want to buy things once, so better spend up now than replace later.

Any other tips???

[Jen]

:hi::hi: gday Jeremy :welcome: to IIS

Oh yes go the 12inch dobbie its an awsome scope i love mine to bits :D

Yes you can take pics of the moon and planets etc not so much the deep sky stuff as you cant take very long exposures but if you are like me and do like a bit of both worlds viewing and a bit of imaging to show off to your friends yep the dobbie is the go :thumbsup::D
Download stellarium also its a great program and its free ;)

Check out Toms jupiter pics taken with the 12inch goto dob :D

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=82112

[Jezza22]

Cheers Jen,

Do have stellarium, its sort of actually been the final straw to push me into a proper scope. The old man has this ancient old thing, good for the moon only nowadays, had a hard life. This one however will not!

Would like to view, play with one at a star night, but from what I can see either the Telescope shop in Sydney or Myastroshop seem to be the place to spend the money. Both around $2200ish.

Actually now I have people who know what they are talking about.......... The old man said he'd top up the bank to buy a celestron CPC1100. Again another GOTO scope but i'm sure people here know that. Any ads/disadvantages of this type of cassegrain type thing. looks quite different/short. The thing with this one, the telescope shop is about $3k cheaper.

Just buy the dob???

[Jen]

:thumbsup: yep depends on what you really want to do in the future i think we all need at least need 3 scopes to be happy with :lol::lol::lol: a viewing scope with huge app the bigger the better (dob) the 12" was the biggest i could go as they are quite heavy for little old me to carry around :lol: ( i got a trolly for xmas so i can carry it around by myself now woohooo) a nice refractor for imaging and a solar scope :P oh and a pair of binos are fun too ;)

Go to Andrews Communications in Sydney they are the cheapest around :thumbsup:

happy shopping cheers
:D

[Damian James]

Been lurking for a few weeks, thought I should say hello.

I'm in Brisbane, and hesitate to even call myself a beginner: rather I'd dearly like to get started one of these days. Spent some time staring long and hard at Jupiter through little 10x25 handheld binoculars over the last few weeks, thinking I could almost see something more than a dancing white dot.

I do wonder what events in the Brisbane area might be suitable by way of introduction, and whether yet another expensive hobby means I have to sell the second car. I see a lot of advice to start with binoculars on a tripod, though I wonder what the most cost-effective way to see detail on objects within the solar system might be. And I guess how far one has to go to see an detail on Jovian moons...

But mostly, this is just "hi". I'm interested in the subject from a few angles, having always regretted not pursuing astrophysics at Uni but maintaining a dilettantish interest. From what I've seen here, there's a broad spectrum of folks with similar interests, so doubly "hello!".

[Shark Bait]

Hi Damian,

Initially the most cost effective way to get started is to use other peoples equipment. I am fairly new at using telescopes to observe the night sky. Everyone I have met who has a scope is more than willing to share their knowledge and the views on offer at the eyepiece. I used a pair of 7 x 50 binoculars mounted on a parallelogram for years. A tripod will do the job of keeping the binoculars stable and allow you to take your time scanning the sky.

Most clubs hold public observing meetings. In Brisbane we have at least three clubs that do this. Brisbane Astronomical Society holds public observing meetings at Mt Coot-tha. Southern Astronomical Society holds their meetings at Ormeau and SEQAS at Bracken Ridge.

You will be able to see the Moon, Globular Clusters, Open Clusters, Planets and Nebula. The views and advice are free. You can then work out in which direction you want head in astronomy.

I am a member of BAS. This is a link to their calander of events www.bas.asn.au/calendar_2012.html (http://www.bas.asn.au/calendar_2012.html)

Regards,
Stu.

[greenpixie]

Hi newbie here, just having a look around trying to educate myself a little before I purchase my new toy:)

[jjjnettie]

Hi Karli, Welcome to IIS. :)
If you have any questions at all, ask away. There's plenty of folks here who will help you spend your hard earned $$$.

[astroron]

:hi: Karli and :welcome:
I hope you enjoy your stay on iceinspace
Ask away we are all here to help the best we can :)
Cheers :thumbsup:

[greenpixie]

Thanks for the warm welcome :D So after looking around I have almost made my mind up on a SW450 Skywatcher, have read a few reviews and it seems like a good scope to start with. Also I have seen a secondhand Celestron Astromaster 130 what I should look out for If considering a secondhand one, or play it safe and go brand new??

[barx1963]

Hi Karli.
Can you give us a link to the SW450 scope you are talking about so we can see exactly which one you are talking about?
Second hand is usually safe but always ask to see photos of the actual scope to give you an idea of its condition and try to pick up in person so if it is not up to scratch you can still pull out. Generally most sellers here on IIS are OK.
The Astromaster 130 is a small EQ mounted Newt. Nothing specifically wrong with them but EQ mounts can be tricky for new users and the scope is on the smaller side, so will give dimmer views than larger ones. What are your interests in astronomy at this stage?

Malcolm

[greenpixie]

Hey malcolm:) At this stage total beginner, want to look at the stars and moon and a planet or two. I have seen this scope in shop http://www.ozscopes.com.au/skywatcher-114mm-reflector-telescope.html
the guy reckoned it was a good one to start with...not overly hard to use?

[barx1963]

Karli
Sorry I have been out today so took a while to reply. In my opinion these scopes are not easy to use. They are on an EQ mount. This means that once you have an object in the field of view they can track it. The problem is getting it into the field of view as the movement of the scope is not intuitive. It will have the same problem as the 130 scope you mentioned. It is not the scope itself but the mounting that makes it hard for beginners. An alt az mounted scope such as a dobsonion simply moves up and down and side to side make navigating much easier.

[greenpixie]

Thanks...will do some more research:thanx:

[Chris85]

Hey people!
Been a member of this site for a while now so i figured I'd make myself known :) My first ever scope was the tiny desktop 76mm Dob. I recently purchased my first serious scope, a SW 8" Dob, just a few weeks ago and had the chance to head down to some nice dark skies in the SW of WA for my gf had never seen the Milky Way as she was from ye old London town. Unfortunately the bright Moon ruined that for her, but i still managed to see Orions nebulae, and the Pleiades for the first time :D Even managed to see M79 which was almost directly above me, although it killed my neck trying to line it up in the finder!
Anyways thanks for reading, and i look forward to many more sleepless nights ahead.
Chris :D

[Kevnool]

Welcome Chris

Did you get a chance to view the moon as well or was you zipping around the sky as fast as you can while the viewing is great.

I seem to do that.

Anyway sleepless nights seem to be the norm around here.

Cheers Kev.

[Chris85]

Hey Kev
Yeah mostly zipping around as I was getting a bit excited and wanted to see as much before heading back to the city. I did have a look at the moon but it was far to bright, and i even tried with my sunnies on but found that to be rather awkward. A filter set is close to the top of my wish list :D
Chris

[04Stefan07]

Hello!

I forgot to introduce myself here haha.

My name is Stefan and joined I think a few days ago. I have been into astronomy all my life and bought my first telescope mid last year.

Was on a budget and bought the Celestron 60AZ just to begin with to see if I like stargazing, turned out I LOVED IT!!!

A month or so ago upgraded to the Celestron 130SLT which is a great scope! I am still a beginner and getting to know the night sky, can identify a few objects which is good :).

Hoping to get some great advice from everyone here on the forum from equipment purchases to using my scope!

See you around!!

[Bailey]

Wow, the stellarium is great-just what i needed. The only problem now is trying to figure out how to find planets and such. I keep trying to find Venus with my telescope, but it's so hard(it's in the early evening sky) If i do manage to find it, by a fluke, then all that i can see is a circle of light, and in the middle of that i can see the reflecting mirror. So, i was wondering if maybe i could get some tips on how to find objects in my telescope? And, what lens should i use to view venus and saturn? I can only seem to see the moon properly. Thanks!

PS: Is anyone on this forum part of the Hervey Bay Astronomical Society?

[scagman]

Hi Bailey, and welcome to IIS.

The easiest way to locate an object is to use the little finder scope attached to the main scope, but first you need to have the finder and main scope lined up and pointing at the same object so when the object is in the centre of the finder scope it should be in the centre of the main scope(or close to it). To line the 2 up its easier to do this during the day, point your main scope at a tree/lamp post or anything really doesn't matter (EXCEPT THE SUN), a few hundred meters away or more is better, then using the little screws on the finder scope, move it around till you can see the same object in both scopes. That should aleast make it easier to locate objects at night.
With regards to what you will see it the view depends on the size of your telescope, the EP your using and the actual seeing conditions. If you can tell us what size scope you have some of the more smarter people on here will be able to give you some better advice re this matter than I could.

All the best

[CarlJoseph]

Welcome Bailey! :welcome:

Your comment raises a really interesting point. I remember confronting this when I first used a telescope. It looks nothing like the pictures you see posted around.

It does take practice to train your eyes to be able to see the details. Do a search for "averted vision" as that might give you a few tips to explore.

The planets are really quite far away. The most you're likely to see of Venus is a bright circle and maybe a little more in a massive scope. Saturn is spectacular though as you can often easily see the rings. Jupiter is good too - on a good night and with a decent scope you can see the coloured banding and often 4 of its moons.

If it doesn't already exist, a thread where people can post images from cameras and images of what you're likely to see with your own eyes might be useful. :shrug:

Cheers,
Af.

[risingmoon]

You are lucky even to have found the moon. I haven't seen it for goodness how long. When I look out there and try to find something I can sometimes see more with my own eyes. I keep getting told that I have to be patient so I am waiting for the big moment. To actually see a planet and the details on it. I have a Celestron SE 8 and believe it to be a good one.

[risingmoon]

Hi, I am a newbee too so welcome to the club. I have my baby but now just need to find my way around the sky. I get excited just looking at some of the scopes people have here. WOW. Have you looked on the other links there are some amaizing photos so if others can see that just wonder what we will eventually get to see.

[omegacrux]

Hello everyone like a lot of people been watching the site for a while, thought better say g_day from NW Tas

[planetmatt]

hey there people...
i have taken the plunge and joined here after a few weeks of looking!
im matt from brisbane. i have had a celestron powerseeker 127eq for a few years now and have finally decided to start seeing the galaxy with it. hope to pick up heaps of tips from the site!! is this a good telescope??

[JetDragon]

Hi all

Just a quick intro as I've just joined this website after looking for a while.

I'm just getting back into Astronomy as a hobby having been an avid enthusiast in my formative years (used to own an 8.5" reflector) - but had lapsed into other interests over the past 30 years or so (whilst always continuing to look up!!).

Now I'm looking to get back into the hobby (having moved from the Northern hemisphere to the south about 15 years ago) and have acquired a 70mm refractor as a starting point, and have started experimenting with photography using a compact digital.

Hope to continue to find great advice here

best wishes

JD (Dave)

[barx1963]

Hi Matt
The Celestron 127eq is not a bad scope as far as it goes.. The scope itself works OK but the EQ mount can be a bit of a handful for beginners.
Persevere with it as there is lots yopu will be able to see to whet your appetite for more aperture in the future!

Malcolm

[yohanan]

Hi - new here. Have prowled the site and looks like a nice place.

Have read many of the 'how to' posts and followed many of the links.

Have no joined a club as yet but in touch with one no all that far away.

I have read some excellent posts that are really valuable for someone like me just starting out. Many thanks to those contributors who have put some much time and effort into those very informative posts.

[dro56595]

Hi all. A newcomer to this site and a relative newbie to this astronomy thing.

I purchased a cheapie telescope with manual EQ mount six or seven years ago. Managed to see Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and rings, the Orion Nebula - basically the easy ones. What that 'scope taught me was that I wanted a better one that will allow quick and easy finding of all those pretty things out there, and to photograph them. Didn't use it for ages while living in western Sydney (could barely see anything except for police helicopter searchlights!). Have just moved to Port Stephens where I can at least see the Magellenic Clouds, so she got unpacked again and interest re-ignited.

Being time poor (especially with small kids, wife, job and another engaging hobby), I wanted a quick astro fix.

Have just purchased a Celestron CPC 8" S/C with all those goodies that make finding things easy. A cheapie NexImage camera will at least get me started with some imaging and the slow learning curve of getting the best out of it.

Am looking forward to lots of reading/learning here, and hope to make a contribution one day.

Got some good views of Jupiter in the early evening at the moment. Will see what I can get tonight if the storm clouds clear away ...

Cheers,

Dan

[janine]

Well hellooooo everyone!

Im a newbie too, just joined this forum through a couple of awesome people who I have met through my other forum The WA Weathergroup (WAWG). I am just starting to get into Astronomy - only after god knows how many years of wanting to - you know how it is. Finally I am getting my behind into gear and taking the steps to follow my passion.

I say passion because it is, and without boring you with a full on biography of me, I basically am a 31 yr old woman from the UK (yorkshire, good job you can't hear my accent or you would be lost at hello) and I have lived here in WA for 8 years. I was a sports and beauty therapist back home and the first few years here, went through some life changing times, as you do, decided that it is about time that I started doing things that I have wanted to do for years. I am quite outgoing, like to have a laugh and a joke, very sensitive, passionate, enthusiastic, caring............... you could define me as a, umm, intrextrovert! New word!! it means me!

Im now at Uni, full time student, studying Environmental Science, Sustainability and Physics (physics yet to commence). I have a huge interest in Earth science and my knowledge isn't that bad, I have a general knowledge of the Universe, our solar system etc but a total novice at Astronomy, my math sucks and this needs addressing big style other wise I'm screwed :/. I am in the process of joining ASWA where I will be off to the meetings and doing the beginner classes in Astronomy to help me out.

If any of you guys are near to me, feel free to drop me a email, hey, if any of you guys aren't near to me drop me an email or a line lol, I wanna meet as many like minded people as humanly (or non human ;p ) as possible.

So, thats my little intro done, I'll spend sometime working out how the forum works and look forward to meeting you guys and learning :D

Janine

[jjjnettie]

:) Hi Janine, Welcome to IIS.
Great intro. I reckon you're going to fit in very easily here. They're a great bunch of people.

[janine]

Hia jjjnettie,

Aww tar very much for saying that I'm sure I will too :) It seems like everyones awesome so Im stoked to have joined :D

[erick]

Hi Janine, welcome. Hope your studies go well. :)

[Ric]

Hi Janine and welcome to IIS

It's a great place, I think you'll have a great time here.

Do you have a scope?

Cheers

[Jen]

:hi: hi Janine :welcome:
another astro chick woooohoooo :D

Do you have any astro gear to play with yet :question:

[Ric]

We'd better stock up on emoticons and purple ink then. :lol:

[janine]

Hi guys!
Wow thanks for the welcomes :eye pop:
Really nice of you all to say howdy.

Well - at this moment in time I have no scope :( but in all honesty I'm not sure what I would get. I am going to wait until I do my first few classes with ASWA so I know what Im doing and know more about what telescopes would be :thumbsup:

Any of you got any advice?

Also, I don't seem to be getting an email telling me that I have new comments - not sure why thought id set that to email me lol, so If I don't reply ASAP thats why :shrug:

Study is going well - loooooooooonnggg road ahead, 3 majors, what can I say, Im a bit tapped in the head I think lol, but sure I will get there, before I'm like, 60 :P and it will be worth it, just enjoying these new experiences!

[janine]

lol :p

[catweazel]

New hobby has begun.

I'm a Physics student at JCU townsville, did an astronomy subject last year and finally know what i want to do when i grow up (i'm 43).

i've been lurking here for a few months and decided its about time I say hi

... Hi :)

I'm interested in visual astronomy of planets, galaxies and nebulae.
I want to study neutron stars postgrad.

I don't have a real scope yet, i don't count the 76x300mm toy dob i baught to see if this was a passing fad or not. It gave me a taste and lead me to borrow the uni's 8" neut over christmass... and now i want more, much more.
:)

[Liz]

Welcome Janine and Allan - IIS is a great site, you will have a ball!! :D

Welcome catweazel - see you around!! :thumbsup:

[Jen]

:welcome::welcome:

:hi: hello to all the noobies :D
Welcome to IIS hope to see you all around the forums sometime cheers :thumbsup:

[Caprica]

Hi,
I am a newbie, newbie (said it twice so you understand just how new I am). I am in my second year of Bach Education (primary) at UNE near Armidale. Unfortunatley I do not live there, but in South West Sydney. This trimester I am studying Astronomy and its only just started but I can't stop!

My husband brought me a Dobsonian 10" (go-to) Skywatcher. Its so new we have only taken out once and did not have a chance to get the hang of it. Since then the weather has been bad. Can not wait till it clears.

Any suggestions as to what to look for first? I have been told the jewel box is pretty cool.

I have always been amazed at the universe, although I know nothing about it. I am looking forward to learning a lot and getting some good advice from all you experts. but please be patient as I am not up with the lingo yet!

[Shark Bait]

Hi Caprica, this forum is tops. :thumbsup: I joined a few months ago and have not looked back. The people on it are great.

Below is a link to a previous thread that contains a lot of useful information. Check out the posts by Screwdriverone, as he goes into a lot of detail that will probably help you out.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=85900

Did the retailer that you purchased from give you any advice regarding collimation?

[Caprica]

My hubby is still figuring it out, I have asked him if Steve (the man he bought it from) discussed collimation. Gosh this is going to be a big learning curve for both of us, but we are so keen.
Thanks

[erick]

Hi Amanda. :hi: The Jewel Box is super cool! Go for it! Collimate later :D

[Jen]

:hi::hi: yay another astro chick woohoo :D
:welcome: to IIS Amanda, you will learn a lot from this site :thumbsup: see you around the forums cheers :)

[Suzy]

Hi Amanda :welcome:

This video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAVGcGEBmCE)by Orion Telescopes should help you with collimation. :thumbsup:

As or some nice bright showpiece objects...

Two globular clusters top the list in our skies at the moment; Omega Centauri & NGC 104 (47 Tucanae).

Some of the most spectacular star clusters:
NGC 2516 (The Diamond Cluster) in Carina
The Southern Pleiades in Carina
The Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer
The Pleiades in Taurus
M41 near Sirius in Canis Major
Mel 25 (The Hyades) in Taurus
The Jewel Box (NGC 4755) in Crux
The Pearl Cluster (NGC 3766) in Centaurus
The Gem Cluster (NGC 3293) in Carina

A couple of bright Nebulae:
The Orion Nebula (M42)
The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)
View nebulae on moonless nights to get the best out of them.

Something special worthy of a look see:
Carbon star, Ruby Crucis.
Line up your scope on Beta Crucis and just to the left of it is a blood drop red star.

Just a few tips:
Learn where the 26 brightest stars (http://www.astro.wisc.edu/%7Edolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html) are (this will help you find things easier).

Learn how to measure the sky with your hand (http://oldthoughts.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/measuring-distances-in-degrees-in-the-sky-using-your-hand/).


Read these articles:
"How To Start Right In Astronomy". (http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/basics/How_to_Start_Right_in_Astronomy.htm l)

http://www.astro-tom.com/messier/messier_files/observing_tips.htm

"So you want to do deep sky observing". (http://www.fjastronomy.com/?page_id=1092)


Recommended maps/Books:
Rob's Maps (you can download them, print them out and pop them into plastic sleeves into a ring binder). These maps are brilliant- many of us use them.
http://sites.google.com/site/southernastronomer/

Astronomy 2012. This will guide you through the next 12 months of observing with month by month guides of events in the night sky. Maps also included. You should be able to still buy this through our forum.

Collins Stars & Planets by Ian Ridpath. A great beginners book, a favorite of many here including myself. Full of maps which are easy to navigate and each constellation has its own guide for objects.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Collins-Stars-Planets-Guide-Ian-Ridpath/9780007424429

Even though you have go-to (I just realised!) I think you will find these books beneficial as it explains things. :question:

OH! And don't forget Mars- it comes into opposition March 6th (the nearest, so will be nice and big and bright and in our skies the whole night). It's showing a wonderful snow cap at the moment which will be an easy catch thru your 10" dob providing the seeing is fine. Use your 10mm eyepiece.

Enjoy Amanda, and just know that people will only be too happy to help out with any of your questions, okay?! ;)

[ballaratdragons]

Suzy, you should copy/paste your last post so you can post it regularly for newbies.
It has lots of good info and will save you from re-typing it each time ;)

[Mik Skywatcher]

Hi all,

Finally getting into astronomy after years of umming and aaring, definately alot to learn and find myself umming and aaring even more!

Telescope arrived the other day just when Sydney decided to start a week long shower - 'curse of the newbie' i read somewhere.

Looking forward to spending more time on this site, helped me alot in choosing my equipment, which i can't use for a week.

[ballaratdragons]

Welcome Mik.

But just think, you get to cuddle and caress your new scope for a week. Most people miss out on that part coz they race out the first night and use it :lol:

[Mik Skywatcher]

hahah thanks...certainly seems big enough to hug. Time away from viewing stars is time spent viewing telescope accessories. This scope plus parts has put me on a budget of rice and water for the next few months and the enjoyment so far is researching and trying to buy parts with spare change.

For anyone looking for a good deal on my model telescope BTOW in WA currently have the best price i've seen... and i've been to many intl sites.
-i have no association with btow...

Also, just managed to find a cheap alternative to bobs knobs... EBAY :)

Thanks Suzy for the informative post. My to-do list.

[Zorpho]

I was recently given a telescope, just a Tasco, yes I know, I know they are awful,..but it was gratis and as I live on the edge of the Sydney CBD, I'm not likely to see many stars anyway. That leaves the Moon and since the recent anomalies that some people claim exist I figure that's where I'll start. If the bug bites I'll be moving up to a real telescope. Hopefully the advice I receive on this forum will steer me towards a good one.:)

[barx1963]

Hi Felix and welcome to IIS!
Any scope that gets you out observing is a good scope, and even with suburban skies you can still see a lot.
BTW what "recent anomolies"?

Malcolm

[Shark]

Hi all new to this whole game
what would a fair price be for a mewlon 210 2nd hand? is the 2'eyepieces much better than 1.25' i have a change to get one but the price on the 2' pieces is much more than the 1.25s

thanx a lot

[Shark Bait]

And I'm the bait. :thumbsup:

IIS is a great place to be. Sounds like you intend to start out with some nice gear. Others with more experience will read your post and answer your questions.

[greenpixie]

So here is my new scope, just posting a pic so someone can let me know if it looks put together upside down or back to front :sadeyes:, against advice that was given, I did get one with an EQ mount :lol: fingers crossed I can work it out! I did check out a post in another discussion about these mounts... sounds straight forward when I read it but in practice that's another thing!

[stardust steve]

Congrats on your new scope. I am in the same boat so dont feel alone. I have recently got a EQ3 mount and am learning my way around it. To me it looks like it is set up ok. Really the only advice i can give it to make sure it is balanced and level. Slide the scope along the tube rings and adjust the counter weight if needed. It will make things alot easier when you release the clutches other wise it can swing down quickly(as i have found out). There are lots of Polar alignment posts to help with your viewing.
Good luck with it:thumbsup:

[Shark Bait]

Hi Karli,

My Brother has the Celestron version of your scope. It should be capable of delivering many fine views of our night skies but you will probably end up with aperature fever before you know it. For the time being surf the sky and enjoy the scope. :thumbsup:

[Tinderboxsky]

I've been a member for a couple of months and enjoying the experience, so it is time I introduced myself.

My interest in astronomy started at High School many, many years ago. I ground a 6 inch mirror and constructed my own reflecting telescope at age 15. Unfortunately it was lost in the bad '67 bush fires. University, a career in big cities, a family, sailing and other interests relegated astronomy to the background. I returned to Tasmania and settled at Tinderbox in 1994.

With more time on my hands, a couple of years ago I pointed my Zeiss Diascope 85 T*FL, that I use for terrestrial observing, towards the wonderful dark skies we have here at Tinderbox and my interest in astronomy was rekindled. I am more a visual observer at this stage and have become quite adept at star hopping to find my targets. The Ziess Diascope is a wonderful wide field instrument. I have also been surprised by the detail I have seen with some patient observing. I am now planning my first telescope purchase to broaden and deepen my observing experience.

I am looking forward to learning from and contributing to the Forum.

[Jen]

:hi::hi: gday Steve

:welcome: to IIS have fun on buying your new scope just remember apperture rules :thumbsup::D
See you around the forums cheers :thumbsup:

[Tinderboxsky]

Thanks for the welcome Jen. No doubt you have good clear nights at Swan Hill compared to our coastal cloud.

Steve.

[Ric]

Hi Steve and welcome to IIS.

It sound like you have a wonderful dark sky area down there, I'll be interested to hear about your observations.

Cheers

[Tinderboxsky]

Thanks for the welcome Ric. Yes, we are blessed with quite dark skies here. Just got to dodge the coastal cloud at times.

[Sammy3934]

ICEMAN,
Thank-you so much for your guidance, understanding, patience, help and just caring for the new guys!!!

Without people like you, people like me wouldn't be able to scratch our heads without your very helpful guidance.

Thanks once again!!!

Cheers, Sammy:eyepop:

[Sammy3934]

Hi All,
First and foremost I will inform you that I am not an expert, by any means.

However I have done photography for quite a few years, and as far as I am concerned the principal is the same!!!

Right, never start cleaning your lens with a cloth or hand-towel whilst the lens is dry, because the dust and the dry surface will end up with permanent scratches.

Start with an air brush, that will blow away most of the dust, and then very gently use the brush to get rid of the left over dust.

Next, place two or three drops of lens cleanser, and use your soft cloth to wipe the lens. This soft cloth is one like the type you receive to clean your glasses. I personally don't use hand towels as they tend to crumble and fall apart.

All of the items are available at your local camera store for a reasonable amount of money. If you spend big to buy a telescope and all the gear, you might as well do the right thing to look after it.

I hope I could help anyone out there.

Cheers, Sammy :eyepop:

[Elyse_kuz]

Hello everyone, completely new to astronomy. Recently got a dobsonian 6" skywatcher telescope and is having abit of a hard time using it. The skywatcher comes with two scopes. But for some reason we can't figure out how to use the smaller one. Any idea what i'm doing wrong?? Wanted to find a few planets and maybe even an easy nebula, but the eye piece barely zoomed in at all :(

So with all this in mind, what should I do? Was going to look at some smaller scopes, but not sure what sizes or the best place to buy from, ebay, amazon, overseas? etc. We have a beginner's star chart and can star jump, just need some info on actually seeing these things :( haha

Anyway, nice to meet everyone. Thanks for reading! :)

[Shark Bait]

Hi Elyse,

The small scope is the finder scope. The objective is going to be in a threaded cell that is turned until focus is achieved. The Moon will be up soon, so if the sky is clear take it outside, get the Moon in focus and lock it off.

Take the main scope outside and find the Moon. It might be a bit tricky but stick with it. When you find the Moon and have it in the middle of the eyepieces field of view, move the adjustment screws on the attached finder scope to centre the Moon. If this is not possible tonight it might be better to do this exercise during the daytime using an object that is a long way off in the distance. Just be sure the scope is not pointed in the direction of the Sun or you will damage your scope and eyesight.

What size eyepieces did you get with the scope?

[Elyse_kuz]

So I worked out how to use the finder scope, and it's all in sync with the telescope. It comes with a 2" focuser with a 1.25" adapter, but I've got no idea how to use the adapter. The focuser is really only good for moon viewing :( any ideas? Been looking at a few other eye pieces but unsure what to get.

[Forgey]

Hi Elyse, your 6" dob will give you plenty to see. If your not far i'm happy to show you how to use it. The 1.25" adapter fits into the 2" adapter so you are able to use the 1.25" eyepiece.
Also the near full moon will make it harder to view at the moment.

[Elyse_kuz]

Will the adapter + the 2" piece be enough to see deep sky objects like orions nebula and the blue planetary nebula? What about galaxies like the andromeda or the triangulum? Or do I need bigger pieces or a bigger telescope? Was looking at getting a 10mm and a 6mm? If it's too much for me I might just take you up on that offer haha.

Thanks for the help thus far!

[Forgey]

Did your telescope come with any eyepieces like a 10mm & 25mm eyepiece usually they do?
If it did come with with the eyepieces you will be able to make out orion nebula, eta carina and many more.
Orion nebula is setting in the west not long after dark.

[Elyse_kuz]

This is the one I bought

http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/Dobsonian/SkyWatcher-6--Dobsonian/567/productview.aspx

[Shark Bait]

The scope you purchased has 10 & 25mm eyepieces included.

The 25 will magnify an object 48x
The 10 will magnify an object 120x

The eyepieces you have should be fine for the moment. You might want to think about picking up a 2x Barlow. This will allow you to double the magnification of each eyepiece.

Now that you have the finder scope aligned with the 6" reflector you will be able to use it to hunt down targets in the night sky. The stars should be focused pinpoints of light in you finder scope.

As Forgey has mentioned, fix the 1.25" adaptor to the focuser and then position one of your 1.25" eyepieces into the adaptor. When the stars are brought into focus, they should be pinpoints of light. I'd jump at the chance to have Paula drop by and assist. This would have you sorted within an hour.

Stellarium is a free software package that can be downloaded. It will help you to find objects in the night sky.

[Elyse_kuz]

what would you recommend as far as a barlow? Something cheap like this? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Celestron-Economy-1-25-Short-2x-Barlow-Telescope-Eyepiece-NEW-/260999114574?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc4c26f4e#ht_1533wt_974 or something abit more pricey? Not wanting to spend huge amounts just as yet till I get used to things and upgrade the telescope in a few years.

Or even a cheap kit like this?? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Celestron-8pc-Telescope-Eyepiece-Barlow-Filter-Accessory-Kit-Case-/230774161539?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bb364083#ht_1899wt_974

Will try my best to organise some free time to bring the telescope down from the northern suburbs to the SE burbs also when I can, and will take her up on that offer haha. :)

[Shark Bait]

Barlows can be had in a variety of magnifications.... 2x, 3x, 5x. It all depends on how much magnification you are chasing. Only when conditions are near perfect, which isn't often, you can approach 300x. I have only been past 300x once.

If you wish to avoid spending a lot of money at the moment then stick with the basic brands. It is probably a false economy to couple high end barlows with starter eyepieces.

If it is clear tonight it might be worth tracking down the Orion Nebula as it sets fairly early.

[Elyse_kuz]

Ok so I understand that, should I look at replacing the eyepieces that came with the kit then? I was looking at this kit by Orion? http://www.amazon.com/Orion-1-25-Premium-Telescope-Accessory/dp/B0069VXRLS/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1334053580&sr=8-7

Or should I stick to that cheap kit by celestron? Spending big bucks on this telescope a waste of time? Went looking for the Orion nebula and could see a faint colour outline, before I had a chance to change anything, a cloud wavered into view :( oh well, universe is around forever haha

[Shark Bait]

That is the exact kit that I have, as well as the 10 and 25mm ep's that came with my scope. For the time being I am happy enough with it. The higher power ep's that are in this kit work, but I am keen to compare them with some high quality glass in the near future. The 10, 17 and 40mm ep's are the ones that I usually go for.

It all depends on how deep your pockets are. For the time being I am content to learn the sky and these ep's are ample. At some point in the future I would like to upgrade to a selection of Tele Vue EP's.

[Shark Bait]

The best way to get an idea about the gear that is available is to meet up with an Astronomical Society. As you are in Melbourne there should be plently of choice.

You will be able to bounce from scope to scope and compare the different setups as well as the large variety of ep's being used. The club members will be more than happy to share their expierence with you.

Be careful though, you might end up with aperature envy. It seems to get to most of us sooner or later....

[Forgey]

Elyse, I wouldnt be in rush to get new eyepieces untill you get to know your way around the sky. The ones that came with the scope will be fine for now.

As Stu has said try and get to Astronomical Society, the members will be more than happy to help you. That way you can try different eyepieces before you buy to make sure you know what to expect.

Astronomical societies in melbourne/Victoria.
Astronomical Society of Victoria (http://asv.org.au/)
Mornington Peninsula Astronomical Society (http://www.mpas.asn.au/)
Snake Valley Astronomical Society (http://www.wix.com/ballaratman/svaa)

[barx1963]

Elyse
Just use the 25mm eyepiece that came with your scope. Using that you will see heaps.
Don't rush into getting a kit of eyepieces. IMHO they are not a great investment. My scope came with a set of eyepieces similar to the kit and I only used the 32mm and 25mm ones.
Once you have decided to continue in the hobby then look at premium eyepieces, when you will get valu for money.
Just so it is clear, eyepieces come with 2 measurements, the focal length (usually in mm) which is the power of the EP (shorter focal length gives more magnification) and barrell size which is in inches, usually either 1.25" or 2" thought there are some 0.965" ones around. This purely refers to the physical diameter of the barrell taht you insert in the focuser.
Often longer focal length eyepieces have 2" barrells. With plossls that is ones above 25mm.

Try and get to an observing night, best way to learn.

Malcolm

[Jen]

:hi::hi: Hi Elyse welcome to IIS :welcome:

Yes i would stick with the two eyepieces that came with the scope for now, that is all you will need until you get to know the sky more, then when you get a chance to get out with some other lovely astro peeps they will kindly let you have a play with some real glass hehehe then you can make that decision what to buy later on down the track :thumbsup: as not always the best eyepieces suit everyone and you might even get a bargin here on IIS cheers and happy viewing the night skies :thumbsup:

[Elyse_kuz]

wow thanks heaps for the replies everyone! And more especially the kind words and help :)

Ok, I won't at this time bother with any other eye pieces. Only reason I was considering more was the 25mm one I had was really only good for moon viewing. I tried to find Orions nebula with it with no luck. Haven't had a chance to test the 10mm one, so I hope it will work better in this regard.

It just sucks that it's so cloudy at the moment and the moon is so bright :(

Will have to get down to one of these clubs/viewing things! I didn't know they existed. This is me and my partners telescope, so if I end up getting aperture fever I might just have to get my own telescope :lol:

[barx1963]

Elyse
The Orion Neb (M42 to be correct) is easy to find and will look great in the 25mm. The only thing is that it is low at the moment so not the best fo viewing. And as you live in Melb light pollution makes it a bit harder. Try for it as soon as it gets dark. Locate the 3 stars of Orions belt, they should form a nearly vertical line. To the left of them you should make out a line of faint fuzy stars which is the sword. M42 is in there. Once you have found it you can get it easily.

Malcolm

[Elyse_kuz]

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong then :/ I was up camping at the time I tried using the 25mm. All it did was zoom in on the star. It still looked like a star, just abit bigger in the scope.

[Shark Bait]

Hi Elyse,

Try using these screen grabs from Starry Night. Orion is set for 7:30pm tonight in Melbourne and the Southern Cross (Crux) is set for 8:00pm tonight. If the sky is clear you should be able to track down the Orion Nebula.

Maybe spend some time looking at the bright stars in Orion and splitting the Acrux Star. Refer to the screen grabs for a guide.

When you look at a star, is it hard to get it focused or is it easy to achieve a sharp pinpoint of light?

[Elyse_kuz]

thanks for that!! very helpful, I was told the orion nebula was the middle star of the sheath. But thats really handy!! I can get a star in focus, so I think its correlated or whatever the word is haha. Just when I tried looking for the nebula out camping on a cloudless sky it still looked like a star with a 25mm eye piece. The moon was full crescent so maybe that had something to do with it? I assumed I'd still be able to see it though.

Also, was going to ask where's a good place to look up weather? I want to go down to kinglake next weekend, any idea if it will be ok weather wise?

Also stellarium is awesome :D

[dro56595]

My first attempt at imaging with my new GStar-Ex and processing filtered mono images into a single LRGB using GIMP.

Happy with this first attempt, but a long way to go before I'm any good.

Cheers,

Dan.

[scagman]

Hi Elyse,

There are various weather sites around. There is the BOM http://http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/melbourne.shtml (http://http//www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/melbourne.shtml) or 7timer (http://7timer.y234.cn/), just click on your location to place a pin, hover over the pin then select astro. I also use an app, Astro Panel, on my phone. Any plenty more. Its not looking good for this weekend.:(
Where abouts in Kinglake do you go? Nice darks skys up here.

Regards

[Elyse_kuz]

Yeah I had a look, partly cloudy!!! :(

Last night we tried again and this time we located Orions Nebula, with the 10mm it looked like a star with alot of white clouds around it. If that makes any sense? We didn't see any colour. There was abit of light pollution, but there wasn't any clouds and the moon wasn't out. Perfect weather :)

We also found saturn. In the 25mm it was all white with a white ring. With the 10mm it was still white, but you could just barely observe the stripes of the gas giant. Does it sound like we are doing things right??

Thanks heaps for your help and time everyone. Feels good finally being able to see a few things :)

[barx1963]

Elyse
All sounds about right. M42 (the Orion Nebula) will very rarely show colour in a big scope. I have a couple of times seen faint pink shadings with my 12". In your scope ( a 6" right?) it would be very unusual to see any colour.
We are all abit spoiled by seeing all the astro images showing gorgeous colours but the colour recptors in your eye are just not very sensitive, so dim objects appear as white or grey.
As an exercise, there should be bright patch of starlight in M42 that with a bit of power (the 10mm EP should do it easy) you can seperate into 4 stars. That is the Trapezium and is the group of stars that have recently benn born in the nebula. There are many more stars there they are just obscued but dust and gas.
Saturn is hard to pick out many surface features, maybe a few hints of banding, wait until Jupiter comes out next year and you will get some nice colours and bands then.

Malcolm

[Elyse_kuz]

Ok, so the reason people can see all this colour is because they capture it with decent camera's?? That are more receptive to those colours? I suppose that makes sense. And yes I was very spoilt lol, looking at all the images in the photography part of the forum. Was expecting to see it alittle like that. Is this the same for distant galaxies? Will everything be shades of white/grey in the 6"?

Thanks for your help!

[Forgey]

Elyse have a look at this thread http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=73111 it will give you an idea of what to expect when looking through different eyepieces and telescopes.
In my 6" and 10" dob i can see a hint of green in the orion Nebula in light polluted skies.

[Elyse_kuz]

http://orionskyquesttelescopereviews.wordp ress.com/skyquest-xt6/

I was more going by this review of the same type of scope I have. Do you need a decent camera to get any colour? Looking at that thread now :)

[Forgey]

Ok the Image of orion nebula in the review you are NOT going to see with your telescope through the eyepiece, to get that image you need a camera.

[Elyse_kuz]

Ok I thought so, I suppose I'll get used to looking at things first, and learning the night sky before I get into pictures haha

[Forgey]

The human eyes cant make out that kind of color through a telescope. Our eyes just aren't sensitive enough.

[2stroke]

There ad's and there to sell there scopes, on the 10" the images i have done of mars arn't as great as theres lol. To get the sort of color on Orion you need a dslr or a very good compact with a t-ring at a minimum, the planets can be done with a webcam. Planets are easy to start on and cheap because you can mod a cheap webcam or even get a phillips tucam, and you should get Jupiter nicley on a 6".

[dro56595]

This was a slight disappointment to me too. Those fantastic photos really build up a beginner's expectations. So I'm trying to learn both - astronomical viewing and astrophotography. I think I've bit off a lot more than I can chew. Very daunting, but I'm stubborn :)

[barx1963]

Unfortunately the pics often shown on vendors sites and ads can be very misleading. Elyse the site you were looking at is a bit of an odd one.
In answer to your question regarding galaxies, they will mostly be very faint andhard to see. Nevertheless perservere with it as there are lots of them out there!

Malcolm

[Sotko]

Hi All

Another newb here. Wife bought me a Saxon 1021 EQ3 Go To scope. She did a lot of research, and even spoke to a few astronomy store owners. I was very surprised.

Just wanted to say hi, and I will post my questions in the Beginners Equipment thread.

Cheers

[Allan_L]

Welcome to IIs Louis :welcome:
Feel free to ask as many questions as you have.
Thats how we all begin to learn and grow.
You should try to find some IIS locals who can direct you to some nearby dark sky observing sessions.
Enjoy

[Ricardo]

Hi All,

I'm a very keen begineer, luckly for me my wife purchased a Bintel BT252-B telescope yesterday for my birthday which is coming up very soon. I also ordered today a Argo Navis and mount kit so come early June I'll be jumping into something I've always wanted to do.

Regards

Ric

[Allan_L]

Welcome Ric, :welcome:
You have got a nice scope there and should give you plenty of joy.
The Argo is a great addition.
Look forward to meeting you in the future, meantime, feel free to ask any questions as you come across them.

My advice is always to try to find a group locally that has dark sky observing nights.
You are welcome to attend Mangrove mountain observing nights if you cant find any closer.
We have a number of guys who travel from Sydney.
Look in the Star Parties Forum (aka: Pony Club for Mangrove Mountain).

Clear Skies
Al

[erick]

A 10" dob with an Argo, Ricardo? Looking good! :thumbsup:

[mattyb217]

Hey all, another newbie here, I'm waiting to pick up my telescope which is a skywatcher Sk 1309 eq2 & can't wait to start gazing the night sky. You will probably hear a lot from me cos I'm sure I will have heaps of questions :)

[Ric]

Hi Matt and welcome aboard. :hi:

Hope you enjoy the cruise.

Cheers

[mattyb217]

Thanks Ric will do :)

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Go for it mate and :welcome:, there are no dumb questions , as they say and especially here as everyone will give you the best advise , for free , a great group of people here .
The Best .:D .
Brian.

[Daria]

Hey guys,

I've always been fascinated by the stars since a young age. Yet, I've never really had a chance to explore this.

Basically, I have no idea about anything pertaining to Astronomy and I was wondering what you guys recommend I should do to get amongst it?

Thanks for all the help

[erick]

Hi Daria

You need to get together with some folks with their telescopes - out under the stars. Next opportunity will be around next New Moon weekend, in around 4 weeks time. Plenty of opportunity to do this around Melbourne.

In the meantime, start reading articles and reviews in the "Projects & Articles" and "Equipment Reviews" sections up there on the left of the page.

Welcome to a wonderful world of wonder!

Cheers
Eric :)

[jacksmith123]

Hi all my name is jack smith. I am new here, I am working in hotel industry. thanks

[Allan_L]

Hi Jack,
Welcome to Ice in Space :welcome:
Hope you enjoy your stay here.

[R.Kenshin]

Hi every body. I'm a student in Viet Nam. Astronomy is my passion ! so i want to know more things about it. Hope everyone help me
:)

www.thienvanhanoi.org

[stardust steve]

Hi R.K :welcome: You have found a great place to drop in to view some great images both deep sky and terrestrial.
If your questions can not be answered in the current posts, there is the search option on the left hand side of the page. There i have found many answers to my questions.
Hope you stick with it and see you around the IIS community.:thumbsup:

[R.Kenshin]

i'm making D114f1000 and D200f100 telescopes !
but i don't have eyepieces ! so i'm looking for another. but buy a new is too expensive ! have any way to make it ? :D

[Ryan75]

Hi there everybody, from what iv read everyone here seems extremely helpful and nice!
IM A Visual Artist from Geelong(near Melbourne) and am wanting to get into astronomy, was wondering what Telescopes I should be looking at getting?
Keeping in mind I'm a broke student artist haha

Also was wanting to know how to capture Astrophotograhy?

any help or direction to useful information would be great fully appreciated!
Thanks everyone, happy star hunting!

Ryan

[erick]

Hi Ryan, welcome!

You could start by reading the two articles by Brian Nolan in the "Beginners Guides" in the "Projects & Articles" section up there on the left of screen.

And here: http://www.sdmtelescopes.com.au/astrorec.html

Eric :)

[Ryan75]

Thank you Eric!
I found allot of useful information and today purchased some very helpful material.

I was wondering if anyone knew of a website that can help show cloud coverage?
In Melbourne atm its hard to find anywhere nearby with clear surroundings.

[erick]

Ryan, try some of the sites under "Resources" on the left:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/weather.html

[sil]

Long time lurker, finally gotten around to registering.

So, hello!

I'm a very amateur and being an enthusiastic photographer no prizes for guessing what aspect of astronomy I'm initially interested in.

Straight off though I'd like to give a general thanks to everyone here already, I've been reading the forums for a long time now and have learnt so much already.

[Allan_L]

7timer works for me. (Google it)

see below for Mangrove Mountain example

[petershah]

Hello everyone, Im not from Australia but i have friends who are, so i hope i qualify. Ive been looking through your images, extremely impressive standard, some of the best ive seen......i hope to pick up a tip or two.
Im not new to imaging but its been a while since ive done any, work commitments have been preventing me from doing anything. That and the U.K. weather....wall to wall cloud most of the summer plus the sky doesnt get very dark this time of year.

anyway here is my gallery take a look and drop any comments you like good or bad..... http://www.astropix.co.uk/ps/index.htm



BTW i have to say im very jealous of some of your Southern objects anything South of Orion and we just cant get it here

many thanks
Peter Shah

[Allan_L]

Hi Peter,
Welcome to IIS :welcome:
WOW Those are some seriously nice Astro Pics there.

It is always good to see the Cosmos from someone else's perspective.
Look forward to seeing more from you.

Sorry I can't give you any technical critique, I just know what I like.
I am sure others will do that for you.

But welcome again and thanks for posting.

Regards
Allan

[JB80]

Hi Peter and welcome!

Some great pics there, I love your Lulin and Garrard and the others are amazing. The Ghost nebula and Monkeys Head are enthralling, they all are.
Thanks for sharing and again welcome to IIS.
:)

[kepp]

Looking forward to do a little star gazing

[erick]

As do we all, always, Kepp :thumbsup: Tell us what you see. :)

[Jen]

:welcome::welcome: welcome to all the noobies hope to see you around the forums cheers :hi::hi::hi:

[Astrohood]

Hi all
I've been coming to these forums for over a year and thought it's probably about time I registered. Looking forward to interacting with like minded people.
Regards

[erick]

Hi Marco - welcome.

[Ric]

Greetings Marco and welcome to IIS.

Definitely plenty of like minded people here, I hope you have a great time.

Cheers

[ddougan]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to IIS, was referred to the site via Bintel at Glebe. I have a Meade 10inch LX200, and I'm studying part time PhD in astrophysics at UNSW in Sydney.

Looks like a great forum with heaps of info - looking forward to contributing.
Cheers
Darren

[Allan_L]

Hi Darren,
Welcome to IIS :welcome:

Its good to see you are off to a good start already.

1.Bintel is a great place to get good advice and quality products.
2.Thats a very nice scope you have there and should provide a lot of pleasure to you.
3.You have come to the right place to share your experience. Search the forums to pick up information you need. If you can't find it, just ask. Plenty of people here happy to share their experience.

Now for the 4th... search out a local observing site close to you and come along. You will see a lot of good equipment and plenty of enthusiasts happy to share.

Clear skies
Allan

[ddougan]

Thanks Allan,
I noticed that there is no Astrocamp this year due to solar eclipse. is there a IIS tour going to the eclipse? Any recommendations on tour options?
Rgds
Darren

[Allan_L]

No IIS is not organising an IIS Tour to Cairns, unfortunately.
I think the Astro Society of NSW is organising such an tour and may have seats left.

But...
In the Forum Upcoming Celestial and Astronomical events, the first thread contains a lot of information about the event and where a lot of us are staying.

Link here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=57113

Unfortunately a lot of the places are apparently booked out.

In General Chat there is this one http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=87929&highlight=eclipse

I think there are others, scattered about.
Good luck with it, maybe I will see you there.

[ddougan]

thx Allan,
i'm definitely trying to make it up there
i'll check the other threads and do some digging around with hotels
rgds
Darren

[Ric]

Hi Darren and welcome aboard

Wow, a PHD im Astrophysics, I reckon you'll have lots to contribute. I'll be looking forward to your posts.

Cheers

[ourkind]

Greetings fellow earthlings!

So much forum reading to do and so little time.

I'm relatively new to astronomy and definately consider myself humble amongst so many seasoned enthusiasts!

I hope to learn and engage the brains trust within these pages and have fun along the way.

The best to you all.

[erick]

Hi Carlos. Enjoy your reading!

[Ric]

Hi Carlos and welcome.

Yep, there's plenty of reading here, that's for sure.

Perfect for those cloudy nights.

Cheers

[ddougan]

Ric,
part time PhD at UNSW - I still have a lot to learn, so don't expect too much!
cheers
Darren

[Ric]

That's still heaps ahead of my high school stuff from 40 years ago. :D

Cheers

[mrboh]

Hi everyone :) I'm a one-time astronomer who's moved on to the medical game instead. I'm primarily here because I would like to sell my old telescope (and I gather there is a buy and sell board) but I'll contribute what I can.

[cwackers]

Hi, I've joined because my husband and I moved out of town to our little farm 8 months ago, and the skies are amazing! Looking to get some gear to take some photos, but also just to do a bit of star gazing :)

[erick]

Lucky you Paula! Think of all of us still stuck under big city skyglow :sadeyes:

Tell us more as you get your gear and put it into action. :thumbsup:

[margaery]

Hi everyone,

Been lurking around reading for a while and finally decided to sign up.

I bought my 8" Dob earlier this year and been trying to learn and see as much as possible, with clouds of course attempting to stop me as much as possible :lol:

Looking forward to chatting

[Ric]

Hi Elle, great to have you onboard. :welcome:

Hope you have a great time here at IIS.

Cheers

[Asteri]

Hi I just purchased a GSO 12 inch dob. Would there be anyone in the Frankston area ( vic ) that would know how to ajust 2nd mirror as i think i have managed to put it way out.. tried to colminate this morning and its way out. please someone help....

[Forgey]

Hi Labros, have a read through this http://www.astro-baby.com/collimation/astro%20babys%20collimation%20guide .htm A simple guide to collimating a newtonian reflector.

Also check out the video, How to collimate your reflector telescope by hand as well as using an accessory like the Orion LaserMate Deluxe Laser Collimator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAVGcGEBmCE

[Asteri]

Thanks, I will check it out. What stupid me did was loosen all 3 screws after noticing it was way out the other morning. I kept going back and forth eventually loosening the middle screw thinking it may be easier.. 10 minutes later i had noticed i put it way out. Tried to go back and set it to the way it was eventually realizing I had gone beyond the point of NO return lol. So now i will check http://www.astro-baby.com/collimatio...on%20guide.htm (http://www.astro-baby.com/collimation/astro%20babys%20collimation%20guide .htm). Thank you.

[barx1963]

Hi Labros
Paula's guides she has mentioned are excellent. You will find the secondary has 4 screws. One in the middle moves the mirror up and down the tube, while the 3 on the outside have dual functions. 1 is to lock the seconday in place and 2 is to adjust the tilt.
Adjusting these will not hurt your scope and you can always adjust again. The one thing to be VERY careful of if you are winding the centre screw so the secondary is moving down the tube (ie towards the main mirror) hold onto it as you do not want it to fall off. Also have the tube horizontal so if anything does get dropped, it doesn't end up falling your primary!


Malcolm

[clueless5]

Hi everyone,

I stumbled across this site and am hoping someone might be able to help me. I am looking at purchasing a telescope for my friend's birthday who is extremely interested in astronomy. It will be her first telescope and although I have done some research I still know very little on what models/types are best. With a limit on how much to spend I have narrowed it down to 3 telescopes;

Saxon F1149 EQ reflector, Saxon F767AZ Newtonian Reflector or the Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ Reflector.

Can anyone suggest which would be best for a beginner? Any advice or help will be greatly appreciated!! :)

[barx1963]

Hi Emma and welcome to IIS!:welcome:
Personally I would advise against buying a scope for someone else, at least withou talking to them first. Two of the scopes you mention (the Saxon F1149 EQ and the Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ ) are Equatorially mounted reflectors with 4.5" apertures. Equatorial mounts are hard to use for beginners. The other one is Alt Az mounted I think but has an even smaller aperture.
If your friend is keen on observing a small Dobsonion with be easy to use and gives plenty of aperture. Bintel sell the 6" for $329 (see here http://www.bintel.com.au/Telescopes/Dobsonian/SkyWatcher-6--Dobsonian/567/productview.aspx ) This may be a little more than you were hoping to spend, but in my view a dob is nearly always the best beginners scope.
Another idea is to pay for her to join a local astro society, many of these have loan scope schemes to get beginners started. The ASV in Victoria has 8" dobs for loan to new members for example.

Malcolm

[Asteri]

Thanks Malcolm I'm trying to figure it out. yeh i messed with the middle screw moving it too far. But I will work it out. Thanks for the advice.
Hopeful I will work it out soon !

[clueless5]

Hi Malcolm,

Yeah that's a good idea, I think I may leave it for a bit and see what she thinks. Thanks heaps for your help! Unfortunately I am in NSW and not VIC but i'm sure there would be similar groups here. I will definitely look into it.
Thanks again!

Emma

[barx1963]

Emma
See if you can contact the Astronomy Society of NSW as I believe they have a loan scheme

Malcolm

[RubberBand]

Hi all,

I joined up because we've just purchased a telescope for our daughter's birthday, however my husband and I were both keen to get one and wanted something that is a bit more powerful than a total beginner scope, so we went with the Saxon F1149 EQ reflector. Her birthday isn't until the end of the month so I'm hoping to learn more about how to use it etc before then!

I did a course in astronomy a few years ago, but long enough that I've forgotten pretty much everything other than not to shine a bright torch at the star map if you want to see anything for the rest of the night :lol:

Look forward to getting to know you all!

[Ric]

Hi Cara and welcome to IIS

You've certainly come to right place, just fire away with your questions and no doubt there will be plenty of answers and advice to get you back up to speed.

Cheers

[Shamrocker]

Hello everyone

Another noob! Have been following the forums for a number of months and decided to join because I have so many questions! Turns out I can't figure it all out myself:)

Cheers

Aido

[RubberBand]

Thanks :D

We've watched a few youtubes on setting up the equatorial mount and think we get the degree of difficulty here, but I'm certain we'll have tons of questions! It should arrive this week so I'm hoping my husband and I can play with it a bit in secret before her birthday. I think in the beginning she'll be happy with looking at the moon and any random star she can focus on so we'll all have time to learn how to use it properly (well that's the plan anyway LOL)

[Adalovelace]

Hello


New to the boards, came across your site while trying to get some info on the Perseid shower.


Lucked out big time with last nights weather conditions here on the Central Coast, ruined any of the little chance we had to catch a glimpse.



Regards
Ada

[scottw]

Greetings all,

I've come across this site a couple of times while looking for tips and tricks. A friend on my gaming forums said he was a member here and suggested I sign up now that I'm starting to think "more seriously" about what I'm doing.
I would call myself an extremely amateur astronomer with an interest in astrophotography. I've flicked through most of this "beginners" thread and read lots of suggestions and tips, so I guess that makes me nearly an expert now. :)
So I'll lurk around a bit, read a bit more, and start posting some inane questions in the hope of getting some good guidance and "what to do next".

Scott.

[stevecoles]

Just bought an EQ2 fixed rate motor drive to adapt to fit my old telescope. The very helpful shop owner highly recommended and wrote down this website address, so I've just joined. After attacking a piece of scrap metal with a hammer and drill to make a bracket was pleased to see my old reflector tracking the moon before the clouds covered the night skies.

[Allan_L]

Hi Steve,
Welcome to IIS :welcome:
YES: A great forum to learn from and share ideas with
Hope you enjoy exploring all it has to offer

[stevecoles]

Thanks for the welcome Allen.
Looking forward to learning and sharing ideas.

Getting gear in Australia doesn't seem easy.
One of the online websites I've tried is trying to look like Aussie based but appears to be overseas. Someone on IIS mentioned they had good dealings with them but they were slow. My small purchase looks like being in the slow category but it's reassuring to hear others recommend them.

Hope to share some pics of my DIY/budget/improvisation attempts at astrophotography later and learn from similar projects by others.

[r1lang]

I'm new and have been googling on astronomy, anything I can find to get started on buying my first scope and stumble into here. Great site I thought, lots of infor, sharing with new, old and in-between experienced members. I'm sure I'll learn alot from here on. The site is well structured, modular and I'm getting to know how to navigate around. I'm having fun and I hope to know some of you soon. Thank you all.:)

[Allan_L]

Hi Richard,
Welcome to IIS :welcome:

You will find lots of helpful people here.
Your title suggests you are in process of buying a 10 inch Skywatcher.
Good choice.
Dobsonian mount I presume.
This is similar to my current scope and i am very happy with it.

Check out the Star Parties forum for some dark sky observing near you.
This is the best way to learn and to see what scopes and eyepieces are best for you.

If you are ever up near the NSW Central Coast, let me know and I can show you around.

[r1lang]

Thank you Allan for warmly welcoming me to the club. I'm a member of 2 other online hobby clubs, but this one is very special, and your welcoming really speaks of it.

Yes, if the deal with another member from this club can come to a conclusion, I'll be getting into Deep Sky observing. My plan is to build a Dob mount from ideas gathered on the internet.

One other interest of mine is 4WD driving. We get up to the Gold Coast quite often in a year and Dark Sky viewing along the way...Parkes, Forbes, Connabarabran...etc. would be awesome. Hopefully we get to meet when doing one of these trips. :thanx:

[mika]

Hey all! I'm new here! I'm starting to get into astronomy :) This site is great!

[erick]

welcome mika. yes, ain't it great here! ask questions and tell us what you are doing. :thumbsup:

[Ric]

Welcome Mika

I hope you enjoy your trip into the world of amateur astronomy.

It's one of the great pastimes at all levels from stargazing to serious amateur contributions to science.

Cheers

[Dag]

Hi all!
I'm here thanks to your member Bojan. I am from Croatia, Europe and I am coming to Cairns for the eclipse. Hope to meet you there ;)
Clear skies!
Dag

[cmknight]

Hi everyone. Astronomy has been my hobby for many, many years. I'm currently working and living in China (as an English teacher (for 10 years, now)). I have run the gamut of equipment from a home-made 6" dob to a C-8 to my current scope, a 6" Mak on an LXD-75 GOTO GE mount, which I purchased from the same manufacturer that makes most of Meade's equipment. Lucked out there, cuz I get Meade products at wholesale prices LOL.

I currently have 2 scopes: a 90mm Meade RA Mak (bought in Canada), and the 6" Maksutov that I mentioned above. Haven't had the Mak out too much because of the light pollution and my limited viewing (I have a small southern exposure, plus I have to do most of my observing through an open window).

Looking forward to making new friends from Australia, and, of course, New Zealand. I'd love to get down there some day and observe the southern skies.

[fauxpas]

Best avi stacking app?

[Jos1610]

Hi, I just joined the group which I find very interesting (sorry for my bad English). I currently live in Michigan, USA and though I'm way north it's exciting to hear what is going on there. Thanks for letting me in ;)

[Allan_L]

Welcome Jose :welcome:
Yes, we are certainly blessed with a great sky down under, and plenty of areas of (relatively) less light pollution.

Hope you can make the trip down here sometime to share first hand.

[Poita]

Autostakkert is my weapon of choice...

[anthonyc1]

Hey Everyone! Decided to become a member of the site as it seems as though it is a place where I can gain knowledge from a lot of different people. I've been an observer for about a year now, and I am still on my first telescope which is a 10" Orion Dobsonian.

I live about 40 km North of Melbourne so I do get some decently dark skies overhead and North, but the area around the Southern Pole is washed out by the city lights which makes me unable to see the Magellanic clouds with the naked eye.

Look forward to becoming a part of this community :)

[erick]

Hi Anthony and welcome. You should head down to Snake Valley camp this coming weekend. 10" dob - lovely!

[anthonyc1]

Thanks for the offer, I will have to take it up sometime soon as I have never had the chance to get under really dark skies. Unfortunately this weekend I have an exam on Saturday so probably not the best time for me to be out of town :lol:

[barx1963]

Anthony
Snake valley camp is still going Sunday and Monday nights, so if you get a chance it is still a good time to visit.

Malcolm

[arc4ne]

Hi Everyone!

My name's Kev and I live on the Central Coast NSW.

I will be purchasing my first telescope on Friday (8" Dobsonian) and I am a complete beginner.

Just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and say hi to everyone!

~Kev

[ourkind]

:welcome: Kev! 8" Dob niiiice!!! :thumbsup: now we know who to blame for all this rain :lol: Murpheys Law ... Hope you get some clear skies soon!

[Ric]

Hi Kev, welcome to IIS.

Hope you have a great clear weekend for viewing.

Cheers

[vaztr]

Kev,

You'll have a blast with a great scope like that ;) It's been a great intro for me. I'm sorry to see it go but the stars must have aligned, I'm delivering the 8" as I pick up my new 12" Christmas present :D

VAZ

[Jen]

:welcome: to IIS Kev

Hope you have some wonderful nights out with your new scope enjoy, and don't say I didn't warn you about aperture fever :rofl:
Hope to see you around the forums cheers :thumbsup:

[arc4ne]

Thanks Andrew!
can't wait to start using it. (damn weather looks bad for this weekend)
:)

[snarkyboojum]

Hi everyone,

I'm about to make my first scope purchase I think. Wanted to say hi to all the IISers. I've played around with some smaller refractors in my younger years, but going to get an 8 or 10" Dobsonian soon (likely a 10").

I live in the city of Sydney, so not ideal observing conditions - at least nothing like where I grew up where I could see the Milky Way and Magellanic with the naked eye (I spent many happy hours lying in the backyard with my brother's Tasco 8x40 binoculars).

Hoping to do some regular observing and also take any new scope purchase into darker skies on the outskirts of Sydney fairly regularly. Looks like there are some good clubs out of the city to do some observing with.

Now all I need to do is work out which Bintel Dobsonian I'm going to lay money down for :)

Thanks for the fantastic site, and happy viewing!

[barx1963]

Hi Snarky
With Dobs as a rule the bigger the better with one important proviso. Large Dobs are just that. LARGE. Even a 10" is a decent sized package and the mount is fairly heavy and cumbersome. So male sure you are happy carting it around before spending too much. Carting a big dob indoors on a winters night at 2am is not the most fun, and the novelty for some can wear off pretty quickly.
That is another way of saying that the best scope is one that gets used the most. Of course in the city, size is just about essential

Malcolm

[snarkyboojum]

G'day Malcolm,

Thanks for the wise words. Agreed - the 10" is pretty large. I went to the Bintel store in Glebe yesterday to have a good look (got to lift it and move it around). Definitely not the most agile scope I could buy, but nice big mirror for a beginner :), and moveable in two parts at least - scope and base separately. I've confirmed that it'll lay across the back seat of the car I have access to too - so I'll be able to drive it around without much trouble.

I'm still thinking on it. The 8" is surprisingly much smaller in volume at least, but it seems to me either would require a bit of effort to move around.

Decisions, decisions... :)

[Shark Bait]

You won't regret buying a Dob. If you are willing to move it around, you will find it is worth the effort.

[snarkyboojum]

Hi Shark,

Yep - I've looked through a few dobs (albeit some years ago). Pretty excited to finally own one soon!

[barx1963]

I have used an 8" and now have a 12". The bases on both were cumbersome but once you get up to 12" the OTA itself is just plain difficult to move. So I built a modified hand trolley that it lives on permanently. Makes life really simple.

Malcolm

[snarkyboojum]

Well, I'm the proud new owner of a 10" Bintel Dob!! :) Put it all together this afternoon. Small boo-boo though, as it shipped with one incorrect screw (one of the screws used to attach the feet to the base is too small!). So, need to get that sorted tomorrow - bit bummed I can't stand it all up yet, but still very happy with it.

FWIW - the instructions are OK, but slightly out of date, i.e. phillips head screws referred to where they're really socket head cap screws, some of the parts are enumerated incorrectly etc. That aside, a very easy "build".

[barx1963]

Yeah, GSO never spend a lot of money on instructions, mine came with instructions for the previous model! But they are not hard to put together.
Anyway here's hoping for clear skies!!

Malcolm

[snarkyboojum]

True :) Even easier when you're provided with the correct screws too!

[Tablynx]

Hey Everyone! Glad to become a member of this site , I Joined to try and gain knowledge and share the experience with my children I've been an observer for about 20 years now only looking at the moon and a few planets with a 76 mm Tasco, and now I have the 10" Saxon Dobsonian bit of a difrence.

I live about 90 km North of Toowoomba in Dalby on an acre of land so I do get some great dark skies overhead

I cant wait to have some discussions with this great community.

[grantch]

Welcome Alf from a fellow Qlder and newbie. Same reason, get started with the kids. Jealous of your location, said from a city boy :)

[Tablynx]

Hey Grant... great to meet... Dalby get a little Black at night great for viewing :)

[aidanm]

:welcome: Alf from a fellow newbie.

Aidan

[Robyll]

Hi all,

I have been lurking around this forum for a month or two picking up tips and ideas along the way.

My fiance and bought ourselves a 8" Dobsonian for Xmas and are very excited by what we're sure will be a fun and exciting hobby (or possibly obsession!)

We are complete amateurs so please be gentle if I ask a silly question or want some simple advice. :)

Thanks,

Rob & Apryll

[Allan_L]

Welcome Rob and Apryll :welcome:

That is a great scope to start with, well done on your choice.

Don't be afraid to ask "simple" questions, we were all beginners at some time, and most here are happy to help.

Best advice to start with is to download stellarium (free) as it is a wonderful piece of software that will help you understand what you are looking at.

Second is to try to hook up with some local observing group (usually free) and get some hands on advice and experience on getting the most from your purchase.

Regards
Al

[mr bruess]

Welcome Rob and Apryll :welcome:

Don't be embarrassed by using beginner astronomy equipment.we all have to start with something. An eight inch dob is very good beginner equipment.

Don't be afraid to ask "silly questions" as a complete novice

[elfinke]

Hi all,

Another new user, though extremely long time lurker! I'm in the New England region of NSW - beautiful skies up here. About to purchase a telescope, it'll be my first 'scope in ~20 years. Like many, I had a couple growing up (including an almost fabled Tasco) and they were fantastic. I saw some pretty great stuff through them over the years.

I've been doing a little bit binocular viewing lately (without a tripod, unfortunately), just trying to remember the star hops and the constellations and so forth.

Trying to convince myself to hold out for the local Astro club meetup before I splash money, but I noticed that an 8" Dob is incredibly cheap these days. I can't remember what the chain of web links was that lead me to be even looking at them the other day, but I damn near fell out of my chair when I saw I could get an 8"er and have change out of $400, amazing (ozscopes and andrews). Must have been a slow morning!

Anyway, just wanted to drop in say g'day. I've got a handful of questions that I hope to have answered if I hold out until the Astro club meet up (I've never used a Dob, for example. I'm not sure of the compromises you make at $500-$600 to get a cheap Goto Mak-Cass or iOptron Reflector, but I suspect they're too great (crappy gears, lousy tripods, relatively poorer optics compared to the same priced Dob etc) to make the purchase that worthwhile)...

...

Despite saying all of that, chances are next pay day I'll pull the trigger on an 8" and just jump in :lol: Oh just wanted to throw a quick whinge in too: innit a bummer how cheap the Meade line of ETX 'scopes are in the US!? I've contemplated using a proxy shipto to buy one and have it shipped here.

[Allan_L]

Hi elfinke
Welcome to IIS :welcome:

The DOB is definitely going to be your best bang for buck, and ideal if your intended use is only Observing. Not so good for astrophotography.

My previous track record included (but not limited to)
Chinese 6" Newtonian on EQ3
SW 8" Newtonian on EQ5
Celestron 4SE (Mak goto)
C9.25 SCT on EQ5 goto
SW 6" Mak on SE6 goto mount
CPC1100 (11"SCT on goto fork arm alt az mount)
SW 10" flex DOB

Any questions?
I prefer of all, the 10" DOB (Which was the cheapest of all the above! -bar #1)

[Scorpius51]

Hi elfinke, :welcome: to IIS forum.
An 8" Dob is a great way to start, and continue, in amateur astronomy. Aperture fever does take a grip on many of us after a while, but don't be too impatient to get there! They are exceptionally good value, and you usually get a few reasonable quality Plossl EPs in the purchase. They are light and easy to carry, and to set up.

Cheers
John

PS Don't forget Bintel, too!

[elfinke]

Thanks for the welcome! Yeah, I don't want to risk paralysis by analysis and I've already got the WAF to grab one of the aforementioned 8" Dobs, better get to it before a change of mind comes along!

In which case, look out for some questions next week!

/edit: I just read through your tags - wow, that is some serious equipment, and history! I'll spend a bit of time googling your gear.

[Davy_]

Hi all.
I have a Celestron SLT130 GOTO. I want to get an EQ motorised goto for astrophoto. Any advice on where in Melbourne is good for a mount. I have about a $1000. Doing a workshop in michaels in the city on DSLR astro pics.

Thanks in advance
Hope i,m in the correct area for this post.

Davy

[Wycky]

Howdy Folks,
My wife just brought me a Dob 6" Saxon for my birthday!!:D
I have always had an interest in Astronomy I had a refractor scope when I was a kid I use to play with.

I am new to this and would like to learn how to get the most out of my scope, meet up with others for some star gazing and tips.

[barx1963]

Hi Angelo.
Hang on to that wife. Spouses that give astro goodies are highly sought after!! :D
Seriously, that is a great present. What have you done with it so far? Back when I was much younger in the '70s a 6" Newt was considered a good size amateur scope. Anything much bigger was a serious instrument. Should give lots of pleasure.

Malcolm

[elfinke]

Went to pull the trigger on one of the 8" Dobs at Andrews late last week when I saw that the price had jumped from $399 to $449 :(

It's still a damn good price, given the eyepieces (from my reading anyway), but knowing it was $50 cheaper a day or two earlier has put me off buying one altogether now.

What a bugger.

[BFUBBS]

I am new here and while browsing the forums I have noticed that people have mentioned goto/tracking scopes are good for an hour or two before they run out of batteries (unless plugged into a car cigarette lighter or mains). I solved this problem by purchasing a jump starter pack from supercheap auto. I have since used it twice for about 6 hours each night, never turning tracking off and it is still registering as fully charged. I am guessing that I could get about 30 nights out of it before I run out of batteries... Also if you are using multiple scopes that track you can get jumper packs with two cigarette lighter points to run two scopes.

Hope this helps those that track with out a power source nearby or in groups or those that just don't want to waste money on batteries.

My question is this: I have a celestron nexstar 8 and its Auto align feature is always off (not accurate), for those that are familiar it uses lat/long, date/time, alignment to north whilst level and known two stars to triangulate itself. Should I be using true north or magnetic north for alignment?

Also if anyone can point out a good spot for viewing, I live in Kelmscott, Western Australia and was hoping for somewhere south east of Perth, within an hour or so. I currently use my old high school oval but the half dozen or so street lights are making it difficult to go above magnitude 6 or 7.

[Antonius]

Hello fellow beginners,
My stepson recieved a Heritage 130p flex dobsonian for xmas and has no interest in astronomy, so i thought i would take it up as a hobby (He also got a sonor drum kit for his birthday that he has no interest in either, so i'm into that too). Any tips on how to get the best out of my telescope would be very much appreciated. I have viewed Jupiter with it with the x10 lens which was amazing and of the moon in the day which was great also. I am looking forward to viewing the panstarrs comet before sunrise if possible and i am yet to view Saturn. Thanks.

[BFUBBS]

Hi antonius,

1. plan your night, figure out what you want to see and what time. try get everything to be as high up (at/near zenith) as possible so you are looking through the least atmosphere. I use Stellarium to assist in this (http://www.stellarium.org/)
2. plan based on apparent magnitude (lower number = brighter object), start off easy and get dimmer. as time goes by you will be able to see dimmer things with an improvement of technique so also throw a few dimmer objects in as well. If you can't find them review things (compare views now as apposed to six months ago) you have previously seen from your...
3. journal. keep one. place, date, conditions, what you observed, what it looked like, what eyepieces/filters/scope you used, how cross the wife/girlfriend/husband etc was at that time of night, draw a sketch (not of the angry partner, the observed object). So you can review your observations try and improve on them etc.
4. get away from light sources. street lights, large cities, if you smoke understand that lighting a cigarette will blind you, (my girlfriend taking flash photography just as I was getting my night vision), the moon (unless you want to observe it) will "wash out" the fainter objects especially when it is full so try get a night when the moon is out during the day or as close to new moon as possible. (on the left of this page there is a picture of the moon, click it. that will take you to all the info you need in this regard).
5. you mention viewing PANSTARRS, look out for Comet Lemmon too.
6. you mention viewing planets, if your scopes eyepieces accept filters have a go with different color filters, they bring out different details in planets and are between 10 - 20 bucks, which I think make the viewing more of an activity/challenge, but also more rewarding.
7. get a chair/stool so you have a good spot to view from, my back thanks me every weekend.

and just a word on convention; an eyepiece has a focal length in millimeters. the magnification you get is the focal length of the scope devided by the focal length of the eyepiece. So your scope has a 650 mm focal length, your two eyepieces are 25 mm and 10 mm if you got the ones that I think came with your scope, you get 650/25=26x and 650/10=65x. If you wanted ten times magnification you would need a 65mm eyepiece.

see these lists for help choosing your next target (excel format download link in the thread):
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=45678 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=45678&highlight=bambos+list)
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=45971
Start at low magnitudes, check what time these objects will be at/as close to zenith using Stellarium and go for it.

Finally Welcome to the community, good luck!

Edit: see here http://dso-browser.com/
very good site for creating a viewing list for the night, lots of options.

[elfinke]

So, if I said that my upcoming forecast looks like this:


Feb 15
Possible T/Storm
Feb 16
Showers
Feb 17
Possible Shower
Feb 18
Possible Shower
Feb 19
Possible Shower
Feb 20
Mostly Sunny
Feb 21
Possible Shower


What would your first guesses be as to what I bought this week? :rolleyes: So I would like to apologise to everyone in the NE of NSW and SE of QLD. The clouds are more or less my fault, they're causally related to my purchase I'm sure!

[Diamondskies]

Hi there,
I've just been given a Celestron Nexstar 8SE by my gorgeous husband and I'm sooooo excited and raring to go!! I'd love to get any tips or advice from anyone with the same or similar scopes or just tips for a beginner in general. Can't wait for clear skies :)

[Allan_L]

Hi Lilli,
welcome to Ice in Space :welcome:

Thats a very nice piece of equipment you have received.
It should provide you with some wonderful views of the Cosmos.
And goto to boot.

I have owned an 8SE in the past, and once you learn to enter your latitude and longitude and date and time in the format it requires, you should find it a breeze to operate. Make sure you read the manual!

If you have any questions, post them in the beginners equipment forum and I am sure you will get lots of good advice.

Firstly, download Stellarium (its free) and it will help you to find your way around the night sky.

Clear Skies

[Diamondskies]

Hi Allan,
Thanks for your welcome. I do have an equipment question re setup of Skysync so thanks too for pointing me in the direction of the right forum.

Cheers and clear skies to you too :hi:

[BFUBBS]

I would make my first purchase a spirit level, then find an app that retrieves your gps coordinates.

If you find that you are not getting good alignment on this scope in a different part of the sky request something and then find it manually, perform a "3-star" alignment (replace an original star with a new star/object basically whatever it is you told the scope you want to see.

Next purchase: head to supercheap auto or similar and buy a car "jump start pack" with two cigarette lighter points on it, use one to run your scope so you can be miles away from your car/ power point with no problems a med/large one of these will run this scope all night every night for weeks, don't bother with batteries. the second power point can be used for dew control for example which I find I need with this scope. I use this site

http://dso-browser.com/

to plan my viewing nights alongside stellarium. filter to a magnitude you would like to attempt for example, sort list given by time of max altitude and then go down the list and pick off whatever takes you fancy...

any other questions about this scope send me a message/post up here.

P.S. if the scope tells you "Warning! OTA will collide with something!" (or something along those lines anyway) then believe it and abort slewing to that object, because it is not lying to you. Just trust me on this one...

Good luck, It will serve you well.

[Allan_L]

For the Mount: A round level is better than a straight level as you can get all the angles at once. (this will save a lot of time).

[Allan_L]

Sorry, but this does not seem right for an Alt/Az mount.
Certainly not for my 8SE. (a SCT on a single arm Alt Az mount)
Are you talking about using a wedge to make it act like a EQ mount?

Lilli,
If using the standard Alt Az mount, set up is much easier. There are several methods. Make sure to Read the manual.
Basic Auto Align worked fine for me 95% of the time.

Hope this helps

[BFUBBS]

Thats what I get prompted, But realisation strikes me that I have a relic version of the scope Nextar 8, not 8SE. so we have two different alignment procedures. I stand corrected and will edit my previous post. Just for information sharings sake the nextar 8 used level and north plus lat, long, date and time to get a rough idea of where to slew to for the alignment stars. That is it knew where it was pointing and where it was and when it was so it used that information to guess where the alignment star should be (eg turn left 15 degrees, 35 degrees altitude from where it currently is).

[Diamondskies]

Thanks Bfubbs and Allan for your great advice. I've already got the Powertank (thanks again to my husband who never does things by halves and bought me the WHOLE kit and caboodle :) - skysync gps, p/tank, camera adaptors EPs etc). Now all I have to do is learn how to use it all. Cloudy skies at the moment so I can only read and re-read the manual. Allan, I was going to purchase a standard spirit level so your advice re a round one is just in time. Thanks again guys and Bfubbs I will definately msg you if I have problems.

[NovaStar]

Hi all, I have been a member for years but need 5 posts before i can place a classified, one
Cheers Basil

[Douvie]

Hi All,

I finally decided to register. I have been looking at the sky, night sky that is, for years trying to figure out how those ancient observers came up with all those constellations. I sort of can see a few of the major ones, like Scorpio and the Southern Cross.

In recent times, my wife bought a 130 mm celestron astromaster scope. Yeah, it has the mechanical one with German Equatorial Mount which I have been trying to adjust and understand - not.

I also attempted a bit of astrophotography with my Canon 5D mk II. Had mixed results with this. I hope to learn more.

[barx1963]

Hi John and welcome! The constellations are a bit confusing at first. One thing to remember is that many of them were not ancient constellations. The ancients made groupings out of obvious shapes, Orion, Scorpius, Leo, Pegasus for example) Many of the modern 88 constellations are of relatively recent origin especially the southern ones and the current list was only settled in the 1920s. There are many defunct constellations that did not make the list as well. The history of constellations is quite interesting.

Malcolm

[Doogs38]

Hi Folks. I've been interested in astronomy since childhood but for many reasons never had anything more than binoculars with which to view the heavens. I recently obtained a pre-loved Skywatcher 130mm newtonian (blue tube) and I'm having a marvellous time - when the weather isn't being disagreeable here in SEQLD! I've now spent many hours looking at Jupiter and Saturn, the moon, globular clusters, nebula etc and I'm completely fascinated with what I can see with my small aperture. I've bought some new eyepieces (13mm Orion Stratus, 5mm Orion Edge-on Planetary & a 20mm Orion Expanse) to replace those provided with the telescope, and got myself a moon filter. Like all beginners I have a lot to learn but the beauty is it's all interesting stuff. It's like a novel that you can't put down :) If I still feel the same way in 12-18 months, then I'll consider buying a 10 or 12 inch instrument.

Alex

PS I live slightly west of Ipswich where light pollution is still apparent, but far less then being in town - a moonless night looks fabulous :-)

[kali]

Hi!

I've been reading up on a few telescopes and there are so many recommendations out there it's become very confusing! So I thought I'd ask some experienced users. I was thinking of either getting the Saxon 909EQ2 90mm Refractor Telescope or the Celestron AstroMaster 90AZ Refractor Telescope. What are your thoughts? Or if someone can recommend something that's priced from $200-$400 that would be great too!

I'm a beginner and have never owned or used a telescope before! I'm looking at getting a new digital camera as well so I can get into some astrophotography. Any recommendations are much appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Kali

[absolut]

Hi Kali and :welcome:

As an owner of the Saxon 909EQ2 (purchased from OzScopes), I can only recommend you don't get the EQ version... That mount is now sitting in the back of my closet. The scope is quite good though (for a cheapie). Only 1 of the eyepieces is respectable, the 10mm that came with mine is awful!

I'm going to give you the advice that I didn't have when I bought my scope (I am a really bad impulse buyer!).
Get "The Backyard Astronomers Guide" and read it.

First thing they tell you about a 90mm scope is it should be on a sturdier EQ3 mount. The EQ2 is particularly nasty with this long refractor... you spend the whole time waiting for the wobbles to settle before you can spend any time looking at anything! That said, the AltAz mounts have their own quirks. Research is your friend. If nothing else, read the reams of amazing advice that can be found on IceInSpace!...

Additionally I recommend you take a look at www.bintel.com.au
I've had nothing but excellent advice and amazing service from them!!

In short, my biggest regret (easily worth $200-400 wasted) is not reading the book first!...

So, please read it!...
Please...
Pretty please...

Good reading and clear skies!!
Rob

[ZeroID]

Hi Kali, best advice, get down to a local club and try out a few scopes so you get an idea of how they work and what suits your ambitions best.
In your price range I'd suggest an 80 mm f5 refractor, Orion or Skywatcher or similar. (They are all made in the same factory) They are quite often sold as a guide scope which I originally bought mine for but as a grab and go and just dang nice wide feild scope they are good value..
If your ambition is to see more then look for a second hand 8" or 10" Dob for more aperture or possibly with a few more $$ watch out for a good deal from retailers like Bintel.

Best advice though is still go and try some with a local astro group.

[kali]

Hi Rob and Brent,

Thank you both for your awesome advice. It really helped heaps! I just bought the book on amazon so hopefully get it sometime next week. Will definitely have to do more research on scopes and check out Bintel. Tried to find some stores to go to in Sydney but it seems a lot of the shops are online these days.

I have looked up a few astro groups, but not sure which one to go to. If anyone can recommend any in Sydney that would be great too!

Thanks again!!

Kali

[Scorpius51]

Hi Kali,

Bintel has a shop in Glebe.

Check out their web site for details @
http://www.bintel.com.au/contactus.aspx

Also, check out the current scopes in the IceTrades section on this forum. There are some good 2nd hand scopes available now.

[Nebuloso]

My name is tony and I've only got myself involved in astronomy in the past 6 months though have had an interest for many years. I own a celestron 6se and have purchased a few accessories such as a power tank portable battery, a co2 filter and camera mount for photography. I'm really loving pointing my scope at far off objects which never cease to amaze me regardless of how many times I look at them. Hoping to get to know you all better and share my love of astronomy with you all.
Cheers.

[stargaze]

Hi all

A friend recently brought over a telescope and we had a little bit of a play around with it (neither of us knew much about astronomy).

We managed to focus on the moon and what an amazing sight!!

I have zero knowledge on astronomy - hoping to find out more by reading and absorbing the knowledge of the iceinspace community :D

I've read that as a total beginner it's better to start off with a pair of binoculars as opposed to jumping straight into telescopes. This subject is probably discussed to death, but am happy to hear any thoughts on this.

Thanks!

[Jen]

:welcome: to IIS you have come to the right place you will learn heaps here :thumbsup: and depends on where you live you could go to one of the observing nights to get some awsome hand on stuff
Cheers :D

[Howard]

Second Jen's comment. I am also an absolute beginner and went to several local area astronomy club viewing nights. Sorted out quite a lot of questions. Totally befuddled before going ... only slightly befuddled now :)

One of the biggest issues I had was I tend to dive into hobbies big time and spend way over my budget. So my mission going along to club viewing nights was trying to answer the question .... do I really want to spend a bunch of money on this hobby, or am I going to look through a bunch of scopes at a bunch of objects over several weeks and then decide it isn't for me? (before spending a bunch of money!)

[townsy]

Hello all. I don't remember a time when I wasn't interested in space and, it seems, the genes have been passed on to my son. I've always wanted to get involved in some astrophotography and thought now would be a good time to get started seeing as my son has shown such interest. Anyway, I have a few questions. I'm getting myself a DSLR and the camera I have settled on is a Canon D60 which I will not be getting modified, at least not yet as I still want to use it for every day shots. I thought I would just attach it to an equatorial mount but which one? I inherited a Meade ETX-125 some years ago which does have a mount but it is not an equatorial. That mount is not in good shape these days anyway, the telescope is fine.

Short term I plan on just attaching the camera to an equatorial mount and taking some 'simple' shots of the night sky and perhaps planets while I learn the craft. However, I'd like to be able to, eventually, add a telescope to the mount rather than purchase another mount and attach the camera to the telescope. Perhaps that's too much forward planning... I guess it comes down to whether I am better off with, for example, an EQ3 or EQ5?

In regards to which mount, is it necessary to pay extra and use the GOTO software with the Skywatcher mounts or purchase a motorised equatorial mount and use EQMOD?

There appears to be at least one method to polar align a mount using a CCD or DSLR, is it more simple to use a polar scope?

Thank you, in advance, for any help you give.

[1parsec]

Hello all forum menbers,

My name is Dave and I live in the UK, Banbury, Oxfordshire.
I've been in to astronomy for many years and have a ccd camera and
10"f6.3 newtonian and enjoy imaging but also like the visual too.
I'm an engineer and often making bits and bobs and doing things to improve my set up as time allows.

All the best, Dave.

[Ric]

Hi Dave and welcome to IIS. :welcome:

I'm looking forward to seeing some of your images.

Cheers

[dodgy al]

Hi all

I'm with Basil - have been a member for a while but this is my first post, stimulated by the need to chalk up a few before I can place a classified.

I've always been interested in astronomy but have done very little about it apart from buying equipment that I've hardly ever & sometimes never used due to a) light pollution & b) my natural tendency towards laziness.

I grew up in a country lane on the outskirts of Rockhampton with fabulous dark skies & can never remember a time when I'd look up at the Milky Way without an enormous sense of wonder. In late October 1965 I'd get up before 4:00 AM to "study" for the big Junior exams and spend the first half hour or so in the back yard gazing breathlessly at the great comet.

I'll never forget that experience - it was what got me out of bed.

I love reading about telescopes & have learnt a lot from these forums. Now that I've cracked the ice I might become annoying by asking questions.

Thanks to everyone for making such a great site to visit.

Alan

[mulberry]

Hi everyone,

I am glad to have found this friendly looking forum and fabulous resource. I bought my first refractor (an itty bitty one, really) to view Halley's Comet. Since then, I have mainly pointed it at the moon. Sadly last year, it suffered a fatal accident and I have been scope-less. A helpful fellow from the Brisbane Astronomy Society let me look through his very large dobsonian a few months ago and I realised that I have really been flying blind all these years. For the first time I saw the moons of Jupiter and some other objects invisible to the naked eye! He recommended this forum as a place to learn exactly what kind of scope I need and how to use it. I live too far from any of the clubs to be a regular visitor - but we do get some good dark skies here, especially in winter.

Anyways - looking forward to learning more and 'meeting' you all.

Suz

[barx1963]

Suz
Nice to see you here and welcome to IIS. There is nothing like that first look through a big Dob. Are you thinking in that direction? And how big do you consider "big"?
An 8" dob was what was once considered a big scope and can see lots of objects especially in a dark sky. Easy to setup, portable, inexpensive. Going bigger to 10" or 12" the costs go up a bit and portability becomes more of an issue, but you retain ease of setup and can see lots more.
Over 12" you are getting into serious aperture with lots of decisions to be made.
Anyway, let us know how you go in your astro journey!!

:thumbsup:

Malcolm

[Shark Bait]

Hi Suz,

Halley's Comet is what got me interested as well.

The dark skies at your location are the stuff of dreams for most who live in the city. I wonder if the scope you looked through was the 14" GOTO Dob that belongs Chris? He and his Wife usually make the trip to Mt Coot-tha for the free public viewing nights.

It is a pity that there are no Astronomical Societies near you, maybe you could start one in your local area? You don't have to be an expert, all that is needed is a passion for the hobby.

Society or not, IIS is the place to be for all things to do with astronomy.

Stu.

[JungSte]

Hi all,

My name is Stephan, I am a newbie and want to say hello to all users of this excellent website.


Long time ago I studied physics, which I did completely by choice, so there was always some interest in astronomy and all the stuff around our little spaceship earth. But for me it really started when Brian Cox’s series ‘Wonders of the Universe’ was broadcasted here is Australia two years ago or so. I started thinking of acquiring some gear. But that turned out to be more difficult than expected and so I let it go for a while.

When ‘Wonders of the Universe’ was back on the telly some months ago, my interest came back and I re-started my hunt. Being unsure if I was just in a temporary mood or seriously interested I was reluctant to spend big bucks. First I was leaning towards an iOptron Smartstar mount plus a Vixen VMC110L OTA, but decided that approx. $800 was way too much for something that could become too small fairly quickly. So I thought an ETX could be the solution and threw an ‘I take it’ PM to an ETX ad on this website, but the seller decided to withdraw the ad and to keep the scope. I then found a website offering an ETX for little money and I ordered one – it looked like a perfect opportunity – but some 8 weeks later they told me that they couldn’t deliver the thing, instead they refunded the money and so I was back to square one.

I thus increased my $ limits and yep, that did the job. The other day I eventually bought a HEQ5pro from an iceinspace member – and on top a SWED80, although this wasn’t my first scope of choice. But the price was simply irresistible. Well, the scope came basically without anything. So I learned in the meantime that amateur astronomy is a synonym for spending big $s for little, tiny things: I bought nice William Optics focuser & eyepieces plus a GSO diagonal.

So I am ready to go and it’s time for some nights with clear skys! The good thing is that I live in SA, in the Adelaide Hills to be precise. 600m high and far enough from the (country) town Adelaide to have frequently good views at the milky way. The balcony will thus be a good place to start. I expect that the alignment of the EQ mount will kill me the first couple of times, but what can you do?

Thanks everyone for making this website such a useful and interesting place!

Cheers,
Stephan

[louie_the_fly]

Hi Stephan. :welcome:

I also live in the Adelaide Hills. Moved to a dark sky site in April and haven't had my scope out yet (8inch SCT on a yet to be used HEQ5Pro). It's really been throwing the rain down this winter. I think we've had nearly 500mm here since we moved in - in an area that has 550 - 650mm annually.

Enjoy the dark sky.

Regards

Stewart

[JungSte]

Thanks Steward,

And you are absolutely right! Winter can be a bit challenging here. But wait for spring to arrive! Beautiful days with 23 °C, crisp air and beautiful colors – just priceless! Not to mention the nights ...


Never heard about Harrogate though, needed to look it up in Google Maps. Looks like a really dark place, unlike Crafers which is a bit on the edge. I am sure your SCT will have heaps of fun during the next couple of months – and yourself as well!

Cheers,
s.

[louie_the_fly]

Stephan, Harrogate is just 10 minutes east of Woodside, so about 25 minutes from where you are. It certainly gets cold around Crafers and through the valley. Did you have snow the other week?

Our nearest neighbor is about 800 metres away, and we're about 600 metres off the main road behind a couple of hills, so no light pollution. Sometimes it's a bit too dark and quiet. :lol:

Stew