Hello from Michelle.

[Michelle]

Hi guys. Mum and dad finally bought me what I've always wanted for Christmas - a really good telescope. I've had it out a few times, reading the destructions and trying to figure out this thing with the Declination and th Right Ascension. Can't do it and have no idea.

What I have is a StarTracker 127mm reflector with a GEM mount. It has detailed instructions but I get lost. Aparently I have to set the RA to about -32 degrees for Perth then lock it all in place, but then my scope pointing at the ground when i enter Declination and Right Ascension for anything. I don't just want to cruise around the sky going "Ooooo" and "Ahhhh". I really want to get to work this thing properly and perhaps even improve on it. Hopefully I'll learn how to do that here.

Firstly though, I have to figure out how to set it up. Apparently I'm supposed to point the RA axis to the south (confused)

:thanx:

[BlackWidow]

Hi Michelle. My best advice is to join a club or Astronomical society in your area. You will get some great help and advice that will get you up and running fast. Here are a couple of sites that my help you get your head around setting up your telescope. In ref to Dec and RA just remember Declination is up and down and RA or Right assention is sideways in simple terms.

This is a great Ice in space tutorial and gives pictures on what to do

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/polar-align-basic.pdf

http://www.celestron.com/c3/support3/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=1734

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/polar-align-basic.pdf

Hope I have been some help Michelle.

Seeing Stars
Mardy

[that_guy]

Read up on Polar Alignment or Drift alignment, it's pretty easy when you get used to it... I take about 30 minutes prob cos im new at GEM too haha :lol:

[M110]

Howdy

[BlackWidow]

Sorry Michelle, this is the Ice in space link that I think will help you with your setup http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-498-0-0-1-0.html

Seeing Stars
Mardy

[Blue Skies]

Not*negative* 32, that should be positive 32 degrees above the horizon(and I think Mandurah is actually 33 degrees south). No wonder you're looking at the ground.

The idea is to have the RA axis in parallel with the earth's axis. It needs to be pointing at the south celestial pole, which the same height above your horizon as the latitude you are at.

Then you need to point the scope south once you've set the latitude. If you have a look at the article above that Mardy links to it has a table for magnetic variation, so if you're trying to use a compass to help you line it up south, you should try to remember this and apply it - and that means you should point the RA axis about 4 degrees to the east of where the compass says south is.

This should now have you roughly aligned and you should just be able to swing about the sky and investigate the bright stuff or what ever catches your fancy. I wouldn't get too hung up on what you're thinking is the "proper" use of the scope - if you get to meet other people using a similar setup you'll find they don't use it the way you would expect at all!

And don't get hung up on using the setting circles on the side, either. On small scopes like yours they usually aren't acurate. I would encourage you to instead get a feel for the way the scope works, find some star charts that you like the look of and feel you can understand (look in the sticky note section at the top of this sub-forum for some ideas) and start learning where the planets are, some constellations and some well-known bright objects within the constellations. Learn how to star-hop, basically.

Then, once you've got an idea of how the sky works and how your scope works, then come back and try the setting circles, as then you've hopefully got some idea of what might not be working when you try use the circles.

Practice pointing the scope - even finding the moon is hard to start with.

Learn how to see - it takes time and patience to learn how to really look through a telescope and get the most out of it. As an example, Jupiter is high in the evening sky at the moment. A lot of beginners look at it the first time and go "Is that it?!" Yes and no. There is detail on Jupiter, lots of it, but until you train your eye to learn what to expect up there, no, you might not see much. The same goes with faint deep sky objects.

Keep practising. The more you get the scope out (well, at least on a regular basis) the more proficient you'll become with it. We've got no excuse here in the west not to be out observing with all the dry weather we've been having. The heat will affect the seeing a bit, but there's still plenty to see up there.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

[renormalised]

Hi Michelle, welcome to IIS :):)

The others have given you some great advice...but don't be shy in asking questions, even if you think they maybe silly. There are no silly questions, just answers waiting to be discovered :)

[skyeye]

Hi Michelle, I'm new here too and have come to learn as welll.
Looks like a nice place with very friendly people.
Goodluck and hope you work it all out.

see ya round.:)

[jjjnettie]

Hi Michelle,
Welcome to IIS.
I can understand your confusion, using a GEM mount for the first time can be very frustrating. We've all been there.
Get in touch with your nearest Astro Society, they'll be able to help you understand your mount and how to set it up correctly.

[Michelle]

But i just can't do it! I do the RA thing and the scope is pointing at the bloody ground. I've read the article on how to set it up but.....Grrr. And (just when you thought I could be no blonder) I can't get 15 degrees RA (or was that minutes) as the scope hits it's own adjustment thingys when it moves that far.

Maybe I'll just point it at the sky and look. I saw a great nebula yesterday in the Orien Constelation. It was the best thing ever.

[jjjnettie]

These links are for the Northern Hemisphere, but still useful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkB5NCnFps&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh+div-1r-1-HM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plx6XXDgf2E

[RobF]

Hi Michelle. You can learn a heck of a lot with the 5" reflector you've received for XMAS. One suggestion - while you're learning your way around the sky it might be best to set the elevation of your scope to 90 degrees, effectively turning it into a more intuitive "up/down" arrangement rather than the much more confusing RA/DEC arrangement you're currently trying to understand. The only advantage of getting RA/DEC going is that you can keep an object in the eyepiece by twiddling a single knob, rather than 2 at once, however it takes significant effort to get that working for relatively little overall benefit when you're first starting out.

Have you got access to a pair of decent binoculars? They can be invaluable helping you find your way around the sky too. You'll need a decent book, or perhaps something like the freeware "Stellarium" if you're a computer person.

Focus on one small step at a time and don't let it frustrate you - you need to be having FUN remember. Any questions keeping reading, googling or asking the people here.

:welcome:

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Michelle,

Welcome!

All very confusing isnt it. Sounds like you have the enthusiasm you need to really enjoy Astronomy, but just need a few basics sorted out....

Most people will tell you here that I write essays to explain things, so rather than post a page and a half of explanations and theory, I've sent you a Private Message which can hopefully help things along.

Cheers

Chris.