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Old 26-10-2005, 06:36 PM
rumples riot
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rumples riot is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Blackwood South Australia
Posts: 3,051
Moving the scope aside; your biggest problem at the moment is that you don't know what focus should look like.

In your 150mm reflector with a 25mm EP in the focusor Mars will appear as a bright orange dot. If you see, as you say the edge of Mars this is an indication that your scope is way out of focus. So with this in mind slowly move the focusing knob where the eyepiece, it looks like the focusing knob on a microscope. Try to get the edge of the defocused image to move more central by using the controls for movement i.e. the long turning knobs on a Equatorial scope or if the scope is a dobsonian (a tube that is sitting in a box) by moving the scope with your hand. As you do this slowly wind the focusor. If you are going in the right direction the circle or defocused image(what you called the edge of Mars) will get smaller. Keep doing this and making small adjustments to centre Mars. Eventually, Mars will appear as a bright dot with that EP. Now replace the EP with the 9mm and refocus with that EP. The image of mars will be bigger but not much more. You should see some detal but not a lot. The moon on the other hand will present you with lots of fascinating craters and valleys. Excellent for learning your scope with.

Things to remember, using the focusor simply focuses with an eyepiece. It does not zoom in an out. Also try as suggested to focus during the day on distant objects, this will help you understand focus. Even align your scope with the finder scope at this time. Look for a distant object and then align the finder with the image in the scope.
Also please tell us what brand model number your scope is, so that we can help you learn your scope.

Get back to us soon.
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