Quote:
Originally Posted by Noodles
Thanks for all the reply's, my scope is Celestron 70az AstroMaster , so if i wanted to see further would i need a better lense or eye piece ?
So confused on how to find stuff in the sky, i just point scope at what i see with naked eye and then try find it, like i said having trouble with the red dot when i keep both eyes open and look through it's hard to line up with what im trying to see.
Will keep trying thou.
Thanks again.
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Hi Michael,
There is no rush. Just cruise at your own pace. For that scope views will get better the darker the skies. I don't know exactly what the sky is like at your location, but it should allow you to see the brighter sights.
The first skill you should probably have a go at is star-hopping, that is, finding your way to an object by navigating from the bright stars in a constellation. So it follows from that you will be well served if you can pick out the constellations, at least with a reference at your side.
Then if you want to look at say , 47 Tuc,
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970919.html
you can find your way to it.
This can be done by installing night sky view software like Cartes du Ciel or Stellarium
http://www.stellarium.org/
http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/start
which will allow you to set your location, time, and viewing direction. Another way is to go outside with a Southern star atlas like
http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Sky-G...4769254&sr=1-5
As to the red dot finder, it might not be quite lined up with the telescope. There are alignment thumbwheels on it for that. Find a distant street light or bright star in your telescope eyepiece, centre it, and adjust the finder onto it.
The best eyepieces for you to use at the moment are the wider field ones. These will also have less magnification, but are much easier for you to use. A 20mm eyepiece is a good compromise, and gives you 900/20 = 45x magnification, which is good for general viewing.
A 10mm eyepiece of the same type would give you 90x, but half the field of view, meaning that the object would be harder to find.
I believe the Plossl eyepieces 15mm and more are good value for a beginning observer. Less than 15mm, I think just a bit more money is justified, to get better performance and a wider field of view at the eye, for example
http://www.bintel.com.au/Eyepieces-a...oductview.aspx
Opinions differ very widely on eyepieces, but there is no point buying a hugely expensive EP until you are ready with a hugely expensive scope
Cheers