|
Wow! A 12" for a first scope! Try not to be overwhelmed when you get it.. it's absolutely huge if you're not used to what they look like.
Laser collimaters can be hit and miss, I prefer the cheshire kind. But you might do ok with the laser, just get some advice from those who use them because they can be tricky and you could spend all night trying to fix a collimation error that doesn't exist.
What binoculars did you get? If they're cheap 10x25's or similar, it's unlikely they'll have a tripod mounting screwhole. If you got a decent pair and they do have this, you'll still need to get a tripod adapter - this screws into both your binoculars (at one end) and the tripod head on the other. They're only around $15 or so at a few places.
Some good magazines/books you got there, that's pretty much all you'd need to get started, except for a planisphere. I recommend you get a planisphere which has a wheel that spins around to match up the time with the date, and has north on one side and south on the other.
Red LED torches can be found in most hardwarey/electronicy type shops, or even Australian Geographic shop. Or, get some red cellophane and tape it over the front of a whitelight torch for starters.
The fan is to aid in cooldown type for the primary mirror. If there's a large difference in temperature between the outside and inside the tube (and the mirror glass), you'll get nasty currents flowing through your tube as well as your primary changing shape/collimation as it cools down and contracts or expands. The fan will help your mirror cooldown and reach ambient temperature a bit faster, meaning in theory you don't have to leave it (the scope) out as long to cooldown before you start observing.
Anyway you'll have a ball! can't wait to read your first light report!
|