Hi from newbie dob 130 gazer

[ClaireBaire (Claire)]

Hello from Adelaide.

I am a complete novice to astronomy. I've had my Heritage 130 dob for a month or so checking & puzzling over all sorts of things. Including spending hours and hours internet and equipment searches. Yeah, it's obsessive and my family are beginning to avoid me but mucho FUN for me

Modest achievements to date:

Jupiter and moons! Lots of lovely wide views, with no CA like my roof prism binos give.
Saturn with rings. Only two days ago I managed to get my first view of the rings
Mars with naked eye abt 5 days ago. A big, bright golden/orange object
Astonishing view of Venus with naked eye in mid March about 5am.

Catch you all at the next post when I discuss my bugbears.. Until then happy observing with (hopefully) clear skies.

Claire.

[OzStarGazer]

Congratulations and welcome!

[ClaireBaire (Claire)]

Originally Posted by OzStarGazer

Congratulations and welcome!

Cheers Oz.

[Varangian (John)]

Welcome Claire, there is nothing quite so rewarding as scanning the sky with the naked eye, the widest view of all! Happy times with your new hobby.

[ClaireBaire (Claire)]

Originally Posted by Varangian

Welcome Claire, there is nothing quite so rewarding as scanning the sky with the naked eye, the widest view of all! Happy times with your new hobby.

Thank you Varangian, I am enjoying it immensely.

[Regulus (Trevor)]

Welcome to the world of the sleep deprived Claire. Your next purchase should probably be a thermos flask :-)

Trev

[Amaranthus (Barry)]

If you saw Venus at 5am, did you hang around for another hour and catch elusive Mercury too? It's fun catching that little sun grazer for the first time.

[LightningNZ (Cam)]

Welcome aboard Claire and congrats on getting a great little scope. I have plans to buy on for myself in the near future (though I first used one a few years ago and thought they were mint).

Cheers and clear skies,
Cam

[OzStarGazer]

Originally Posted by Amaranthus

If you saw Venus at 5am, did you hang around for another hour and catch elusive Mercury too? It's fun catching that little sun grazer for the first time.

Can it be seen well with the Skywatcher 130p? It is smaller than Mars...
I can't wait to see it too, but I checked in Starry Night and it is still behind trees right now, and by the time it comes out the sky will be too bright, but I hope to be able to see it in a few weeks....

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by OzStarGazer

Can it be seen well with the Skywatcher 130p? It is smaller than Mars...

Yes, Venus is easiy observed in a 130 mm scope - even in full daylight, if you know where to look. (Just take care not to accidentally point your scope at the Sun while you're searching!)

[OzStarGazer]

Originally Posted by julianh72

Yes, Venus is easiy observed in a 130 mm scope - even in full daylight, if you know where to look. (Just take care not to accidentally point your scope at the Sun while you're searching!)

Thanks, but I meant Mercury...

Edit: I tried Starry Night, and this is what it would look like with a telescope like the SW Heritage 130p and a Televue Radian 8mm eyepiece:

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by OzStarGazer

Thanks, but I meant Mercury...

Edit: I tried Starry Night, and this is what it would look like with a telescope like the SW Heritage 130p and a Televue Radian 8mm eyepiece:

Mercury can also be viewed in a 130 mm, but you won't see much other than the changing phases, and the windows of opportunity are shorter because it stays so close to the Sun. Maximum elongation is coming up on 25 May, when it will be 22 degrees away from the Sun.

[Amaranthus (Barry)]

Yes, you can see it okay - it looks like a tiny gibbous moon at the moment.

[OzStarGazer]

Thanks, Barry and Julian. I will have a look when it will become visible from my balcony.