Hi guys I am brand New to Astronomy.

[inferno]

Hi everyone my name is Chris and i live in the Newcastle area. About a month ago i took my sons telescope out the front because a website said you could see Saturn really easily and it was easy to find because it was next to the moon. My sons telescope is a very cheap $50 piece from aldi...lol
But low and behold we could even see the rings a bit. From then on my family has been hooked. I bought a 114mm x 500mm newtonian with an eq III mount from ebay. It works great for the price i paid. I have skyview cafe and sastro view online on my comp but i now find it hard to see saturn again..lol
I am joining the newcastle astro society this month which should help me out.
Is this a good enough telescope for the back yard explorer. Money was a big option for me at the time of sale. Will i be able to see anything besides the big planets?
Thanx guys only new here.

[rmcpb (Rob)]

Welcome to IIS Chris.

Yes, your scope is good for more than just the bright planets. There is the moon of course and open clusters would be brilliant, have a look at the Jewelbox in Crux.

Just have a dig around the Crux/Carina area as many of the clusters and nebulae there are even naked eye objects so your scope will improve the view, you should be able to see the Keyhole nebula there quite easily and of course the Great Orion nebula.

Keep looking up

[Matty P (Matt)]

Originally Posted by inferno

Hi everyone my name is Chris and i live in the Newcastle area. About a month ago i took my sons telescope out the front because a website said you could see Saturn really easily and it was easy to find because it was next to the moon. My sons telescope is a very cheap $50 piece from aldi...lol
But low and behold we could even see the rings a bit. From then on my family has been hooked. I bought a 114mm x 500mm newtonian with an eq III mount from ebay. It works great for the price i paid. I have skyview cafe and sastro view online on my comp but i now find it hard to see saturn again..lol
I am joining the newcastle astro society this month which should help me out.
Is this a good enough telescope for the back yard explorer. Money was a big option for me at the time of sale. Will i be able to see anything besides the big planets?
Thanx guys only new here.

Hi Chris and welcome to IIS!

Your 114mm newtonian should more than enough to peer deep into space. I'm pretty sure most newbies like you will soon realise that you don't need a massive telescope to see the wonders of the universe and that all you really need to know is what to look for. I learnt that the hard way.

A good starting point will be to observe the bright planets to get your bearings. Then when you are ready you should try to locate some of the many bright Deep Sky Objects (DSO) like the M42. I suggest you buy a book to help you to recognise the night sky and the constellations.

Oh and another thing. You should check the collimation of you scope. I'm sure many others can shed light on this.

[Rodstar (Rod)]

Welcome Chris. You had best make an appointment with your bank manager....you may need some $$ in the coming months and years!!

Seriously, I would recommend you go to a gathering of local amateur astronomers in your area to learn the ropes. Seeing what other people do, looking at their gear, etc, teaches so much so quickly.

We are meeting this Saturday night on the Central Coast, and you are welcome to join us....look out for the thread on the Mangrove Mountain Pony Club gathering...otherwise, there may be something much closer. I think HOugy would be able to stear you in the right direction, being a Novocastrian himself.

[WadeH (Wade)]

Welcome to astronomy and IIS Chris.

You have now entered a world of wonder, very late nights and endless fustration with the weather.

Another very good free star chart program which many here use is Cartes du Ciel at:

http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

Again welcome

[Ric]

Welcome to IIS Chris, I hope you have a great time here with us and I'm sure all your questions will be answered as well.

Cheers

[erick (Eric)]

Hi Chris and to IIS.

You are well on the way. Skyviewcafe will help you find Saturn again, don't worry. Best time for Saturn is late in the evning. It is almost directly to the North around 1am. Look for a creamy-yellow coloured object.

Try getting up early one morning (maybe 5am) and look for Jupiter, about 30 deg up to the East. Apart from the Moon, it will be the brightest object. A bit later, even brighter Venus rises in the East, but not much to see with Venus. Jupiter has much more of interest.

Look up NGC 4755 (The Jewel Box) on Skyviewcafe. It is near the Southern Cross. That will be nice to see mid evening this weekend.

This weekend is the time for touring the skies from a dark location - no Moon to wash out the sky.

Early next week, look for the crescent Moon soon after sunset. That will also be a nice sight. Just don't point the telescope towards the sun while it is still in the sky. Magnified unfiltered sunlight will destroy your eyes!

Have fun with the family
Eric

[inferno]

I was home from work at 6am this morn and jumped at the prospect of seeing some planets. It was unreal
First up i seen jupiter better than i ever would have thought even using my 2x barlow with the 4mm eyepiece. Even the moons were visible with a touch of light on the horizon....spectacular
Then when venus came up the sun was starting to tint the sky too much but it was also a lovely sight.
As for saturn i found i was doing it all wrong. It said it was at about 30 deg on the astro viewer.... But it was actually straight above my head almost... but now i know where it is. This is going to be a great hobby which i see will turn into an obsession.