Another Newby

[TheoHE (Theo)]

Hi Guys, I joined this site several weeks ago ans have been popping in from time to time. Was greeted this morning with the message that I had no posts and how about intoducing yourself. Thing is I'm not really sure how threads work. I do have questions, though they've probably been asked a thousand times, hence the hesitation. I'm in my late 50's but always been fascinated by the night sky. Some months ago, in Makro I bought a small cheap chinese reflector on a whim $59!!!! My partner and I were pleased with our view of the moon but finding anything else was quite another matter. Then at the beginning of December, we found out that the beautiful sight we were seeing was actually Jupiter and Venus, and wonder of wonders we could pick out 4 pin pricks of light, Jupiters moons. That was it, I wanted to get a better telescope. Now a couple of questions: Is it difficult to find objects with say an 8 to 10 inch Dobsonian? If you find one will it have disappeared from view by the time your friend or friends has a look in the eye piece? For example a planet view, or a deep space object. I would like to share the experience. Sorry this first post was kinda long, Does a goto telescope follow the object for you? Theo from Perth

[Quark (Trevor)]

Hi Theo and welcome,
There are many great objects to view in our night sky with the apertures you suggest.

I would highly recommend that you look up the nearest Astronomy Group in your area for guidance. At your stage a "Star Wheel" would be a great investment to help find your way around the night sky.

Dobs are great configurations for beginners, the most bang for your buck, so to speak. They are easy to point and give pleasing images.

You are at the start of, hopefully a long and satisfying journey, in astronomy. Dobs, at low to medium magnifications are really excellent to tour and admire most of the deep sky Jewell's of the southern sky. Low power = wider field of view high power = narrower field of view.

Using high power in a scope that does not track will mean having to reposition the scope for each observer, however that is really only for solar system objects. For deep sky objects you will use only medium to low power and so not tracking is really not a problem for optical observing.

Regards
Trevor

[TheoHE (Theo)]

Many thanks for the welcome Trevor and the advice. I had thought that deep sky objects would require high magnifications to see. Hopefully in the next few months we will purchase a telescope, in the meantime I will try to learn from these pages. We are looking forward to the experience, so thanks for the encouragement. Theo from Perth

[renormalised (Carl)]

Hi Theo, welcome to IIS. As Trevor has already explained, a dob is great bang for your buck. Depending on what you want to spend, you can get quite a good little kit. There are plenty of online stores you can go to and have a look at the scopes and accessories. Sites such as Bintel will give you some idea of what's around and you may even like something there.

Also, if you want to pick up some reading matter, online bookstores such as Abbeys Bookshop have a large stock of astronomical books and bits. Plus you'll find heaps of info just going through the forums here and asking questions. We're a pretty friendly bunch and always willing to help

[GrahamL]

Hi Theo

Is it difficult to find objects with say an 8 to 10 inch Dobsonian

Good question .. You would be aware with your little reflector that finding things isn't that easy .. some of that is the small scope and average mount it probably sits on .. the rest is just a time thing ..finding your way around the night sky is a great experiance and does take some getting used to .. Lots of great charts and info archived her to search through to help you out .. when you do grab a bigger scope .. and if its a dob you decide on .. I'd recomend one of these
http://www.backyard-astro.com/equipm...ad/telrad.html

The dobs you are looking at are well mounted and easy to point around the sky.. the telrad helps you understand were you are pointing the scope in relation to any star charts /easy find objects / or returning to a given referance point.

welcome and enjoy your stay

[Ric]

Hi Theo, it looks like you've got a lot of usefull information to get you started so I'll just say welcome and have a great time here.

Cheers

[WadeH (Wade)]

Welcome Theo from another Sandgroper!

As you can see my scope is a 200mm newt. on a EQ5. Basically the same as a 8" dob. but on a tripod.

The objects it picks out are many and varied. You will never be bored! Most DSO's are observed at around 43X - 192X mag. with my eyepieces. The higher mag.'s are reserved for planetery observations. Tracking is never a problem at the lower magnifications.

As previously mentioned, the Telrads are great I use one in conjunction with my finderscope and good starcharts.

This is just the beginning, enjoy.

[xelasnave]

Welcome from me...and what everyone else said.
Just do something even if you dont get to share it... life is an experience and you miss most of it if you cant get a feel for where you are ...looking up and long does that somehow.
Best wishes
alex

[TheoHE (Theo)]

Gee, thanks for all your ideas and the welcome. I will follow up the leads given. I must confess I'm at work here in northern China so plenty of time for dreams. With the cold winter nights, we actually get to see some stars but for much of the time the air quality is very poor, at least where I am. No scope here. Headed back to Perth in a few days. I live in the hills, and over the years have noticed the night sky suffering more as the city expands. I saw the collapsible dobs in AS&T mag I took with me, such as the Skywatcher Flex Tube, which attracted me because it would occupy less storage space. Would the open sides be adversely affected by light for backyard watching? And does everything stay aligned ok just using two extension tubes? Thanks again, Theo

[xelasnave]

you can put a shroud over it which is imho a good idea..flex no idea.
alex

[garyp]

hi Theo and Welcome from me

Enjoy your time here, you will learn plenty here. it's a great site to ask all the questions you have.

See you around the forums

cheers

Gary