Complete beginner.. help!

Youssef (Youssef) · #1 13-06-2010, 08:36 PM

Hello

I hope not to annoy anyone with very very basic questions - but I must ask for help!

I have a telescope and which is very old - and i wish to use it. I'm not sure how old - I remember it from my childhood so it mut be at least 15 years! It is called Apollo something something...

Anyway... I have recently felt the strong urge to use it again, as my fondest childhood memories were with this same telescope (and someone who could use it)

It was all in many many peices - so I have put it mostly together (I think) but i still have lots of questions.

My first is to ask where I can get basic information about terminology and slang. My english is not 100 percent and I do not understand some of the terms used on here such as DOB. Any source which says the technical words and meaning would be helpful

Second - I must ask - I have mostly put all the parts on the telescope. But there is a pair of items i do not know where to put. They are bendy sticks with knobs on the end. I am vry sure they are for adjusting the angles but i dont know wher to put them. Can anyone help with this?

Finally (for now) can someone describe lenses and the differences between the sizes. I have a 6mm ad a 40mm and an unknown which i assume is inbetween. I find i cannot see anything except with the 40mm one.

Thank you so much andplease dont be angry with my basic questions!

that_guy (Tony) · #2 13-06-2010, 08:44 PM

DOB is a short hand for dobsonian mounted newts and I think that the knob thing is a focuser... and yes you need it to bring things in to focus. Is the scope a refractor or a newtonian?
Cheers,
Tony

Youssef (Youssef) · #3 13-06-2010, 08:47 PM

Tony

The telescope says refractor - I don't know the difference

Thanks

that_guy (Tony) · #4 13-06-2010, 09:02 PM

refractors have lenses reflectors have mirrors. Refractors concentrates the light to one single point, while reflectors gathers the light using the mirrorand concentrates it all to a secondary mirror and reflecting it to the eyepiece... google it... im a noob too.. is there a possibility for a picture of the telescope?

mldee (Mike) · #5 13-06-2010, 09:16 PM

Hi Youssef,

You've come to the right place to have your questions answered, don't be shy or embarrassed, everyone has to start somewhere! Just keep asking the questions.

I suspect the bendy sticks are the handles that attach to the mount so you can change the pointing direction. The telescope then attaches to the top of the mounting by some sort of clamp. A digital photo would be good to help answer your questions.

Just use the 40mm eyepiece for testing until you get the rest of the scope under control. The 40 will give the widest view and be easiest to use.

I'm sure you'll find lots of help here.

Cheers,

Youssef (Youssef) · #6 13-06-2010, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by that_guy

refractors have lenses reflectors have mirrors. Refractors concentrates the light to one single point, while reflectors gathers the light using the mirrorand concentrates it all to a secondary mirror and reflecting it to the eyepiece... google it... im a noob too.. is there a possibility for a picture of the telescope?

woops my mistake it is actually reflector!

the label says "Apollo reflector astronomical telescope D=4 1/2 inches 900mm Coated Optics"

http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/sky_w...plorer-130.jpg

I dont have a camera but i looked online and it looks the same as this (excpt much older - the legs are wooden!) but everything else looks very very similar

that_guy (Tony) · #7 13-06-2010, 09:22 PM

if its a newt and its been locked away for a long time, you may need to collimate...

duncan · #8 13-06-2010, 09:48 PM

Hi Youseff,
The telescope you have sounds like an old Tasco that i used to own.
A photo of it would be a great help.
The bendy knobs you refer to would almost certainly be azimuth and altitude controls ( one swings the scope left to right and the other up and down Basically) At the base of your mount you should be able to see where they attach.
You can ask even the most basic questions here and you will be answered. Even the most experienced on here started out knowing nothing.
Ask heaps and you will enjoy it all the more.
Cheers,
Duncan

Youssef (Youssef) · #9 13-06-2010, 10:04 PM

thanks for youre support guys

i think i found the right spot for the bendy thingies!

next task - collimating

seems like a step up.. but i found a good DYI article so i will try one day soon

quick question - the front(?) has a big cap.. and in the centre of it is a small cap. do i only remove the small cap when i want to look or do i take thebig one off too?

also could someone please breifly explain the differenc between different size lenses?

mldee (Mike) · #10 13-06-2010, 10:23 PM

Yep, thought that's what the bendie things would turn out to be

Take the big cap off. The little hole is just for when you may want to look at something very bright, sort of functions like a camera diaphragm, but nobody uses it anyway.

Lens size (114mm) is the diameter of the mirror in your scope. The larger diameter, the more photons it will capture, so a brighter image. Focal length (900mm) is like the length of a camera lens. the longer, the more telephoto effect but narrower view. Divide the Focal length by the diameter (900/114) and you have the overall "sensitivity" of the telescope: f7.9, just like a camera. (It's all just optics!)

They make different types of scopes that have various lens sizes (and cost) depending on what you want to look at; bright but big planets, less bright but medium size nebulas, dim and small remote galaxies.

Cheers,

duncan · #11 13-06-2010, 10:56 PM

The smaller the number on the lens ( Eyepiece) the more magnification.
Try your different eyepieces on the moon. That will give you a great start. High magnification for bright objects (moon and planets) low mag for nebula and galaxies as a general rule.
Cheers,
Duncan

Youssef (Youssef) · #12 14-06-2010, 01:05 AM

thanks guys

had a fair try tonight... the star map i had indiacted saturn was up for an hour or so - im quite sure i had it targeted well with the two wider lenses but i never managed to see anything with the 6mm one..

practise makes perfect i guess.. still exciting!

whats the best number of mm to see planets closely? the smallest i have is 6 but should i look at finding lower ones or is 6 sufficient.

also, is it generally harder to see things which are lower (closer to horizon) than the ones right above? or is there no difference

Liz · #13 14-06-2010, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youssef

thanks guys

had a fair try tonight... the star map i had indiacted saturn was up for an hour or so - im quite sure i had it targeted well with the two wider lenses but i never managed to see anything with the 6mm one..

practise makes perfect i guess.. still exciting!

whats the best number of mm to see planets closely? the smallest i have is 6 but should i look at finding lower ones or is 6 sufficient.

also, is it generally harder to see things which are lower (closer to horizon) than the ones right above? or is there no difference

Keep at it Youssef ... it all takes time and patience.

Probably dont worry about the 6mm for awhile, it is high magnification, and objects dont stay in view very long. Enjoy the wide views of the 40mm, and the other eyepiece (EP). Oncce you feel more comfortable using the bendy bits to move the scope around hte skies, then you can tackle finding some targets to look at.
www.stellarium.org is a great piece of free software that most of us use, set it to where you live and it will sow you wahts uop htere to look at.

Allan_L (Allan) · #14 14-06-2010, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Youssef

woops my mistake it is actually reflector!

the label says "Apollo reflector astronomical telescope D=4 1/2 inches 900mm Coated Optics"

Hi Youssef, welcome.

The diameter of your mirror is 4 and a half inches (from your info). That is 114mm in metric.

Thr focal length is 900mm. (That is the distance from light path in the scope to your eyepiece).

Your maximum magnification is generally accepted to be twice the aperture. So 2x114 is 228. So the best magnification, under ideal conditions is 228. Rarely are conditions that good, so we usually have tosettle for less magnification.

Magnication of eyepieces is calculated by Focal length divided by eyepiece mm. So 900 / 40 = 22 times

900/6 = 150 times.

You see how it works.

Now this is why you cannot see much with the 6.
It is showing such a small area, compared to the 40, that you must have the image centred to see anything. Then you need to re-focus for the new eyepiece. AND the stuff up there keeps moving and the higher the magnification (smaller the eyepiece number) the faster it moves out of your field of view.

I would try to get another eyepiece, maybe about 14 to 17mm as a stop gap. You can also get barlow lenses (maybe your set has one) that will double or sometimes triple the mag of an eyepiece. This cuts down the number you may need initially.

Hope this helps.

Feel free to ask more.

PS
Just noticed your member detail says you are close to where I live.
Perhaps I can lend you some eyepieces, to help you get started.

Send me a PM (private IIS mesage) if you want to get together.

Youssef (Youssef) · #15 14-06-2010, 09:26 PM

hi guys!

thanks for all your help!

bit of messing about ... and i managed to get the bright star to the north in the 6mm! I'm assuming it was saturn based on the star map i have. I understand what you guys mean it moves out very fast! but i was watching it for a good half hour - though one problem i had was when i adjust it takes a few seconds to stop wobbling.

The biggest problem was that i couldnt get it fully focused - it would always look just a bit blurry - the light would be coming oout of it so bright i couldnt see anything in detail.

is this because i need to collimate or something with the telescope? or do i just need to adjust focus more.

i didnt really get to see any rings

is 6mm not enough or is it something else? maybe it wasnt even saturn

michaellxv (Michael) · #16 14-06-2010, 09:42 PM

Hi Youssef,

The rings of Saturn are edge on to us at the moment so you would only see them as a line through the planet. It still stands out as Saturn once you find it.

Saturn should appear as a small disc with the line of the rings showing. You may even see a moon or two either side depending on where they are at the time. A star when focussed should be just a point of light.

How high above the horizon where you looking?

Iceaxe (Joe) · #17 14-06-2010, 10:53 PM

Youssef

Hang in there Youssef.

'Small steps, less distance to fall'.

Joe

M54 (Molly) · #18 14-06-2010, 11:28 PM

Hi Youssef,

Welcome to IIS!

Here is a link to the instruction manual for an Orion 114mm Reflector. Different brand to yours but it will be similar and may be some help in getting things right. Also the focal length is only 450mm where I think you said yours is 900mm.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ima...IN-TSTAREQ.pdf

Hope this helps,

Molly.

OICURMT · #19 14-06-2010, 11:39 PM

Safety Moment: While it should not have to be said, just in case.

Please do not point any telescope at the sun unless the scope has been specifically configured or designed to do so.

End Safety Moment.

Suzy · #20 15-06-2010, 01:14 AM

Youssef.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OICURMT

Safety Moment: While it should not have to be said, just in case.

Please do not point any telescope at the sun unless the scope has been specifically configured or designed to do so.

End Safety Moment.

Well Said! I don't think this can be stressed enough.

Get your scope out of the box Oicurmt!!