new guy to sky.

[tasview]

Hi guys,i am new to astronomy,just tried out my baby 4.5 newt(stop laughing)Found jupiter and moons last night.Could just make out cloud bands.It was early in evening so my boy could see as well,Would it be better to buy better eyepices or a barlow,or am i expecting to much from my little reflector? S4,10 AND 25mm. 114mm 900 length.Should i always set scope with clest pole or is it ok to just spot and view?.Thanks for any replies.

[iceman (Mike)]

Hi there! welcoem to the forum How did you hear about us?

Is the newt mounted on an equatorial mount (with slo mo hand controls), or an alt/az (up/down/left/right) tripod?

Is it any particular brand, or noname? Where did you buy it from and for how much?

I think with those eyepieces it's really going to be pushing it to get much more out of it, but it's also worth understanding how the newt works, collimation etc.

There's a few friendly folk in Tassie and they might invite you to a viewing night etc. to check it out! And you'll get the opportunity to look through some other, bigger scopes.

[ving (David)]

assuming you have an equatorial mount, yeah i'd set it roughly to the south celestail pole. it just makes things a bit easier when you are tracking something accross the sky 4.5" is a fine size for seeing stuff but dont expect what you see in pictures. even a 10" wont give you the scale you see in the pictures show on this forum. be aware that atmospheric conditions will effect greatly what you see when looking at jupiter so its possible that under better conditions you will see more I looked thu a mates 78mm reflector and saw more than just belts so keep at it.

welcome to the forum by the way

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Hi Tas,

Your off to a good start!

4.5" Newt. I'm not laughing. 20 years I had my 4.25" Newt and I loved it. I have only stepped up to a 12" a year and a half ago.

You will probably catch apature fever like many of us, but for now be content with what you have. Some better EP's would help.

Check out Astromans astropics to see what he is achieving with a 4.25" Newt!

The best part is you are sharing it with your son, no matter what you use.

Take your time and learn what is available, which scope suits your style of viewing (planetary, deep space etc) and try get to an Astro Club and try some out.

But for now, enjoy what you have and enjoy the precious time with your son! He won't forget.

[rmcpb (Rob)]

Welcome to IIS Tasview

Don't laugh at your little scope, it is a noble object and can well and truely get you hooked on the universe.

A few points:

• At f8 it is a gentle scope on collimation but its always worth while checking to make sure you are getting the best views possible under the conditions. Have a look at Andy's Shot Glass for a starter, its very informative.
• I take it that the scope is on an equatorial mount as you rrefer to aligning it. I would bet that the mount is a bit on the light side so one thing that will help here is to hang a length of chain from your eyepiece tray to add mass and hence stability to the mount.
• If your scope is on an equatroial mount then even a rough alignment will be worth while to allow you to track objects easier.
• There is a rule of thumb that the maximum magnification your scope can handle is double the aperture in millimeters. Magnification is worked out by dividing the length of your scope (900) by the length of the eyepiece. So the 4mm will give you 225x, the 10mm 90x and the 25 36x. The lower mags will probably give you better results, the 4mm will only be useful on really exceptional nights (once every month or two at best).
• If your scope takes 1.25" eyepieces then investing in a couple of reasonable plossls would be an advantage, I would suggest the 15 and 10mm as they will give you magnifications that are useful on most nights.
• A barlow can wait but when you get one make it a good one remembering that the 25mm and 15mm could be barlowed "often" where as the 10mm will rarely handle barlowing.
• A red dot finder would be worth considering as the finder scopes supplied with small scopes are rarely adequate.
• Make sure you have a stool, planisphere, red torch, thermos of yoru favourite beverage.

Enough advice, just get out under the stars and get to know your little beast before getting too worried.

Good luck.

[xstream (John)]

Hi tasview,

I won't add anymore as the others have covered it pretty well.
Just get out there and enjoy that amazing piece of optical enjoyment with your son.
Oh, BTW to IIS.

[h0ughy (David)]

welcome, and enjoy the hospitality, did you read a few posts before you enlisted?

[acropolite (Phil)]

Tasview, there are a few of us from Tassie, from your Lat & Long I'd say are you north of the Oatlands demarcation line...

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Hi tasview!
Have you had a look at any of the astronomy magazines at the newsagents?
Sky and Telescope and its rival Sky and Space are both great magazines that will help you along.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Welcome tasview! A 114mm Newt can be a very capable instrument. You can make the most of it by getting collimation right. Look for Saturn next if you haven't seen it yet, shortly after sunset. The rings are easy to see and an awesome sight!

[davidpretorius]

Hey tasview, if you are in the north and the sky is clear, my 10" scop is always out.

You and your son are more than welcome

[RAJAH235]

Hi Tasview....
My first t'scope was a Tasco 114 on an EQ mount & luckily I bought it in time to see the impact sites that comet 'Shoemaker-Levy 9' made in/on Jupiter in 1994.
Your t'scope is more than capable of seeing a multitude of objects in our night skies. Just don't try to overpower the 'seeing conditions' when using the 4mm E/Pc.
Enjoy it with your son.
L.

[spudrick]

Hi you will see from the great advise and ideas that have been in the replies to you that you will find this a fantastic forum.
Welcome aboard

[tasview]

Many thanks guys,i have the saxon 114mm,its about all i could fork out at the moment.Got it from harris scarf for $229 with eq mount(does look impressive in bedroom(wife not sure about that).I am going out again tonight so i will take my time.For locals i am in Ulverstone.I bought as&t mag for the last two months,good mag.This is the best replies i have had in any forum,feeling welcome already.

[davidpretorius]

hey tasview, we have a tas astro society meeting in october at the planetarium.

We are looking to get to devonport to catch up with peter sayers in a nice dark sky site.

[mickoking]

Originally Posted by tasview

Many thanks guys,i have the saxon 114mm,its about all i could fork out at the moment.Got it from harris scarf for $229 with eq mount(does look impressive in bedroom(wife not sure about that).I am going out again tonight so i will take my time.For locals i am in Ulverstone.I bought as&t mag for the last two months,good mag.This is the best replies i have had in any forum,feeling welcome already.

A 114 mm is more than capable of viewing this magnificent universe. A few good eyepieces will really transform your telescope But this great hobby/lifestyle is not about the equipment you own but about the enjoyment you get out of it

[josh (Luke)]

Hey tas.
Your scope should do you just fine. You can get good detail in lots of objects and most of the best pics ive seen come from small scopes.
Welcome