New to this whole game, need some advice?

[Mickayeel (Walaa)]

Hi Guys,

I've just started getting into Astronomy, and just had a couple questions you may be able to help me with please?

• I'm in Melbourne (Northern Suburbs) and wanted to know if this makes any difference in observing the night sky?
• I've been using Stellarium to get a better understanding of the sky, is this a good idea for a newbie?
• I've decided to purchase Binoculars (for now) rather than get a Telescope straightaway, is this a good idea for a newbie?
• And if so I want to purchase the Celestron 15x70, will I be able to see things with these? I've also read that I need a mount, what mount do I need and how much do they cost approximately?
• And finally any general advice for someone who is just starting?

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Hi Walaa and welcome to IIS.

My responses to your questions are

a) yes stellarium and learning the sky are a very good idea. The trick is to remember that many of the constellations are a lot bigger in the sky than they seem on a chart and that some with fainter member stars may be hard to make out in light polluted skies. If you can identify a few more obvious ones you will gradually be able to work out others from there. The southern cross is straightforward enough. Leo looks like a big sickle in the northern sky at present and scorpius is also quite recognisable rising in the east at about 9 pm.

b) binoculars are a great start and with the 15x70s a tripod will help a lot. Also lying on a deck chair and holding the binos by the far end is not bad with these.

c) above all go to an astronomy club night or star party. There is no substitute for having someone show you constellations and what things look like through a scope. ASV http://www.asv.org.au/ have a new astronomers group, hire 8" scope and have a good dark sky site north of Melbourne. Light pollution will be a problem in Melbourne, but there are certainly a lot of observers that still enjoy astronomy there.

Hope you have fun exploring the sky!

[norm]

Hi Walaa,

I started out with a pair of Celestron 15 x 70 and they're a great pair of binocs. They can get a bit weighty after several minutes of use. Learn some techniques with there use such as putting your arms close to your chest or as Paddy mentions use a deck chair and lie on that.

If your nifty check out the projects page and look for parallelogram mount - by far the best method in getting optimum use out of the binocs. Buying one isn't cheap and can cost as much as the binocs themselves.

You could also get away with small binocs such as 10x42, 10x50.
Andrews.com have quite a few to choose from and the quality is generally pretty good. In fact, my boy's got a pair of 8x42 and their as crisp as anything.

Welcome to forum and good luck.

Cheers Norm

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by Mickayeel

Hi Guys,

I've just started getting into Astronomy, and just had a couple questions you may be able to help me with please?

• I'm in Melbourne (Northern Suburbs) and wanted to know if this makes any difference in observing the night sky?
• I've been using Stellarium to get a better understanding of the sky, is this a good idea for a newbie?
• I've decided to purchase Binoculars (for now) rather than get a Telescope straightaway, is this a good idea for a newbie?
• And if so I want to purchase the Celestron 15x70, will I be able to see things with these? I've also read that I need a mount, what mount do I need and how much do they cost approximately?
• And finally any general advice for someone who is just starting?

I will answer some of this for you

1 not sure but we have a few people from there that will help you
2 Most definately Stellarium is a must
3 Very sensible I did it the other way round and when I got BINO's I wished I had got them first
4 I think you will see heaps with these and I will leave the mount question to some one else
5 Where to start when you do get your first scope get a Dobsonian and join your local group ASAP

And Welcome to IIS

[Mickayeel (Walaa)]

WOW!!!!

Thanks guys, that was quick. I heard people are always happy to help in Astronomy, but I didn't really believe it.

The more responses the better!!!!

Thanks again guys, really useful.

As a newbie what were some of the things you looked at first in the Night Sky? What do you recommend to look at?

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by Mickayeel

WOW!!!!

Thanks guys, that was quick. I heard people are always happy to help in Astronomy, but I didn't really believe it.

The more responses the better!!!!

Thanks again guys, really useful.

As a newbie what were some of the things you looked at first in the Night Sky? What do you recommend to look at?

Orion Nebular is the one I first looked at you can actually see it with just your eyes very tiny though

[smitty (Sean)]

Hi Walaa,

I Started looking around Crux (Southern Cross) and was amazed at the "Jewel Box" Cluster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_B...tar_cluster%29

Smitty.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Hi Walaa

Paddys advice is as usual excellent. The only thing I would mention is if you want to learn the night sky, for example being able to look up and find a few constellations, get a planisphere or a basic set of charts. Stellarium is fine but it's good to have a guide you can use at night outside with just a red torch.

Malcolm

[Paddy (Patrick)]

As for what to look at, there are a good number of open clusters that are really suited to binoculars. A good start is to find the False Cross to the right of the southern cross. At the base of the false cross is a fuzzy patch which is open cluster NGC 2516 a great OC. Follow the milky way back towards Crux and you'll find quite a few others NGC 3114, IC 2602 NGC 3532 and the Eta Carina nebula. The Large Magellanic Cloud is also good at present although Melbourne to your south may interfere. Open clusters will probably stand the light pollution better. Omega Centauri will be visible in binos. Scorpius also has some stunning OCs for binos Messiers 6 & 7, NGC 6231 and more. Then Sagittarius later still will give you lots to look at.

[NatalieR (Natalie)]

My family is pretty new to this hobby too but I'll suggest a book that was suggested to us and it's awesome.

It's "A walk through the Southern Sky" 2nd Ed by Heifetz & Tirion. Not only does it tell you what you're looking at but also how to get to the next point of interest from there.

Cheers...Nat

[Suzy]

Hello and Walaa

That book that NatalieR recommended is a real goody- I have it! It's a teaching book on how to find the constellations by using the brightest stars to hop from one constellation to another. The sky get a bit confusing sometimes when it turns, making finding constellations a bit tricky and challenging (for us beginners anyhow!) Also in the book is a whole section on greek mythology behind those constellations, aye, such a story going on in those skies.
You can preview the book here

Binos are great to start out with. But not only that, you will find you will use them plenty even when you have the scope. I own the 10x60's and I find them just do-able without a tripod. You can mount them on a camera tripod and there is a bracket thingy to attach them onto a tripod. Andrews Communications sell the brackets for $20). You will have a problem pointing them up to Zenith though on the tripod.

I'm actually now doing something a bit different on my path of binoviewing (I have to wait for my birthday in a couple of months tho )....
For long observation sessions with binos, my arms hurt, my neck hurts, my hands shake more- just starts to get a bit uncomfy. So I've decided to get a little 4 inch table top dob scope as a grab and go and for longer sessions (but a shorter duration that would have me take my 10" dob outside). It's an Orion Skyscanner. The helpful man at Bintel recommended it and said they sell at least two a week. It uses a parabloic mirror, and is glass unlike most of that kind which (apparently) have plastic mirrors. They sell for $200 at Bintel.
The binos of course still will serve their purpose. Anyway, just thought I'd throw another option at you.

And just a few tips to get you started on the theoretical side of things so when you get your scope you will have some knowledge up your sleeve.

1) Learn the brightest stars in the sky.
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/brightest.html
This will help when it comes to finding constellations. Also, soon enough they'll end up feeling like friends. Then they go away and you'll become sad , then when they return, you'll be jumping with excitement like a kid. Okay, maybe I just do that..

2) Learn the greek alphabet (in lower case).
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/lan.../answers.shtml
This will help you read maps better.
And possible make you look smarter to other people

3) Learn how to measure the sky in degrees using your hand.
http://oldthoughts.wordpress.com/200...ing-your-hand/
Don't let neighbours see you, those hand gestures could mean something else to them.

4) A Planisphere, most definitely.
This will teach you the sky no matter what time of day or time as the stars rotate around. Remember when I said it can be confusing, well this will definitely help.
I got mine from here from Australian Sky & Telescope for $14.95 and love it.
I've gone one step further with it and have cut out using post-it notes (the sticky strip), little arrows, which I can peel off and stick on zillion times over for the point of interest on the disc. Comes in handy for marking places on maps in my books too!
I wonder if I can get rich selling sticky arrows

Hmmmm... for now, I think that's it, from me anyhow. What I've already suggested will keep you busy for a while before you get your scope.

Oh, I nearly forgot to answer your first question. I can see a lot, both with my binos (even 7x50) and scope from my light polluted suburb. When the moon goes away the viewing improves on deep sky objects such as nebulas and galaxies. The Orion nebula should never fail to amaze regardless of pollution as it's fairly bright, and star clusters will be available to you by the oodles despite this also.
Binocular astronomy is a lot of fun and one of my hobbies and I do observation reports on them sometimes too. Have a look at some of my reports to give you an idea of what's up there.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ight+centaurus

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=69321

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...r+observations

Have fun Walaa!

Why can't I ever do short posts!

[Mickayeel (Walaa)]

Thanks guys.

Special thanks to Suzy, really useful.

[smitty (Sean)]

Sorry to hijack a thread, but Suzy how do you rate the Orion Skyscanner? I was looking at them but was concerned it was a toy...


smitty

[Mickayeel (Walaa)]

All good Smitty.

[Suzy]

Hi Sean,

Being a toy was my concern also.
But I was told this is not a toy and lots of people get them for grab'n'go scopes and they are so popular that they sell a couple of them a week.

I originally wanted to go for the Orion Star Blast - there's a special feature on it inside this month's Australian Sky & Telescope Magazine. But the nice man at Bintel (Dom) talked me out of it and said this one is better made and has the proper glass parabolic mirrors. I can only trust his judgement. He is an astronomer so I'm guessing he knows what he's talking about.

I also like that the SkyScanner's base will mount onto a tripod - so I'm not limited to a table. The Orion StarBlast doesn't do that. You will see that for yourself in the video.

Here is the link for a video on it.
http://www.telescope.com/How-To-Choo...pe/p/99857.uts

[Giorgio]

A few months ago I was in your same boat about deciding which binocular to buy. I spent lot of time on line searching for reviews, good deals, etc.
In the process I learned an important lesson: most binoculars (and I guess telescopes too) are produced in a very few Chinese factories in the Yunnan region. They are then branded out by the big names in the market, who sale technically identical binoculars at quite different prices.

Hence I advice you to consider the 15x70 binoculars Andrews sales under his own brand, as I bet they are exactly the same like the Celestron, but way more affordable.

my 2 cents
Giorgio

[Mickayeel (Walaa)]

Originally Posted by Giorgio

A few months ago I was in your same boat about deciding which binocular to buy. I spent lot of time on line searching for reviews, good deals, etc.
In the process I learned an important lesson: most binoculars (and I guess telescopes too) are produced in a very few Chinese factories in the Yunnan region. They are then branded out by the big names in the market, who sale technically identical binoculars at quite different prices.

Hence I advice you to consider the 15x70 binoculars Andrews sales under his own brand, as I bet they are exactly the same like the Celestron, but way more affordable.

my 2 cents
Giorgio

Hi Giorgio,

So what Bino's did you end up getting? And how do they work?

[Suzy]

Originally Posted by Giorgio

A few months ago I was in your same boat about deciding which binocular to buy. I spent lot of time on line searching for reviews, good deals, etc.
In the process I learned an important lesson: most binoculars (and I guess telescopes too) are produced in a very few Chinese factories in the Yunnan region. They are then branded out by the big names in the market, who sale technically identical binoculars at quite different prices.

Hence I advice you to consider the 15x70 binoculars Andrews sales under his own brand, as I bet they are exactly the same like the Celestron, but way more affordable.

my 2 cents
Giorgio

Hi again Walaa,
I bought a pair of 10x60 binos from Andrews and they are fantastic - I love them! I'm not qualified to comment on the difference between a very expensive pair and these, but to my eye, they perform very well. They are still on sale (scroll down about half way down the page, they are the High contrast 10 x 60 binoculars for $49. They also come with a carry case. I also see a 15x70 there for $149.

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm

Here a helpful link to help you on your journey.http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-374-0-0-1-0.html
Tells you everything you'll need to know, including the fov of the different sizes.

[Giorgio]

Originally Posted by Mickayeel

So what Bino's did you end up getting? And how do they work?

Well, I guess I got bit quite deeply by the stargazing bug and I ended up with a very good 25x100 binocular and in the process spending ~360 AUD against the initial ~200.

I've never used other binos than an old Tasco 10x50, so I can't tell how better my big gun is over a 15x70 and actually I look forward to try one to find it out.
I can tell you that Orion nebula is not so drammatically better through my old 10x50, but I can see lots of other faint items I never seen before like several globular clusters, other nebulae and the carpet of fainter stars in the background of the Milky Way.
This binocular can't resolve single stars in the globular clusters I observed, but let me tell you Omega Centauri left me speech less the first time I saw it.
The only problem with this binocular is its 4.6Kg weight, which requires a very sturdy support. I bought on eBay a very reliable Manfrotto tripod tailored to bear 5Kg (actually the head was for 4Kg). I have had to sell it (luckily gaining a little bit in the process ) because it wasn't sturdy enough. I'm now in the process of making my own observing chair, which is taking too long to complete (I promised to post pictures of it here and will do asap), but that is just me.

Suzy and others were right, when they told me then I could have bought a decent 2nd hand dobsonian with the same amount I spent on that big binocular.
Hence, my advice is to go for the Andrews 15x70 because they seems to me the best compromise between quality, magnification, lens aperture, price and weight.
The 25x100 are fancy but if you want to see more than with a 15x70, you can then get a Dobsonian (I just bought a 2nd hand Saxon 10" dob from another forum member and will pick it up in a couple of weeks). At that point, when you will have a similar dob (if you will not have been killed by your wife, as it is going likely to happen to me, when she will see the new toy ), your 15x70 will still be very useful as a sort of free hand finderscope in helping you to orient where exactly to point the dob.

Good luck and clear skies

[Mickayeel (Walaa)]

Originally Posted by Suzy

Hi again Walaa,
I bought a pair of 10x60 binos from Andrews and they are fantastic - I love them! I'm not qualified to comment on the difference between a very expensive pair and these, but to my eye, they perform very well. They are still on sale (scroll down about half way down the page, they are the High contrast 10 x 60 binoculars for $49. They also come with a carry case. I also see a 15x70 there for $149.

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm

Here a helpful link to help you on your journey.http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-374-0-0-1-0.html
Tells you everything you'll need to know, including the fov of the different sizes.

Thanks again Suzy, this was really helpful.