Another newbie Q: What should i be able to see

[BowzerS14]

Hi all
I had my 8" Bintel scope out on saturday night, it seemed to be clear but the stars and so on were all glimering, not so good. Also it was a full moon nearly, i think, and it was dam bright, so bright it ruined everything around it.

Anyway just a few questions
Does any1 else have problems with the balance of there dobsonian when it gets closer to the vertical. As my gets near this point it just tips all the way up. Is there any simple counterweight system i could use or is commonly used?????

Also what should i be able to see in terms of magnification with the 9mm eyepiece. I alinged the finderscope and searched for a few targets but even with max magnification they were tiny little dots (I know the 9mm still only gives me about 133x and my targets are very distant but what can i expect to see with this).
I really need to sit down and have a proper look at some star charts so i know what im looking at!!! lol.
I only had this one chance to use so i dove in and didnt take much time to study any charts.

Cheers and thanks for ur help

[cjmarsh81]

I'm a newbie too and had that problem when I first got the scope a month or so ago. Looking up all I could see were bright dots. You need to know where to look.

133x Magnification will give you a pretty decent view of Saturn. You can see this anytime after 9pm(best at around 11pm). After 9pm simply look to the North East and pick out the brightest yellowy object. Point your scope at it, and you should be able to see the rings. The moon is a bit of a pain at the moment as it is coming up from the same direction as Saturn. If you look to the right of the moon that is where Saturn was a couple of days ago.

Jupiter should be visible sometime between 12:30 and 5am. Shouldn't need a star chart for it, just look for the biggest object in the sky.

As for the unsteady dob mount, mine is a little different. Mine is a skywatcher which uses a tension control knob in the side and if it is too loose I simply tighten it. Maybe somebody with a GSO Dob can give you some tips.

I am not very good at reading Star Charts, but I have found the one they give you in the Sky and Telescope magazine to be the best to understand.

[ving (David)]

balance: on your altitude axis there should be springs, are these atached? I have one attached and have no problems with ballance except with very large eyepieces near horizontal.

What should you see?: even the closest stars are so far away that even if you barlowed you 9mm (gives you aprox 266x) it would still be a dot. you will not see stars in any more detailthan that, even with hubble i think. look for planets in our solar system as well as nebula, and star clusters (open and globular).

hope this helps

[BowzerS14]

Hi
Yeah sorry about that. I meant planets and nebulas. Stars is a little keen with the 8" or any scope for that matter. lol.

Yeah i have the springs attached and it holds it steady to a point then it tips. When i take it into Bintel ill show them, should be an easy fix.

Thanks for that cjmarsh81 ill give it a try this weekend if i am around or the next weekend dam it!!!!!
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_91277", true); </SCRIPT>Im going to learn how to use the charts, cant be that hard.

Cheers

[ving (David)]

yeah if the springs dont hjold it then there is a problem

bintel check thier gear before shipping so its probably something that happened between them and you.
they are a friendly bunch and i am sure they'll sort it

learning charts can be easy or hard, it depends on alot of things. what you are looking for is patterns in the stars

before we go any further are your springs attached like this?
http://www.angelfire.com/nv/nevers/S...s/OXT10s3d.JPG

[barees63]

Hi BowzerS14,

Re Star Charts, download Stellarium from www.stellarium.org, it's free and it is MUCH easier to understand than a star chart, it basically shows the sky in 3D exactly as you will see it at a given date/time from your location.. I found this was invaluable to me to both locate objects and also to help understand star charts better.

One of the coolest (and easy to find) objects to look at is the Orion Nebula (M42).. just look in the middle of the "saucepan handle" (actually Orion's sword upside down for us downunder), you'll be blown away I promise..

Re, the springs, I assume Ving is asking if you have the spring attached rather than the fabric loop, the loop is just a "handle" to help you pull the spring down..

[ving (David)]

you sir, are assuming correctly

[lost_in_space]

A tip I picked up on these forums is to use speaker magnets for counterweights. I have 3 different sizes, and have covered them in masking tape to stop them scratching the paintwork of my GSO dob.

They are also usefull for holding my collimating screwdriver when I am fiddling in the dark.

[vindictive666 (John)]

got my springs on upside down then cuz i use the loop to pull up on the spring instead of down seems easier that way

and old car speakers is what i got advised on on using as a counter balance

[BowzerS14]

Ah thanks Ving. Then the balance problem isnt a problem, just incorrect installation. Ill get those fabric bits out of the way and it should be fine.

Thanks barees63. Ill download that now and try to make some sense of it.

Thanks for ur help, cant believe it was just the fabric. Didnt even think about moving it.

Cheers

[rmcpb (Rob)]

Bowser,

Your balance problem is a dob thing. Its common to all dobs when looking at zenith if you don't have any braking system in place like the GS springs or the tensioning system of the other brands. Nothing to worry about, just use the speaker magnet trick because if you set up your springs to stop this the whole movement will be terrible throughout the range. I don't use the springs, just the magnet counterweight system.

Cheers