In need of help yet again :)

[jjajadam (Josh)]

heyyy everyone ive just got a quick question. I've been asked by my mother if id want anything to go with my telescope for christmas or any astronomy things. I said in my first thread that i have 90 by 910 skywatcher refractor telescope although it does not have an equatorial mount

any suggestions or ideas for a beginner present would be great

Thanks Josh

[niko]

Australian Astronomy 2013 or some star charts?

How much are u going to let her spend ? :-)

[jjajadam (Josh)]

I think around $200 she said is the limit

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

we all love to spend other peoples money.
the Astronomy 2013 Ephemeris should be on the top of the list.You can buy it from the IIS shop. It's a month by month guide of what's happening up there. PLUS it has a beaut set of star maps in the middle, that you can remove and laminate so they don't get all wet with dew when using them outside.
Do you have a barlow lens?
More eyepieces would be good too.
You should check out http://andrewscom.com.au/ Their 2.5x ED barlow is very good for the price. And the GSO 15mm Superview is my favourite ep in my collection.

[Scorpius51 (John)]

Uranometria 2000 Southern Hemisphere, and/or The Night Sky Observers Guide - Vol 3 (The Southern Skies), and/or Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

Red dot finder

Red torch

Planisphere

Solar filter

[jjajadam (Josh)]

i have 2 eye pieces a 25mm and a 10mm, would a 15mm be a good addition also what exactly is a barlow lense? ive looked everywhere but i cant find a red light torch :/

thank you so much for the replies im really happy to be apart of this site

[Forgey (Paula)]

Originally Posted by jjajadam

i have 2 eye pieces a 25mm and a 10mm, would a 15mm be a good addition also what exactly is a barlow lense? ive looked everywhere but i cant find a red light torch :/

thank you so much for the replies im really happy to be apart of this site

Bintel sell red light torches http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories...9/catmenu.aspx

But you can make your own by putting red cellophane over the end of any torch

[Varangian (John)]

One thing I'd look at for around $25 is the star chart through the Ice in Space shop, immensely helpful and comes with a CD as well.

[Allan_L (Allan)]

Originally Posted by jjajadam

any suggestions or ideas for a beginner present would be great

Thanks Josh

Adjustable height viewing chair (circa $160 from Bintel.)
comfort while observing is key to getting more detail.

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

Originally Posted by jjajadam

i have 2 eye pieces a 25mm and a 10mm, would a 15mm be a good addition also what exactly is a barlow lense? ive looked everywhere but i cant find a red light torch :/

thank you so much for the replies im really happy to be apart of this site

A barlow is used to change the focal legth of an eyepiece. So a 2x barlow chages a 25mm eyepiece into a 12.5mm. The effect of this is it increases the power or magnification.
Personally, I am not a great fan of barlows, I find using eyepieces at their native power much better, and the barlow I have is a good quality one. But other use them successfully.
You will soon find that the 25mm is your most used eyepiece. Even a 10mm is too much power given the quality of the ones that usually come with a scope. High end EPs definitely give better images but the difference is most noticeable at the high power end.
If you think you would like a bit more power, a decent 15mm EP will help.

Malcolm