For All you Astronomers out there

Hi there !

Just thought I'd post a topic about my first astronomy experience last night. I bought my first telescope (a cheap meade telestar, but it works) yesterday and actually got to see saturn and its rings. Albiet it was black and white, and really small (and hard to track lol) it was AWESOME. It was the first time I'd ever seen another planet in real life, as apposed to just looking at pictures. It was an awesome experience and I think I'm hooked now.

Are there any other astronomers in the ATS community? If so I'd love to hear of your experiences and equipment (and possibly where to get better stuff too). I just started last night so I'd love to hear of other wonderful celestial objects that others have seen that I might be able to see too.

Like I said I'm using a meade telestar RB-60 with two eye pieces - 25mm and 9mm and a barlow lens. I live in San Diego (which kind of sucks, the light polution is horrible!). I also find that the included software I got with the telescope - astroware I think - is fantastic. It really helps to know what planets / stars are available for viewing.

- zeeon

Wow, is there no one on ATS or BTS that enjoys astronomy?
Come on guys there has to be SOMEONE else !

Raises hand!

I'm a space buff too.

I have a small reflector scope.
Well, the mirror is small, but the scope is a bit bulky.

Saturn, a great first object to observe.
Once you see it as something other than a pinpoint of light, you really get a sense of place. That it's a real place.
I can totally understand your excitement, as I felt it as well.

Are you ever able to take it up to the hills? Or out to Mojave?

I live in a fairly light pollution free area, in Nevada. At about 5,500 feet.
A lot of my friends, who come out from town, have actually gasped, a the clarity of the skies up here. It great viewing.

oh, on another note, I am going to drag this thread over to the Space exploration Forums..
There, you will find many folks that share our enthusiasm.

Space

Cool !

Thanks for moving it - I wasn't sure where it belonged honestly, which is why i posted it in general chit chat. Again, thanks.

About the scope - I know right! Again last night I had such a good picture of Saturn (as good as you can get I think with a 60mm). It was right along the zenith, sky was pure and clear. Just phenominal.

I'm looking into getting a reflector. A guy on craigslist here in san diego is selling a Celestron Nexstar 114mm Newtonian for 175 bucks (he says it's pristine condition). If it is in good condition - what a steal!
I can't wait for him to get back to me.

I'm going to try and view venus tonight - trying to catch it before it gets to near the horizon. Maybe I could even get some color on it.

Clear Skys,

- zeeon

Want a super power scope at a very cheap price? Build yourself a Dobsonian scope. It is easy, educational, quite powerful, and the biggest bang for your buck. There are TONS of resources on how to build one, and why they are so great, but here is a good place to start as they are somewhat local to you: Sidewalk Astronomers

You can Google "Dobsonian" to find many more resources. Good luck and as they say at the end of cheesy SiFi movies... Look to the stars .... LOL

Another gazer chimin in. So you think you’re hooked now, wait till you take a look at Jupiter and its moons. You will also want to catch M42 the Orion Nebula before it goes over the horizon for the summer. It is in the dagger under Orion's Belt.

Other favorites for small scopes:
M13 Hercules Cluster
Alberio, the Boy Scout Star (a blue and gold double star on the head of Cygnus)

I like to use my 15 X 70 binoculars to look around and have used an 8” Dobsonian telescope. Like Terapin suggested, I am building my own right now trying to get ready for Spring.

If you’re just starting out, you might want to join a local astronomy club. You can go to star parties and check out what gear other people are using.

Have fun.

Wow great !

Thanks for the replies and suggestions!
I was reading about dobsonians - it really is worth the time to build it?
Man I really am hooked - I'm sitting here killin time before dark kicks in to go look at orions nebula and hopefully catch a view of venus.

What do you guys suggest the best eyepice is to use when trying to view Orion's nebula? I couldn't really get much on my scope (and I know its really difficult with a 60mm refractor anyway). I read somewhere that about the only eyepiece that can be used is the 25mm. Anymore and you can't see it. Are they're any other suggestions?

And I wish I could do something about the light pollution around here. I live in a townhouse complex and all the lights around here REALLY suck.

Thanks for the tips
- zeeon

I too am a closet astronomer. The light pollution in my area is basically all that is holding me back. (I tend to take whatever I do to the limit) I have a small refractor & have had a couple of 6-8" reflectors. As soon as I can get some place in the country, I am going for a 10-12" Meade or Celestron with computer interface. I made a point to expose all my children to the heavens to put their Earthbound problems & concerns in perspective. Have fun & Marvel at God's creation.

[edit on 3-4-2007 by mizzu]

Question -

How much better is the quality of say, a 8" or 10" dob compared to a regular big 3 newtonian around 120 - 130mm?
Is there a BIG difference or not to much?

Telescopes are just like anything else. No matter how powerful, you always want more. I would try to find a club in your area and beg a look-see into some different setups. That would be a good way to find what would work for you.

Well,

I just glimpsed orions nebula...pretttty coooool. Took a gander at saturn for awhile...so beauitful. Tried to get a good look at neptun, but for the life of me it just appears as a bright star. I can only get enough darkness to see it low on the horizon - and from what i know so far, apparently thats the worst time to view a planet. Oh well. *sigh*

As the astro-club suggestions - yeah i'm looking into it. I'm trying to find one I don't have to pay dues for though. lol.

Originally posted by zeeon
Question -

How much better is the quality of say, a 8" or 10" dob compared to a regular big 3 newtonian around 120 - 130mm?
Is there a BIG difference or not to much?

A Dobsonian is a reflector telescope with a simple azimuth altitude mount that you move yourself. They are less expensive but you have to continuously move it as the stars always move. A Newtonian mounted on an equatorial mount and motor drive will track the stars and is necessary if you want to do astrophotography so it costs a lot more. A more elaborate mount is the Go To mounts that use a controller to enter an object and the telescope finds the object for you and tracks it. So it depends on what you can afford.

The key to a telescope is the light gathering power. For every inch of aperture you get four times as much light. LGP is more important than optical power. You will see more with a large aperture scope with low power, than a small lens with high power.

As far as the light pollution goes, there are filters for it, but I don't think it helps much. The conditions are the most important. Try going out when it is cool with low humidity and no moon unless that is what you are looking at.

Here is a good site to check on conditions in your area.

www.heavens-above.com...

You can also get info on flyovers for satellites and the ISS.

Thanks for all the tips man. I really appreciate it.
Good News today! I got the Celestron 114 newtonian!!
I'm so excited, I can't WAIT to FINALLY see some deep sky objects. AHHHHH YES ))

And its a go-to scope, which is really cool. I don't need one, and after I get to see some of the sky tonight with it, I'll probably go back to manual - Its just a cool feature that I'm itching to try out

See you guys on the other side,

- zeeon

If you are interested in finding a local astronomy club, try asking around your local university science department. Even many high school science teachers will have some useful information in that regard. Star parties are a blast, where folks get together to share information and look through each others scopes.

Bigger is better when it comes to light gathering power. A big 12" Dob will outperform a 3" Newtonian. Once you have the mirror, the rest is not that hard to build. MUCH cheaper than buying. Bigger bang for the buck.

Go TO scopes are great for beginners, but it is far better to learn the sky yourself, than to have a seeing eye dog do it for you. Find the Dipper, The front of the cup will lead you to the North Star... Polaris, or for a different view of the heavens, follow the handle, Arc to Arcturis, then Speed to Spika. The pathways of the sky are useful tools to know.

You bring up some really good points

I've actually been studying the stars you mentioned - polaris, arcturas, capella, aldebran, to name a few. Just learning my bearings in the night sky. Its tons of fun. The Goto scope is kind of irriating at times, especially when it refuses to align lol.

I was also kind of disappointed at the view of saturn through the celestron. I think it might be out of collimation, I need to check tommorrow. Plus the conditions here ARE simply horrible. I need to go to a dark sight to enjoy the scope in all its glory. I can barely see the brightest nebulas with the light pollution around here.

Does anyone know if the beach is a decent location for star viewing?
Most of the beaches along the coast are pretty dark with minimal lighting.

Thanks -

zeeon

On or near the ocean is not a good place for star viewing. Go up, the higher the better. Google up your local astronomy club(s) and ask them where to go, they are happy to help anyone get started.

Beaches can be good for darkness, but there tends to be far more atmospheric interference. Higher ground is always best and the farther away you can drive from a city, the better. Cities have a great deal of night glow.

Great! Thanks for the information. Good timing too because its finally going to be clear tonight and I was about to take the family to the beach - but perhaps we'll drive out to palomar observatory (its about an hour drive east of san diego) to check it out.

Great advice and tips from everyone. Thanks for taking the time to help me get a good start and my now favorite hobby

- zeeon

I do not currently have a scope, but as a child my dad bought me a five inch refractor and I was in love with the heavens instantly. The moon was amazing!

The technology available to amateurs today is scarey. With the computerization of scopes you can practically push a button and your scope will slew to any object in the sky.

I am going to build a copy scope to get me started, but I am really wanting to build an 8 inch Newtonian reflector.

Copy Scope 1

Copy Scope 2

Copy Scope 3

Copy Scope 4

10 inch Meade scope out here. Even getting out to a dark spot and looking at the night sky with binoculars is an eye opener. There are more stars out there than a person's eyes can see. The reality really starts to set in. Stars are everywhere...