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Have a look at it tonight. Leave the telescope outside and come back in 2 hours. You can also have a look at Jupiter tonight. It's the brightest "star" in the sky.
I hereby present my first moon snap:
(taken with a cellphone camera)
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The Official Astronomy Thread
- Thread starter Crusader
- Start date
I hereby present my first moon snap:
(taken with a cellphone camera)
Told ya!
Have a look at it tonight. Leave the telescope outside and come back in 2 hours. You can also have a look at Jupiter tonight. It's the brightest "star" in the sky.
Better hope it's still there after leaving it outside for 2 hours
I've been able to make out the bands on jupiter, and four moons with the 2".... i am so excited, i expect i'll be able to see the GRS tonight?
unfortunately jupiter rises out of my line of sight, it comes into view around 9ish iirc. cant wait!
Crusader
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How many bands?
The GSR is visible at the moment, while not being ideal conditions since it's still light and Jupiter is very low.
Should be visible again at 3:30am tomorrow morning and again at 10:47 ish tomorrow night.
It takes quite some practice to actually see it, since it's pretty small in the EP and is more a very pale salmon dot than vibrant distinguishable red.
And an 8" will blow a 2" away on Jupiter... just wait and see!
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Crusader
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Observing guide for Newbies
Handy tips for newbie observers: the things you never knew you didn't know
Welcome to the wonderful world of astronomy. Since you now have access to a telescope and thus have entered the realm of "serious" observer it is time to initiate you into the finer secrets of the trade.
Cool down:
While commonly known as cool down, this can go either way. Basically it means that you need to give your scope time to reach ambient temperature. Depending on the type and size of the scope this can take a few minutes to a couple of hours. Thermal instability will hinder the views making stars and planets appear to boil. Refractors take the least amount of time and large reflectors the most. A minimum of 45 minutes should be provided for cool down.
Seeing:
Seeing will play a huge role in your viewing. Atmospheric turbulence will have the same effect as thermal instability and tube currents causing a boiling effect, similar to the wavering you get above warm tar roads. This will make it difficult to see details at high magnification. A rule of thumb is to look at the amount by which stars seem to twinkle. Severe twinkling means that you will be limited to low magnifications and are better off looking at DSO, and star clusters which are not affected as much. Leave planets for another more stable night.
Transparency:
Transparency goes hand in hand with seeing, but is different. This is a measure of how clear the sky is. Lots of pollutants and dust in the air will make it difficult to see faint objects and stars. One measure is to use the faintest star at zenith (straight up) that you can see as benchmark. Nights of poor transparency will make it difficult to see DSO's.
Dark adaptation:
Your eyes need around 45 min to become fully dark adapted. Any exposure to white light will ruin your night vision and will start the process from scratch. The lesson: stay away from white light and try to find a secluded area where you are shielded from any streetlights or neighbours with the urge to keep their security lights on 24/7. Luckily each eye adapts independently so if you have to go inside it might be a good eye to play pirate and cover your observing eye with an eyepatch. Keeping it tightly shut and holding a hand over it might also work in a pinch.
Red light:
Red light is your friend. Red light does not affect night vision much as long as it's not extremely bright. A red light flashlight is an essential tool of the trade to light your way while swapping eyepieces, to look at charts etc. If you don't have one, get one!
An observing chair:
A comfortable observing chair will do wonders for your observing skills. If you are comfortable at the eyepiece you will relax and be able to see more. Any comfortable chair will do, but one that is adjustable to accommodate any eyepiece height is preferred.
Learning to see:
This seems strange but you will have to learn to see. Observing takes time and dedication, don't expect to see everything on a first go. You need to train your eyes to detect faint details. When I started out I couldn't see faint nebulae... now they are easy to spot. The only change was that I got more experienced.
Averted vision:
For low light conditions your peripheral vision is actually more sensitive. To make use of this while trying to see faint details you need to look slightly to the right or left (depending on which eye you use) of the object while still concentrating on the object itself. This will make it easier to see details you wouldn't have noticed with direct vision.
Tapping the scope:
This is another technique that helps spot faint objects. Give the telescope a slight tap while observing an object and it might just become easier to see.
Star hopping:
If you don't have Go-to, this is a skill you will need to master. To find objects you start from a bright star near the object and work your way around, hopping from star to star until you find the object you are looking for. It can be frustrating, but very rewarding as well.
Magnification:
High magnification isn't always the best. The aperture of your scope will determine the highest useful magnification, roughly 40x per inch of aperture.
The higher the magnification the dimmer the object will become. For DSO's you will normally use low to mid range magnification for the best observations. Planets, globular clusters and the Moon takes high magnification very well.
The atmosphere will most likely limit the usable magnification to around 240x under most circumstances. Start with low magnification (e.g. 25mm eyepiece focal length) and work your way up to higher magnifications. Once details become washed out take one step back in magnification and that should be the highest magnification for the current conditions.
Handy tips for newbie observers: the things you never knew you didn't know
Welcome to the wonderful world of astronomy. Since you now have access to a telescope and thus have entered the realm of "serious" observer it is time to initiate you into the finer secrets of the trade.
Cool down:
While commonly known as cool down, this can go either way. Basically it means that you need to give your scope time to reach ambient temperature. Depending on the type and size of the scope this can take a few minutes to a couple of hours. Thermal instability will hinder the views making stars and planets appear to boil. Refractors take the least amount of time and large reflectors the most. A minimum of 45 minutes should be provided for cool down.
Seeing:
Seeing will play a huge role in your viewing. Atmospheric turbulence will have the same effect as thermal instability and tube currents causing a boiling effect, similar to the wavering you get above warm tar roads. This will make it difficult to see details at high magnification. A rule of thumb is to look at the amount by which stars seem to twinkle. Severe twinkling means that you will be limited to low magnifications and are better off looking at DSO, and star clusters which are not affected as much. Leave planets for another more stable night.
Transparency:
Transparency goes hand in hand with seeing, but is different. This is a measure of how clear the sky is. Lots of pollutants and dust in the air will make it difficult to see faint objects and stars. One measure is to use the faintest star at zenith (straight up) that you can see as benchmark. Nights of poor transparency will make it difficult to see DSO's.
Dark adaptation:
Your eyes need around 45 min to become fully dark adapted. Any exposure to white light will ruin your night vision and will start the process from scratch. The lesson: stay away from white light and try to find a secluded area where you are shielded from any streetlights or neighbours with the urge to keep their security lights on 24/7. Luckily each eye adapts independently so if you have to go inside it might be a good eye to play pirate and cover your observing eye with an eyepatch. Keeping it tightly shut and holding a hand over it might also work in a pinch.
Red light:
Red light is your friend. Red light does not affect night vision much as long as it's not extremely bright. A red light flashlight is an essential tool of the trade to light your way while swapping eyepieces, to look at charts etc. If you don't have one, get one!
An observing chair:
A comfortable observing chair will do wonders for your observing skills. If you are comfortable at the eyepiece you will relax and be able to see more. Any comfortable chair will do, but one that is adjustable to accommodate any eyepiece height is preferred.
Learning to see:
This seems strange but you will have to learn to see. Observing takes time and dedication, don't expect to see everything on a first go. You need to train your eyes to detect faint details. When I started out I couldn't see faint nebulae... now they are easy to spot. The only change was that I got more experienced.
Averted vision:
For low light conditions your peripheral vision is actually more sensitive. To make use of this while trying to see faint details you need to look slightly to the right or left (depending on which eye you use) of the object while still concentrating on the object itself. This will make it easier to see details you wouldn't have noticed with direct vision.
Tapping the scope:
This is another technique that helps spot faint objects. Give the telescope a slight tap while observing an object and it might just become easier to see.
Star hopping:
If you don't have Go-to, this is a skill you will need to master. To find objects you start from a bright star near the object and work your way around, hopping from star to star until you find the object you are looking for. It can be frustrating, but very rewarding as well.
Magnification:
High magnification isn't always the best. The aperture of your scope will determine the highest useful magnification, roughly 40x per inch of aperture.
The higher the magnification the dimmer the object will become. For DSO's you will normally use low to mid range magnification for the best observations. Planets, globular clusters and the Moon takes high magnification very well.
The atmosphere will most likely limit the usable magnification to around 240x under most circumstances. Start with low magnification (e.g. 25mm eyepiece focal length) and work your way up to higher magnifications. Once details become washed out take one step back in magnification and that should be the highest magnification for the current conditions.
Thanks for the above post, the newbie guide! Espec re eye sensitivity.
Jupiter was visible for me much earlier that i thought. I got 1x25mm eyepiece. For the older scope, i have 1x20mm; 1x12.5mm and 1x6mm. These pieces don't fit the 8''.... but, if i hold them manually I can get shaky views at higher magnification. Unfortunately these older lenses are dirty and smudgy, so combined with the shaking it's a bit impossible to increase the magnification. On the 2" with the 6mm EP i have been able to make out two distinct bands separated by a lighter band in between; the views from the 8" with the 25mm are most certainly clearer (and more stable to view), but I'm not able to make out all that much more detail.
So cool to split double stars! I'm having my own little christmas here!
Thanks once again for all the help and advice crusader!
/already pondering most appropriate EP to now buy....
/forsees bankruptcy....
[Re the size, I did my homework and knew what size to expect
. The first pic i saw of it next to a person was misleading, as the person was a dwarf. then i found this pic with a regular sized person:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SLivFMzdsd8/R61na7CweII/AAAAAAAAAAU/7-Llb8IWGBg/S220/portrait.jpg ]
Crusader
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Thanks for the above post, the newbie guide! Espec re eye sensitivity.
Jupiter was visible for me much earlier that i thought. I got 1x25mm eyepiece. For the older scope, i have 1x20mm; 1x12.5mm and 1x6mm. These pieces don't fit the 8''.... but, if i hold them manually I can get shaky views at higher magnification. Unfortunately these older lenses are dirty and smudgy, so combined with the shaking it's a bit impossible to increase the magnification. On the 2" with the 6mm EP i have been able to make out two distinct bands separated by a lighter band in between; the views from the 8" with the 25mm are most certainly clearer (and more stable to view), but I'm not able to make out all that much more detail.
So cool to split double stars! I'm having my own little christmas here!
Thanks once again for all the help and advice crusader!
/already pondering most appropriate EP to now buy....
/forsees bankruptcy....
[Re the size, I did my homework and knew what size to expect
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SLivFMzdsd8/R61na7CweII/AAAAAAAAAAU/7-Llb8IWGBg/S220/portrait.jpg ]
No, problem. Always glad to help if I can.
That pic looks like an XT6... otherwise the XT8 is much smaller than I thought, or I'm a dwarf too!
Dude in that pic confirms it's an xt8. The pic is from his blog.
[I ended up making facebook friends with the dwarf - asked if he would add me so i could see his fb xt8 album
]
Crusader
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It couldn't hurt, but it's not ideal. The light will still be white, just dimmed somewhat. No light would be much better. Then again complete dark adaptation is only essential if you are going after faint objects.
mercurial
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I hereby present my first moon snap:
(taken with a cellphone camera)
Very nice!
Better hope it's still there after leaving it outside for 2 hours
Bleh. The moon is amazing to see as well.
Quick pic of the moon I just took with my 6" Celestron:
Nice!
Crusader
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Yes, indeed. Don't know what came over me. Hopefully I won't live to regret the decision... it did take 3 days to finally decide.
Sure, but almost any scope will be able to show the Moon well. Other stuff provide the Wow for larger apertures.
Seeing the moon through the 8" was a wow factor for me!!!
I suspect the antique 2" scope may be a refractor telescope?? It was made in Japan and purchased in Europe, and we estimate it to around 50 years old- a relic from the sixties space fever, perhaps
Here is my first night time moon shot, again with cellphone camera:
I suspect the antique 2" scope may be a refractor telescope?? It was made in Japan and purchased in Europe, and we estimate it to around 50 years old- a relic from the sixties space fever, perhaps
Here is my first night time moon shot, again with cellphone camera:
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