Hi from Northumberland

[garyf]

Hi. I am a total newbie and I have just bought my first telescope which is a Skywatcher Explorer 130 , hope it to arrive in a few days. Got a nice comfy loft room to set it up in with velux window. Starting advise much appreciated !

[Mr Spock]

Hi Gary, welcome to SGL

[PeterCPC]

Hi and welcome.

Try downloading Stellarium to help you find your way around the sky.

Peter

[Reeny]

Hello from Morpeth

Down load Stellarium software for free onto your computer - and start off looking for the brighter objects.

Orion nebula / Jupiter / Hercules cluster / Double cluster / Dumbell nebula / Ring nebula.

You can go for the fainter objects once you are used to how your equipment works.

Dark skies help - so if you are away from nearby street lights, and the southern glare from Newcastle, you should be able to see the Milky way easily from your back garden.

Find some objects to look for on Stellarium, and go hunting.

[Vox45]

Hello and welcome to the forum

1st advice would be 'go outside' as you will get a lot of turbulence from the roof releasing heat at night.  At the very least open the window so you do not look through your velux, as glass is not perfect and will introduce distortion.

Clear skies

[Stephen Green]

 Hi welcome to the SGL

   Stephen

[ronin]

Take the scope outside, you will see very little through a window. You are in effect looking through a long tube so a massively restricted view. The glass will make what you see worse.

Where in Northumberland?

[Charon]

Welcome aboard.

[NotSoSuperNova]

Hi Gary, Welcome to the lounge. My advice would be to don some thermal gear and get out there. That's where the fun is!

If you can only view from inside then it will be a case of studying star maps and seeing when interesting things are going to come to you. We generally consider ourselves outside folk though   

[glowjet]

Hi Gary and welcome to SGL. Nice comfy loft room, as pointed out, not really recommended because of turbulent air currents, nothing to stop you giving it a try of course. However, enjoy your new scope when it arrives, inside or outside

[swag72]

Hi and welcome to SGL - Glad that you found us and hope that you enjoy your time here.

Look forward to seeing you around

[Pete Presland]

Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire

[Interested]

Hi Gary, and, welcome to SGL.

See you have already been given some good advice - about getting outside to view.

My coldest session so far was at an outside temperature of -6 Celsius!

[ToxoLight]

Hi Gary and welcome to the lounge, a great scope, enjoy.

[JamesM]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Clear skies

[michigander]

Welcome to SGL, Gary!

Dana

[r3i]

Welcome to the forum. Do you get nice dark skies in your part of Northumberland?

[gingergeek]

Hi there and welcome to SGL

[BlabyStarGazer]

Hi Gary - Welcome to SGL and to the hobby.  Echoing what has been already said..  unless your attic window faces south (and opens up well out of the way), you're not going to have much of a view.  Take the 'scope outside - you soon get used to the cold this time of year! lol

Paul 

[Jim Steele]

Hi Gary and welcome to SGL. Echoing other comments take the scope outside. All that warm air escaping if your windows are open will be like looking at the moon from the bottom of a swimming pool

Best of luck

Ben

[damnut]

Hi Gary,

Warm welcome to sgl, good advice above. Get that new scope into the lovely dark skies of Northumberland!

[Bizibilder]

Hello Gary and welcome to SGL!!