mikemarotta

Only Titan for sure. I often check the Saturn webpage at Sky&Telescope to see which moons are where, but I never had the confidence to declare a small star to be any other moon. (https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/saturn_moons/saturn.html) What I would need would be observations two or three nights in a row to at least roughly track their movements. Moon Period (from The Planets by Patrick Moore 1st edition, 1962) TITAN 15d 22h Iapetus 79d Rhea 4 d 12 h Dione 2d 17 h (I just plucked the four largest. All are listed with more data. Iapetus was tagged with a question ? mark.) Nonetheless, congratulations to you and your very nice telescope.

You got a nice telescope and a good binocular. I use both all the time when I am out. Very often the binos help me verify a naked-eye view before I search with my telescope. But I also just lay back in the chaise and look with the binocular. It is a different experience, entirely. Your telescope was an enviable catch. Ask here about "eyepieces" (oculars). Your instrument came with two, I believe (or should have if you bought it used) plus a 2X Barlow. Those should give you a good range of views. You will find that easy clusters such as the Pleiades and the Beehive (as well as the Moon, of course) require the wider views. With stars, you usually do not gain much with more magnification. They are just stars. That said, though, if you take to chasing binaries and other deep space objects (DSOs), you will appreciate having more power. But first things first. I will also underscore the comments about your own bad weather being caused by your having purchased a telescope. Now you have time to chat here and to read. The stars are pretty at any magnification. What makes viewing them satisfactory is understanding what you are looking at. Used bookstores and your local library will be easy resources. Many people belong to groups such as the British Astronomical Association and the Society for Popular Astronomy. I subscribe to several magazines -- and my own national professional society just bought Sky & Telescope -- and personally, I get the most from Popular Astronomy magazine. Best Regards, Mike M.

I had the same experience the first time I went to a club star party at a dark sky sight. I grew up in the city and I usually live in cities. Once it got dark, I could not find anything. The club outreach person came over with his green laser and spent time with me getting me oriented. Just enjoy your embarrassment of riches and keep us posted. Best Regards, Mike M.

You got some good replies and on the surface, they are unarguable. It does depend on what you want the magnification for. Allow me to suggest Ronald Stoyan's "Visual Astronomer" webpage. (It is not https secure, but here it is http://visualastronomer.com/ ) He recommends making the most of all of your available magnification. Just for example, if you are chasing binary stars, image quality is not the most important factor. All you want is two Airy disks that separate the objects. I would not normally view at 220X, but I must put a 6mm ocular in with a 2X Barlow to split the "double-double" in Lyra using my 102mm refractor from my city skies home. It is not a loss but rather a benefit to be able to verify what I have read about. I do agree with rl that much of how you see is individualized. Numbers are guidelines. The eyes of young people have different pupil responses than do those of adults and older adults. As we age, we can get near-sighted and then far-sighted again. Expectation has a lot to do with what you see. So does experience. I agree with that. We do most of our seeing with our brains. The eye just supplies information. The brain makes sense of it.

Half a loaf is better than none. You seem to have good logistics with your garage being convenient. I have to port my instruments out of my office, down the hall, through the kitchen, out the back and off the porch. We are looking for a new home now and my wife included a shed for my gear on her list of amenities. So, you got some viewing in. That's what's important. Sky & Telescope magazine has some convenient web pages for Jupiter and Saturn. I check them before or after for what I am going to see or have. Jupiter's Moons -- https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/jupiter_moons/jupiter.html Jupiter Red Spot -- https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/interactive-sky-watching-tools/transit-times-of-jupiters-great-red-spot/ Saturn's Moons -- https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/saturn_moons/saturn.html Keep us posted on your successes. Best Regards, Mike M.

I gave up on collimation this winter and donated the reflector and the collimator to the Goodwill. But, alas, I could not pass up a bargain and I bought a factory-reconditioned Bresser 8-inch (208 mm) Newtonian reflector, which is also an f/3.9 and therefore a challenge to collimate. So, I decided to face the music, pay the piper, etc.,etc., and I bought tools. I bought two different Cheshires just to compare them. I will let y'all know how it went when it goes. Right now, the telescope is in the shipping carton along with the calibrators. The telescope needs a mount and tripod (and a finder). But, that being as it may, the postal service did deliver the goods, all from Agena Astro in Cerritos, California:

You are quite the hound dog, Jack Russell! I am impressed with your hands-on ability. Myself, I tend to work with paper and pencil. The mechanical stuff is a challenge. I saw a YouTube video about this guy who always bought WHITE telescopes so that his SO could not easily tell how many there were in the house.. and he kept one in the car. 😄 I agree with Alan64. I have found that whatever else about Celestron, their customer service has never let me down. They exceeded my expectations. Astronomy is a small market. Most of the sellers work hard at customer service because there is no second chance to do it right: people walk away and shop elsewhere. Allow me to recommend that you reach out to the local astronomy club. The stars at night are big and bright.

Perhaps a galaxy not so far, far away... You might have resolved a brighter patch of the Milky Way. It surely did not look like this, but the picture is an indication. Allow me to recommend that you seek out a handbook or two and a website or three. There's a zillion guide books, but the one that works for you is the one you need. Myself, I often browse the used bookstores and your public library is an option. You can try before you buy. As for websites, there's a lot those, too, and we all have our favorites. I like Sky & Telescope magazine's offering: https://skyandtelescope.org/interactive-sky-chart/ They have a separate one for the Moons of Jupiter https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/jupiter_moons/jupiter.html and the moons of Saturn https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/saturn_moons/saturn.html The snapshot is from the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard University, co-sponsored by NASA. Nominally chartered to serve professionals, they also deliver a lot to amateurs, like "The Sky Tonight." https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/current-night-sky Best Regards, Mike M.

Congratulations, Blue Sky. The best telescope is the one that gets used. You seem to be off to a good start. I understand about the city lights. But unless you are under the lights of that big Ferris wheel or something, you can probably find a lot to look for even in London. In the classic handbook, Turn Left at Orion, the author had his Ph.D. from Harvard and had taught at MIT before a friend showed him the stunning double stars of Albireo from within the New York City metro area, Fort Lee, New Jersey. You might try for it. Best Regards, Mike M.

Welcome! You will find that there are no dumb questions here. Tell us a bit more about your 6se. Did it come with just the one eyepiece, the 25mm? Have you started shopping for additional oculars ("eyepieces")? When do you do most of your viewing? If you have the freedom and opportunity to be out in the early morning, you will find the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn together about 2:00 or 3:00 AM over the coming weekend the 24th and 25th. Best Regards, Mike M.

Well, you are never too old and in fact, as hobbies go, it is usually older people who have the resources and the time. It was very good of you to read and lurk before deciding to join. That usually makes for a better bond than being surprised. Tell us about the Short Tube refractor: make, etc., what eyepieces it came with, etc. What you have seen so far... If you don't mind my curiosity. We're all beginners here at some level. I had to google "ST80" and I've been doing this about five or six years. So, you will not be surprised to learn that I always take my binoculars out with me, just to lay back in the lawn chair and look. The famous American baseball catcher, Yogi Berra, of the New York Yankees, was known for unintentional witticisms, among them: "You can observe a lot just by watching." (And nothing personal, but I worked for Kawasaki and Honda. You will find that it is the same with telescopes: makes, models, brands, pros and cons.) Best Regards, Mike M.

Welcome to the forum. When your telescope arrives, let us know and especially when you actually get to go outside with it. 😄 (See below.) If you received the standard package, then you have the two eyepieces, 25mm and 9 mm. Allow me to recommend that you consider adding the Celestron Lens and Filter Kit. I bought mine when I saw other people at star parties with much larger or more expensive telescopes and with the same kit. Celestron is not the only label. The same kit comes from other brand-name retailers. Also, ask questions here. I say that because some people tend to settle in to a few eyepieces and not use others. It is a personal preference. You may find that a larger eyepiece 32mm or even 40 mm plus a Barlow lens will deliver much of what you want from your first telescope. But, first of all, get to know the instrument you have. No kidding! I bought myself an ED APO in April... Still waiting for two clear nights in a row... and then I went ahead and bought an 8-inch Newtonian. It's raining now and I don't expect it to quit until January. (The Newt is still in the crate in the garage, no sense in listing it in the signature.) Meanwhile, I do have two erstwhile instruments that I can run outside with in the few moments when the sky is clear. One night last week, I got in four hours between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM.

I looked up your telescope. I was a bit out of focus myself by the label "dobsonian." Usually, it refers to a larger mirror, 8, 10, 12, inches or more. But, of course, John Dobson was equally famous for his simplified mount. He demurred against all praise and said that it was just a lazy susan. I suggested that your telescope's tube might need extra time to adjust to the ambient temperature. That is true, but yours is not a large tube. You have a nice 5-inch Newtonian reflector. I know that Meade calls it a "Dobsonian" and they are not incorrect in that this is the "lazy susan" mount. Myself, I would call it a tabletop Newtonian with an Alt-Az (altitude and azimuth) mount. It is a nice scope. It should reveal a wide range of targets, from planets, to double stars, to clusters. Keep us informed as you discover more in the sky. There's a lot out there. Trust your own instincts. I read back through the responses and I am not going to engage in side discussions but some of the advice was based on personal experiences that might be different from your own. Am I correct that you bought the telescope used as-is and you did not get the 26mm and 9mm eyepieces that it comes with? (The Meade website says that the model is discontinued. So, I assume that you bought it used.). The arithmetic for magnification is TELESCOPE divided by EYEPIECE. Your telescope's focal length is 650mm and 650/8 = 81.25. So, that's a nice magnification, very up-close. As noted by others, you can do more. There are some rules of thumb. A lower limit could be Aperture times 0.2 (or divided by 5), so that your lower limit could be 26. An upper limit could be 10 times that. But effectively would be limited by the actual sky (light pollution, haze, etc.), so maybe 130X before you lose resolution and start seeing your own eye floaters. But it depends on you, what you see when you use your telescope. Astronomy can be an expensive hobby and we all are willing to spend your money for you. If you are looking for other oculars ("eyepieces") ask around and take it all with a grain of salt. A lower power (32 mm or 40 mm) added to a 2X Barlow may give you some other options. The 2X Barlow will double the effective magnification of your present equipment. The lower power will give you a wider view of things like the Moon and the Pleiades. Coupled together a lower power and Barlow will give you a range of viewing options. But overall, reading is the thing. Make use your local library and used bookstores as well as website discussion boards like this one. Do you have a local club in your area? Whether you get more kit and gear or not, your BST 60-degree 8 mm is a good piece of glass. Enjoy it.

We used to. I moved here in 2011. This year has been especially cloudy and wet. Looking back over my logs, A week of cloud cover was unusual, maybe a couple of times in the winter and spring. This year, I have not had a cloudless week since early April. Realize, though that Texas is a big place. We can have a snowstorm in the north and a tropical storm in the south on the same day in March or November. The west is high desert. The east is coastal marshes. The distance from the University of Texas Austin to the University of Texas McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis is the same as Paris to Prague. or just short of Edinburgh to London.

I agree about the Moon. However, I question the major premise. Regarding sunlight as experienced on Earth, the UV does the most damage to your eyes, not the IR. Nature here: https://www.nature.com/articles/eye2015266 US National Institutes of Health here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872277/

I was wondering about the portability as I read over your posts a bit too quickly. I went back to catch the salient details of size and weight. I also chose my instruments specifically because I can carry them. You say that you walk to the beach. I mean, even with a little extra kit and gear, you need a lot of pockets if you are walking. Even a mere 14 lbs can get heavy after a while. Anyway, the best telescope is the one that gets used. I have viewed quite a bit with my 70mm. My skies did not permit several attempts at epsilon Lyrae (famous double-double) and I had to go up to the 102mm to catch that. However, other people have been successful with 80 and 70 mm refractors. So, the seeing is important. Also, on that score, some people will tell you that the sea is a terrible place to view from because the air is all moist and salty, compared to dry land (like the Sahara, I suppose). I am just curious about your impressions and look forwarding to reading more of your reports.

Thanks for the video. It is a nice tour. What is a G&T? Was that a quip for Gin & Tonic?

Yes, in the Introduction, Dr. Consolmagno tells of being shown the stunning binary Albireo within the glare of New York City (from Fort Lee, New Jersey). He already had his doctorate, already had taught at MIT, already worked for the Harvard Observatory, and had never seen it. His friend showed it to him with a small refractor. In the words of New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra, "You can observe a lot just by watching." One word of warning about TLAO: while any copy might be better than no copy (if the price is right), the current second printing of the fourth edition corrected errors from previous editions. It happens. There's a Cambridge University book for amateurs, Anthology of Visual Double Stars by Argyle, Swan, and James, that is missing the constellation Capricorn. Dang it all anyway...

First off, the thing about telescopes is that they gather light. So, despite nominally poor seeing conditions, you will be able to cut through some of the problem. For example, I live in an urban area where the Milky Way is often not visible or just parts of it some times of the year. Even so, my instruments will show me the Milky Way. I was surprised, but there it is. So, the easy answer is that if you look in your average "Friendly Stars in Your Sky" book or a magazine, you will probably be able to chase most of the targets labeled "easy for beginnners." (Myself, I chase binaries.) There's a lot to see. Let us know if you run out of things to look at. Everyone recommends Stellarium or similar software. I find them overly complicated for just telling me what I can see tonight. I use this Sky & Telescope online application: https://skyandtelescope.org/interactive-sky-chart/ Click on Deep Sky Objects. Click off the annoying stuff. You have a nice telescope and a nice range of occulars. (I assume you mean 32 mm, not 3.2.) You could achieve the same results for a 10mm by using a Barlow with your 24 and 16 which would give you effective 12 and 8 mm but at a more comfortable eye relief. Also, for yourself as an experiment, you could compare the 32mm with 2X Barlow against the 16 mm and let us know how they look to you. You might find differing results with different targets. Let us know. (Just a suggestion.) I suppose that I should have made this my "zeroth" suggestion before the first, but do you keep a log book of some kind? I use bound graph paper notebooks. Other people use their computers, phones, or tablets, but whatever, keeping track of your work is an important part of the science.

Congratulations, first and foremost. My favorite site for tracking the moon of Jupiter is from Sky & Telescope online here: https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/jupiter_moons/jupiter.html The "star" near Saturn may well have been Titan. Again, a Sky & Tel webpage for Saturn: https://skyandtelescope.org/wp-content/plugins/observing-tools/saturn_moons/saturn.html (Note that for these, you can choose the view depending on your kind of telescope.) I agree with the posts above about letting your telescope adjust to the environment and also keeping the dew off of everything. Jupiter should be a pretty easy target to view clearly with your 5-inch dobsonian. But the dob has a big tube, so it may need to acclimate a bit longer, but others have more ken than I witih that. In any event, you had a good session! Next time, go for some stars. Where you are, the Big Dipper and other stuff to the north shoudl be a rich field of discovery. We had a chat here about Mizar-Alcor, the easy visual double in the handle. Your telescope should show some surprises there. Also, Polaris may surprise you.

Congratulations on a successful night!

First and foremost "cheap" is not what to look for in a solar filter. REPUTABLE is the key. You did well by asking here first. QUALITY is essential as you can be blinded. Second, do not buy from Amazon. They are fine for books and housewares or whatever, but with astronomical instruments you want someone who will support your purchase. This site is sponsored by a retailer, First Light Optics. I would start there. But there are others, of course, depending on where you live, import duties, etc., etc. Also, many people claim that Baader is superior to Thousand Oaks. Everyone has opinions. One reason why is that Baader film shows a white solar disk, whereas Thousand Oaks shows an orange disk. But, the Sun is not white. The Sun actually emits more in the GREEN band. Why not have a green filter? All you want to do is to filter the light for your own safety. I bought these from Explore Scientific, also sold in Europe through their partner, Baader. They come in three sizes. They are pre-made to fit your telescope with your own handiwork at putting them together. I also tried it out immediately by looking at the Sun just naked eye. Seems fine. I have used it since with my smallest telescope. I just recut the mounting to fit my mid-size instrument. (Explore has a video showing how to do the work. The printed instructions are totally graphical.) Let us know what you decide.

Congratulations! That was perhaps the very best "first light" story I have read. You really have the knack. Yes, Mizar is a complex system. For suggestions, you can easily pursue many other doubles. Some are only optical, apparently in line for us but not gravitationally bound. Others are true binaries. This time of year, you do not have much darkness in the UK and the zodiac is far to your south, but Scorpio and Sagittarius and the area between them is rich with objects. You should be able to find "Ptolemy's Cluster" naked eye and then in the telescope. Books are a requirement. My suggestion is to find a used book store or rely on your local library and find the ones that seem right for you. Not everything titled "Your Friends: the Stars" will be helpful. The Moon is an easy target with your Moon filter for those near-full Moon nights. There's a lot to look at. Take your time. You will see 60x more in five minutes than you will in five seconds. I find that re-visiting targets is always a learning experience. Thanks for being here. You have no idea how nice it is to meet a newbie who is successful the first time out. (I certainly was not. Probably, five years to get it halfway right...) BTW: Nice telescope. You caught a bargain, regardless of the EQ-2 problems. Aslo... as for apparently having "The Knack": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8vHhgh6oM0 Welcome to The Stargazers Lounge.

Just to follow up. I posted out-takes from your comments here in a strong memorandum to my committee. Twice. The first time, I just sent it out to the leads for review. That was back in January when this thread started. Then, earlier this month, as we are coming down to final proposals for the board, I sent out an edit of my memo - one page; military style - to the entire committee. And I was able include a strong statement from AAS president Paul Szkody that the AAS can permanenty bar from publication anyone in violation of the ethics poilicies. That includes not offering credit to amateurs who collaborate. This is now with a special publications subcommittee. Our committee on Amateur Affiliates discussed it in detail. Tracking the evidence, I found that the genesis got lost. What happened was this. Back in January, at AAS 237, we had a special off-schedule meet-up of amateur affiliates and others. In the Zoom chat box, one of the comments was this, that professionals offer publication credit to amateurs who collaborate, along with many other comments, including discounts on Sky & Tel for AAS members, etc., etc. When the Amateur Affiliate Membership Advisory Task Force was launched, this comment was included early on among about 50 other bullet points for framing our work, including having amateurs invlte professionals to star parties, etc., etc. It was at that point that I shared the concerns voiced by @Theropod here. There has never been a problem with pro-am publication credit. As far as I know, there is no complaint on record. It is a non-issue. However, with the intended influx of amateurs publishing with AAS professionals now, the AAS wants this to be crystal clear, as they are on gender bias and harassment, respect for Native lands, and other ethical standards. So, @Theropod, your concerns were heard and addressed. I assure you that I took it very seriously and still do. Whatever the good intentions, as a card-carrying criminologist, I know that 20% of scientists are crooks on the same basis that 20% of bus drivers are crooks. It's just people being people. And we all seek to act against harms and injustices, if only by speaking out. Best Regards, Mike M. "Twenty per cent of scientists are crooks" on my blog here: https://necessaryfacts.blogspot.com/2012/12/20-of-scientists-are-crooks.html

Your Schmidt-Cassegrain may need collimation. I do agree that the views through smaller apertures can be surprising and delightfult.