Andy350

Sorry Sunshine, hope I didn't offend.  Thanks for the help all.  What kind of an image could I get of say Mars with perfect conditions.  Happy with what I found of the moon 😀

Regarding star Nebular, how much detail can you see.  I haven't picked up the recommended books yet, on my to do list.  But will be looking at the drum stool.

Thanks Brown Dwarf, I'm not sure if it makes a difference but, my scope only has 6", very inadequate 🙄

2 hours ago, Sunshine said:

You will find that there won’t be a “plateau” as in your enjoyment of the hobby will begin to diminish afterwards. Just like every one of us you’ll find it just as enjoyable spending a night under the stars in ten years as it is now, that is the wonderful draw of this hobby, the beauty of the night sky never gets dull. M13 will be just as breathtaking on your thousandth time seeing it.

I will aim to find M13, I did read that this is only visible between June and October.  What type of magnification is best.  I have both the 10x and 25x eyepieces with the 2x Barlow.

2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

That's a very good telescope and capable of showing you spectacular views.  If you have a 25mm eyepiece,  you'll have a great view of the Orion Nebula. The barlow might come in handy when viewing the Moon, planets and double stars. Many deep sky targets are quite large, so hunting them down using an eyepiece of 25mm or 30mm focal length can be great fun. 

Am I better off just using the 25mm eyepiece with the barlow when viewing the Orion Nebula?  I am hoping to go out tonight if the skies are clear.

7 minutes ago, domstar said:

Yes, I always focus on a star before I look at a planet. I'm never sure if I'm properly focused on Mars.

 

I know this is a daft question but, what should a focused start look like in the scope?  I have two eyepieces and a 2x Barlow lens, and I probably spend too much time interchanging.

30 minutes ago, domstar said:

The free program stellarium is very useful. It'll tell you where the planets are (and everything else). The book 'Turn Left at Orion' also helped me a lot. When I started I looked at the moon, Jupiter and Saturn then I didn't know what to look for.

I do have StarTracker, which is the paid version, but I get the feeling that it's not always pointing in the correct place.  I will order that book, many thanks.

34 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Hi Andy,

  I enjoy using an old-fashioned star atlas such as Norton's Star Atlas, or S&T Pocket Sky Atlas. It's a great way to familiarize yourself with the constellations.  Once you've got a few of the major constellations under your belt you'll be able to find your way around the night sky. Even though the Moon wasn't on view, there is still plenty to see, even in a small scope. Orion is a large constellation that is easy to find. Beneath the three belt stars are three fainter vertical stars ( known as the sword) or thats how it appears. In fact the middle star in the sword is the Great Orion Nebula or M42 (M stands for Messier, after a French astronomer called Charles Messier). See if you can find Orion and the sword on the next clear night. Aim your scope or binoculars at the centre star in the sword and you'll see a beautiful nebula.

It might help if we knew what equipment you are using too!

Thanks Red Dwarf, that is very helpful.  I will look at the Atlas's that you have mentioned.  I have a DOB 150P classic.  I also have a 2x Barlow lens.  I suppose not using one before I have no idea of what I should be able to see?

Due to the recent weather I have not been out as much as I would have liked.  Managed to get out last night, but it wasn't really successful, the moon decided not to show up 😆

What is the best way to identify objects, I have a phone app that will point me in the direction of planets, but at the moment nothing is really viewable?

I can find Mars easy enough, but struggle to focus, maybe I need to be a little more soft on the focus.  The sky was bright with stars last night, but in the end I was better of just looking with the naked eye.  Any pointers gratefully appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

On 25/01/2021 at 22:45, Louis D said:

Have you tried a water butt stand to put the Dob base on to raise it up a bit?

I used a water butt stand, worked really well, just need to be careful as it is a little top heavy, but I can weigh the stand down.  Thanks

26 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

That is correct. All you need is a Canon EOS t-ring.  Watch the video for an explanation and the remedy

Makes sense now, just noticed that there is a thread on the part that can screw into the EOS T-ring. 

3 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

You need a t-ring rather than either 2" or 1.25" nosepiece with a t-thread ie. Astro Essentials T Rings | First Light Optics . The youtube above video shows how to attach the t-ring to the focuser. If you use a nosepiece adapter in the eyepiece holder the camera might be too far away from the secondary to achieve focus.

Sorry, just getting confused, if a buy the camera adapter then I don't need the nose piece that slots into the telescopes focuser? 

One last question, is there any benefit from using the 2" t adapter rather than the 1.25"?

4 minutes ago, Pixies said:

This is worth a look for your scope - esp from around 3:00 in.

 

Thank you for the link. 

Thanks for think.  I have the sky-watcher classic 150P.

It did come with a 2" adapter as well. 

It is a 1.25".

36 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

what camera do you have an what do you want to fit it to?

It's a Canon EOS 600D, not great spec but still takes OK photos. 

I have a 6" dobsonian. I would like to get some nice moon photos to start with. 

Thanks

Andy

Could someone advise on an apapter for a camera please? 

Last night I was impatient, spent an hour looking up at the moon.  Overall results were pretty good, I've only got a 10 and 25mm eyepiece, also a 2x Barlow.  I wasn't really sure which to use, but the moon filter was a good buy. 

At first I kept thinkning I was knocking the scope, the moon kept moving to the right, then remembered that the earth spins. 

I was a good experience, just need some practice on using the eye lens and finding a more comfy viewing position, as bending over can be quite uncomfortable in a short time. 

I have an fairly old DSLR camera, I think it's about 6-8mb in resolution.  I am not sure if I should pickup an adapter for this or something for my smart phone, which does take some great pics with much higher resolution.  are there pros and cons of each?  I would really like to capture some images of the moon and whatever planets I can see of possible and get them enlarged and mounted.

Thanks

Andy

3 hours ago, M40 said:

Wait till you have a good look at the moon 👍 enjoy your new telescope 

I really cannot wait.  Over the past few months there have been a few clear skies, which would have been perfect.  I use the Android phone app called "StarTracker" and the amount of times it shows me that Jupiter, Saturn and the moon are in alignment and all I have is the naked eye.

Hi Pete, many thanks.

Managed to site the finder today, that took a while as I had forgotten that all images would be upside down.  I picked a building on a hill a few miles away it came out really well, changing the eyepiece increased the size of the image but made it darker which makes sense.  It was fascinating being able to read a road "give way" sign.

15 hours ago, Spile said:

I would also recommend setting it up in the daytime by focusing on distant trees and antennas. Use one of these to align your finderscope and see the difference between the 25 and 10mm eyepieces. Usual warning about not pointing at the sun here.

Thanks, I have some trees in the distance that I can use for this exercise.  

13 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

OK, this (to save typing it again) is my step by step align your red dot finder instructions.

If (as it appears from that PDF manual) your dob comes with an optical finder, it's the same process, you just don't have anything to switch on, and need to think 'cross hairs in the mini telescope thingy ' instead when I say 'red dot' 

Heather

Thanks again Heather.  It all turned up this morning, looks larger in real life.  I've taken your comments onboard and will setup later today, I bit cloudy at the moment to do any moon gazing.

1 hour ago, Tiny Clanger said:

I can't guarantee this is the most up to date manual, but reading this now might get you ahead of the curve

https://www.apm-telescopes.de/media/manuals/skywatcher/en/25.pdf

Unpack, assemble the base, attach the tube, mount the finder, line up the finder on a distant object in the daytime so it accords as accurately as possible with the view through the telescope (I explained exactly how to , step by step on here for an RDF not long ago . If your 'scope has an optical viewfinder it is the same process) then ... welcome to the club !

Like the rest of us, you just need clear skies !

Heather

PS I was given the much recommended book 'Turn Left at  Orion' for my birthday, and can say it is genuinely a very well set out and informative read, strongly tilted towards the practical astronomy side .

Thanks Heather, this is really useful.  Even pointing to Dobsonian looks complicated ! 😅