New Scope!

[Argentum]

Just bought our first scope for my 6 and 8 year olds. We are now proud owners of a Evostar 90 refractor!!!

It's a birthday present, so trying to hide the thing was a problem once it was assembled.

Looking forward to using it next week.

What's good at the moment that we can see with this scope?

Thanks!

[Jiggy 67]

Are you sure this is for the kids??....lol

[Dob]

Just bought our first scope for my 6 and 8 year olds. We are now proud owners of a Evostar 90 refractor!!!

It's a birthday present, so trying to hide the thing was a problem once it was assembled.

Looking forward to using it next week.

What's good at the moment that we can see with this scope?

Thanks!

Saturn, Moon, star clusters and Sun (if you have proper filter).

If you live in a city i wouldn't recommend any nebulas (maybe M42) or galaxies.They are very faint and with light pollution almost impossible to see.

[fatwoul]

Congratulations Argentum. I hope you (sorry I mean the kids) enjoy it!

Veterans please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd have thought Saturn would have been a good target at the moment, and well within reach of an Evostar 90. The Moon is also around (or should that be a round?).

If your scope's front cover has a smaller hole in the middle of it, that's what you use to look at the Moon, as it can be very bright using the whole aperture of the scope, and will ruin your night vision for the rest of the evening, making dimmer objects even more difficult to observe. For this reason, I try to avoid looking at the Moon until last thing during a session, unless that session is dedicated to it.

[Argentum]

Are you sure this is for the kids??....lol

errrr! Yes, My daughter kept on at me for over a year. Six months ago I got aperture fever when considering scopes and almost taked myself into a 250px Dob!

But I'm sure I'll get just as much enjoyment out of it as the girls!

[ronin]

Nice scope to start with.

Saturn is the obvious one up in the southern area of the sky.

If it came with a finder scope get it set up if you haven't already. Makes it a lot easier for Dad to find things.

Pleiades is always around.

Get a guide and look at what is in the Plough - M101, M108, M109, and Cassiopeia.

May be a bit late for Orion.

Leo is prominent and there are several Messiers in that that are possible.

[david o]

If you haven't already, download the free planetarium Stellarium. It'll help you choose targets and show you where to look for them.

For use at the 'scope get yourselves a Planisphere. Don't forget a red torch, it'll help preserve your eyes' dark adaptation.

Have fun

[brantuk]

Try Albireo - nice blue/gold double star in the plough, Beehive cluster (with a wide angle eyepiece) beautifull open cluster, Saturn no question - allways awesome, M81/M82 - two galaxies in the same fov one "edge on" and one "face on" (known as Bodes and the Cigar), for a challenge try Gemma, and the Markarian chain.

If you can find all those in one night in the current hazy seeing, then congratulations you are well on the way

(Tip: use Stellarium)

[Mikea]

Don't you mean Mizar/Alcor in Cygnus?

[Argentum]

Thanks guys for all the advice. I have a planisphere and star charts from a previous purchase that my daughter asked for a while back. I have also downloaded Stellarium.

Tried to locate Saturn with the naked eye last night using the planishpere and Stellarium, but wasn't sure if the object was Saturn or a star, which was part of Virgo i.e. either Porrima or Spica.

Will try to use telescope next week after I unveil the present.

Thanks again and I'll let you know how we get on:)

[Astro Imp]

Hi,

Definitely sounds like the girls' present to Dad

If you looked in the southern sky last night and saw what you thought was Saturn but was unsure, you will see two "stars" fairly close to-gether. The lower bright one slightly to the left (east) is Saturn the dimmer is Porrima. Spica is a lot lower in the sky under Saturn.

FYI If you follow the curve of the stars that make up the handle of the Plough you will first come to Arcturus and then carry on the same curve you come to Spica.

HTH and enjoy your new scope.

[brantuk]

Saturns easy - due south around 11pm - skim the top of the current haze we're having cos it keeps wandering in and out of it lol