can't find objects through telescope

[coffee_prince]

I have no problem looking up at the sky and recognising the constellations, but I can't find anything through the finderscope, its a serious dampener

I use a dob 200mm..

My guesses are that I need to get two things

1 - a telrad to give a bigger view

2 - erecting prism so the picture is in correct orientation

Are these worth trying out, I am strapped for cash at the moment

Thanks

[Daniel-K]

what are you trying to find? the sky still is light for some galaxy hunting although i have just seen m31

[MikeP]

You could try one of these ..... First Light Optics - Rigel QuikFinder Compact Reflex Sight.... bit smaller and cheaper than a Telrad.

Use it to get the scope pointed at a particular star then use your finder to star hop / search from there.

The erecting prism will help to make movement of the scope more intuitive but if cash is an issue at present, I'd just go for the red dot finder.

Mike

[BellatrixC4]

I have no problem looking up at the sky and recognising the constellations, but I can't find anything through the finderscope, its a serious dampener

I use a dob 200mm..

My guesses are that I need to get two things

1 - a telrad to give a bigger view

2 - erecting prism so the picture is in correct orientation

Are these worth trying out, I am strapped for cash at the moment

Thanks

Well, I'm gonna say I have the same problem as you, I have a really bad finderscope that came with my 8 inch dob. I wouldn't recommend you getting a correction prism because it will affect the quality of the image you see. Getting used to the inversion is one thing and I find that it comes with time.

So what I do, (I'm planning on buying a telrad soon though) Is that I try and get the object I want in the finderscope and just kinda move in that general area. Very slowly and patiently. Takes time, but works for me to be honest.

EDIT: Also, going with an eyepiece that gives you a larger field of view and eye relief is good. Once you find what you want, you switch eyepieces ^^

[starship trooper]

Make sure your finder is aligned with you scope because that will give you problems.

[Mr Spock]

Sounds like, in both cases, the finderscope is not aligned. Once you have a bright object centred in the main scope, the cross hairs on the finder should be right on it (You can do this also in daylight with a distant object), if not, adjust the finder until it is.

[BellatrixC4]

Oh damn....I feel like I just gave BAD advice here XD ( I really did debate if I should post what I was doing or not ) But turns out, I learnt too!!!

[ronin]

What bad advice Bellatrix? Seems pretty fair to me.

The "problem" with a finder scope is that they are personel. What one person likes another will hate or find utterly useless.

When looking through a finder scope the bit of the sky you are looking at is a lot small then the eye encompasses. Really makes things difficult to recognise.

You really have to determine which one suits you best, advice is one thing but remember that a person will rave about the one that they find best. If you have the chance you really need to try a few out. Not easy unless you are a memeber of a club where people can lend you some, or you can try on their equipment.

Buying one of each type to work out the best is expensive.

[coffee_prince]

Hi, yes I get confused because the view is smaller bit of sky, and also because it is aso reversed. E.g. there is a galaxy just off the handle of the big dipper (I forget the name) and though I can see Ursor Major with the naked eye, I didn't know what I was looking at through the finderscope, or if I was looking off the correct star.

Are erecting prisms that detrimental to quality of image?

I think this is a hurdle that really needs to be sorted if I am to enjoy astronomy

P.S My finderscope is aligned correctly

Thanks

[ollypenrice]

Erecting prisms are detrimental to astro views, yes. Besides, your scope is a Newtonian and erecting prisms are desined for refractors.

I would always recommend a Telrad over a red dot because the Telrad circle gives you a reference for scale on the sky. A dot is just a dot.

Another good trick, as long as you are careful regarding aircraft, is to fire a laser through your finder once it is aligned. The finder will direct the beam in the direction of the scope and it gets you quickly onto a nearby bright star. Once you have the right star in the finder you can star hop by following a chart.

Regarding inversion, you can use a planetarium software to generate dedicated finder charts for each target and then invert the image before printing.

But as above, it isn't dark in the UK at the moment!

Olly

[JonnyP]

Can I ask a question very much related to this?

I've got cheap telescope with a finderscope and red dot. I understand that the object I'm trying to view should be centred in the two concentric rings in the finderscope, marksman fashion, but in the dark I can't actually see the rings so am blindly trying to centre a star in the middle of a dark tube. (If that makes any sense at all?)

The red dot function is useless in the dark as well, because the dot may be aligned with anything, depending on the angle I look through finderscope.

Is it just a case of my finderscope just being cheap, and limited because of that, or do more expensive finderscopes work in the same way?

[Moonshane]

a Telrad will transform your ability to point the scope in the right direction. combined with a right angled finder it will make your observing life a lot easier.

I'd buy a Telrad first. If you can afford both then great but if not then use the Telrad and your current finder.

The trick to using a straight finder is, I think, to use both eyes. Look through the finder with your right eye and then keep your left open and look at what you want to point at with both eyes. eventually you'll see the star in the finder field and then you can move from there. it's a lot easier with a right angled finder though as the image is pointed toward you and also the right way up.

[Nova]

Might be a silly question but do you have a set of sky charts that you can have with you at the scope? i struggled until i got hold of a set for my self and you can get an excellent set for free here

JR's website on Deep Sky Astronomy

Its not as portable as sky and telescopes pocket atlas but the advantage is you can print as much or as little as you like and the different versions based on max magnitude are great

[ollypenrice]

Can I ask a question very much related to this?

I've got cheap telescope with a finderscope and red dot. I understand that the object I'm trying to view should be centred in the two concentric rings in the finderscope, marksman fashion, but in the dark I can't actually see the rings so am blindly trying to centre a star in the middle of a dark tube. (If that makes any sense at all?)

The red dot function is useless in the dark as well, because the dot may be aligned with anything, depending on the angle I look through finderscope.

Is it just a case of my finderscope just being cheap, and limited because of that, or do more expensive finderscopes work in the same way?

Some finders have an illuminated reticle. You can duplicate the effect by shining a (red) light obliquely across the finder objective. I do this quite often. It just illuminates the crosshair.

With reflex sights like red dot finders there should be no significant parallax if it is properly designed. If you can see the red rings or dot then you should be close enough.

Olly

[Moonshane]

you can tell your skies are dark Olly! I can always see the reticule in my finder

top tip though - cheers!

[BellatrixC4]

E.g. there is a galaxy just off the handle of the big dipper (I forget the name)

Thanks

There's 3 of em' that are in that vicinity I think.

M101 Pinwheel galaxy (@ "Top" of handle )

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy (@ "Bottom" of handle)

M63 Sunflower galaxy (A bit further on the bottom part)

And, 200 mm is like almost 8 Inches, I can see those no problem, but because that they are dimmer and smaller objects I had a bit of a hard time finding them.

And If the upside down image really does frustrate you, I guess you could opt for the correction prism, but as I said before, if you really want to enjoy what you see, you're better off with optimum image quality. Especially on smaller objects, I'd be ready to bet that they would become harder to see properly with a correction prism.

Personally speaking, it took my a while to get used to it, but having a nice image quality was well worth the practice. Just go out often and practice, I find that's the best way.

[JonnyP]

Thanks Ollypenrice. My next purchase is a red light!

[John]

Many DSO's are too faint to be seen with a 50mm finder so what you are using it for really is "enhanced star hopping". That's why the most effective setup is to have both a red-dot / circle finder and an optical finder on the scope.

Personally I find just the RDF enough 90% of the time but occasionally it is very useful to have the optical finder to nail the position of an object amongst fainter stars.