Advice on first time telescope

[rwilkey]

Jan, well done for getting such a great scope, you'll have a hard job putting that under wraps until Christmas!

[jkemal]

Well, I have had my telescope for over a week now, and alas it is time for my wife to put it away until Christmas, although I am already hatching a plan to sneak it out while she's not looking.

What a week it has been, from my first tentative steps with it in the garden, to gradually learning how to use it, adjust it, track objects and get the most out of it. From my first limited views of Jupiter, to being able to spot six cloud belts, the red spot and even one of the moons gradually appearing from behind the planet. And then culminating with a a visit to one of the local fields a few minutes drive from my house last night where light pollution wasn't quite so bad - here myself and a friend were able to not only get some quite fantastic views of Jupiter, but also the spectacular sights of the Orion Nebula - we could really see the clouds snaking around the stars, the Hyades star cluster - I wasn't looking for it but while scanning the sky with my naked eye I noticed what looked like a distant wisp of cloud and when I pointed the scope at it an amazing array of stars were revealed which I later confirmed as Hyades.

We also managed to find the burning bright light of Betelgeuse and while its red glow was impressive it was nothing compared to the the colorful almost traffic light flashes of VY Canis Major which can only be described as spectacular and surprising - as we were really not expecting to see anything so dynamic. The night was rounded off by my first view of Mars as it came up over the horizon - I could just about make out what I think were one of it's snow caps (a white glow on top of the red disc). We had been out for four hours and we hadn't realised how quickly the time had passed.

I have learned a lot in the past week, chiefly that patience is important in astronomy - there is no substitute for going out in the right conditions at the right time and in the right place. On that first day when I rushed outside to have my first look - while I could see Jupiter I remember feeling a slight sense of disappointment - I hadn't really appreciated just how much light pollution, heat from houses and trees can really affect what you can see. I have now begun to understand that if done properly (waiting while your eyes adjust to the darkness, giving your telescope time to cool down etc) the rewards are spectacular. My disappointment has been replaced with excitement.

But the most important thing I have found is how important naked eye vision is - most of the things I have seen with the telescope aside from the planets - I wasn't in fact looking for (It is going to take time to learn how to find specific deep space objects) instead I just stared at the heavens searching for nothing in particular, and every time something caught my eye I could use the scope to observe it in more detail.

I can't wait for Christmas when I will be able to take it out again :-)

[jkemal]

:-)

[jkemal]

Finally a clear night and a chance to take the telescope out, but as luck would have it on the night before I go back to work, still some fantastic views of the moon - I even managed to find Apollo 15's landing site, plus some more superb views of the Orion nebula :-) Still having trouble fing M31, I think I know where it is but can't see it, any advice?

[rwilkey]

Hi Jkemal, I always use Casseopeia to point to M31, have a look at this link, and then go to Part Four: Robins Practical Stargazing

[umadog]

Good stuff!

Remember that the dynamic light-flashes you see from stars are due to the atmosphere, not the star itself.

[jkemal]

Thanks rwilkey, great link, really easy to follow, now all I have to do is wait for the clouds to clear.