Has anyone ever......

[Celeste]

I was having a quick nosey outside to see if it was clear the other night, it was but only one half of the sky was clear and the clouds rolling in fast, no time to set up the mount but I really wanted to eyeball Jupiter as it was so bright....I grabbed the scope and shoved it out the window, but I couldn't hold it and look at the same time so...I took the finder off the scope and used that instead for a quick fix (sad, yes )

Ok embarrasing to admit but I just have to know....does anyone else do it? Haha

[GJBC]

I can imagine the rush as you were trying to find a way and the relief when you thought of it. ingenuity.

have i? do i? no sorry on your own on this ...... So far

I got loads of set of little bins £2 jobby's for emergency by front and back door in the car and by the bedroom windows just for that reason. do they get used? Yes quite often. even the missus uses them to look at the birds.

[nicnac]

This is one of the reasons i have the bins and mak90

[Nathan_Pembs]

Yeh I've used my 9x50 finder to get a "fix" before the clouds roll in, usually the Pleiades or Orion Nebs

[Luke]

I have a pair of 20x80 binoculars for emergency viewing! Some of my favourite sessions have been taking it easy sitting comfy with a pair of bins, though for a long session I'll use a smaller pair of bins as the 20x80 is a little heavy when held by hand.

[jamespels]

Yes to both - I have the 20x80s for exactly this reason (can be set up on a tripod in about 2 minutes) and I am lucky to have a superb TAL finder for wider field (8x) if I need it (though switching between right-way-round and back-to-front does my head in saometimes!).

[Celeste]

So i'm not the only one hahaha.....yes bins may well be my next purchase, prob be after xmas now

[fatwoul]

I tried to handhold my ED80 once, just to see the FoV it gave around the Moon, before some clouds arrived.

I'm glad nobody saw me doing that.

[MjrTom]

If it's a quick glimpse at Jupiter in between the cloud cover I tend to use my 52mm ED spotting scope with a zoom eyepiece that I use for birding.

Now I come to mention it, it might make a good finder scope for my bigger telescopes. I wonder how I could mount it

[RikM]

I have 8x56's and 20x60's for quick peek abouts.

[JimStan]

When the public show up at our astronomy club's "star parties" and ask about a good beginning telescope, we always try to encourage them to purchase a good set of binoculars rather than spending the same amount of money on one of those cheap "dime-store" telescopes. You know the type, the "70mm Refractor" with the "600 power - you can see the moons of Jupiter" types.

Anybody who listens to our advice is usually much happier than the ones who do not, and we often gain new members as they start learning where things in the night sky by viewing them first through their new tools !

Jim S.

[sbooder]

I can not imagine trying to shove my 10" out the window but yes I have often used my finderscope to get a quick peek, although I tend to use my 10x42 bins instead.

[glowjet]

Yes, I have in the past but was afraid of dropping it trying to prop myself against the door or window frame, thats why I invested in a good set of bins for the grab and go, with the safety of the neck strap

John.

[DoctorD]

Hi

I've managed to get a glimpse of Jupiter through my 130P OTA with the stock 25mm eyepiece with the OTA tucked under my armpit!

It wasn't that difficult to hold still but I would not recommend it.

Clear skies

Paul

[ollypenrice]

I can't hand hold 15x70 bins, let alone a scope! Not so's I can see more than with 10x50s anyway. I think some 8 or 10x 50s are in order for you. They are mucky cheap these days though Grahame seems to have scored with his two quid ones!!!

Olly

[Revs]

At PSP I was slewing to NGC869/884 looking through the finder and when I found it the double looked so good through the finder I didn't move to the EP of a good minute or two. Finders (and bino's) are great for wide-field cluster views! Great for a 'quick fix'

[great_bear]

I saw the Horsehead Nebula in my 9x50 finder once (here <click>)

- although it was still attached to a scope at the time!

That might seem surprising until you realise that there's quite a large exit-pupil with a finderscope.

[RikM]

The Coathanger is better in a finder than the main scope with the eyepieces I have.

[MjrTom]

The Coathanger is better in a finder than the main scope with the eyepieces I have.

It fits perfectly in the FOV with both my scopes using 13mm & 24mm eyepieces on the f/6.3 and f/9.8 respectively

[earth titan]

Yeah. Been there, done that.

Even taken my 8x50 finder away with me for camping trips.

Works with pleides, andromeda looks good under a dark sky and moon is ok.

I agree that somethings look better through a finder.