Sharing my views as a newbie

[robbie c]

I'd just like to share my view's with other newbie's. When I first got my scope I was going out every chance I got looking up at the sky to see what I could find I got my scope in June so was lucky to see Saturn before it went from our night sky I also found the moon was great to observe but when it came to trying to find the more harder things (well for us newbies) that's when I started to struggle no matter how hard I try'd I couldn't find what I was looking for I'd look on stellarium (if you don't have it get it its a must) find out where to look then start trying to find it with my scope then back to stellarium then back to my scope and so it went on and on and when you keep failing you start to get depressed you start firing of questions and you get some great advise coming back and I can honestly say the best advise I got was to buy some bins which I did and I'v not looked back, instead of struggling trying to find things with my scope it was so easy to use the bins first, once you find it with the bins you know there to look with your scope which is how I found M31 my first galaxy and now M42 so as a newbie who doesn't no a lot the one thing I do know is you need bins they will be one of the best buys you can make and they don't have to be expensive one's mine cost me £10 on ebay:)

[rory]

exellent advice robbie, i bought a second hand pair after a few months with my scope. not only a good aid to locate areas of the sky. a good thing to have for sweeping views across rich area's .

a couple of times now ive jumped in a sleeping bag, with a brew and bino's and lie down on patio looking up for a while, its brilliant.

but i second your advice 100%

[assasincz]

I am not sure what sort of scope you have or what sort of finderscope you use but in my view, a decent 50mm finderscope is a must. With it, you will be able to find way more objects stahopping than with those shoddy plastc 30mm ones. Some people say that red-dot or Telrad wold be better but I reckon their use is limited by the darkness of the sky.

[Charon]

When I am not feeling up to lugging my gear up on the roof I go up there with my 7x50 Tascos not very powerful I know but it is fun though and that is what counts.

[damnut]

Hi RobbieC,

Using a pair of binos and a star atlas is the best way of finding your way around the sky. Once you have found them with the binos its an easier job to point the scope in the same area of the sky, and you know what you are looking for. A couple of books worth getting are the Sky Pocket Atlas (£7 on Amazon at mo-- Stocking filler!) and Turn Left At Orion which is a star hopping guide.

Good Luck

[DoctorD]

Hi Robbie

Turn Left at Orion will show you where to look for the best 100 objects in the night sky - should keep you busy for a while.

This is better than Stellarium or other sky chart program's because it shows you what to expect to see in the finder scope and the eyepiece.

If you haven't got a copy I really recommend getting one.

Hope this helps

Paul

[Astro Imp]

Hi Robbie,

First off I'm pleased to see you didn't let your failings stop you from trying again.

As others have said Turn Left@Orion is a good help to get started, it has detailed guides to DSOs of various sorts, galaxies, cluster, nebelae etc.

Good luck for the furture.

[jasonbirder]

Another thumbs up for Turn left at Orion...

[Mr Q]

Hi Robbie - No one has mentioned this yet so I thought I would.

Could your trouble with locating objects be the very small fields of view while using your scope? If so, try the lowest power EP you have (for the largest FOV). Once you locate the object, you can switch to a higher power EP for a better view.

Locating objects can be frustrating with a scope but with a good sky atlas and some star-hopping techniques, you will eventually start getting somewhere so don't give up!

[robbie c]

I am not sure what sort of scope you have or what sort of finderscope you use but in my view, a decent 50mm finderscope is a must. With it, you will be able to find way more objects stahopping than with those shoddy plastc 30mm ones. Some people say that red-dot or Telrad wold be better but I reckon their use is limited by the darkness of the sky.

I have a Skywatcher 150mac with a 50mm finderscope but I still find it a lot easier to locate what your looking for first with the bins and you can sit back in a chair while looking for them in the sky, now I know what to ask for in my xmas stocking:)

p.s. I'm not going to give this up guys I love it to much:D

[Pug]

Another thumbs up for bins! I started with them and still use em.

[assasincz]

I have a Skywatcher 150mac with a 50mm finderscope but I still find it a lot easier to locate what your looking for first with the bins and you can sit back in a chair while looking for them in the sky, now I know what to ask for in my xmas stocking:)

p.s. I'm not going to give this up guys I love it to much:D

That is the very thing I was supposed to mention. I too have a pair of binoculars, Soviet-made ones, but I often star hop to an object with them and then, I repeat the same procedure with my scope, because my bins and the finder both have roughly the same field of view and magnitude reach, so it is very easy that way. Of course, there are some object I am able to find without the bins first within seconds, like M57.

[rory]

turn left at orion is a very good guide . can get 2nd hand on the flebay and astronomy buy and sell.

illustrated guide to astronomical wonders is also a huge and very good reference book .

[imarcs]

turn left at orion is a very good guide . can get 2nd hand on the flebay and astronomy buy and sell.

illustrated guide to astronomical wonders is also a huge and very good reference book .

Thumbs up for both these books from me, one naturally leads to the other in my opinion.

[ecosse]

Tl@O and bins alongside the scope and you can't go far wrong