May as well add my first night (and questions!)

[NorthernMonkey]

Hi Folks

I expect like the rest of the newbies on here, I was sat waiting for the night to set in this evening. As soon as I could see the faintest star I was out there! Didn't bother with the alignment tonight as I knew that i could only be out there for a short time (have to go and to that "work" stuff in the morning)

Was great to see jupiter nice and clear with the Skymax 127. Even better than seeing it myself was seeing my dad's jaw drop when at 65 he saw Jupiter for the first time through a telescope. i think I am going to get as much enjoyment out of showing other people that I am from viewing myself!

A couple of questions sprung up. Things did seem a little blurry for me to be honest, I am sure I am doing something wrong. I wonder whether I didn't leave the scope out long enough before attempting to view? Or maybe it was because I was on decking? So, the my first questions are - 1) How long to leave a Mak out before attempting to view? 2) What's the best surface to set the tripod up on?

One other quick question if I may, I just couldn't focus on anything with my Barlow lens installed. Just a complete blur. Any tips on using one of these?

I'm off to read the posts about minimum eyepieces and the inexpensive essentials! I think this will be an expensive hobby. One final question - where do you keep all your stuff?! My dining room is still full of cardboard boxes? Any thoughts on a case/bag for the Skymax 127?

Thanks, sorry for the long post, and here's to clear skies for the week

NM

[Squagnut]

All good questions.

Q1 - it pays to leave a Mak out for a while, but you should be able to view straight away without it being all blurry. I'm not sure what's up here - I have the same 'scope and no similar problem.

Q2 - it's best to set a 'scope up on hardstanding - basically, any terrain that gives a firm footing to the tripod, and - crucially - doesn't move when you do, which I'd guess decking would do. Even tiny movements can make a huge difference, both as you shift your weight and through vibrations.

Q3 - Watch what happens as you turn the focusing knob - if the blurred image gets bigger, turn it the other way! Line up your target without the Barlow.

Q4 - Maplins do a case which should take at least the SkyMax OTA, look here. I need one of these myself! And a smaller flight case for all the fiddly accessories makes things much simpler.

Heheh, yes, showing other people is a lot of fun.

[Bizibilder]

You reaqlly need to cool a Mak for a couple of hours at least - all that warm air in the tube has to get down to ambient as it can't easily escape. The blurring was probably due to lack of cooldown time and "seeing". Seeing is the word astronomers use to describe the clarity of the atmosphere. On a windy day it can be pretty awful! Its due to the atmosphere being very turbulent.

As to where to put the scope? Decking is not good! Its often quite wobbly. You need to be on a solid resilient surface - lawn is about the best if you have one. Concrete paths seem a good idea unti you start to move your feet about - just watch the vibrations transmit to the scope!

With a Barlow you will find that focus is tricky as it is "in" for a very tiny movement of the focusser and is therefore easy to overshoot. Try focussing very slowly - to focus with a barlow you need to move the eyepiece outwards. If you run out of movement then you may need to buy an extention tube - some scopes do need one of these to use a barlow - I notice SW don't supply one with the Mak127 so they may know, you know!

To keep all the bits and bobs most folk use a flight case - Maplins sell them, often on offer. This one: Flight Case with Foam : Flight & Rugged Cases : Maplin Electronics is often on offer at around £25 (but is full price at the moment - so wait a bit and save a few bob!).

[NorthernMonkey]

Thanks for the replies

I've just jumped out again having moved the scope to a concrete surface, and although there was more light and I couldn't see as much, what I could see was much more stable when stood still but yep, some juddering when moving about, so I'm putting the blurring down to the decking (and a few glasses of wine with dinner!). I'll be on grass tomorrow!

Lining things up before putting the barlow in make perfect sense! Sorry for the daft question! Will try the slower focussing too.

Thanks for the note on the flight cases. Maplins tomorrow it is!

NM