SIGHT SCOPE NEWBIE QUESTION

[Gibbsey]

Hello,

Last week I decided to dig out an old homemade Newtonian reflector made by my dad and his friend about 20 years ago. This has remained mostly unused in his shed for the most of the 20 years! I wanted to see if I could 'get it going'.

It is (I am told) an f/10 ratio with a 6 or 6.25'' mirror. I meant to measure it but I forgot! The primary was very dirty with a layer of dust. I have cleaned the mirror as best I can. While it is not perfect, I decided to have a go anyway. The secondary had a slight cloudy mark on it but nonetheless I reassembled the mirrors and collimated with a 35mm film canister lid. Again, as best as I could!

After some research I decided to buy a single 17mm plossl eyepiece to see how the scope performed.

Two nights ago was the first attempt and I have to say I was very impressed. The detail on the moon was amazing. Excellent clarity and detail with a large, bright image.

I could clearly see the banding across Jupiter and it's moons.

On the side of the scope there is a clamp for a sight. Without a sight scope I am finding it very difficult to aim the telescope. Sighting Jupiter for example is very hit and miss.

I am hoping somebody could assist me with a suggested sight scope as I have no idea on what type or magnification would be best. I don't want to spend much £££. I have looked at eBay hoping something will jump at me but there is a large selection of scopes and rifles scopes at various mags. I have no idea what I am looking for.

Any help or advice will be gratefully received.

[Squagnut]

It sounds like a lot of fun, if nothing else! A photo or two would really help with any questions you have.

What sort of mount is it on, or do you have only the tube? My guess is that it's a Dobsonian mount (the easiest kind to make at home), in which case a finderscope would be very useful, and a finderscope with a diagonal (i.e. a device which is mounted on the viewing end of the finderscope, which is effectively just a 45° mirror) would aid comfortable use.

But, for best answers, a photo of it would really help - it's good to keep a photo record of projects like this, too. It sounds like you may have to shell out a bit more cash to make it pleasantly operable, but not hundreds. I'm sure your local astro club would be able to offer best advice.

You could also find out what you want by comparing it to, er, comparable new telescopes for sale. FLO has a Skywatcher SkyLiner 150P, which comes with a 6x30 finderscope - that means it magnifies x6 and has a 30mm aperture.

[John]

You could get a zero magnification illuminated reticule finder like the Rigel Quikfinder of the Telrad. They appear to project a "bullseye" against the sky so, once the finder is aligned with your scope ( a one-off task), you can see exactly where the scope is pointing against the stars. The two I've mentioned fit on the tube with sticky (very sticky !) pads on their bases. Not too expensive either:

First Light Optics - Rigel QuikFinder Compact Reflex Sight