advice on astrophotography please

[paul j]

Hi i bought a 8inch dobsonian telescope few days ago and am sort of happy with it,my question is when i found this great site i saw all the pretty photos and the colours of the galaxys etc,i was gulible say the least thinking i could view them through my scope.i now realise them photos taken through cameras take a long time to process, i have a few questions that i cant find the answers too.

first one is, them colourful photos i see on the web site well is there a telescope that you can look through and see the colours or is it just becasue they been done with a camera?sounds silly question but it does bug me by thinking i bought the wrong scope.

2nd question is if i bought a different mount with a tracking device on could i then take photos like most the people on here do?i realise i have buy camera etc.if i could view and see things other than the moon and jupiter i probably wont be so disheartned,its lack of experience i know but can my scope see anything else that white stars?

[hemihaggis]

get a copy of every photon counts

[Tiddles]

Visual observing you will not see colours through any 'scope. Some say they see a very faint colour hue in brighter nebula but I never have. Most if not all DSO's will appear as faint grey smudges "fuzzies"

Take your time to research the objects you are viewing and the magic is there. The photons that YOUR 'scope and YOUR eye are capturing have been travelling for a long time before they get to you. Andromeda (our nearest) galaxy is 2.4 million light years away!!!

Also, your 200mm scope is a big step up from your 5mm aperture eyeball, you are unlikely to ever make such a huge step up in performance again. That's a 40 times increase, your not likely to make an upgrade on that scale ever again no mater what 'scope you buy.

The 200mm Dob is a great scope and with well managed expectations will keep you happy for years. Aperture fever is a dangerous and expensive addiction.

[paul j]

oh right thanks,i told you i was bit gulible lol.i lot to learn.i going to northlincs astro meeting next time its on and just being able to look through someone elses scope or someone actually showing me what there is to look for will be a big help too.many thanks.

[AstroMum]

It is a bit disheartening when you realise that real-life astronomy isn't as exciting as the media makes out. I did an awful lot of research before buying my kit, but even so, I still sometimes feel I've spent a awful lot of money just to look at stars and fuzzy objects in the sky.

You have a nice big scope which will give you excellent views because if its good light-gathering ability. You won't see colour unfortunately as the human eye simply can't capture it.

I've found looking at the moon and Jupiter to be quite thrilling though. Your scope has nearly twice the aperture of mine, so you will see them far better than I do and I'm still impressed! I'm keen to see Saturn, I think it will be a real WOW moment for me.

You will be able to see a lot more than just stars with your scope. Have you taken a peek at M42 (the orion nebula) yet? Even though you won't see its colour, it's a beautiful sight to behold. the Andromeda galaxy will also look very nice with your kit.

I'd recommend reading something like "Turn Left at Orion". It lists the most interesting things to see in the sky for each season and tells you how to find them easily. It's written for those with smaller scopes, but the only difference is that you'll see them even better!

Astrophotography is a whole different animal and you'll really need to do your research and plenty of reading before taking the plunge. To get the kind of images you are thinking of will take a great deal of patience and be harsh on your wallet.

[paul j]

Thanks becky,i too am very happy looking at the moon as i can see the craters on them,ive not seen saturn yet as its cloudy and to be honest i guess i am trying to jump before i can walk.i honestly didnt think i could see the orion nebula.wow now you made me smile.i will read up on some books,to be honest i dont think i could do the astrophotography thing is sounds to complicated for me maybe when i learn the skies and maybe in few years i might look into it more, least i found my answer about the colours :-)

[AstroMum]

You will absolutely be able to see the orion nebula! Have a look at this video here, it's quite accurate in showing what you will see:

That video was taken with a 18" reflector, but frankly it looks just the same as I see it in my 4.75" refractor, but less bright.

Do you have any planetarium software installed on your computer? Members here recommend Stellarium as it's free and gives you a good idea of what you can see in the sky at any given time:

Stellarium

If you have an iPhone or android phone, there are some brilliant apps to help you navigate the night sky when you're outside. Let me know if you need any suggestions.

[Carl M]

8 inches of aperture is plenty to see more than the solar system objects. Infact, you should be able to find most of all the Messier objects in a 200P, aswell as Caldwell and NGC objects - depending on how good/bad your skies are of course. If your mainly into visual at the moment you can't go wrong with Stellarium, a copy of Turn left at Orion and a Cambridge star Atlas - all are great things to help you navigate around the sky!

[paul j]

I downloaded stellerium and looks very useful thanks.i also downloaded that book u suggested becky.thanks for the link on video.all your comments made me feel lot better and now looking forward going out on clear night.

[AstroMum]

Glad I could help. Happy stargazing and clear skies!