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Greetings from Yorkshire

Novarius

By Novarius
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Novarius

Novarius

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Yet a new Star Gazer here. Greetings from Yorkshire.

I only got the "hunger" for Star Gazing in the past few weeks. I have always been interested in the wonders of the night sky, but never had the money to buy the equiptment. My decision to take this on as a hobby was strengthened with the new moon, it was lined up perfectly with Venus and Jupiter and that was it, I needed more. I have seen the moon with a smaller telescope as a child, and that was astounding then (was sure I saw a Shuttle fly past, later learned it was actually a passenger jet, haha.)

Was given a telescope this afternoon as an early birthday present from my father; Celestron AstroMaster 114eq. While it's not "dialled in" yet, I have managed to see Jupiter (no bands) and all 4 moons, which is one of the greatest night sky sights (to me), one thing I was desperate to see and this has been fulfilled already.

Add this to the Canon dSLR I inherited from my mother, I can't wait for more clear skies. Living only 20 miles from Sutton Bank, Dark Sky Discovery site; Milky Way class is very good. Even with all the light pollution in my neighbourhood the views from the back garden are fantastic.

Just waiting for the Moon to come up so I can get some good views.

Some questions;

What, if any problems can arise when taking the scope back indoors, having been out in the freezing cold for some time. Can the internals become damaged? Did notice the outside was coated in condensation (no surprise there), assume the same will happen on the inside. Any issues I should be aware of?

Solar filters. One thing I definitely want to look at is the Sun. I am aware looking directly at the Sun is not the wisest of things to do. Can I make a Solar filter? Having seen the prices online I find it to be quite high, and currently cannot afford that.

Eyepieces and filters. The eyepieces with the scope are 10mm and 20mm. How much of a difference would I notice with other eyepieces. Is it a case of one size fits all with eyepieces, or do I need to buy only Celestron pieces.

They are some very newbie questions I know but, we don't learn without asking.

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Marki

Marki

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Hi and welcome, Novarius!

Sure more experienced members can answer better, but I tend to just cap the 'scope and then bring it indoors and let it come back up to ambient temperature in its own time. Don't be tempted to take off the cap if you do this, the lens/mirror will instantly fog-up.

Can't advise on solar viewing - never done it. I'd save for the proper film/filters, to be on the safe side!

So far as I know, you should be able to fit any 1.25" eps to that scope. Could be worth saving for a box set like the revelations - First Light Optics - Eyepiece Sets to build up a collection of useful eps and filters (not a solar filter though).

Anyway, hope you have great fun with the 'scope - I never get tired of looking at the moon :).

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paul schofield

paul schofield

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You can buy a Baader solar film sheet from most good astro dealers such as FLO cost around £15 ish and make your own filter with it. Its much cheaper than buying ready made one. Stear clear of Eyepiece solar filters. With the Baader film you just need to cover the small hole in your telescope cap, if it has one. Also your finder would have to be covered or removed prior to viewing the Sun. Read the threads on here regarding solar observing. Dont rush into it until you fully understand what you are doing. Good luck with your new scope.

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi and welcome to the forum. Can only agree with the above advice to avoid 'sun filters' but the Baader film is great - but be careful to read the instructions. You flagged up using a camera with the scope and I would like to recommend that you get hold of Steve Richards' "Making Every Photon Count" (FLO £19.99). A very comprehensive guide on what you need and why you need it to get good results. Imaging the moon and planets is best achieved using a simple webcam and then stacking the best 'frames' to form a composite image. Galaxies and nebula, known as deep sky objects (DSO's) require very accurate tracking which will necessitate using a precise equatorial mount, all of which is explained fully in this book and certainly worth investing in if imaging is the way you want to go.

Lastly, the eyepieces you have got are perfectly capable of providing a good view through your scope and are a lot better than what used to be provided many years ago. The main two sizes of eyepiece are 1.25" & 2" and you can use any make you wish as long as the size matches what you your scope can take. The biggest difference between the eyepieces supplied and others that you can buy, is mainly to do the field of view that they can provide. There are some eyepieces out there that can provide 80 degrees, even 100 degrees field of view, which ultimately gives you a moon walk type experience as your eye becomes fully immersed in a view that is bigger than your eye can actually take in. In fact you need to move about to get the whole view! This magic doesn't come cheap and particularly if you want a view that is not distorted in any way. My advice would be to stick with what you have got for the short term which at the same time joining in some observing with your local astro club or local observing group to see if you can borrow the odd eyepiece in your own scope to see what the differences are. I would also suggest buying an eyepiece one at a time rather than a set because invariably, the set will include some glass that you don't hardly use which makes it less of a good deal for the eyepieces that you use.

Don't worry about asking questions, its the only way you can learn when you are starting out and hopefully will help you avoid making expensive mistakes.

Clear skies

James

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Hawksmoor

Hawksmoor

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Hi and welcome to SGL. Lots of good advice already given by others. The only thing I would add is not to buy any additional bits of kit until you've been using your current set up for a while. Its very easy to buy something that costs a lot and gets used very little. I've got a box in which I keep the stuff I should have probably never purchased! On a positive note I would recommend buying a copy of the latest edition of the book "Turn Left at Orion" lots of good practical advice including what's good to look at and where to find it.

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todd8137

todd8137

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hi and welcome from me,if you have the money go for the,x-cel lx range of eps do not bother with the Baader solar film,your pics will look like every on else's, and the white light film is not that exciting try the thousand oaks solar film lots better i think i you will get better images

pat

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