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Hi to all! This is my first post. I recently bought a Celestron CPC 800 and have had several "test runs" to set it up and get it to track- which it does very well. I bought the Celestron set of extra eye pieces and filters too, so that I had some flexibility when viewing. Seen a few good things (for me, anyway!). Been looking at Mars and, 2 nights ago Saturn. Overall, Im a shade disappointed with the views - I was expecting so much more. With the 17mm eyepiece the planet seemed so small and I couldn't see any details of shadow or definition in the rings. Am I expecting too much, it is all a bit disappointing.

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You say that you have an eyepiece kit - does it have any smaller than the 17mm you are using e.g. 10mm or 8mm?

With EP's the greater the number on the EP the wider the angle (ie the more you get in so the smaller the object) - the smaller the number the less you get in (i.e it magnifies more and the objects appear larger in the viewfinder). This can be confusing at times especially to people used to camera lenses where the opposite is true.

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you own one of these? First Light Optics - Celestron CPC 800 GPS (XLT)

wish i had one of those.....as for your dissapointment that scope is perfectly able to give stunning views- did you try using a higher magnification eyepiece, eye a smaller mm?

is it set up correctly?

sorry but im having a hard time believing anyone would be dissapointed through that...its like the 747 of telescopes-may i ask (and im not intending to be rude here) what your expectations were?

the reason i ask is that may people new to the hobby wrongly expect hubble class images- this is an unerstandable mistake given all the false advertisements

rich

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Hi and welcome. Mars is always a bit disappointing in relatively small telescopes unless conditions are very good. Saturn could take a bit more magnification than your 17mm gives. So perhaps you were expecting a bit too much, but nice telescope by the way!

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I think rich is quite right in what he says, that the images we see of space objects leads us to believe that is what we see through a telescope, but it ain't! First time views are usually a disappointment until you understand that you will never see those sort of images through your scope. Space telescopes cost many billions of $'s, and our scopes just a few hundred £'s - so it is to be expected really.:)

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Goodness me, 3 replies already. Terrific. I've just read my original post and I'm sorry if it comes across as if I'm ungrateful for what I have! It is a great piece of engineering and very well made but I was just expecting a bit more of a visual hit, I guess. I realise it will be nowhere near the sort of images in magazines etc, and that there will be little colour. My extra lenses are 6mm, 8mm, 13mm, 17mm and 32mm. They came in a set from Celestron with some filters and a 2x Barlow. It might be that my 59 year old eyes are not up to it!! Any help on the optimum lens to use would be of great help, thans for the really quick replies so far.

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The other posters have made good points about expectations etc. There is nothing wrong with your scope and it's capable of delivering some fantastic views when the seeing conditions are good. If your scope has come from a warm room it will need time to cool to the outside temperature and that can take an hour for an 8" schmidt-cassegrain. Until it's cooled the views, particularly of high resolution objects, can be rather poor.

One point I'd also mention is that seeing fine details in astro objects takes time and practice. The features don't just "jump out" at you, even through your scope is a capable one - you need to spend time observing objects and your eye will gradually become trained to pick out the more subtle details.

Apart from the Moon, it's not really a hobby of "quick wins" I feel.

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Try one of the 'smaller' EP's next time, the 6mm or 8mm, and on the planets that should make a big difference. The effect will be even greater if you put a barlow(you should have had one with the kit I suspect) between the eyepiece and scope as this will in effect double the magnification yet again.

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Goodness me, 3 replies already. Terrific. I've just read my original post and I'm sorry if it comes across as if I'm ungrateful for what I have! It is a great piece of engineering and very well made but I was just expecting a bit more of a visual hit, I guess. I realise it will be nowhere near the sort of images in magazines etc, and that there will be little colour. My extra lenses are 6mm, 8mm, 13mm, 17mm and 32mm. They came in a set from Celestron with some filters and a 2x Barlow. It might be that my 59 year old eyes are not up to it!! Any help on the optimum lens to use would be of great help, thans for the really quick replies so far.

as stated these things come in time, when viewing planets i usually go for the lowest mm my scope can take, for my 130mm its a 6mm, so i would try the 6mm for yours- either way just play around with your kit see what works for you

and also already stated by hugely important- letting your scope cool, you will notice a considerable difference in quality in a well cooled scope

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John, You may have hit the nail on the head, I keep the telescope in my garage (safe and locked!) and I look through it as soon as it is set up. I guess the garage has some ambient warmth in it although it doesnt feel like it! I will try first of all to leave it outside for an hour before using and then use the 6 or 8mm EP?

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I have a feeling the 8mm will be enough for Mars and Saturn, provided that the scope is cooled and the seeing conditions (beyond all our control !) are good. An 8mm eyepiece gives you 250x magnification which is plenty to see details on these planets. A 6mm gives you 333x which, in my experience, may well be too much for the conditions and just produces "empty magnification" where the size of the object gets larger in the eyepiece but no more detail is seen, in fact often less detail is the result. The seeing conditions are the great leveller in astronomy, particularly in the UK and can lead to poor viewing in even the finest instruments.

I had some of my best views of Saturn in 30 years in the hobby with an 8" Celestron SCT a few years back and that was at 250x. The viewing conditions that evening were exceptional - only repeated a few nights a year at best.

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Hello, I have seen the Cassini division in my Tal 1 4.3 inch Newt under very good conditions. The scope really does need some thermal acclimation and the view will be enhanced when seen with Saturn nearer to zenith due to the atmospheric distortion at lower angles. With the high focal ratio of your 8inch you should get some stunning views, keep at it!

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Hi there!

My nexstar 8se is a similar size scope to yours (not as good as yours maybe :)). I find that everytime I go out I see a little more detail on Saturn or Jupiter, or even when trying to find star clusters and so on (assuming the "seeing" is good). I think that over time my eyes are becoming more "educated". Give it time and a well-cooled scope and I'm sure you'll be seeing some fantastic sights!

I just still get a kick from seeing saturns rings, let along the shading and cassini division :rolleyes:.

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Thanks everyone for your very encouraging replies - just need to wait now for the UK weather to get better! Lincolnshire seems to be slated for permanent cloud cover and rain at the moment!!

Thanks again.

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Hey kevd, i know exactly whats wrong with your telescope. it's not in MY garden.. but seriously, it looks fantastic and i'm sure it's gonna give you hours of pleasure (and frustration,surprises,etc). enjoy it please, it's what you bought it for..

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