My first viewing ever last night!

[GagneDouze]

Hi all,

Managed to get my telescope out for the first time since receiving it as a birthday present last month. Clear sky!! It is a SkyWatcher Heritage FlexTube 130P.

After playing around with the lenses, I managed to focus nicely in on the moon (I'm sure 100% of everyone here has done this, but I'm a newbie ) and it was quite exciting to see its craters and details. Located Mars and Venus but could only see a bright light, similar to seeing it with the naked eye; maybe the lens' supplied were basic?!

With that in mind, which lenses would you recommend to see the above and even farther afield, such as Jupiter and Saturn - if possible?! Would love to be able to see their many moons.

Thanks guys.

[sologuitarist61]

I guess you could use any of your EP's on the moon, the wider angles to 'get it all in' and the smaller EP's for more detailed work. For the planets you would need the smaller EP's to give you a big enough image to view comfortably.

And, hey, don't worry about looking at the moon, that is always a great pleasure unless there is something fainter I want to see, then it is a real bummer

[Dave-Ryan]

You will probably find the eyepieces you have will be fine for viewing both Saturn and Jupiter. Venus is never much better than a bright light and Mars is not very good this year.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Venus can show its phase quite easily, but good focusing is essential, and glare from the bright object can make it difficult.

[tjr]

The supplied eyepieces you have should show Saturn and Jupiter just fine. Expect to see Saturn's rings with Cassini division on a good night , slight surface banding, maybe moons and Jupiter with 4 moons and surface detail/ banding with that aperture.

If you are keen to replace your eyepieces then do so with the 10mm first, the 25mm generally holds its own a bit better.

[Naemeth]

I'd take the time to get to know your scope before you start adding EPs. Making sure you know how to focus and everything . (Don't run before you can walk, after all this is your first viewing). That being said, I don't want to put you off getting any, so ignore my post if you want to .

[GagneDouze]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Didn't get chance to locate Saturn last night to test out but will definitely do so soon. Saturn's the planet that intrigues me the most, so would love to see that.

Naemeth - You're definitely right. I wasn't sure if the eyepieces supplied were 'starters' and everyone goes out and buys a better one. Like headphones you get with a new music player

The 10mm gave superb detail of the moon whereas the 25mm wider one was slightly more 'blurry'. Maybe I have to get my focusing a little better.

[Naemeth]

Blurry usually means the focus is out, although it can be because the scope is too warm. When you do sort out exactly how to focus, you will be able to make better use of whichever EPs you do get.. What EPs were you thinking of going for?

[GagneDouze]

Blurry usually means the focus is out, although it can be because the scope is too warm. When you do sort out exactly how to focus, you will be able to make better use of whichever EPs you do get.. What EPs were you thinking of going for?

Haven't got a clue if I'm honest with you. Totally new to this.

Also, is it safe to view the moon directly without a filter or anything?

[Naemeth]

Haven't got a clue if I'm honest with you. Totally new to this.

Also, is it safe to view the moon directly without a filter or anything?

Yes, it's safe. You could get a filter, but bear in mind that the filter reduces the amount of light coming into your scope, but increases the contrast I believe.

For EPs, I would suggest first either going for Vixen NPL Eyepieces or the BST Explorer ED 60s (second one along) from Skys the Limit. They are both good quality and reasonable value, the BSTs certainly have very good reviews on here from a good deal of members.

[MartianSunset]

I have the Skywatcher Explorer 130P, and I've had wonderful views of both Saturn and Jupiter using the supplied eyepieces. I can also clearly see the phases of Venus, though I haven't gotten much out of Mars yet... I use the red-dot finder to aim, the 25mm to center the object, then the 10mm for a closer look. I'm already itching to buy new eyepieces though!

The moon is amazing to look at! The detail is incredible! As far as I can tell, it's perfectly safe to look at without a filter, though a full moon can start to hurt your eyes if you're looking at it a long time, as the glare is pretty strong.

[Naemeth]

In terms of filters, the Baader Neodymium Filter offers a 3-in-1 Filter, good for the Moon and Planets and Light Pollution increasing contrast . Baader is a very good name in Optics, and this is very good value even at £49.

[GagneDouze]

Yes, it's safe. You could get a filter, but bear in mind that the filter reduces the amount of light coming into your scope, but increases the contrast I believe.

For EPs, I would suggest first either going for Vixen NPL Eyepieces or the BST Explorer ED 60s (second one along) from Skys the Limit. They are both good quality and reasonable value, the BSTs certainly have very good reviews on here from a good deal of members.

Thanks for the heads up! Will obviously delve more into viewing before deciding to upgrade or not

I have the Skywatcher Explorer 130P, and I've had wonderful views of both Saturn and Jupiter using the supplied eyepieces. I can also clearly see the phases of Venus, though I haven't gotten much out of Mars yet... I use the red-dot finder to aim, the 25mm to center the object, then the 10mm for a closer look. I'm already itching to buy new eyepieces though!

The moon is amazing to look at! The detail is incredible! As far as I can tell, it's perfectly safe to look at without a filter, though a full moon can start to hurt your eyes if you're looking at it a long time, as the glare is pretty strong.

That's the technique I was currently using last night. Find it pretty cool how accurate that red dot can be.

One of the reasons why I asked, because my eyes felt as so they were straining a little.

Love the main photo on your blog by the way! It is beautiful.

[phw26]

Haven't got a clue if I'm honest with you. Totally new to this.

Also, is it safe to view the moon directly without a filter or anything?

If the moon is fullish it can be uncomfortable on your eyes. what I do is put the tube cap on my scope and remove the small round cap, this reduces the amount of light entering the scope.

[MartianSunset]

Love the main photo on your blog by the way! It is beautiful.

It's one of the more awesome images around, I think! It just blows my mind that it's a photo of a sunset on another planet, taken by a robot that we sent there! Just amazing!

[wyx]

Nice i have the same scope and eps as you. I managed to see Saturn last night with the 10mm it was, amazing! I also see the phase in Venus very clearly. Like you i find mars is a problem. I've just bought a barlow to increase the power of my eps. Maybe this would a cheap first upgrade for you too. One tip is to make sure you let the scope cool outside for around an hour first it makes focusing much easier I've found.

Sent from my GT-I8150 using Tapatalk 2

[GagneDouze]

Nice i have the same scope and eps as you. I managed to see Saturn last night with the 10mm it was, amazing! I also see the phase in Venus very clearly. Like you i find mars is a problem. I've just bought a barlow to increase the power of my eps. Maybe this would a cheap first upgrade for you too. One tip is to make sure you let the scope cool outside for around an hour first it makes focusing much easier I've found.

Sent from my GT-I8150 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for the tips!

Couldn't see Saturn last night unfortunately but good to know it's clear with the 10mm.