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50 year old Virgin (stargazing anyway)

Buzz_LightBeer

By Buzz_LightBeer
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Buzz_LightBeer

Buzz_LightBeer

Posted
Posted

Hi my name is Buzz, I live in Watford HERTS, and I have decided to do some stargazing,

I have just brought a Sky Watcher Skymax 90 EQ1 mount for £82 it has a 10mm and 25mm lens from ebay and now I need some of you experienced sky watchers to let me know how to use it to is best, I read that these are good for beginners or have a brought a donkey to race in the Derby??

What else will i need I was looking at barlow lenses do I get a x2 or x3?? which make are good

I hope to hear from you soon

looking forward to seeing something magical

Buzz

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sologuitarist61

sologuitarist61

Posted
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Sounds like you have got yourself a bit of a deal there! Welcome to the Lounge my friend and ask away, there will be more answers than you would have probably wanted, by hey .... I'd go for the x2 barlow myself, but for a start just play with the EP's that you have and as you get used to what you want the scope to do for you then what you want will become more obvious.

Enjoy, and clear skies

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telesto

telesto

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Hi Buzz, welcome to sgl . Download a program called Stellarium it a free program that will help you find your way around the sky just set your location and it will show you what you will see from your location

Clive

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Buzz and welcome to the forum. As said above, have a play with the eyepieces you have for a while before buying anything extra. To help you learn the sky and therefore find it easier to find objects, you might want to a look at some free planetarium software called 'Stellarium' which you can read about here, Lots of great features to get you started and to keep you occupied when the clouds come in (did they ever go?) and the precise view of the sky can be calibrated to match you observing site. There is even an advance date/time feature to enable you to plan ahead to see what is coming and where it will be, particularly useful if you view of the sky is obstructed in some way.

Clear skies for now and hope you enjoy the forum.

James

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jason.p

jason.p

Posted
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Greetings Buzz and welcome to the forum. I don't know enough to comment on your scope and mount but from the sound of it you've got a bit of a bargain :smiley:

(I don't suppose there were any clear skies included in the package...........no, didn't think so)

Good luck

Jason

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tyler_jrb

tyler_jrb

Posted
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Welcome to SGL Buzz.

Great deal you got on your scope by the way they are normally alot more. Good scope.

I would suggest you buying either a skywatcher 2x barlow or going for a GSO/Revelation super plossl 1.5+2x barlow or just the normal 2x barlow. With the 1.5x and 2x it gives you two kinds of mag so offers you a little more at night if some objects appear to large in view.

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username

username

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Hi and welcome Buzz. Nice telescope there, as others have said have a go with the eyepieces you have at the moment so you can see what you need next.

A little tip for focusing the maks; attach a clothes peg to the knob for fine focus. It allows small adjustments to be made and cuts out the shaking. You can just take it off again easily when not needed. Really useful idea I found browsing SGL.

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alexog

alexog

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Welcome Mr Lightbeer,

I've got the same 'scope, you got a bargain. I think they are very good. I've mounted mine on a sturdy little tabletop alt/az mount (came from a "Jessops" telescope, £2.50 from cashconverters). I can pick it up with one hand for grab and go.

When you're happy/confident using it I'd suggest one mod. Make a tube from black flock material and place it in the baffle tube (where the diagonal goes). It improves the contrast a lot, especially on the moon. I used black flock "sticky backed plastic", I didn't "stick" it in place just used a snug fit. It also doesn't need to be as long as the tube. If this doesn't make sense now don't worry but it's something to think about for the future or when it's cloudy.

My first 'scope was worse than a three legged donkey with asthma and a wonky eye :)

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