newbie with a scope

[vexinstar]

hey guys, just bought my first scope a few days ago, and only managed to use it last night. it is a skywatcher explorer 130 eq2 non motorised (as all discussions i find on the internet are about the motorised or parabolic mirror type)

well its all set up, balanced (i think) and quite well aligned.

i guess i was kinda disappointed with what i was expecting to see, not that i was expecting hubble style images, but i was thinking mabe i could see things as small gas clouds and such, not just a brighter version of naked eye, although disheartened, it has not put me off, (i love space) i am just waiting for jupiter to come up abit more above the horizon, i thought i saw it last night but i was kinda elongated, but not bright like a star.

well i guess i am just here to see if any one has any advice for me, i have read through a lot of posts on here and trying to soak up info

the len....eyepices i am using are super 10, a super 25 wide angle, and a barlow 2x, that just seems to make things fade out when i attach it

thanks

[sologuitarist61]

Astronomy is a fine art and the more you look (and the longer you look at a subject) the more you will see. Try averted vision (looking slightly away from the object) and that often helps. A lot of people just point it and quickly look into it and see very little - it is training your eye to see what is there that is the key.

Anyway, welcome to the forum

[Ifmfo]

Hello and welcome,

I'm sure others will be along with more advice, but I can recommend you get hold of a copy of Turn Left at Orion. This will give you some objects to look for, and will show you diagrams of what to expect to see.

I think it'll help if you have stuff you aim to find, I remember feeling the same slight disheartenment when I first set my scope up and looked...the same points of light, just brighter. Trust me though, there's loads of great things to be found. I have the same scope as you, and once you've got the hang of it, and looked at a few planets/DSOs etc, I'm sure you won't feel as disappointed.

Also check out the sketches sections of the forum, these sometimes give a better idea of what to expect to see. People on this site have taken some amazing photographs, but these are taken with special equipment and processed etc, and it's not the same as what you'll see through the eyepiece.

Helen

[Solar_observer]

I have the exact same scope, just this second fitted a telrad too it. Waiting for clear skies tonight too test it out.

[paul schofield]

I owned the 130p as my first scope and think it is a great piece of kit to be starting with. With use you will notice more and more as time goes by. The supplied eyepieces can be improved upon, especially the 10mm and definitely the Barlow leaves a lot to be desired, mine did anyway. The 25mm is a decent enough eyepiece and will suit you fine for finding various deep sky objects.

Also as the skies start to darken soon I think you will become more positive about your new scope. So don't be too disappointed your stargazing will get better the more you do it. The 130 is a great scope with lots of potential. Keep at it. Clear skies.

[vexinstar]

i have heard that book recommended several times to people, so have decided to buy a copy to help guide my.

i will definatly be sticking at it, as it is always a subject that has interested me, i suppose after all it was my first time using a scope so i shouldnt of expected much atall really, was just knda excited.

i was just trying to pick out stars and focus and seeing the different colors, aswell as looking at apparent blank parts of sky and seeing what i see.

thought i found some sort of ring galaxy...till i focused it

has any one got any advice on what eyepieces i should look to buy, to try and get the most out of the scope?

[John]

There are loads of different eyepieces to choose from but I'd say use your scope for a few more sessions before investing in more accessories.

The book is a great idea though.

You need to use the book to identify some targets for a session. Just looking around the sky is unlikely to throw up any interesting objects apart from star fields - the sky is a huge expanse, most of the objects rather small and many rather faint.

[Herbig]

Just to echo whats already been said, don't loose heart. When I started I thought I'd get the biggest scope I could afford, a Celestron C8. It's a great scope but to be honest I get more pleasure looking at wide field views through my 80mm Equinox pro refractor. By all means look at the planets but unless the seeing is good you may also be disaponted with the detail you will see.

The best thing I did was, over time, to invest in the best EP's I could afford and have now built up a nice set of Meade 5000 series Super and Ultra Wide Angles.

The views through them are simply stunning.

[wookie1965]

Ive got a skywatcher 150p only had it since march had it out half a dozen times i agree with people on here be patient get the book i did it opens your eyes to what to look for and you can plan your viewing. get used to searching for stars and such first then consider upgrading your eyepieces ive just bought three new ones and it does make a difference especially the higher magification the 10mm supplied is rubbish. good luck and clear skies.

[vexinstar]

thanks for all the advise, going to keep at it looking at/for stuff till the book comes, then go from there.

i heard that the standard eyepieces arent up to scratch, may invest in anew piece in a few weeks, and just keep t it and try and leard as much as i can.

what kinda of viewing would be best for the scope, i heard that different scopes are better at different things, be it planetary, deep sky etc.. ?

[LeeB]

I think the secret to getting better at the hobby and finding what i consider wow moments is to plan each session, the 130 is a great scope , try m13 in hercules, right hand side of the keystone shape third way from top to bottom. try 25mm first then 10mm , 130 will resolve into stars is collimated correctly. Then consider what your looking at. Then go to lyra almost straight up at moment and between bottom two close stars of the parallelagram is m57 look for the smoke ring. Then go to cassiopea and look for owl cluster , just looks like an owls eyes and wings etc etc. honestly planning is the key.

[vexinstar]

just got a really nice view of jupiter using my 10mm and 2x barlow, i was just able to make out 2 bands around it. could also see its 4 moons also as little white points.

i wasnt able to see m13 as the clouds had started to drift in, will try again tomorrow for that one.

needless to say i am really happy

i did try to take a pic using my phone, but it just came through as a little white squiggle

[LeeB]

excellent news keep looking, its also fun to try some doubles, the easiest to get you started is the second star in the handle of the plough is mizar, if you look carefully with the naked eye you will see it is a double star (eye test for the roman army by the way) use your scope and you will see it as a wider split but one star is infact itself a closer double. All good fun.

[faulksy]

as said give it time, your brain will self train and you will start to see more things and detail. think of how many members are on here we all see things your on about it takes time, stay with it

[PorkyB]

There are a few "wow moments" that will encourage you greatly. Jupiter is one (as is Saturn at the right time of year) and M13 is definitely another so keep trying with that one. For me, one of the joys of astronomy is that I get to see beautiful things which I didn't know existed.

[vexinstar]

thanks for the advice its all been really helpful and jupiter was defo a wow moment. if the skys permit, i am going to try and see if i can find m13, tho from what i have read, it is notoriously evasive.

with splitting double stars, does that mean, zooming in on a star to find it is 2 stars or more? would it be possible with 10mm?

i have downloaded stellarium to try and locate things to see but unless i know what and where i am supposed to be looking it seems a tad harder, also an iphone app called starwalk is really helpful with a catalogue of messier objects and them pinpointed on the sky with a gyro tracking.

how would nebulas look through my scope? would there be much detail if any? and would they be colour or greyish?

sorry if these questions seem stupid, just trying to get my head around it all a lot of info to take in

[HIP3802]

'Turn Left at Orion' is not only useful in finding objects but also gives a realistic impression of what they will look like through your eyepiece. Stellarium will help in showing what is out in your area, and roughly where in the sky to find it (being free is another great bonus!) Splitting stars is great fun and yes, it does mean discovering that a star is two - sometimes with different colours showing on the two (again there are sections on this in 'TLAO'). Hope this helps!

[vexinstar]

i had a really good night last might, (eventually) went out a few times as clouds kept drifting across, i managed to spy a few things

another view of jupiter with its moons though no bands around jupiter, had a go at splitting mizar, not sure if i did it right, i used my 10mm eyepiece,

it looked like 2 points of light kind of close, also found m37 with my 25 mm.

spent a while trying to find m31, think i found it breifly, i could see like a glow but lost it as i tried to centre it and failed to find it again.

the best view was probably venus, ad a half white disc glowing brightly.

if the skies stay clear i will try and have another go with m31 and m12 and m57

what eyepiece would be best in viewing these? ive been trying to experiment with both of mine, but some advise would be apprechiated as im not too sure if i am looking at what i think i am looking at.

turn left on orion should be here by the time i get home from work also, so should make for some fn viewing

[cantab]

Assuming you've found it first, which you might need the 25mm EP for,

M31: 25mm, it appears very large in the sky, several times the size of the Moon.

M12: Try both EPs. I'm not sure if you'll be able to resolve it into stars.

M57: 10mm, or possibly even Barlowed 10mm. Bear in mind that at low powers it'll look like a 9th-magnitude star.

[iamjulian]

You are always best starting with your widest eye piece (25mm) first, else you are making it more difficult for yourself to find things by looking at a smaller patch of sky. Once you have found the object and have it in the middle of your view, swap to the higher magnification and see which view you prefer. There is no correct answer as to which they will look best through. Some objects take magnification well, some do not. Finding the more elusive objects can be as much fun as finally getting to lay eyes on them.