Who needs GoTo when you have a Telrad?!

[Stormwatch]

I got the scope out even though the sky was rather cloudy tonight (Metcheck said it would clear), and since I couldn't even attempt to align it, I just started looking for things in the west, using my new Telrad, starting with M92.

I didn't manage to find it, even with my (also new!) 38mm WA eyepiece, so I moved onto M13 which I found easy enough, then down to Albireo, M56, M57 and, probably the best of the lot, Beta Lyrae. Found them all quite easy using the Telrad - I never found a thing with the finderscope, that's why I gave it up!

Beta Lyrae was a nice view - looked like four stars to me, a green and blue pair, with a couple more dim ones at the top? Can't find a photo of this on the internet, anyone got one?

I'm looking forward to getting the GoTo working, but it just shows you things CAN be found even by beginners, with a Telrad (or RDF) and the S@N or Astronomy Now centre pages!

[Stormwatch]

I'm confused. I knew Beta Lyrae was a double star, and when I looked at it thought I'd split it easily enough, with the green and blue components as I said, and a couple of other stars above it too.

However, "Turn Left at Orion" says medium telescopes couldn't split Beta Lyrae. So what was I looking at? The green star was VERY pronounced. I wish I could find a photo of it on the net!

[Cloudwatcher]

'Turn Left at Orion' is right (no pun intended) Stormwatch. Beta Lyra is,to the best of my knowledge,a spectroscopic only binary. There is another star to the Southeast and fairly close to Beta which,depending on FOV and Mag,will give the appearance of making a 'double' with Beta as the major component. Beta would be the brighter of the two and would probable appear 'blueish' but colour perception is a very personal thing and as you know can vary greatly between individuals. The same would apply to the 'green' star you mention.

This is pure guess work on my part based on the info contained in your posts. I may be way out and probably am bearing in mind that all but one of the main stars forming the Lyra are doubles or multiples and that there are something like sixty in the contellation not including optical pairs! It can all get very confusing and to be honest I tend to ignore names and catalogue numbers and just enjoy the view. Bit slack of me I know but ticking of numbers like a train spotter would spoil the 'magic' for me.

Cheers

CW

[Ant]

I had a telrad 20 years ago when they first came out. They do not appear to have changed at all. But then why would they change something that works so well.

I loved my Telrad. They are great!

Ant

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Me.

Goto is the only realistic way that I could find stuff. Starhopping with a Telrad only works if you can see the constellations and they're just not there most nights for me. I've nearly imagined seeing the Milky Way when I have some idea of where its supposed to be, but when you can only see three stars in Cygnus, it gets awkward Talrading your way around.

My sky is rubbish, but I like where I live (need to hit the motorway easily) so I deal with it for my hobby. Goto and filters are my best mates for imaging, and while I envy you guys who have dark skies, it wouldn't work for me making a living if I lived in the middle of nowhere.

Life seems to be a pile of compromises so I found a way round my problem. My hobby suffers somewhat, but there's usually a way that you can get to do the stuff you want if you can spend a few quid and a lot of hours doing it. If it was easy it wouldn't be any fun doing it!

I don't want anybody to feel that I'm "having a go", or anything like that, it's just that some of us have to put up with what we get, and what I get (sky wise) is spoiled by the fact that I get easy motorway access in most directions. Live and learn, as they say, means that a chap has to be able to live in order to be able to learn.

Now that this has turned into a ramble, I'll try to repair it by pointing out that goto is great if you get limited access to a poor sky, but access to a good sky would be even better.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[Astroman]

After reading KK's previous post, maybe I'll let off the GOTO geeks just a bit.

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Maybe not....

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Ok, maybe just a bit.

[mcut]

My sky is rubbish, but I like where I live (need to hit the motorway easily) so I deal with it for my hobby. Goto and filters are my best mates for imaging, and while I envy you guys who have dark skies, it wouldn't work for me making a living if I lived in the middle of nowhere.

......some of us have to put up with what we get, and what I get (sky wise) is spoiled by the fact that I get easy motorway access in most directions. Live and learn, as they say, means that a chap has to be able to live in order to be able to learn.

Now that this has turned into a ramble, I'll try to repair it by pointing out that goto is great if you get limited access to a poor sky, but access to a good sky would be even better.

Kaptain Klevtsov

I have to live in Bristol as i advise suspects at various police stations. i just wished to let KK know that he is not alone as far as the compromise situation.

[Stormwatch]

Me.

Goto is the only realistic way that I could find stuff. Starhopping with a Telrad only works if you can see the constellations and they're just not there most nights for me. I've nearly imagined seeing the Milky Way when I have some idea of where its supposed to be, but when you can only see three stars in Cygnus, it gets awkward Talrading your way around.

My sky is rubbish, but I like where I live (need to hit the motorway easily) so I deal with it for my hobby. Goto and filters are my best mates for imaging, and while I envy you guys who have dark skies, it wouldn't work for me making a living if I lived in the middle of nowhere.

Life seems to be a pile of compromises so I found a way round my problem. My hobby suffers somewhat, but there's usually a way that you can get to do the stuff you want if you can spend a few quid and a lot of hours doing it. If it was easy it wouldn't be any fun doing it!

I don't want anybody to feel that I'm "having a go", or anything like that, it's just that some of us have to put up with what we get, and what I get (sky wise) is spoiled by the fact that I get easy motorway access in most directions. Live and learn, as they say, means that a chap has to be able to live in order to be able to learn.

Now that this has turned into a ramble, I'll try to repair it by pointing out that goto is great if you get limited access to a poor sky, but access to a good sky would be even better.

Kaptain Klevtsov

Well, I wasn't really being serious. I love GoTo as well. Just thought the Telrad was great (as was my RDF on the 102 SLT) compared to that bloomin' finderscope.

[russ]

Nothing like starhopping to a target Wouldn't mind a Telrad myself but like KK for me it would be pointless. Would only get used 2-3 times a year when i go to the dark site. So GOTO is the only chance i have of finding 'off the beaten track' objects. Can only star hop when there's stars to hop by.

Russ

[Cloudwatcher]

Well, I wasn't really being serious. I love GoTo as well. Just thought the Telrad was great (as was my RDF on the 102 SLT) compared to that bloomin' finderscope.

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Doh! Now he tells us!

CW