First scope, reflector or mak-cass?

[Aenima]

Yes! Sorted then.

BTW jupiter looks amazing this month! If you get a shot at it then do it, try a webcam or just get a barlow for visual - its a must see this month.

Glad you now have a working set-up laney, woulda been mighty frustrating to have the problems drag out any longer.

Regards

Aenima

[laney88]

oh yes it works!

Got a decent view of Jupiter and 3 of its moons for the first time which was very cool. The whole Orion constellation and around was very clear also making good viewing.

Thanks a lot guys for helping me out with this issue especially Aenima for the pm's

Just can't wait for the next clear sky !

[DaveS]

Glad to hear you've got it sorted. Like John I've only just cought up with this thread and been reading of your woes.

Now you've got that sorted wait till eyepiece fever strikes As has bean said it's the "other bits" that really add up, just cost out a nice set of Tele-Vue Panoptics or Naglers

[Aenima]

At first I was quite against getting a reflector because the image is upside down so I was looking at getting one of these http://www.firstligh...-127-eq3-2.html which would also be usable from inside my room. But I am worried about the field of view with a Mak-cass, Would I still be able to see constellations?

I would like to be able to see constellations, planets, Messier objects etc pretty much a good all rounder (probs asking too much) but having never looked through a scope I don't know what to expect.

Hiya Laney,

Hope your getting on well with your new scope.

After reading your original post it occured to me that although you have a great scope for planets and lunar and also fainter objects, your initial wish to see a bigger field of view - especially constellations - and to see through your window was not really fulfilled by the size of scope you ended up buying. Dont get me wrong, you made the right choice all things considered, but if at some time in the future your budget recovers from the truama of an astronomical purchase you should definitely think about a cheap pair of binoculars, it doesnt have to be anything special (30 bucks will do the job) but they will give you views that no telescope can give - ie star clusters of all kinds and the opportunity to grab them quickly and look out your window - - they are also good for scanning areas for when your having trouble locating an object through the reversed view of a finderscope.

There are probably so many things on your 'need to buy' list now you have your scope that a pair of binos will be near the bottom, but they're definitely worth considering for later on.

Regards

Aenima

[laney88]

I already have a pair mate, the girlfriend got me some for our anniversary this year I think. Just a cheap pair 7x50 but I have been using them quite a bit before I got my scope which kinda gave me the bug

What I really need now are some decent recommendations for EP's. I ordered a moon filter off amazon earlier today so I can get a decent view of the moon when it is next out.

Oh and how do I get rid of all these clouds!!!

[Aenima]

Ah, right, sorry I think I did read that you'd been using bino's now I think about it! D'oh!

As for EP's I have found the skywatcher supplied ones do quite well for what they are - but as with all things astro you get what you pay for, I always hear good things about a set called Revelation photovisual eyepiece set, but this comes with carry case and filters and is over a hundred bucks, probably not what your looking for right now.

If you like a big FOV then your scope can take 2inch ep's - that annoying adapter that caused the trouble the other day - and they can occasionally be cheap but reasonably good quality if your lucky -

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190124863691&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=009 this link to elsewhere on this forum look like good 2" ep's.

But mostly the 1.25" are perfectly adequate and a good search on google can turn up some bargains, also looking on the classifieds here can be fruitful - tried and tested works well with eyepieces, you can find out which ones to look out for by asking what other stargazers think.

Whichever make you choose, you'll want to have a good range - ie. a powerful one for planets: 9mm, 8mm or 6mm - a medium: 12mm or 15mm - and a wide low power one: 20mm or 32mm (just rough examples, but you get the idea)

Then a good barlow will effectively double that collection, a reasonable x2 barlow can make each ep twice the power (ie. the 10mm becomes a 5mm etc.)

There is a great primer on here called 'EP's The least you'll need.' which has loads of helpful info on the subject.

But dont rule out your stock skywatcher ones, they're actually quite good. Besides some other item might end up being needed, there's always something needing buying with astronomy - it never ends. (not a wallet-friendly hobby.)

Regards

Aenima