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GabsGiggles

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GabsGiggles

GabsGiggles

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I own an Orion SkyScanner 100 and used it yesterday for the first time. My goal was to see Jupiter but I could'nt locate it with the telescope. The upside down thing confuse me a little. And I don't know how to use the EZfinder.

What should expect from this telescope? How neat Jupiter can be seen from it? Should I get a barlow?

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JamesF

JamesF

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By the looks of it the "EZFinder" is just a red dot finder. During the day you can get the scope focused on a distant object, then turn on the finder LED and adjust it so the red dot is over the same object as you see in the eyepiece. You use it by keeping both eyes open and look through the window of the finder with one so the red dot is superimposed on what you see with the other. At night you align the scope using the red dot and whatever it is pointing at should then be in the eyepiece.

A barlow might well be worth a try as might a shorter focal length eyepiece though as far as I can see the focal ratio is f/4 so it's not going to treat cheap eyepieces kindly.

The planets perhaps aren't the ideal target for this kind of scope, but you should be able to find Jupiter and the four Galilean moons and perhaps make out some of the banding in the planet's atmosphere.

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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If you get the finder aligned then you should see Jupiter easily with the 20mm eyepiece as it will be very bright. Get it nicely centred and then switch to the 10mm eyepiece for a more magnified view.

The inversion of the image is a bit odd at first but you soon get used to it.

James

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ronin

ronin

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Do you know where to find Jupiter?

The scope is 10mm dia and 400mm focal length, seems that it came with a 20mm and a 10mm eyepiece.

Stick the 20mm in and locate Jupiter in the centre, then drop the 10mm in.

At 40x Jupiter may be big enough that it is not too bright, and just big enough to see some slight banding.

A 5mm eyepiece would be better but I think that a standard plossl will not perform well on your scope.

The scope is f/5 and this is fast, too fast for most plossl eyepiece's.

If you can purchase an Astro-Tect Paradigm eyepiece then try one.

A barlow may be useful with the 10mm but again it needs to be of reasonable quality.

Have you any means of checking the collimation of the scope?

An f/4 scope will need to be well collimated at all times.

The above assumes you can see/find Jupiter.

If not do you know Orion? If yes then through the belt stars (left to right?) and you get to a bright Orange star (Aldebaran). Jupiter is the bright thing very close.

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GabsGiggles

GabsGiggles

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I know but hoy to turn the finder on, I guess my problem is poiting the telescope.. Any tip for it?

I thought about getting the orion shorty barlow?

By the looks of it the "EZFinder" is just a red dot finder. During the day you can get the scope focused on a distant object, then turn on the finder LED and adjust it so the red dot is over the same object as you see in the eyepiece. You use it by keeping both eyes open and look through the window of the finder with one so the red dot is superimposed on what you see with the other. At night you align the scope using the red dot and whatever it is pointing at should then be in the eyepiece.

A barlow might well be worth a try as might a shorter focal length eyepiece though as far as I can see the focal ratio is f/4 so it's not going to treat cheap eyepieces kindly.

The planets perhaps aren't the ideal target for this kind of scope, but you should be able to find Jupiter and the four Galilean moons and perhaps make out some of the banding in the planet's atmosphere.

James

Yes, especially these days. The collimation seems ok. The sky here is very light polluted, most of the time I can only see the brighter stars, I'll try to find Orion. Thanks for the tip :)

Do you know where to find Jupiter?

The scope is 10mm dia and 400mm focal length, seems that it came with a 20mm and a 10mm eyepiece.

Stick the 20mm in and locate Jupiter in the centre, then drop the 10mm in.

At 40x Jupiter may be big enough that it is not too bright, and just big enough to see some slight banding.

A 5mm eyepiece would be better but I think that a standard plossl will not perform well on your scope.

The scope is f/5 and this is fast, too fast for most plossl eyepiece's.

If you can purchase an Astro-Tect Paradigm eyepiece then try one.

A barlow may be useful with the 10mm but again it needs to be of reasonable quality.

Have you any means of checking the collimation of the scope?

An f/4 scope will need to be well collimated at all times.

The above assumes you can see/find Jupiter.

If not do you know Orion? If yes then through the belt stars (left to right?) and you get to a bright Orange star (Aldebaran). Jupiter is the bright thing very close.

Hi :) Just download it. I can't wait till tonight!

Hi gabsgiggles. Stellarium is a great ree piece of software that will certainly help you find where things are . Good luck

Scott

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JamesM

JamesM

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Would agree with the use of Stellarium to help you rehearse finding objects and learning the night sky when the clouds come in! :grin:

Come back to us to let us know how you are doing in order to sort out any other problems.

Clear skies

James

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MrPloppy

MrPloppy

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As well as Stellarium, if you have an Android phone, or even one of those Apple things <hack - spit!>, you could use Google Sky Map, which is free in their respective online stores. This is a great app just to see what it up there; you just point the phone in the general direction of the sky, and it'll tell you what you're looking at.

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breezy

breezy

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Stellarium is the bees knees and keeps me well entertained if the weather is pants .

Now mrploppy grab a bucket cos I'm gonna mention the dreaded apple contraption which I gather you feel is spawned from the diseased loins of beazelbub . I use an app called star walk which I have found quite usefull ;)

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