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Beginner' scope and books, which of these?

McAldo

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McAldo

McAldo

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Be aware that taking photos through telescopes is actually pretty complicated and the fact that you have a tracking mount doesn't mean you'll succeed. You need a high quality equatorial tracking mount. I usually advise people to take it out of the equation at the entry stage because it can lead to unproductive compromises on the visual side. (And this despite the fact that I'm heavily involved in astrophotography.)

The point about the Dobsonian mount (the scopes themselves are simply Newtonians) is that they are cheap to make, stable and intuitive. Your cash goes where it should, into the optics.

Olly

http://ollypenrice.s...39556&k=FGgG233

You have some amazing images online, Olly!

Very much enjoyed browsing though them.

I think the most my wife will want to photograph at first is the moon, so probably she'll manage by just putting her digicam to the eyepiece.

So the term Dobsonian refers to the mount type, while the optics in themselves are Newtonians. Thanks :)

Just need to study a bit more.

Or maybe not, hhahahrgh, it's not for me, it's for my wife :)

Will I be accused again to give things I like for presents? :) Time will tell..

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perrin6

perrin6

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As you you suggest your funds are limited I think you should buy your wife a pair of binoculars (8 X 40 or 7 X 50 if these are not too heavy for her) and a book for locating objects. If she decides she wants a telescope later, the binos will still be very useful as they give a wide low power view for general observing. Even those with the biggest telescopes can still enjoy using binoculars.

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McAldo

McAldo

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Unlikely to fit the supplied eyepieces :grin: . It's probably a #25 (most red filters are). Not as good as a #29, but still effective (you could hold it between the eyepiece and your eye to see if you like it. (Some people are repulsed by the notion of a red Moon! :laugh: )

I guess in many places, including where I come from, traditionally there is a strong association between red moon and witchcraft or bad luck.

I am not too bothered myself though, I suspect with a little of witchcraft it might even be a better world :)

And yes, you are correct, the one I have should be a square #25 Tiffen, which is supposed to go on a flash. But with digital the only filter I use is really the polarizer, so I'll have to rummage through my boxes and find the tiffen. And yes, the idea was really to stick it in fron the of the eyepiece and give a peek, cheapskate style :)

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McAldo

McAldo

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Hi McAldo, I've got one of those cheap plastic moon filters ( http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/B00006LSVL ) that I don't ever use if you want it for nowt?

It does an OK job actually, I just prefer the view unfiltered, but at least it'll give you some idea of whether you'd want a moon filter at all or not.

PM me your address and I'll post it off for you.

That's so kind of you ,thanks, much appreciated :)

I might be getting the scope second hand between tomorrow and the day after, there is a chance it might come with a moon filter too, but if it doesn't, I'll get in touch.

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McAldo

McAldo

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Yes, I am fortunate enough to be a new member of a very good little club based in Uppsala, Sweden. The guys are not only taking care of the old double Steinheil refractor from 1894 in Uppsala Old Observatory http://www.astro.uu....s/refraktor.jpg and use it for public viewing tuesdays when the weather is good. They also built a small observatory outisde town where the club have a fully computerized 41cm Ritchey Chretien (a hand-me-down from the university) for imaging http://uaa.saaf.se/i...eten/T41_jw.jpg (the last project was recording a exoplanet transit and measuring the light from the star behind it as it passed in front). The club also has a home built 45cm newton http://uaa.saaf.se/i...me_at_night.jpg that is computerized, but mainly used for visual observation. We also hold fixing-evenings for personal equipment at the club house in Uppsala where we help eachother out with gear and software (and eat Jaffa Cakes). Sometimes we even have scientists from the university poking their head in for small lectures. I am truly lucky for having these guys so close by, and I encourage everyone to seek out their local astronomical society. Astronomers are shockingly friendly and helpful, and the gear-snobbery is non-existant in this wonderful hobby.

That's so fascinating really. There is really so much that can be done when a group of likeminded people gets together.

When I leved in DK I have seen quite a few groups (not astronomy) coming up with quite amazing thing.

Not sure about the jaffa cakes though, in my last job I used to bring a pack at work everyday, to share with colleagues, As a result, I need a wheelbarrow to carry my belly around :D

And dependently on where you are in Sweden sky visibility must be amazing. I am in the outskirts of London, more like a little town really, but still light pollution is pretty high.

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McAldo

McAldo

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As you you suggest your funds are limited I think you should buy your wife a pair of binoculars (8 X 40 or 7 X 50 if these are not too heavy for her) and a book for locating objects. If she decides she wants a telescope later, the binos will still be very useful as they give a wide low power view for general observing. Even those with the biggest telescopes can still enjoy using binoculars.

Thanks for the advice. I think you are right, for price and easiness of use binoculars might be the best solution.

But I thought about it and if I am lucky enough to find a second hand 130p I'll probably go for that, because I think she will find exciting the thing in itself.

I know it sounds silly probably, but she is a geeky designer and there is something about unusual objects which puts a childlike spell on her, and it's Xmas after all :)

But if she really gets into it, and need something more portable, I'll certainly have a look into binoculars (another potential present for her birthday, what a relief, I never know what to get her :) )

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Naemeth

Naemeth

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Thanks for the advice. I think you are right, for price and easiness of use binoculars might be the best solution.

But I thought about it and if I am lucky enough to find a second hand 130p I'll probably go for that, because I think she will find exciting the thing in itself.

I know it sounds silly probably, but she is a geeky designer and there is something about unusual objects which puts a childlike spell on her, and it's Xmas after all :)

But if she really gets into it, and need something more portable, I'll certainly have a look into binoculars (another potential present for her birthday, what a relief, I never know what to get her :) )

There is never a shortage of astronomy gifts that wouldn't be useful :).

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wookie1965

wookie1965

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Thanks :)

That's indeed what I put my eyes on, but you know how ebay is, price might well go up big time.

But fingers crossed :)

Sent from my SK17i using Tapatalk 2

When i read it i wondered if it was but i thought if it wasn't it would be a shame if you missed out.
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McAldo

McAldo

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When i read it i wondered if it was but i thought if it wasn't it would be a shame if you missed out.

Thanks, it would have been definetely a shame, much appreciated !

Sent from my SK17i using Tapatalk 2

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McAldo

McAldo

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As you you suggest your funds are limited I think you should buy your wife a pair of binoculars (8 X 40 or 7 X 50 if these are not too heavy for her) and a book for locating objects. If she decides she wants a telescope later, the binos will still be very useful as they give a wide low power view for general observing. Even those with the biggest telescopes can still enjoy using binoculars.

Alan,

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get the 130p second hand, so I am now considering which 76mm or binocular I could get new.

If you don't mind me asking, is there any specific binoculars model you would reccomend for under £100?

Thanks :)

Aldo

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McAldo

McAldo

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Actually, yes. (What a surprise! :laugh: ) Click the banner in my sig and go to Choosing and Using > Choosing.

Steve, so much info, that's wonderful, thanks :)

I always wondered why the ladies were so appreciative of my eyes when I was young, and now no more. Need to provide them with a complimentary magnifying lens to compensate for my shrinking pupils :)

Just a question, do celestron binoculars fall the too cheap to to be good category?

Anywhere I can find images showing the difference in magnification between a 10X50, 15X70 and say a 76mm newtonian such as the Celestron ot the Heritage with 20mm eyepiece?

Aldo

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BinocularSky

BinocularSky

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Anywhere I can find images showing the difference in magnification between a 10X50, 15X70 and say a 76mm newtonian such as the Celestron ot the Heritage with 20mm eyepiece?
You can do this with Stellarium -- not as realistic as it pretends to be, but OK for a comparison. The view through a Heritage 76 with a 20mm eyepiece would be similar to that with a 15x70 binocular (but I think the Heritage comes with a 25mm). Here's a couple of generated images I did a while ago, simulating the Pleiades in a good suburban sky on a transparent night, with a 10x50 (5deg FoV) and a 15x70 (4 deg FoV):

post-358-0-96445300-1356098176_thumb.png post-358-0-08987700-1356098228_thumb.png

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nephilim

nephilim

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Ask as many questions as you like the 10mm is usually rubbish the 25mm is not too bad the 20mm will be good and you can always pick up a couple more maybe 8 or 12 mm and 30mm then you will have a good low,medium and high power eyepieces for the scope.

The only use I got out of my Skywatcher stock 10mm was to remove the aluminium sleeve & use it as a way of attatching my webcam 2 my focuser. :smiley:
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McAldo

McAldo

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Well, to my shame, after all this researching and asking I ended up picking a cheap zoom birding scope from LIDL, along with the manual you all advised to get, with a view to get her something proper if interest actually kicked in.

She was happy though, just, guess what..

She must have peered over my shoulder at some point, too much browsing astronomy sites and too many scopes in my recently viewed items on amazon.

So, I found a newtonian 76mm under the tree :)

Weather is abysmal at the moment, but hopefully we'll be able to test over the next days.

I was surprised that, while the box only mention 2 oculars, my dobsonian actually comes with 4, ranging between 25mm and 6mm. And two barlows, a 2X and a very long 1.5X.

From all your comments I understand the quality of the oculars and barlows might not be exactly top notch, but I am a complete beginner, and really looking forward to the next clear night :)

I just wanted to again thank everybody for all the input and wish you all a very Merry Christmas, happy new year and wonderful clear skies.

Sent from my SK17i using Tapatalk 2

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McAldo

McAldo

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You might find that the 1.5x is actually an erecting lens.

On the batphone, so expect typos...

You are certainly right, the label says "erecting lens".

Now, off to google to try and find out what exactly means :)

Sent from my SK17i using Tapatalk 2

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McAldo

McAldo

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By the way, thanks for mentioning stellarium! I love it, been playing with it along with the book, which I stole from my wife as soon as she put it down :)

I have added my 76mm as a scope.

The only thing I am perplexed about is how to add my oculars, and how to take into account the barlow multiplier.

Is a 10mm on a 2X barrow equivalent to a 5mm ocular?

Sent from my SK17i using Tapatalk 2

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