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Steelej

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Steelej

Steelej

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Hello folks,

Been looking at the sky for years thinking I must get a telescope one day, well looking to get my first telescope sometime soon so have started researching.

been into photography for a long time so hoping to do some astro photography too. Was thinking of going for the Celestron C9.25, gets a good write up, would like something that I can move as I feel an outing to Galloway dafk sky park is on the horizon, looking for a decent aperture and focal length.

one question I do have though, I see pictures taken with various scopes and they're really long exposures with stacked images, when looking through a scope with the naked eye what can you see in comparison to these pictures? I'd really like to see jupiter and saturn in decent detail and nebula etc but never having looked through a telescope i'm worried that it's all just blurry white dots :)

won't be buying anything yet until i'm happy i've done enough research so will probably be spending a bit of time here.

john.

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi John and welcome to the forum. Well your proposed scope will certainly provide you with some great planetary views that will certainly reveal detail (bands on jupiter, ring detail for Saturn) and of course some fine detail on our very own moon. Mars will reveal polar caps and some colouration differences (Venus even less so) and Neptune and Uranus will appear as faint coloured discs. The stacking process helps counter the atmospheric movements that helps distort the image that we see when observing, though patience and a trained eye can surprisingly tease out more detail than you think. Aperture and its ability to help convey information through resolution of course helps with a better view but like many things it is a combination of factors including eyepieces that can make a difference. Your approach in researching as much as possible before buying any kit is a good policy, as there's no rush because the stars aren't going anywhere!

Clear skies and enjoy the forum.

James

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DirkSteele

DirkSteele

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Hi John,

Welcome to the SGL. As James, wrote above, visual views of the planets through telescopes can certainly get close to the pictures you have seen, especially during those wonderful moments, when suddenly you are viewing through a very tranquil and still piece of atmosphere (the impact of turbulence in the atmosphere is eliminated in the stacking method of planetary photography). However, the same does not apply to deep sky objects. Sadly the eye is just not that sensitive and a great deal of objects will be described visually as "grey smudges." That is not to say you won't tease out faint details with patience and practice. Perhaps open clusters and globular clusters most closely resemble photographs, where as nebulae and galaxies require a bit more imagination.

As far as astrophotography of deep sky objects goes, a long focal length scope (such as the C9.25) you mention will not be your friend (opposite is true for planetary). The long focal length will be very unforgiving to tracking errors. The general wisdom is to recommend a small, fast focal ratio refractor for those starting out in astrophotography of deep sky. However, the visual views will be less impressive.

If you have not already done so, and astrophotography is where you think you interest is heading, definitely purchase the book "Making Every Photon Count." It will explain all the challenges you are going to face, and stop you buying equipment that may not be fit for purpose.

Clear skies,

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SnakeyJ

SnakeyJ

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Hi John,

Welcome to SGL you got in with an excellent first question which shows quite a bit of research thus far. As Matthew says above the C925 is a wonderful instrument for planetary viewing and very good for planetary imaging, but not so good for deep sky observing and imaging. The ultimate all rounder scope is the Holy Grail of astronomy, but the quest is fun, a fantastic adventure and rich learning experience. I'd have to second James on starting with the book "Making Every Photon Count" - though this is focused on deep sky observing and does not say much on the planetary imaging side. It is however an essential start in AP and worth its weight in gold for avoiding the numerous pitfalls/poor purchasing decisions.

Fortunately the planetary imaging side is far less expensive and some very credible results can be produced with out re-mortgaging the house.

This forum is an excellent resource and community and there are some very experienced APers amongst the throng - don't be afraid to ask questions, but equally many of the perenials keep coming up and the forum has a quick search function and is well linked with google.

Enjoy - Jake

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glowjet

glowjet

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Hi John and welcome to SGL, you already have much information and your final scope decision will rest on what you want to image, a copy of Steve's book and further research will certainly be of benefit, enjoy your Astronomy :)

John.

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