viewing Saturn tonight//

[strikebang]

Hi all,

Im a total noob when it comes to telescopes and tonight i finally went out with my telescope i got for christmas, yea its the first time i have been able too.

Anyways i wanted to observe Saturn so i set up and gave it a shot.

I feel so dishearted now, i spent what seemed like hours looking for Saturn and only managed to get a quick glimpes at it, i think i might of set my telescope up wrong somehow.

What i really wanted to know and ask is -

Are there any astro clubs around Bournemouth that will help out a noob?

i know that Saturn is like a million miles away from earth by why was i having such a hard time finding it when its so clear in the sky?

[strikebang]

Oh i forgot to add what telescope i have. its a Sky-Watcher Explorer-130 (EQ2) Newtonian Reflector

[Schorhr]

Don't be discouraged, my first try viewing saturn with my very first telescope was frustrating, too :-)

In no time you will be able to observe even more difficult objects then planets.

It just takes time getting to know a telescope and then really using it in the dark.

[Oblong]

Using lower power (the eyepiece with the longest focal length) helps when searching for targets. Making a good job of lining up the finder scope helps too. The easiest thing is to point the scope at a distant object in the daytime (not the sun, or anywhere near it, of course), then adjust the finder so that it points at the same thing. This makes it much easier to point the scope at night. I find that keeping both eyes open helps, because you get a mix of the naked eye view and the view through the finder. Once lined up, the target should be visible in the main scope (with a bit of focussing). It gets (much) easier with practice

I see in the astro events column on the home page that there is an observing event in Fordingbridge coming up, which may be of interest to you. I would say, though, that if you take your scope to a group observing session, you should be comfortable working with it in the dark.

[strikebang]

Thanks for replying guys im going to have another go tonight and see if i can do any better.

took alook at the fordinbridge astro page and it looks like you have to be a member to attend their sessions

[kerrylewis]

Do you have computer or a smartphone? There a few apps available, some free, that will help to guide you where to look. Saturn is visible more or less all night now, but it is low in the sky and this can be frustrating if, like me, you are surrounded by roofs and trees

Kerry

[strikebang]

Do you have computer or a smartphone? There a few apps available, some free, that will help to guide you where to look. Saturn is visible more or less all night now, but it is low in the sky and this can be frustrating if, like me, you are surrounded by roofs and trees

Kerry

Yep i use Stellarium, its very good not a chance of seeing anything tonight, its too cloudy

[Qualia]

im going to have another go...and see if i can do any better.

Let us know how you get along, Strikebang. But for now I just want to give you a little word of warning.

A 5" f/5 is not an ideal planetary scope. Being of such a short focal length, it relies on very short focal length (FL) eyepieces to gain significant magnification. A longer FL telescope allows one to use longer FL eyepieces, which in turn would give one more eye relief making viewing a more comfortable possibility.

As you'll appreciate, magnification is equal to the telescope's FL divided by the EP's FL. So, if I wanted to enjoy Saturn, for example, at around an average night's viewing of 140x to 180x, I'd need an eyepiece of around 4mm to 3.5mm.

Here, then, I'd recommend either

1. a zoom eyepiece of decent quality of between 3-6mm (a TV could be picked up for around £250)
   
2. a decent Barlow which in effect helps double your EP collection whilst giving you the choice of buying a little longer FL eyepiece (say an 8mm giving you a hand in viewing DSOs and lunar work) and retaining its longer eye relief.
   
3. a 60º field EP of around 4mm which due to its wider field will be easier to track your object and finally,
   
4. an ortho of around the same focal length.
   

Another important point is to set your expectations a priori. Just looking at the numbers, I figure that if you want to do some serious planetary viewing, you will be pushing your system and eyes. This is not to put down your scope in any fashion, we're just doing the math here. You have a beautifully crafted wide-field scope and these telescopes can look at planets all the time but whatever our telescope, I think it is always helpful to the soul and mind to have reasonable expectations of what is realistically possible.

Perhaps, then, this site may help you (switch to visual).

I'm not sure if this helps in any fashion but I feel the numbers offered do help getting a general gist of what is possible and some kind of map to work through. Other than that, give a shout out for folk around your area in the Lounge, I'm sure someone will crop up.