Attention fellow noobs!

[m37]

This is just about the most useful web page ever...

http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/field-view-calculator

Gives an approximation of what your imaging should/can look like in terms of field of view. You specify equipment and target and it does the rest.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very useful page. Note that the Ocular feature of Stellarium is very useful, and can show you what FOV you should have for your personal scope/EP combinations

[m37]

Very useful page. Note that the Ocular feature of Stellarium is very useful, and can show you what FOV you should have for your personal scope/EP combinations

Yeah, started looking at Telrad sights on there. Didn't know it could do eyepieces etc. too. What an amazing bit of software. How is it free?

[lensman57]

This is just about the most useful web page ever...

http://www.skyatnigh...view-calculator

Gives an approximation of what your imaging should/can look like in terms of field of view. You specify equipment and target and it does the rest.

Hi,

Thanks for posting the link. Both Stellarium and Cares du Ciel can show you what should fit within your scope, eyepiece or ccd. The best for me is the CCDCALC.

All these are free software and excellent to work with.

Clear Skies,

A.G

[majapala]

Really handy! Thanks for sharing.

[Pete Presland]

there is so much free software around

[IanL]

At the risk of being censured for shameless self promotion, there is also this for imagers, completely web-based and free of charge (if you want to know why we give this stuff away, it is because we've all been in receipt of so much free help and advice down the years that we have to repay the debt we owe):

http://www.blackwaterskies.co.uk/p/imagingtoolbox.html

The Imaging Toolbox uses all sky surveys with full searching, and interactive zooming, panning, rotation of the field of view reticule for framing, and a whole bunch of other features. Last time I checked it also has the largest database of currently available cameras and scopes (about 200 hours of research went in to creating that from scratch) I don't have all historical models but as explained in the instructions I am happy to add them if people can supply references to the appropriate specifications.

- I am working on updates at the moment to allow comparison of multiple camera/scope combinations on one screen, plus a few other useful features in the pipeline.

- I don't have any plans to include eyepieces or similar; the calculations and code would be easy enough, but getting data about the gazillions of eyepieces would be difficult, as information about exit pupil sizes, etc. is a bit scarce on the ground (unlike cameras where most of the data can be sourced from manufacturers spec sheets).

[Solo05]

Hi Ian

I was using this the other day to work out what my new scope would show me on different targets.

Great site.

[m37]

Yeah, that looks really sweet. Gonna have a play while last night's frames are stacking away...